PHOTO ESSAY - Diwali; Take II

five days of diwali is just not enough for me.  i have stacks more images i want to share with you!

*  as part of the hindu festival of durga puja it is traditional to worship a pre-pubescent girl as the manifestation of devi, the female goddess.  also celebrated in bangladesh and nepal, where the royal kumari is considered a living deity.  silverdocs international film festival in maryland screened 'living goddess'  in 2007 a documentary about such girls www.livinggoddessmovie.com

*  berlin's seventh festival of lights took place in october, illuminating landmarks, public spaces and hotels such as the brandenberg gate and cathedral.  photo by M Kuhn

*  ‘the head’ by indian artist ravinder reddy outside the central world building in bangkok, which was set ablaze during violent clashes between redshirt protesters and the current government's military in may 2010.  central world is the third largest shopping complex in the world aiming to attract annual sales of £145.871526 million.  nearby rival mall 'siam paragon' is one the largest shopping centres in asia, where you can even go for a swim with sharks. almost as good as the oracle in reading, where you get a free middle finger with every purchase


*  bond(a) girl.  the bonda live in the remote malkangiri hills of orissa and are one of india's oldest and most savage tribes (read: unchanged by encroaching civilisation, as well as: fierce), where women outnumber men and brides are senior to the groom.  i thought they sounded and looked like my kind of crowd until i read that their numbers are dwindling due to their short fuse (www.malkangiri.nic.in)

*  a diwali reveller with a sparkler to be reckoned with.  i bet this one wasn't from the pound shop

*  bruno dayan's sensual and spohisticated style has landed him contracts with louis vuitton, dior, moschino and yves saint laurent.  i'm a fan, so expect more blog time on this french dude

*  nick thornton jones and warren du preez for french magazine muse in 2007 are a busy bunnies duo, shooting fashion, advertising and music videos.  i met them once at a small gathering, but was more into beer than them at the time. darn, alcohol always casts a shadow over career advancement.  why do you never meet these influential people when you're sober?

check out liberty ross saucing it up in nick & warren's video for unkle.  NSFW

*  i just love this photo by eric holleman, enough said

*  holi, the festival of colour, is celebrated the day after the full moon in early march, as it signals the start of spring.  when i'm mp for brighton & hove, introducing holi will be high on my agenda.  we will light fires the night before to smoke out bad vibes and evil spirits, and in the morning we will all be equals and share a bond.  it's all very well criticising india caste system, but at least they have an amnesty once a year.  we never come together and see eye to eye, even if it is just for one day.  hippie in fdb says amen

*  lakshmi-ji by mario testino in french vogue.  she dates the sudden spike in american interest in non-caucasian girls to barack obama's election (www.independent.co.uk).  if black girls are under represented, then asian girls are entirely overlooked in an industry that is still dominated by white models.  i tried to book an indian girl for a shoot once, but my plan didn't get very far!  if i ever work for a magazine again, i will throw tantrums at every planning meeting until harmony is achieved

a dude from the konyak tribe in nagaland, the place of the head hunters, tiger poachers and .... baptists.  that's right, it's the only predominantly baptist state in the world, even before mississippi..

i don't think our man is making the most of his hat.  his interpretation is too literal, it is all about mixing it up now people.  this is how i would wear it, inspired by brighton's tranvestites:

studded leather gilet, £2435, thomas wylde

theme ceres silk satin bustier, £650, Carine gilson

mid-rise skinny jean, £260, victoria beckham

dvea leather platform pumps, £770, Versace

speaking of vb (in relation to the jeans, not trannies) here she is dressed as indian bride to appear on the cover of i-vogue, 2008