In March 2008, Mark Dwyer went on a work placement at the Deccan Herald newspaper in Bangalore. The opportunity was organised and supported by the Asia New Zealand Foundation’s media programme.

Mark reports how the growing literacy rate is spurring an unprecedented rise in the number and readership of newspapers: a common trend in Asia, in contrast to observed readership decline in Western countries. At the time of his stint at the Deccan Herald, the oldest and one of the most respected newspapers in the city, a new masthead - the Deccan Chronicle - was being launched, and reporters and photographers were being headhunted and tempted away with huge salary increases. As a result, the Herald's emphasis on quality was paramount. Two highlights of his assignment included elbowing his way through a media scrum to get a shot of an aspiring Bollywood actress and watching Brendon McCullum scoring a record number of runs at a local 20/20 cricket match.

Here are some of Mark Dwyer's photos taken in the streets of Bangalore, the third most populous city in India, with over 6 million inhabitants.

Alley cricket
 

Summer camp 

                                                    
    Boy with breakfast                                                                              Old woman

 
Below are two photos Mark took during street celebrations of Holi, a Hindu festival dedicated to the triumph of good over evil.

 
    A little girl during the Holi festival 

    Girls during the Holi festival
 

Mark Dwyer is the chief photographer for the Taranaki Daily News.