Close-Up 2011

Jump onto a moving bus? In Germany, that’s strictly verboten. But, in Kolkata it became a habit for reporter Jürgen Gerrmann from Nürtingen. And riding the bus was a daily adventure.

Between September 2011 and May 2012, ten local journalists from Germany and India became familiar with the other country’s everyday lives. From a foreign perspective and with a reporter’s curiosity, they wrote about their experiences in Berlin, Chennai, Frankfurt, New Delhi, Hamburg, Hyderabad, Leipzig, Bangalore, Nürtingen und Kolkata.

    Kolkata, 27.1.2012: The Heroes of Mass Transit

    I admit, over the past few days I have frequently done something that’s strictly forbidden: I jumped onto the moving bus. At first, it was from sheer necessity. There is no other way to enter these vehicles. In the meantime (to be honest), it’s even fun, as taking the bus in Kolkata generally is. more ...

    Berlin, 26.11.2011: Cityscape - Endlessly Ephemeral

    It can last for years or be erased in 24 hours...Berlin's street art scene is vibrant and alive.

    more ...
    The journalists‘ exchange Close-Up 2011 took place during the Year of Germany in India and was funded by the Robert Bosch Foundation. Partners were, in Germany, the Berliner Zeitung, Frankfurter Rundschau, Hamburger Morgenpost, Leipziger Volkszeitung and Nürtinger Zeitung. Partners in India were Deccan Chronicle (Hyderabad), Deccan Herald (Bangalore), Hindustan Times (Neu Delhi), The Hindu (Chennai) and Times of India (Kolkata).

      Close-Up Weblog

      What does a Lithuanian journalist think of Bonn? And what does a reporter from Düsseldorf find fascinating about Budapest? Their latest impressions are in the journalists’ blog.