the journey so far

New York!

2012-01-14T12:30:00.000-08:00

Call it the big apple or the city that never sleeps; its always exciting when you are visiting New York... alone or with friends.
2011 was a good year and good amount of time that I spent in NYC and here are some clicks...

In and around Times Square

The MET

On the way to Staten Island

Union Square & Wall Street

Top of the Rock

hhhhmmmm :)

2011-11-15T08:37:00.001-08:00

Asterix and Tintin were great but Calvin & Hobbes was perfect!

As much as I enjoyed listening to the stories of Indian, French, American & Russian revolutions; I hated the exams...

sometimes it was so obvious...

it was difficult to set expectations!

I never knew what I wanted as a kid, but today a big sunny field would make perfect sense...

Fading Colors

2011-11-09T07:26:00.001-08:00

Autumn is back... The fading colors, the chill in the wind, the early morning fog, the frosted glass and to experience it all a phone with a decent camera...

The autumn is passing by, the colors have almost gone, the weather is cold, mornings are lazy, and the glass still remains frosted...

Last day of Summer, 2011

2011-09-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

I have been away for a while since I have been busy with a lot of shifting; a different place as well as a new job but yes in the midst have had a chance to spend some time on photography - more updates later.

Interestingly while driving down to work I happened to notice the date and I realized that its almost the last day of summer. Remembering my school days where I studied that the sun's illusionary path in the sky is right over the equator and that marks the end of summer, seasons change in the northern and southern hemisphere and the days get shorter. Well back in India day's didn't get that short but yes the change in the US is sudden and the days tend to get noticeably shorter.

Looking forward to the autumn equinox and here's something to mark the end of summer 2011.

Brilliant dark grey skies, beautiful weather, plenty of sunshine and a traffic jam to realize its the last day of summer.

By the way the summer ends on September 23 at 5:05 AM.

Winter

2011-03-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

You walk out to your balcony on a chilly morning with a hot cup of coffee and you notice the absolutely clear blue skies and the entire city in front of you covered in a blanket of white soft cotton, the sun beaming down, following squirrel trains left on them and suddenly a chill hits you giving you goose bumps all over.

It's beautiful unless the white color gets over you; but also gives you a lot of reason for colorful mufflers and sweaters keeping you warm and as someone truly quoted "if it weren't for winter the spring would not have been pleasant". Days are short and when the sun is out the evenings are beautiful with skies filled with shades of orange and red.

I spent an entire winter in Denver a couple of years back and later in Boston and all I can say is there is lot of snow. With Denver having more harsh weather compared to Boston, both places had one thing in common; they look absolutely beautiful under snow.

Autumn

2010-10-31T06:32:00.000-07:00

It was Denver when I saw the colors and was completely awestruck with what nature has to and can offer. After about 3 years I see the magic being recreated around me once again... wonderful & beautiful Boston.

Its amazing how colorful it gets... Greens, Orange, Yellow, Red and Browns all around you... its sad that an absolutely colorless time will follow this time of the year very soon.

For now, I would just enjoy the most colorful time of the year with the chilly breeze around, the green leaves turning yellow and orange and the darker green turning red, the colors perfectly placed against white, black and blue (when sunny) backgrounds, different shapes & sizes and to top it all its Halloween.

My experience in Denver was completely different than in Boston and every city has its own character. Pictures don't do much justice and as someone told me once; at times you just need to witness and leave your camera behind...

For more pictures my photostream on flickr and facebook

The Bison

2010-10-11T02:51:00.001-07:00

Kabini has been one of my favorite escapades over the last few years! The lush green forest is about a good 4 hour drive from Bangalore and extremely rich in flora and fauna. However, one thing that Kabini has to offer apart from this is the amazing landscapes during monsoon season.

Overcast most of the time, if you are on the banks of Kabini river, you can see dark grey clouds just about 20-25 feet above the river and mostly raining. You wont see any colors apart from green, brown and grey. But anything that you come across appears to be bright and for some reason happy. Maybe its the rain!

For a change it was "The Bison" resort and not Jungle Lodges that we parked ourselves. A little bit pricey but extremely friendly and happy staff always there to help you with. There was no point in taking the safari since I was sure to spot only deers and cows at this point of the year. However the trek through the few human settlements around was amazing with lovely green-yellow fields that grew tomatoes, ginger and chillies together - sounds more like growing a curry.

