Frames of Mind 2009

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

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

read more on Christelle's blog

visiting the western ghats

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!

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

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!

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

Sankranthi, is a festival that marks the beginning of the harvest season for the farmers of the Indian Sub-Continent. An interesting fact I came across while browsing the Internet was that this is the harvest festival celebrated not only in 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 India is that every festival is celebrated in its own way in different states.  Commonly knows as Pongal  down south; villages in Karnataka celebrate this day by making their bulls & cows jump over burning haystacks.

Kichchu Haisodu the name given to this sport, is a tradition that these farmers have followed for hundreds of years and their belief only gets stronger with each year.  About 100 miles from Bangalore in a small town near Hassan I was able to capture some moments, but some things are better experienced and its difficult to express this moment or the feelings of people celebrating this festival...

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, kids try to chase the bull to get their garlands, balloons or for the matter any thing that they can get their hands on.

View Large 

At the end of the sport it is not over yet; the most important thing begins after the fire is off and people collect the ash in huge quantities.  These are then sprayed around the house in the field for a better harvest next year and 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  and holds a lot of importance to the people who believe in this. 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).

...

Mangalore - Day 2

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!

Ashit: Khodays with Coke and Soda

Danny: Old Monk with Coke

Sindhur: Kingfisher Pint!

Me: Lemonade!

6:45 PM

Ashit: Khodays with Coke and Soda

Danny: Old Monk with Coke

Sindhur: Kingfisher Pint!

7:00 PM

Talking about Photography

Ashit: Khodays with Coke and Soda

Danny: Old Monk with Coke

7:15 PM

Talking about Blues :)

Ashit: Khodays with Coke and Soda

Danny: Old Monk with Coke

7:30 PM

Talking about American Music History

Ashit: Khodays with Coke and Soda

Danny: Old Monk with Coke

7:45 PM

Danny, Sindhur & Me: Singing Hotel California!

Ashit: :)

7:55 PM

Danny, Sindhur & Me: Singing Summer of '69!

Ashit: :)

8:00 PM

Me: One Pineapple with Cheese, Ginger Chicken and Prawn Tawa Fry!

Sindhur: I will eat at the hotel!

Danny & Me: :D

8:15 PM

Sindhur: Lets go man, we have a bus to catch!

Danny: See, getting a ticket without booking from Bangalore is easy! To go back its not easy!

Sindhur: No no, we will get!

Danny: We will not get the ticket, I am telling you!

Sindhur: I am telling you na, we will get!

Me & Ashit: Busy eating and talking more on Blues!

8:30 PM

Sindhur: Lets leave man!

Danny: One more shot and we go!

Me & Ashit: Finished eating and talking about cooking!

8:45 PM

Sindhur: Lets leave man!

Me: (Laughing) Danny, lets go!

Danny: (Laughing) Ok!

9:00 PM

Group Picture!

9:15 PM

Outside Liquid Lounge! Raining in Mangalore! And for some reason, we don't like the Auto drivers!

Me: Buggers, no Auto and no one wants to come to Poonja International!

9:30 PM

Me: Poonja International amale KSRTC!

Auto: Sari!

Me: Swalpa munde hogi, yerd jana ede!

Auto: Yelli?

Me: Swalpa munde hogi!

9:45 PM

Me: Swalpa wait madtida! Bag togon bandini!

Auto: Sari Sir!

10:10 PM

Me: Checkout!

Danny: My t-shirt is missing!

Reception: We will check with the room service sir!

Danny: I left it in room 508!

Reception: Checking Sir!

Danny: I want my t-shirt!

Watchman: Sir, your auto left.

Me: WOHA! We didn't even pay him!

Watchman: I paid sir, and I also got one more auto for you!

Me, Danny & Sindhur: Startled!

Danny: I want my t-shirt Vandan!

Me: Ya, they are checking!

Reception: The office staff has left, we might have given it in laundary. Can you check tomorrow.

Danny: (Starring) OK Fuck it! Lets go!

Sindhur: I am hungry!

Me & Danny: (Laughing) Well now you know, why we ordered so much at Liquid Lounge! :)

10:45 PM

At Mangalore KSRTC Bus Stand!

Sindhur: I am hungry man! You people book tickets, I will see if I can get something to eat!

...

For some reason, Me and Danny were only laughing and Sindhur was the only person tensed!

Danny: No tickets available vandan!

Me: LOL

Sindhur: Fuck man! Lets ask the bus driver!

Danny: LOL

11:00 PM

Danny in a brawl with a Bus Conductor!

Conductor: Sir you are drunk!

Danny: Yes I am! What about it?

Conductor: huh?

Danny: I know you had tickets and you gave the tickets to this person because he got influence.

Other Person: Hello!

Danny: #!@#%@#^@#!@E!@$@!%@#$^&%^&*%^&(

11:15 PM

Danny: (Laughing) That was fun man!

Me: What happened?

Danny: I know that the conductor had goofed up something, but he didn't know about it.

Me: LOL

Sindhur: I will go and ask about other bus!

Me & Danny: Ok! (still laughing)

Sindhur Calling!

Sindhur: Vandan, all bus service to Bangalore have left it seems!

Me: Ok!

Sindhur: Now what to do!

Me: Lets ask an auto!

Sindhur: What?

Me: Bangalore KSRTC

Sindhur: Fuck you man!

11:25 PM

Me: There is one Red Bus and tickets are available!

Danny: Are you sure you want to go in that bus!

Me: I don't mind!

Sindhur: Lets board it than!

...

Me, Danny & Sindhur: Lets get out and go tomorrow only!

11:30 PM

Me: Wait let me call Ashit!

Me: Hey Ashit, Vandan here! We didn't get a ride back to Bangalore!

