The Station Master
Peter Hill - approx 80yrs old - lived all his life in Laverton - he might be the Eldest man in the town. First day I went to meet him to take permission to photograph his place -
why? because- the house he lives in used to be the Station masters house, next to the Railway station. so basically there was a railway station. So what happened - why the town is now left without a local transport?
ok so when i went to visit him and said: hello can i take some photos -he said:
"What! You want to take some Pictures - first meet my pet Goat and my pet calf - they where really cute
Ok come some other day when there is good sun. you can come any day and photograph but let me know, you are around though i cant stop you from photographing."
then i introduced myself - he said ok come again.
The cultural difference:
1. Here nobody goes knocking on doors and introducing yourself - not like in India - people will knock at your doors and immediately ask:
How many kids?
what does your husband do?
Oh my god! why you are not married?
anything fault in you?
oh did your parents try to save some money?
ohh you cant have kids why dont you go to this baba he will make things ok for you ....conti...
so in 5 min every one knows the history & geography of that person.
2. The Australian Govt actually allows anybody to take any photos and you don't have to take any permission - thats why Peter Hill said "thou i cant stop you photographing". -
In India - who cares i want to take photo & i take
Govt says, law says or what i say doesn't matter.
3. Here people can become friends or can say hello when someone near and dear introduces them. and As i said in India it doesn't matter.
these 3 points i think is only applied to the white Australians. With the local Aboriginal community what i gathered is if you are not invited you cant visit them, even if you knew them quite well. and if i am right you cant call them - and take their names - when they call you it is ok - but i might be wrong - i will know more about it on Saturday,
The disclaimer:
the Local people here are extremely warm and helpful and friendly. you will never feel lonely. too many things happening. and what i found they are very proud of their history and willing to share and help.
i being me - i think i dint make so many mistakes - it is ok to knock at doors to take permission for photographing. thou the govt allows you to photograph but i think it is rude to just go and start clicking.
i remember in Kutch - when people took out their cameras to take photos of a colorful camels and the women - the women made a sign of getting paid for each click - the same thing in Kenya with the Masai's - and i think it is correct. because in India we take everything for granted, that doesn't mean people or tourists can just take pic of anybody without permission, without a payment,or without a copyright. will they like to see themselves as an object placed in a showcase or in a zoo.
I remind this to myself everyday
ok Back to Peter Hill:
As on the first day i was sent back. the next day i was with Eleanor his daughter. Eleanor is one of the astonishing person i have met. she has stayed all her life in this town and has contributed a lot to the well-being of the town. she has done many research mainly on the nearby cemeteries. she is ok with cross cultural and also ok with the inter - community - relationships or marriages. too little i know of her - she works for the local museum ( peter was responsible to make this museum happen)
so when she introduced Peter again to me in the library -he said ok come home in 10min will have a chat and you can take photos.
so when i went - He said - "the local dogs have attacked my Calf at night and he is bleeding and i am very upset. the goat escaped. both where in a protected fenced place but the dogs digged the ground and came inside the protected area.
"i dont understand why people don't chain their dogs and keep them inside.
it might be the dingo's the wild Australian dogs.
he said i am ok anyone taking images but my wife doesn't like it.
so i couldn't take interior images of the house.
Details of the house and the railways
- notes from peter:
i think because of him and his family this street is called hill street.
1905 the house was built
the railways came to this town in 1903 and stopped funcioning in 1957.
in 1963 they pulled out the lines.
the camels where used for transportation till maybe 1910 -or little bit till 1920s then because of the motorway and the railways the camels were not used anymore. The Railways stopped because there wasn't enough people traveling.
This town ofcource came up because of Gold mining and then in 1960s there used to be the sheep trade. in 1960 there were almost 60,000 sheeps in this town.
Here for the first time i hear the Name Abdul and Rassul. who stayed here in this town. Abdul used to have a Vegetable farm and Rassul used to deal with sheep trade. will get more stories about them soon.
the town name came up after Dr. Charles Laver
this town presently has less than 300 people. and Everyone is on Facebook and they get in touch with each other in facebook. the town is very small all walking distance and they all meet each other every now and then- but still they are all in facebook.
The house details:
Exterior: weather Board and Corrugated iron roof.
Interior: Wiplen sheets (corrugated tins)
coming back to the cultural difference - i respect and will understand the difference but i am not sure i can ever adopt it. me being the true Indian will be outspoken - loud and clear so everyone understands - will get impatient and hyper. and i am sure i am going to make some great good and lots of friends.
yesterday i saw a Tv show: Australian guy going around Filming Bombay and taking all notes as i am taking here. but i think he was funny as he tried learning Bollywood dancing.
the word Dingo - the wild Australian Dogs - reminds me of the story Patrick told me in Banagalore: the Anglo Indians who left India and settled in Australia and Newzealand where called dingos but then he also changed the story and said: the Anglo-Indians who Dint-go to Australia and Newzeland where called Dingos....
this is from Assam: Raju reporting: after reading my blog he added this image:
he says:
END ROAD TO A NEIGHBORING COUNTRY -
Archana, it is an end station of Assam, nearing Bangladesh
Peter Hill - approx 80yrs old - lived all his life in Laverton - he might be the Eldest man in the town. First day I went to meet him to take permission to photograph his place -
why? because- the house he lives in used to be the Station masters house, next to the Railway station. so basically there was a railway station. So what happened - why the town is now left without a local transport?
ok so when i went to visit him and said: hello can i take some photos -he said:
"What! You want to take some Pictures - first meet my pet Goat and my pet calf - they where really cute
Ok come some other day when there is good sun. you can come any day and photograph but let me know, you are around though i cant stop you from photographing."
then i introduced myself - he said ok come again.
