Radhe Radhe.
I get strange requests from friends. Filmmaker Prashant Bharghava once messaged me to ask if I could spend a day looking around Mumbai for imagery of Radha of the Radha Krishna mythological story. I thought that it would be an easy thing to do but it was not. The most popular temple is the Radha Krishna temple of the ISCKON at Juhu and it wasn't easy shooting there. It was too commercial. Then I went to Gokuldham in Goregaon East and that temple only pays lip service to Radha. It's a temple that gives a bad name to the idea of dharma and should be called Greedhaam. The deities worshiped there are luck giving symbols for insecure people who wear concentrated deodarants and layers of make up to hide their worry lines. So I asked around and a friend of my wife suggested that go to this beautiful temple in Kamla Nagar in Vile Parle West where I got these images.
It wasn't a very popular temple except for the regulars and shooting was not a problem. The images were not what Prashant was looking for or they didn't fit into his final plan but right now, I'm always looking around for Radha around Mumbai. Any tips welcome.
I always keep bumping into Radha Krishna imagery everywhere but when I actually set out to look for it I discovered that it is not as common as I thought it was. The competitions among the gods are intense and the male gods and godmen dominate.
Meanwhile, Prashant finished his Radhe Radhe project. Here's the amazing video.