The Bison is a tented resort and as they rightly quote "the decor and ambiance of the camp recreates the adventurous decadence of a bygone era". Wooden floors, some wonderful artifacts and some really good antiques add more to the beautiful "tents". Perfect place to just sit and relax and listen to the silent kabini river.

The one thing that I enjoyed the most was the Coracle ride - just hoped that he would start singing.

Some more pictures from Kabini on my flickr Photostream!

San Francisco

2010-09-06T08:13:00.001-07:00

I remember my first trip to this city where I was stuck at Oakland at 12 AM with no clue what BART was... I couldn't see much of the city the last time I visited... rather I only saw the SFO International Airport and Highway 101...

I was getting back to San Francisco after 3 years and just hoped I could see the much awaited and talked about mega structure "The Golden Gate"

San Francisco is a popular international tourist destination, renowned for its "chilly summer fog" (it really does get chilly), steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture and cable cars and the Chinatown. Apart from being a major banking and finance center, San Francisco is also home to tonnes of Bio Tech companies and stands 18th in the world's top producing cities, 9th in the US and 15th in the top 20 Global Financial Centers. Its hard to believe the success the city has had so far was almost destroyed in the 1906 Earthquake.

Mark Twain once quoted "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." It was summer time when I was visiting SF and considering the city surrounded with ocean on three sides I thought it might be cold but not so much. Well the Pacific Ocean currents are cool enough to send those shivers down your body - Windy and Cold is all I say. Along with the chilly weather comes the fog, doesn't matter what time of the day it really is, you can see fog almost all day. This is one reason downtown San Francisco looks beautiful because most of the sky scrappers are hidden in fog - Mesmerizing. Standing down at a 100 story building and following the building to the top you would notice the top vanish.

I had been waiting for this moment all my life - the moment we hit the ramp on the Golden Gate Bridge a few moments you just don't feel like doing anything, the sheer size of the bridge hits your brains so hard that you just want to gaze at it. I clicked a few snaps from the moving car, but I was enjoying the ride more than anything. I wanted to capture more of the bridge but sometimes its just good to witness then capture them. It was Awesome!

Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay area city located in the Marina county near the northern end of the Golden Gate bridge. Because of its geographical location the city is always sunny. It’s about 8 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge but has nohas fog what so ever. The beauty of this city is that you can stand on the beach and enjoy a clear view of San Francisco downtown immersed in fog! But you really don't want too much fog that it’s completely hidden. It wasn’t my lucky day!

On my way back to the city, there are a couple of spots from where you can view the Golden Gate bridge.

Note: These spots once used by the US Army during the World War II

Apart from The Golden Gate bridge, the other places to go are the pieers at Fisherman's Wharf and the San Mateo Bridge (its magnificent). If the fog stays away, walking along Fisherman's wharf would get you to see the Bay Bridge, Alcatraz Island and also the Golden Gate bridge from the beaches or pier.

Thanks Rinkoo, but next time I hope the fog is a little less :)

Visit my flickr photostream for more pictures from my trip to San Francisco

Manchanbele

2010-09-06T08:11:00.001-07:00

This trip had to happen - come what may! Having watched Prince of Persia and seeing off Sujith at 12:30 AM it was decided to meet up at 4 AM for a bike trip to Manchanbele. I made it at 4:30 AM though (half sleepy)

Manchanbele is about 30 Kms. from Bangalore, on the Bangalore - Magadi main road near the Thippagondanahalli Reservoir. Surrounded with lush greenery and hills in every direction, Manchanbele is one of the hot spots for serious birders.

Because of its geographical location with hills all around, once can see beautiful landscapes all around. Early mornings are beautiful with the sun rising behind the hills and gives you a clear view from the top of the many hills around and not to forget Manchanbele is infested with colorful Dragonflies and Butterflies apart from a dozen species of birds.

What I have always enjoyed about Manchanbele are the beautiful landscapes with lush greenery around the water body, blue skies and puff of clouds. Its quite a wait for the nature to build this up, however its worth the wait.

I have been to Manchanbele quite a few times. Its been a good get away form Bangalore apart form Nandi Hills. Its amazing to experience the serene atmosphere even if you are not with your camera here. The water is not too deep, so if you are a good swimmer, you can for sure take a plunge in the water. Kayaking is something that people have been coming to Manchanbele (I would definitely want to give it a try).

