Egypt Is Free

Photo © Ed Ou For The New York Times

Egypt Is Free! is the headline in the Indian newspapers here in Ahmedabad...and what a welcome sight it is after two weeks of non stop traveling in Gujarat on the In Search of Sufis Photo~Expedition. Infrequent internet connections, and non existent English news channels on hotels' television meant that detailed news of the historic events in Cairo were sparse.

It's with jubilation that I learned of Mubarak's resignation and the fall of his regime...but as importantly, I'm ecstatic the young Egyptians have more than regained their pride, and their place in history. As many have said, this is a historic and momentous event which will certainly portend freedom for the millions of the Arab youth in other countries. The hard work to establish a working democracy will start soon...and that also will be a test for the fortitude of these admirable Egyptians.

I've seen the phenomenal photo coverage in all the dailies; The New York Times, MSNBC, WSJ Photo Journal, The Big Picture and the rest of them...the excellent work by Ron Haviv, Michael Robinson Chavez, Ed Ou and many others.

However, I cannot help but wonder why haven't the photo editors of these newspapers/magazines also featured the work of Egyptian photojournalists who covered the events as well? Why not give a chance to these young photographers to show how they document their own revolution? They also need the exposure...and it's their revolution after all!!!

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Rabari Dancing "Girls" (or Gopis)

Photo © Tewfic-El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

This is my first post since arriving in India on January 27 to lead my In Search of Sufis of Gujarat Photo-Expedition. As my internet connection is somewhat tenuous (even though we're staying at the sumptuous Imperial Palace in Rajkot), this post will be brief. The photo-expedition has progressed quite smoothly in the quest of Sufi centers in the southern part of the Gujarati peninsula. We were welcomed, and treated with the utmost courtesy by the guardians of the various shrines we visited; some were very popular with devotees whilst others were almost deserted...but more will be explained when I do my end of photo expedition verdict in a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, the above photograph is of a small group of Rabari women whom we chanced on on the road to Junagadh. They belong to small sect of Rabari pastorals who believe they are descended from Krishna's dancing girls known as gopis. On their way to a temple (or mandir), they performed one of their dances for our lenses. I have many more of these, but I'm pressed for time so this will do for now.

We are on our way to the tribal lands of Gujarat, and we should be in Bhuj tomorrow for the start of the Kacchh section of the photo-expedition.