@ayashok —
After CNN published a story on India's best Instagrammers, we asked if you could do better, showing us your India with the hashtag #MyIndiaCNN. You responded...in your hundreds. The Silk Road enlisted the help of top Instagrammers @siddharthajoshi, @indiapictures, @khannachandan, @ravimishraindia, @abirladianu, @anushree_fadnavis; Silk Road TV presenter Sumnima Udas and key CNN staff to choose our favorites. It was a tough job!Instagrammer Ashok Saravanan impressed the judges with this photo of a man holding an idol of the Hindu elephant god Ganesha, taken on the last day of the Ganeshotsav festival at Marina Beach, Madras.
"After everyone has worshiped the Ganesha idols in their home or communities, all of them are immersed in the sea, nearby lakes or any bodies of water," he said. "People travel to the waterfront with the idols, large and small, dancing and singing in large processions. Lord Ganesha departs, only to be welcomed the next year with equal excitement."
Silk Road TV presenter Sumnima Udas said: "This photo immediately caught my attention. Ganesha has obviously lost his body to the sea in the festival's immersion ritual and this man is having some fun with the head. It's a perfect visual representation of the famous myth -- Lord Shiva put an elephant's head on the shoulders of his decapitated son which becomes Lord Ganesha -- and it's beautifully shot."
@imranmanzoorshah —
Kashmir-based video journalist Imran Shah took a stunning set of Instagrams of laborers at a brick kiln in Budgam, Indian Kashmir.Imran Shah: "Brick making is an unorganized industry, generally confined to rural areas and is one of the largest employment industries in India. The laborers usually work in hard conditions for 12-14 hours a day, earning less than $150 a month. The emission of a huge quantity of toxic elements is causing serious health hazards to workers, with most suffering from respiratory or skin problems."
CNN Travel producer Maureen O'Hare: "The parched, dusty reds contrast with the hydrating green bucket, giving a visceral sense of the harsh working conditions at the brick kiln."
@imranmanzoorshah —
"It was late afternoon and the light was beautiful. Some guys were cleaning the kiln to put in new raw bricks. I had never in my life seen anything like this before -- I was there for hardly 10 minutes more or less, but in these 10 minutes my nose and throat was totally messed up with dust. I wish to highlight the plight of these guys by sharing these pictures and hope one day there will be some kind of change."Sumnima Udas: "A stunning depiction of the everyday life of an Indian brick kiln worker. I've filmed in many brick kilns before and this is exactly how dusty, hot and difficult it is. I love the colors and composition."
@ayanava3 —
Instagrammer Ayanava Sil snapped this striking shot of an artisan and his granddaughter in north Calcutta's potter's colony, Kumartuli. "In these lanes, one sees hundreds of potters and artisans who are involved in making thousands of (religious) idols each year," said Sil.
"What attracted me to the scene is how the artisan's granddaughter keeps an eye on every passer-by -- the way she stares completes the picture."
CNN Travel producer Maureen O'Hare: "Your eyes are immediately drawn to this young girl's challenging, confident stare. She's making sure no one messes with her or her grandfather."
@umarmeraj —
Umar Meraj, another Kashmir-based video journalist, captured this beautiful shot of the paddy harvest on the outskirts of Srinagar. "It was around 6:45 PM, I was heading back to the office after an assignment. It was cloudy and suddenly the sun shone -- it was a nice light and the paddy was adding color to it," said Meraj.
"Agricultural land is shrinking at an alarming rate in Kashmir valley. At the current rate, 5,550 hectares per year, Kashmir is set to lose all of its paddy land in the next 25 years."
Instagrammer Alexandra Birladianu said: "I love the colors, the motion, the fluidity. It's like I am witnessing the farmer throwing the hay in real time, coming to life in front of me."
@chetankumarstudio —
Photographer Chetan Kumar has been traveling by motorbike through the countryside in Bihar, India, to document the river Ganges and the villages around it. This image was taken in Sabalpur, Bhojpur, as Kumar stopped for a break to shoot his bike in the sunset. Silk Road producer Urmee Khan chose it as one of her favorite picks.Chetan Kumar: "The cool breeze and the soft rays of sunlight on the open fields were beautiful and captivating. I love the soft light falling on the flowers with the tree at the background.