Its once place where you can take your time, set up a frame and CLICK! (what say Sujith :))

Was a great experience specially riding the Avenger to Manchanbele at 4:30 AM, chasing the sunrise after crossing the Big Banyan Tree, waiting for the blue sky, waiting for the puffed clouds, clicked the patterns and a sore arse by the time we reached Costa. All worth it!

Nandi Hills

2010-05-13T05:51:00.000-07:00

Nandi Hills, an ancient hill fortress is about 60 kms from Bangalore used to be a retreat for the British and now Bangaloreans. Blessed with an amazing climate at the top of the hill pulls in a lot of people right from horticulturists to students to serious photography enthusiasts. Apart from a lot of things that Nandi hills is known for, the most interesting that has amazed me is the Tipu's drop (where Tippu Sultan threw his condemned prisoners to death) and the Secret Escape Route.

I have been to Nandi hills a lot of times and this place has always amazed me with its morning beauty. The best time I think is to go during the monsoon season, the climate at the hill is pretty clear and humid however the morning sunrise through the clounds is breathtaking.

Nandi hills is pretty much covered in mist or fog for about 8-9 months in the year (thanks to global warming, summers are absolutely clear and filled wiht haze). The trees, benches and flowers covered in mist is worht the sight. The temperatures are pretty low with the constant breeze sending you goose bumps all over.

Nandi hills has been a sight worth the visit every time I have come here. Its one place where I would keep coming back to capture the magical morning landscapes, beautiful flora and some macro photography.

Had a great time with Chitresh, Jatin, Souparna, Sujith, Megha and Yachna this time. Yachna & Megha I know you people were completely bugged and bored given that 4:30 AM was a little to early.
Souparna, got to go climb that tower once again and yes with your batteries charged and my camera out. I was just stunned with the view from up there. Sujith, I think June/July should be the earliest possible time for some good amount of fog. Jatin, thanks for the pose, some people found it funny but I loved it and its Christelle's blackberry wallpaper.

been a long time...

2010-04-13T22:36:00.000-07:00

It's been a very long time since my last post. I promised that I did be back after my trip to Rajasthan, however work got the better side of me.

I got married last year, December 29th to be precise and was of to Rajasthan. Had a great time traveling around Jaisalmer, Udaipur and a bit of Jodhpur. The sand dunes of Hudi (Jaisalmer) were just brilliant and had the a very different feeling knowing the fact that I was just 50 kms away from Pakistan. Wonder if I ever would make it to that part of the world, so near yet so far.

Apart from the trip to Rajasthan haven't been to many shoots but a couple of them. Introduce a few of my colleagues at work to Pottery Town - yup the shutter bug has bit them.

My best shoot was the one that I did for Anisha and Nikhil at Manchanbele and later on at their residence. I wouldn't want to say much but leave it to you to have a look at the pictures.

More needs to come, just haven't found the time to upload them all. Thanks Santy and of course my wife Christelle...

More soon! Enjoy a few of my snaps from my archives.

back from my long break

2010-01-21T23:41:00.000-08:00

Was on a break for a very long time.. back in town with some good pictures form my trip to Ahmedabad, Jaisalmer and Udaipur.

will update soon ... ... ...

Photography...

2010-01-21T23:40:00.000-08:00

I got interested in photography as a kid by reading National Geographic as a kid. I started learning photography by doing a simple homework for 30 minutes a day.

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/ - 30 minutes a day (especially if you are interested in wildlife)

http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/ - 30 minutes a day (might have some stupid images at times but a good place to learn)

A photographer (don’t remember who) once said, the best way to learn photography is to look at photographs.

My very short trip to Boston

2009-12-21T06:55:00.000-08:00

I am finally on my way to Bangalore, after a real short trip to Boston, MA for an official assignment. With just a couple of weeks to go for my wedding, this trip came in as a good little break from the proceedings and running around for the wedding back home.

Well you don't get much time for photography on short official trips so didn't have much time for photography or to go around in Boston. However, the weekend turned out to be quite interesting I must say.

Boston - just one word... Beautiful. From all the cities that I have travelled in the US, Boston was one of the cities that really impressed me. A very vintage city with amazing architecture around you - Cathedrals, Churches, Government Buildings, all of them about 150 years old; vintage America. Narrow roads covered with trees on both the sides. Well the leaves had already withered away but I am sure, autumns would be extremely beautiful.

