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Daily tasks and mundane things transcend all cultures across time and space, but each practice and routine is informed by different cultural values and backgrounds that shift and change. Traveling across the Arabian Sea to India provides a contrasting perspective of a world that is so foreign and yet so familiar to the UAE.

LENS: INDIA VS. UAE

Daily tasks and mundane things transcend all cultures across time and space, but each practice and routine is informed by different cultural values and ...

Mar 10, 2014

Daily tasks and mundane things transcend all cultures across time and space, but each practice and routine is informed by different cultural values and backgrounds that shift and change. Traveling across the Arabian Sea to India provides a contrasting perspective of a world that is so foreign and yet so familiar to the UAE.
A lady carefully places her metal bucket that she uses to carry water back to her home in Neemrana, India.
 
mall aquarium_dorothy lam
This jaw-dropping indoor aquarium boasts the largest single piece of acrylic plastic in the world as its window in Dubai Mall, UAE.
 
crabs_dorothy lam
A fisherman organizes his catch of the day in buckets, baskets and boxes, preparing to lure the next customer’s attention in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
 
boy splashing_dorothy lam
A boy washes his hair and body with the holy water in the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Sikh house of worship in New Delhi, India.
 
fish emirati_dorothy lam
A local man takes a photo with his smartphone of a fish butcher at a local fish market early in the morning in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
 
cow
A cow grazes and scavenges for the last bunch of green leaves in a heap of rubbish dumped on the side of the road. Some heaps of rubbish are set on fire. It is not unusual to see piles of dirt, plastic and used items left untouched and exposed in Agra, India.
 
plastic bag uae_dorothy lam
A blue plastic bag floating through the air outside Sama Tower in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
 
women gathering_dorothy lam
A group of Indian ladies gather, sitting comfortably on the ground on a Sunday morning at 6 a.m. outside of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India.
 
men gathering_dorothy lam
A group of locals sitting on plastic chairs in a circle at 11 p.m. on a Wednesday night in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
 
apt to nowhere_dorothy lam
Abandoned homes with walls and roofs missing on the streets of Agra, India.
 
broken apt uae_dorothy lam
A half-decayed building stands in front of a new skyscraper under construction near Marina Port, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
 
transport india_dorothy lam
Camel carts are still used to transport goods and people in a small town of 4,000 people in Neemrana, India. With the uneven roads, it can be quite a bumpy ride. Though the pace is slow enough that a person can easily stride next to them, they can carry a lot of weight across long distances.
 
transport uae_dorothy lam
Autopilot pods carry passengers across one of the most sustainable cities in the world. Passengers can sit back and relax while this piece of technology zooms through passageways in Masdar City, UAE.
 
barber india_dorothy lam
The locals call them the “naturally air-conditioned” barbershops. They are situated along the sides of busy roads or even under highway bridges. One can enjoy a full facial and a straight razor shave for 10 Rupees, or about 60 fils (0.16 USD), in Old Delhi, India.
 
barber uae_dorothy lam
A classy barbershop for well-off locals is brightly lit with pristine glass panes separating individual cubicles, guaranteeing privacy and personal treatment in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
 
cleaning feet_dorothy lam
A row of men cleaning their feet, hands and face before attending prayer at the Jama‘ Mosque, or the Friday Mosque, in Old Delhi, India.
 
lady at mosque_dorothy lam
A lady waiting outside the Mariam Bint Sultan mosque after the Friday prayer in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
 
desert_dorothy lam
Tourists conquer the sand dunes and pose for photographs in Al Ain during a day trip to the desert in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
 
photographers_dorothy lam
Self-employed photographers wait on the slopes of a historical attraction. They attempt to charm elephant-riding tourists to smile at the camera and then sell them souvenir photographs at the Amber Fort in Jaipur, India
 
street_dorothy lam
Two ladies strolling down the streets at sunset in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
 
girl peaking india_dorothy lam
A girl stands between the doorway of closed shops looking out to the busy street during the Diwali holiday in Jaipur, India.
 
emirati in shop_dorothy lam
An Emirati lady purchasing items in a pharmacy packed with gleaming products in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
 
us flag india_dorothy lam
Four ladies deciding what groceries to purchase at an open-air market for the Diwali holiday show a diverse choice of fabric for daily wear in Jaipur, India.
 
MD_dorothy lam
Actors from the “M.D (or the whale)” production by the theater company Witness Relocation, presented by the NYU Abu Dhabi Theater program in collaboration with Theater Mitu, at the Manarat Cultural Center on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
 
teenage boys_dorothy lam
Schoolboys wandering around a local silver market in Old Delhi, India.
 
Dorothy Lam was fall 2013 multimedia editor. Email her at editorial@thegazelle.org. Original photo essay was published on November 23, 2013.
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