This week’s
featured fan photo comes from Joel Lazarus. While traveling in southern India’s
state of Tamil
Nadu in the town of Pondicherry, Joel came upon a family sitting outside of a local shop. Inspired by their joy and the colorful
fabrics of the mother’s saree, Joel took this digital picture and immediately showed
it to the family. Modern technology enables us to share pictures with one
another instantly and, in that way, helps establish intimate personal
connections.  Joel writes, “I don’t know
what their names are, or what they do, or why they were there, but we were part
of a photo-taking ritual; taking a photo of a person and showing the photograph
to the person, is a ritual that bonds people in a different way.”

Sometimes
photography celebrates the uniqueness of people and places inside of borders,
and other times it blurs these borders, reminding us of a deeper universal
connection.

Joel continues, “No
matter where somebody comes from, or what somebody does or how much money they
have, there is something beautiful in all of us and on magical occasions we {can}
see the beauty, and it’s a great feeling. On such instances, I feel that we are
all one–afterall.”

Thanks Joel for
this great shot and your inspiring words! Share your global perspective with us by uploading your pictures on the My
Wonderful World Facebook page; we’d love to feature your shot on the next Featured
Fan Photo.

**Want to read
more about modernizing Indian cities like Pondicherry? Check out this
article by Don Belt and photographer Ed Kashi in the October edition of National Geographic.