I was visiting a few to-be-in-laws in Boston where I passed Medford and Salem on the way. One very interesting fact that I got to know about Medford was, it’s the birth place of the "Jingle Bells" jingle. Medford and Salem both were important places in the American Revolution which again started in Boston. A lot of American history awaits you in MA.

My sister visited me in the last few days to see me off... After a very long time almost 13 years, it was the first time we spent time together. Day one it was Cuban food at Naked fish and the next two days we spent shopping and it really was the most wonderful time of the year.

I did learn the secret behind hunting down the sales hidden in the stores... Miss you a lot sis!

Boston Downtown on my final day gave the finishing touches to my trip. Already impressed by the city, Boston Downtown was brilliant. Beautiful Architecture all around you, the concrete jungle is difficult to leave behind. Finally got my hands on some Orange chicken at Panda Express and once again some amazing discounts at Oakley! Well the holiday season definitely got some amazing deals.

For some reason, I always make it to the US during the winter time. The weather back in Boston was COLD, with a few rough days. It’s pretty interesting to see the weather change in Boston, from crazy snow in the morning to maddening rain in the afternoon - Amazing.

All in all, I had a great time at Boston, some good work, some quality time with my sister, some amazing shopping and finally got my hands on White Chocolate Mocha at Logan International Airport.

Err... while ranting about Boston on my blog at Logan International Airport, a grocky voice announced Desai, Vandan in a heavy American accent. Not sure what the announcement was for; I hurried my way to Gate 7A and viola... I got an upgrade to Business Class for some extremely strange reason which I have no clue and I didn't bother to ask for. The icing on the cake was when I realized after boarding the flight that I was flying Business Class throughout the trip :)

Hello Bangalore, I'm back!!!

out of action

2009-11-03T21:27:00.000-08:00

A month back I injured my knee and was diagnosed with an ACL tear in my left knee. Photography has taken the back seat for a while, however just couldn't stop myself to go to Hebbal last week after I saw a few black and white birds flying over Hebbal lake. Had a quick 30 minute shoot before my knee gave in.

So out of action for a few more weeks before I start traveling and photography soon :)

Frames of Mind 2009

2009-08-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

Finally my frame made it to the Annual Photography Exhibition Frames of Mind held by Bangalore Photography Club this year. It was a great feeling to see my frame up there this weekend - couldn't spend much time at the exhibition, but have been receiving loads of messages about the frame. Thanks a lot everyone for your wishes.

Here's my exhibit displayed at Frames of Mind 2009

Nature Nirvana - A trip amidst clouds

2009-08-06T00:31:00.000-07:00

The excitement was high and it was too late to take a nap. The clock stuck 4:30 AM and we were on our way to Chickmagalur. The journey was getting dull with nothing to see, no one to race with, no more choices of songs and no FM radio with completely confusing route markers. And suddenly you are traveling amidst clouds and the weather takes a 360 degree turn - chilly, misty and the clouds just embrace your face.

The energy is on an all time high and the excitement is building up. The journey amidst the clouds continue for a while on mud roads through coffee plantations and we reach Nature Nirvana.

Cricket, Volleyball, Basketball, Carrom, Scrabble, Hiking, Trekking, Sleeping, Eating, Dancing and loud Music hit Nature Nirvana for 23 hours.

Its been the most amazing two days this year for me. Not much of photography this time - thanks to the rain, however a portfolio shoot, new ways of taking pictures in absolute darkness and tons of fun.

Suraj, Madhu, Vishal, Sharath, Shashwath, Sudhi, Parari

Vandan, Manu, Amitha, Sharnitha, Christelle, Ruby, Nishchith, Krishna

visiting the western ghats

2009-07-31T00:48:00.000-07:00

Am off for the weekend to have a much needed break.

Have been down with a viral infection and fever for almost 5 days - sleeping and getting bored at home...

The moist air, the lush green paddy fields, NH 48, the curves at the ghats, the lovely evenings with mist and fog all around, the dark clouds and the occasional drizzle.... Just cant wait to be at the Western Ghats and the coffee plantations of Chickmagalur.

Hopefully, the rain gods will keep away for the weekend and the sun shines just at the right times to capture glimpses of my trip.

