Christian Bobst. Kullu Valley, India. 2009. Reflection.

“Luxury,” says British essayist Pico Iyer, “is a function of scarcity.”

 

In Mumbai – where the clamor of construction begins outside my bedroom window at four a.m. and where my neighbors watch me do living-room yoga to the backdrop of pigeon squawks – luxury is

 

space

 

and quiet.

 

In Bombay, high-rolling clubs like Breach Candy and Bombay Gymkhana afford the city’s wealthy and their expatriate guests such luxuries as space for swimming pools the size of intersections and shrubbery planted solely to block out the racket of traffic.

 

Upon first glance, the life of Christian Bobst’s monk seems luxurious to someone like me. And I imagine many Mumbaikers deprived of space and tranquility would feel the same. But after reflecting on the photo’s backstory, I see the discipline and sacrifice required for the monk to live this way.  And I wonder, if Christian Bobst’s monk were to look at a photo of me banging away at my white-collar job in a new seventh-floor apartment, would he see a picture of luxury, or something else? 

- Mark 

FREE ART - Nuru Project is giving away a free 20" x 24" Christian Bobst print if our Twitter following grows to 2000 by Friday as part of Social Media Week in NYC. Promote @NuruProject using #SMWnuru to be eligible. Watch a video with more info here.

Mark Hand is an Investment Associate at First light Ventures, which invests in young social enterprises in India. He is especially proud of his new leather-sole Dan Post western boots.