The cultural difference:
1. Here nobody goes knocking on doors and introducing yourself - not like in India - people will knock at your doors and immediately ask:
How many kids?
what does your husband do?
Oh my god! why you are not married?
anything fault in you?
oh did your parents try to save some money?
ohh you cant have kids why dont you go to this baba he will make things ok for you ....conti...
so in 5 min every one knows the history & geography of that person.
2. The Australian Govt actually allows anybody to take any photos and you don't have to take any permission - thats why Peter Hill said "thou i cant stop you photographing". -
In India - who cares i want to take photo & i take
Govt says, law says or what i say doesn't matter.
3. Here people can become friends or can say hello when someone near and dear introduces them. and As i said in India it doesn't matter.
these 3 points i think is only applied to the white Australians. With the local Aboriginal community what i gathered is if you are not invited you cant visit them, even if you knew them quite well. and if i am right you cant call them - and take their names - when they call you it is ok - but i might be wrong - i will know more about it on Saturday,
The disclaimer:
the Local people here are extremely warm and helpful and friendly. you will never feel lonely. too many things happening. and what i found they are very proud of their history and willing to share and help.
i being me - i think i dint make so many mistakes - it is ok to knock at doors to take permission for photographing. thou the govt allows you to photograph but i think it is rude to just go and start clicking.
i remember in Kutch - when people took out their cameras to take photos of a colorful camels and the women - the women made a sign of getting paid for each click - the same thing in Kenya with the Masai's - and i think it is correct. because in India we take everything for granted, that doesn't mean people or tourists can just take pic of anybody without permission, without a payment,or without a copyright. will they like to see themselves as an object placed in a showcase or in a zoo.
I remind this to myself everyday
ok Back to Peter Hill:
As on the first day i was sent back. the next day i was with Eleanor his daughter. Eleanor is one of the astonishing person i have met. she has stayed all her life in this town and has contributed a lot to the well-being of the town. she has done many research mainly on the nearby cemeteries. she is ok with cross cultural and also ok with the inter - community - relationships or marriages. too little i know of her - she works for the local museum ( peter was responsible to make this museum happen)
so when she introduced Peter again to me in the library -he said ok come home in 10min will have a chat and you can take photos.
so when i went - He said - "the local dogs have attacked my Calf at night and he is bleeding and i am very upset. the goat escaped. both where in a protected fenced place but the dogs digged the ground and came inside the protected area.
"i dont understand why people don't chain their dogs and keep them inside.
it might be the dingo's the wild Australian dogs.
he said i am ok anyone taking images but my wife doesn't like it.
so i couldn't take interior images of the house.
Details of the house and the railways
- notes from peter:
i think because of him and his family this street is called hill street.
1905 the house was built
the railways came to this town in 1903 and stopped funcioning in 1957.
in 1963 they pulled out the lines.
the camels where used for transportation till maybe 1910 -or little bit till 1920s then because of the motorway and the railways the camels were not used anymore. The Railways stopped because there wasn't enough people traveling.
This town ofcource came up because of Gold mining and then in 1960s there used to be the sheep trade. in 1960 there were almost 60,000 sheeps in this town.
Here for the first time i hear the Name Abdul and Rassul. who stayed here in this town. Abdul used to have a Vegetable farm and Rassul used to deal with sheep trade. will get more stories about them soon.
the town name came up after Dr. Charles Laver
this town presently has less than 300 people. and Everyone is on Facebook and they get in touch with each other in facebook. the town is very small all walking distance and they all meet each other every now and then- but still they are all in facebook.
The house details:
Exterior: weather Board and Corrugated iron roof.
Interior: Wiplen sheets (corrugated tins)
the Railways platform
standing on the Platform
This is like a pulley or like a crane to shift from one track to another as the rail line stopped here. It couldn't take a 'U' turn or start reverse as there used to be only one engine.
space for two tracks
end of the track.
coming back to the cultural difference - i respect and will understand the difference but i am not sure i can ever adopt it. me being the true Indian will be outspoken - loud and clear so everyone understands - will get impatient and hyper. and i am sure i am going to make some great good and lots of friends.
yesterday i saw a Tv show: Australian guy going around Filming Bombay and taking all notes as i am taking here. but i think he was funny as he tried learning Bollywood dancing.
the word Dingo - the wild Australian Dogs - reminds me of the story Patrick told me in Banagalore: the Anglo Indians who left India and settled in Australia and Newzealand where called dingos but then he also changed the story and said: the Anglo-Indians who Dint-go to Australia and Newzeland where called Dingos....
this is from Assam: Raju reporting: after reading my blog he added this image:
he says:
END ROAD TO A NEIGHBORING COUNTRY -
Archana, it is an end station of Assam, nearing Bangladesh