Quick short trip to Mysore!

2009-06-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

Danny called me over on Saturday and asked, f*****, what you doing?
Nothing came the reply and so the story was set by danny for a quick short photography trip to Mysore.
Well, Mysore... I say! There is something fishy for sure! Well the trip was on Danny and so we left for Mysore at 4 PM from Bangalore.

Somnath called, was bugged with work and his cellphone and so we picked him up on the way. The confusion between Danny and Somnath was whether Deve Gowda petrol bunk near or his house :) We picked Somnath right in the middle.

Mysore it was, we stopped at Barista for a quick refill :) and headed towards Mysore... Stopped to capture the dimming light and reached Mysore at 7 PM.

I started searching for St. Philomena's church... couldn't make it on time. Probably next trip I will make it on time.

We then hit "The Road" pub. Amazing food, Thaiwa Shrimp (Tandoori Shrimp) was good. But Chicken breast stuffed with mutton keema and cashew paste... sounded weird, tasted out of this world.

Danny bid adios to his "special friend" and we headed for Bangalore at 10 PM. An interesting comment that danny passed on his way back; "I don't sleep in the night and specially while driving".

Well he snored away to glory and woke up when we reached Kengeri!
So...
Break at Barista: 540 INR
Chilling out at The Road Pub: 1700 INR
Fuel for the Trip: 1000 INR
Dinner at Barista: 300 INR
Watching Danny as a good boy: Priceless :)

Back to Mangalore

2009-06-04T02:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, I was back to Mangalore once again in January, not to capture Buffalo races but to witnessYakshagana.

Yaksha-gana literally means the song (gana) of Yaksha. Yakshas were an exotic tribe mentioned in the Sanskrit literature of ancient India. Read More on Yakshagana on Wikipedia.

Sindhur not taking any risk after his experiences with Danny and myself, made sure the tickets were booked. Well Sindhur, we really did miss you when you had to drop off at the last moment...

So it sure was a bigger group this time - Ashit, Vinod C Gowda a.k.a. Danny, Vic, Sunil & Myself reached Mangalore in the cool and comfortable KSRTC Volvo bus.

Somnath and Pratheush (due to non availability of chuttis) decided to ride to Mangalore. Little did Pratheush know about the experience he is going to go through.

So Ashit was silent on his trip (traveling in a bus after a long time), Vic - the gadget man had Slumdog millionaire for entertainment with a 2.1 speaker system and Sunil after drinking some battery coolant (Aristocrat and Leher soda) that burned danny's throat slept like a baby till we reached Mangalore.

Sunil - thanks to stop the bus when we really needed. Peeing under the stars in open fields is really an experience

Somnath and Pratheush were already at the hotel and for Pratheush, he understood the importance of A** for the first time in his life.

We had to wait for the evening to have a go at Yakshagana, so it was Kambala once again in the morning, Chicken Gassi for lunch and a dizzy ride in an Innova all around Mangalore.

For entertainment, Vic suggested to replace “dil” with “a**” in whatever song that was playing in the car.

On the way back to the hotel, we captured moments at a Kushti competition. The boat ride to the place was good where danny nearly drowned himself in the small little boat that we shared. Danny, next time don’t yell, don’t move and if you feel the boat is going to trip, throw your gear in the water.

Dinner at Kudla made the day complete. Chicken Ghee Roast, Chickn Gassi, Fish Fry, Neer Dosas and a lot of food… Mangalorean food is something that all of us relished. Pratheush, how was the vegetarian food?

It took us about an hour to find a place where Yakshagana was going on. It was amazing to witness, very colorful, full of energy and absolute passion. The two hours that we spent clicking the artists, were one of the best moments of the day.

Festivals form an indelible part of the people of Mangalore that are celebrated with extreme enthusiasm. The festivals of Mangalore provide a deep insight into the socio-cultural pattern of Mangalore.

Aati, Dussehra, Sri Krishna Janmashtami, Ganesh Puja, Tiger dance, Bhuta Kola, Fishing festival, Kambala and Yakshagana are some of the events that brings out the passion and enthusiasm that people of Mangalore celebrate. The culture and ritual for all these festivals are still alive and have been carried out from the past 500 years or more.

