"The sun rises over Bokahapadi Village in Jharia, Jharrkhand, India, February 18, 2010. Women and children as young as 5 years old scavenge daily at the open and underground mines Jharia. The coal fields here were once used by companies, but then abandoned. The coal was exposed to the atmosphere, ignited, and underground fires spread across the towns. Locals in Jharia live over dozens of these underground coal fires that pump out toxic fumes and form fire pits that have led to several deaths and collapsed homes. They work alongside the fires, breathing fumes for up to 9 hours a day. The coal they collect earns them around $1 a day at the local markets. With coal scavengering a primary source of income for many residents, a proposed government relocation of residents is being met with resistance. Coal supplies 70% of India’s energy and the largest concentration of the country’s coal fields are in Jharrkhand."

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I spent a total of 11 hours on the train to and from Calcutta yesterday to get permission to shoot for a project I'm working on in Dhanbad, only to get all the way there and find out the director I needed to speak with wasn't in. It's been three weeks here in India now and I'm trying to keep a zen and open mind, but there are a few things to get used to, like Indian bathrooms, hygiene, trains, queues (or lack thereof), being constantly stared at and followed around by stunned people and children when I shoot. Every once and a while I find my New York anger boiling up but it's clear that my western middle class frame of mind simply won't work for me here. For all my bitching I have to give credit, just when I feel ready to throw up my hands in frustration something seems to pop up and give me exactly what I need.

More Kumbh Mela

'Livin' my life like it's golden'

I was feeling a little down today after having both cameras break (thankfully I can still shoot with one if I give it a good smack every few minutes) and getting harassed by an overly suspicious lady cop yesterday; so today I decided to take the day off, sleep in, and wander around town doing the tourist thing.

This place is breathtaking. I've been waking up before dawn every morning and walking through the fog for nearly a half mile to the main Ghats and watching the faithful bathe in the icy waters of the Ganges as the sun rises, it's clear that this is an incredibly important, spiritual experience for them.

Maybe having my 5D's die was a blessing in disguise; a sign telling me to ditch the cameras for a while and have a look around. Just the other day, I spoke with a photojournalist from France that I met here who was doing just that: putting down his cameras for a few months at a time to just enjoy traveling the world. We agreed that while you're busy shooting behind the lens, it's far too easy to get caught up in taking the right shots and forget to experience what's around you.

This break from New York is something I've needed for a while. Working for a daily newspaper every day in the city, I got caught up in the routine of my assignments, becoming just another member of the hustle and bustle and dizzying blur of trying to keep up as a working professional within the city. Eventually, I burned myself out, and had forgot why I got into this profession in the first place. Now, halfway across the world at the base of the Himalayas, I think I am finally starting to remember.

Another morning in Haridwar

The River Ganges is seen during the Kumbh Mela, the largest religious festival in the world, in Haridwar, India, January 26, 2010. Hundreds of thousands of devotees will take a dip in the icy waters of the Ganges river in one of northern India's holiest cities on Saturday, January 30, during the monthslong Hindu festival. It is expected to attract more than 10 million people.

Haridwar

Got up at dawn again to chase some light.

Sunrise in Haridwar