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ridiculous. A newly-married, 23 year old man who spends most of his time with his male friends and brings them home to sleep in his bed, kicking his wife into the parents' room. I am not trying to intimate any open homosexual motives in his relationships with these boys. In fact it is duly accepted behavior. The very physical closeness of these male relationships, the hugging, holding hands, constant embracing, touching I think rules out any possibility of overt homosexuality. Nor is it publicly frowned upon and I do not think these boys would indulge in such public intimacy if there was the slightest suspicion of any sexual interest - Yet I cannot believe that there isn't some latent homosexuality present in these friendships. To what degree is hard to say. Everything in the system encourages these male relationships.

Oct 30, 70

There is a small temple next to the U.P. police headquarters here in Vanarasi. It has some paintings on the outside walls I wanted to photograph. My assistant and I approached and officer in the yard. The result was abuse etc. "get out of here or I'll throw you in jail." After showing my letter of introduction from the government we go to the office: the story becomes tedious - find someone in authority - you must see the inspector - the inspector is not here come tomorrow at 4. After 3 tries the inspector we are told is on leave. There is no one in authority here. You cannot photograph the temple I am treated with

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rudeness, indifference, threatened, etc. I ask for one sub-inspector's name who has been especially ugly. He refuses to give his name. Finally after this threat, I am told I can go to the Deputy Inspector for the district for permission. He is very nice but he must call the District Magistrate to see who has authority. After a speedy call permission is granted. 3 days of negotiations, being subjected to ugly rudeness, anger, waiting for the inspector. But to seek permission for anything in India is to be treated as a criminal, to take days of time, to be frustrating and wasteful of energy. No one is willing to take any authority but people in top positions, but worse the people in lower positions will do anything in their power to throw roadblocks in your way, to not offer any assistance, to lie and tell you whatever you want cannot be done under any circumstances.

Oct 30

Dec 15 Delhi

. . . "India turns children into adults very early, thrusting not only upon the poor but also upon the well off a constant preoccupation with mere subsistent, for the poverty that haunts every corner of the country is however submerged, an ever-present threat to all. This premature adulthood is one of the saddest things about India . . . I seem to detect that actual adulthood in India has a compensatory touching innocence about it." Ved Mehta from Portrait of India condensed Imprint Nov 10 p 41