With so much to witness and with so little that I have experienced; it’s a long way to go to really feel the passion, fun, enthusiasm, entertainment the city of Mangalore has.

This is my culture, my religion, my ritual! And I love being part of it!

I experimented shooting with transparencies on my Film SLR for the first time on this trip. Will upload the photographs once I get them processed.

back to photography... hopefully!

2009-05-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

Finally took some time off from work last Saturday.

After about 8 long weeks, took my camera and just clicked around.

On a mission to take some good model photographs, I noticed a few dancing men on the lamp shade and something just triggered in my mind.

Low light, 50 mm at high ISO's and here it is...

Well, Thanks you for the lamp shade, next time I'm sure will get a good portfolio done for you!

Hope to get back to some serious photography soon!

Sankranthi

2009-01-15T19:33:00.000-08:00

Sankranthi, is a festival that marks the beginning of the harvest season for the farmers of Indian Sub-Continent. An interesting fact I came across while browsing the Internet was that this is a harvest festival celebrated not only over India but other South East Asian countries as well. This day also marks the beginning of the gradual increase of the duration of the day.

The beautiful part about this country is that every festival is celebrated in its own way in different states. Pongal as its famously know down south, villages in Karnataka celebrate by making their cattle jump over burning haystacks in a sport called Kichchu Haisodu.

I happened to witness this in one such village on SH17. People never looked so happy and playful. The entire village is there to witness the event...

Of course you go there with your camera you get specially privileges and grants to stand anywhere, however at your own risk. People are high, screaming in joy, booing people whose cattle go around the fire than over it, kids try to chase the bull to get their garlands, balloons or for the matter any thing from the bull.

At the end of the event, I noticed people collecting ash in huge quantities. Of course its sacred however I couldn't stop myself asking someone there what they use it for, and back came the reply - for everything!

The ash would give them a better harvest once sprayed in the field, and would keep the evil spirits away from their house and make their children brave!!!

I am sure a lot of organizations have major concerns about the event, however its a ritual that has been followed for hundreds of years now and holds a lot of importance to the farmer! It's difficult to replace such rituals specially when they happen at remote locations where people worship Rain (Jal), Fire (Agni), Air (Vaayu), Earth (Prithvi) and Sky (Aakash)

View More Photographs on my flickr Photostream.

...

2009-01-07T08:59:00.000-08:00

Mangalore - Day 2

2008-12-14T23:22:00.000-08:00

Trying to catch up with some sleep after a long chat, the alarm goes out of control. Damn, how could it be 5:00 AM so early?

6:00 AM

Danny is woken up by the Auto rickshaw guy!

Danny: Vandan, the auto has come!

Me: Well, I am ready ;)

Sindhur: Shit Man! I don't want to be late for the race!

Danny: Wake me up once he is ready! And tell something to this auto fellow (zzzzzz)

Me: (Called the Auto fellow), 15 minutes bartini!

Danny: ha ha ha ha ha ha!

6:45 AM

Changed from a Delux room to a single occupancy room, since we just wanted a place to keep our luggage. Room no. 412!

7:00 AM

Boarded the Auto!

Danny: Kadri Kambala!

Auto: Hmm!

7:15 AM

Kadri Kambala Venu! And there is not even a sparrow!

Danny: Fuckers, 6 AM you woke me up! I could have slept for some more time.

Me: So where do we go for a shoot now?

Sindhur: I am hungry!

Danny: Ya, lets have some breakfast!

Auto: Sir!

Danny: Sir, take us to some place to eat!

7:30 AM

Some Darshini near to the venue!

Danny: Idli Vada!

Me: Idli Vada!

Sindhur: Idli Vada!

Auto: Idli Vada!

...

Danny: One plate Vada!

Me: One Plate Vada!

8:00 AM

In the Auto!

Danny: What places are there to see here?

Auto: (He spoke a lot of places, mainly temples, something that I heard was the church)

Me: *Sigh! The mass is going on! lets go to some other place!

Auto: (Again a lot of temples suggested and this time i heard something) Fishing Village!

Me: FISHING VILLAGE! We go there!

8:30 AM

At fishing village! Fish everywhere and anywhere!

A Mouth Watering Experience is all I can say!

9:30 AM

Back to the Venu! Kadri Kambala and extremely glad to see some people!

