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Ami Vitale

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India

125 images Created 31 Jul 2006

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  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • A young Ladakhi Buddhist who is studying to become a monk wears a mask during the annual festival celebrating the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava, the founder of Lamaism (an off-shoot of Buddhism) in the eighth century. The two-day festival is marked by ritual dancing  in Hemis Gumpa, 28 miles southeast of Leh in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir June 28 and 29, 2004. The Hemis Gumpa is the oldest and largest monastery in Ladakh.
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  • SITAMARHI, BIHAR: AUGUST 13:Mukash lies on the back of a water buffalo watching  as girls play games outside  a Mahila Shikshan Kendra, translated as Women's Education Center, in Sitamarhi, north of Patna in Bihar, India August 13, 2003. Bihar is the poorest state in India and women suffer  greatly because of the poverty, lack of education and opportunities. This center is being funded by the World Bank although it was initially started by Unicef (Ami Vitale)
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  • MUZZAFARPUR, BIHAR: AUGUST 15:Sahayoginis, the women who are the backbone of the Mahila Shikshan Kendra or Women's Education Center, learn yoga during a training session in Muzzafarpur, north of Patna in Bihar, India August 15, 2003. Bihar is the poorest state in India and women suffer  greatly because of the poverty, lack of education and opportunities. This center is being funded by the World Bank although it was initially started by Unicef. ( Ami Vitale )
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  • Kolkata's (Calcutta) rickshaw pullers take children to school and people to work around Ripon Street in central Calcutta, September 18, 2007. This congested city was the first city of the colonial British and  now it is the only city of India where hand pulled rickshaws are still being pulled. In 1996, the Government of West Bengal announced that it was intending to ban the rickshaws to relieve traffic congestion  but it never was fully enforced. In 2007, the government again pushed to have the ban enforced and a case is currently being decided in the Supreme court that will determine the outcome for the hand pulled rickshaws.
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  • Jawani Purty bathes and massages her baby Laxmi with turmeric 21 days after her birth in the remote village of Phuljhar in Orissa, India in June, 2005. Jawani delivered her baby alone in her mud hut and had no access to professional care. Half a million women in the developing world die from pregnancy-related causes every year. That's one woman every minute. In developed countries one in 4,000 women dies during pregnancy, while in poor countries one in 17 women dies. The reasons are generally related to poor access to professional care. Sometimes, just a dollar to buy a bar of soap, some rubber gloves and other simple items could save a mother's life but its just not possible in these remote parts of India, especially during the monsoon season when the flooding makes it impossible to reach any kind of health facility.
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  • LEH, LADAKH, AUGUST 22: Nestled high in the Himalayas with its crystal-clear air and brilliant azure skies, the sun rises near Leh, the capital of Ladakh, India August 22, 2003. The isolated area of Ladakh first opened to tourists in 1974, and is the home to one of the last surviving authentic Tibetan Buddhist cultures.  Leh is situated at a height of 3505 meters and once was part of the silk route of central Asia. Traders from exotic and far-flung lands have long spoken of the beauties of these lands. (Ami Vitale)
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  • NEW DELHI,INDIA, MAY 14, 2004: Supporters of India's  Congress party celebrate in New Delhi, India May 14, 2004. India's Gandhi family came back to power on Thursday after  millions of rural voters, who felt left behind by the country's economic boom voted out the Hindu nationalist government. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee conceded defeat and resigned yesterday. (Ami Vitale)
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  • Muslim sit atop the Jamia Masjid, or Grand Mosque, the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan in Delhi, India December 17, 2001.  (Ami Vitale)
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