"The white flowers known as 'kaash plants' were moving with the evening breeze."
@abhichinnappa —
Reuters photojournalist Abhishek Chinnappa captured this stunning image of a Tibetan cowboy watching over his flock as dawn broke in the Tibetan Buddhist settlement of Bylakuppe, south-west India. Now the largest Tibetan settlement in South India, the town was built on land leased by the government to accommodate some of the Tibetan expatriates who resettled in India after the 1959 uprising against China. It is home to agricultural settlements and a number of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and temples.Photographer Chandan Khanna: "Showing the beauty of the countryside with the hint of social and political issues at the same time -- that is the power of photography."
Photojournalist Anushree Fadnavis also chose this shot: "I love the picture for its simplicity and the color of the light."
@lucyswinstead —
Mumbai-based photographer Lucy Swinstead shot this image of a young girl playing with fire by the roadside in Bandra, Mumbai.Alexandra Birladianu: "I love the shadow play and the contrast between the fire and the wall. Plus the subject expresses so much emotion, I literally stopped and stared at the photo. There is so much power in one little girl."
@lucyswinstead —
Another favorite entry by Lucy Swinstead, this intriguing shot captures a man taking a break in the ironing room at the Dhobi Ghat, Mumbai's open-air laundromat. Instagrammer Siddhartha Joshi said: "I love how there are so many layers to the image and each one has something going on. Every time I see this, I see something new. The lighting is great."
@arjunchhabra —
Photography student Arjun Chhabra captured this serendipitous moment at a tea stall in Old Delhi."I have been frequenting Anil Rajasthani's tea stall every time I go to Old Delhi. I simply love his tea. On the particular day when I clicked this photograph, everything just fell into place," said Chhabra.
"He was sipping his tea and at the same time making another pot. His phone rang, he took it out of his pocket and turned around with a cup of tea in one hand and his phone in another. The light of the setting sun falling on his face was perfect, as was his faint smile on his face and posture."
Chandan Khanna: "The details of this tea shop explain so much about the motherland India -- the name written in half English and Hindi. The character of the owner is so dynamic with the light falling on his face and his mustache is just awesome."
@arjunchhabra —
This shot of an Indian boy on his phone in the old quarters of Delhi, was also snapped by Arjun Chhabra.CNN social media producer Rachel Rodriguez said: "I like how serious this kid is. Obviously closing a top business deal."
@satwikarora —
Satwik Arora took this photo in Amritsar, Punjab, of Sikh men training in a martial art called Gatka. "Gatka uses spiritual, mental and physical skills in equal proportions to help one become fully competent in defending oneself and others. They train themselves continuously in order to become physically and mentally strong -- that's why they are hitting a wooden rod on the back of that person," said Arora.
Founder of India Pictures Amol Goel said: "This image represents the whole Sikh community and different eras of its religion and it's evolution. Each colored outfit represents a certain type of Sikh individual. For example, the ones in blue are called 'Nihangs,' the warrior clan of the Sikhs."
@greenredaj —
Photographer and writer Arjun Mehta snapped this scene of commuters on the 6:45am train into New Delhi."India absolutely loves its newspapers," he said.
KPMG India estimates that growing literacy rates and advertising revenues will boost the Indian print industry by 8% in 2015.
CNN social media producer Rachel Rodriguez said: "This one struck me because of how similar the scene is on morning trains and subways around the world -- this could easily be London or Washington D.C. I guess catching up on news in the mornings is pretty universal!"
@ashish_vj —
Photojournalist Ashish Vaishnav shot this incredible image of Dahi Handi, a Hindu festival where people make a human pyramid to break a pot of curd at a certain height. It is based on a legend of the child god Krishna stealing butter.Silk Road TV presenter Sumnima Udas: "As soon as I saw the picture I thought -- this is India. A sea of people, pushing, rushing, striving to meet a goal. The fact that you can't see the earthen pot full of curd makes this photo even more interesting.
"I've been to many such celebrations before, and it's not easy to take a photo that so perfectly captures the energy, color and vibrancy of India."