One thing about Mangalore Auto Drivers! This auto driver was with us from 6:00 AM! He waited for us for an hour! He took us to half of Mangalore, to make sure we get something to shoot! And at the venue

Auto: 113 Rs Sir!

Me: Danny give him 200!

Danny: :)

Auto: Thank you very much!

At the venue!

Me: Hey Ashit! Good Morning! Are you on your way to Kadri Kambala!

Ashit: Hi Vandan! I will be there in about 5 minutes!

10:00 AM

Meet Ashit for the first time! Not getting into the details of introductions!

So Kadri Kambala was scheduled to have a Slush water running race, a tug of war and finally the buffalo race!

12:00 PM

The running race gets over...

1:00 PM

Me: Chicken Curry and Neer Dosa

Sindhur: Chicken Curry and Neer Dosa

Danny: Pork Curry and Neer Dosa

Ashit: Pork Curry and Need Dosa

BURP!!!!

Danny: Fuck, I never expected this food to be so tasty!

2:00 PM

(sleeping)

The tug of war gets over...

3:00 PM

(sleeping)

The buffalo team starts coming in!

As long as I have knows these creatures, they are pretty shy and calm animals.

But these guys are different; huge, aggressive, blood shot eyes and that nasty look on their face. We got into conversation with one Shravan (a local of Mangalore) and got decent piece of information about these buffaloes.

Shravan: So you have come to watch the Kambala!

Me: (No, I am hear to fly kites!) Yes :)

Shravan: First Time!

Me: Yup!

Shravan: Good! Its fun to watch these guys! Did you have a look at the buffaloes?

Me: Yes, the one in that corner!

Shravan: Oh they are new ones! You should wait for the champion buffaloes!

Me: O.. K..

3:30 PM

Drumb starts beating up, the traditional trumpet blows real hard and in comes the champion buffaloes. Now thats a grand entry in the battle field. They went on playing for about half an hour until the complete ceremony was over. The buffaloes are decorated, tied hard, so that they don't get loose, cause these guys are capable of killing someone!

Me: So, has anyone been injured seriously by these buffaloes!

Shravan: Injured! One buffalo has claimed 16 lives! He is not tied all the time, doesn't come in the race.

Me: Good!

Me: So the ceremony is done by every team before the race!

Shravan: Yes its a tradition. Because they will be beating up the buffaloes during the race so that they run faster!

Me: No wonder the animal rights are trying to ban this sport.

Shravan: Well these buffaloes are taken care royally!

Me: Meaning?

Shravan: The entire year, they get no beating. They have food for 24 hours, one person is always there to give them. And once in a week they get a complete body massage!

Me: MASSAGE!!!!

4:00 PM

The first trial run happens, and it sends your adrenalin high! You are facing them head on, charging at you, clicking away, and at the last moment, you run to your safety.

The one bad thing about these races; it takes almost half an hour before both the races and their buffaloes are standing with all their feet stationary. With you sitting down to capture shots since morning, my ankles had given away. Tried find Danny, he was sitting in the pavilion! Sindhur was no where to seen.

I station myself right opposite to the race track, and right in front of the pavilion. A good 20 feet away form the finish line! Was that safe! Well I didn't bother. I had the best place to shoot from!

The race happens, I start clicking and don't stop until they cross the finish line. I get my camera down and see not one single soul near me and the buffaloes about 4 feet away! Well thats not bad! :)

Me: Hey Ashit, come along, just sit here, its pretty cool!

Ashit: Are you sure? Is it safe!

Me: Well I trust these guys, the moment the buffaloes cross the finish line they run and catch them.

Ashit: Oh, Good!

...

The next race starts, me and Ashit click away to glory. Ashit managed to click through a pair of legs too!

Ashit: Fuck, the bulls were right next to us!

Me: Yeah, but its safe!

Ashit: Fuck, I am so tired, I am not getting up!

6:00 PM

Danny: Lets go to Liquid Lounge!

Sindhur: No, lets go to the hotel and packup!

Me: I am coming!

Ashit: Where is this place?

6:15 PM

Danny: Ashit and Sindhur, you take this auto and reach Liquid Lounge! We will take the next rick!

6:20 PM

Walking on the streets of Mangalore, tired and hurting legs, heavy gear on the shoulders and the tripod in the hands.

Danny: Fuck! If someone sees me here like this...

Me: LOL

6:30 PM

At Liquid Lounge!