Ashit: LOL

Me: Can you ask the hotel reception to book a room for us, we will be there in 15 mins!

Sindhur: So we are not going?

Me: Yes we are, to the hotel!

11:45 PM

Checked into Shrinivas Hotel

Sindhur: I am hungry!

Danny: Now, even I want to eat!

Me: Ok, lets ask the auto guy!

12:15 PM

At a Kerala Mess!

Me: One parota, and matte curry

Sindhur: Chicken Biryani

Danny: Me too!

12:35 PM

Danny: Raja, One plain Biryani

Raja: One half Biryani!

Danny: No, One Biryani!

Raja: Ok, One half Biryani!

Danny: No, One Biryani!

Raja serves One Half Biryani!

1:00 PM

At Hotel Shrinivas, room no. 124!

Danny: Lets see the photographs!

Me: Nice shot Danny!

Danny: I love my lens!

Sindhur: z Z z z

Danny: Lets download yours!

(downloading)

(reviewing)

Danny: Over?

Me: Yeah!

Danny: Goodnight!

Tiring Sunday

3 hours of sleep, 150 KMs at 4:30 AM on SH17, 95 KMPh, frozen fingers, numb legs, 3 plates of khara bhaat at Kamat Lok Ruchi, Pied King Fisher, Sea Eagle, Model Shoot at Kokkare Bellur, Amazing lunch again at Kamat Lok Ruchi, back home, 150 KMs, 80 KMPh!

Thank you Somnath; for this shot!

Mangalore - Day 1

Splashing water, carrying my tripod in one hand and avoiding people on the way (my tripod can cause serious injuries), reached KSRTC Bus Stand.

Called up Sindhur.

Sindhur: I am the one with a red bag!.

Me: (Yeah... right!)

Sindhur: "Hey Vandan, how are you? So which bus are we boarding!"

Me: (Some questions that I always want to avoid.) Let me check where Danny is?

{SMS Conversation}

Me: dude, you have tickets?

Danny: No!

Me: Moron :)

Me:"Ok, Danny is on his way, he has the bus details!"

Danny: Vandan which bus you want to go in, pick and choose!

Me: Yeah, Right!

Danny: Guru, Mangalore ke ticket beku!

Conductor: Haan, e bus Mangalore hogtini!

3:00 AM

Danny walking towards the driver, turns back and goes back to sleep! (Danny, you were going to be awake all night!!!)

Danny: Bugger is drifting on the Ghats man, and there is no road! I will pee in Mangalore!

6:30 AM

Reached Mangalore, High humidity, beautiful red skies and a strong urge to pee!

Sindhur: So what hotel have we booked!

Danny: Lets check first Poonja International!

7:15 AM at Poonja International Hotel

Danny: I have a booking here, Vinod!

Receptionist: Please fill the form sir!

Me: Danny, you had a booking?

Danny: L O L

7:25 AM hit the bed at room number 508!

(click)

Danny: Dude click a few portraits for my Matrimonial!

Me: (MY PLEASURE!)

After a lot of conversation between Danny & Sindhur (I was sleepy)

Sindhur: So we take a cab and go around Mangalore!

Danny: We will go to Tanir Bavi!

9:30 AM at the taxi stand!

Taxi Driver: 4 hours 500 Rupees!

Danny: OK! What places!

Taxi Driver: (Well I cant remember all the names, but he promised to show us all the temples in Mangalore)

Danny: OK! Lets go!

10:00 AM - Shiva Temple

Sleeping!

Sindhur: Is photography allowed inside?

Me: You click!

Danny: Good shot man!

Sleeping!

11:00 AM - Kadri Temple

Sleeping - Coffee didn't help either

Sindhur: Nice place!

Danny: Ya man, lets get on top of that building!

Me: Dude, here all gods also have Six Packs, forget the poojaris!!!

Danny: What did we do in life Vandan! Every good girl here is with some guy!

(Yes, I agree; Mangalore girls are really good looking!)

Sleeping!

12:00 AM - Some Krishna Temple

Danny: Dude, that was my shot! I was thinking the same!

Me: :)

Danny: fucking, water is too cold!

Me: Danny take some underwater shots!

Danny: Dude, don't miss that shot!

...

Danny: You got the shot!

Danny: Get some land, and build a house like this!

1:00 PM - Kudla Restaurant!

Me: Fish Tawa Fry, Pomfret Curry, Neer Dosa

Danny: Chicken Tawa Fry, Prawn Curry, Neer Dosa

Sindhur: Fish Tawa Fry, Boild Rice

Danny: Man this fish is dipped in Ghee and fried!

Me: One more Fish Tawa Fry!

Danny: 2 Plate Neer dosa!

3:00 PM - Outside Kudla Restaurant

Me: Lets walk to the hotel! Its pretty near!

Sindhur: Yes! It will help us digest!

Danny: hmm!

5 minutes of walking!

Danny: Lets ask this auto fellow man!

3:15 PM - Poonja International!

Me: I'll catch up with sleep for an hour!

Danny: Me too!

Sindhur: ......OK!

5:00 PM - Fuck its late to get at the Beach!

Me: Danny, wake up man!

Danny: You get ready!

5:30 PM - Palumbore Beach!

Sindhur: Did you see her!

Me: Yes, I did!

Danny: Whom did both of you see?

6:00 PM - Palumbore Beach, screwed up Sunset!

Danny: Lets do some candid photography!

Me: OK

Danny: Give me your lens!

Me: What am I going to shoot with!

Danny: Here take my 400mm Prime!

Me: Yeah, Right! I will take macros of people around!

Danny: See!

Sindhur: See, I told you she was awesome!

(Danny, send us the picture!)

Me: Dude! Lets ask her for a photo shoot for i*i*o iFreshFace.

7:00 PM - figuring out a way back to Poonja International

Danny: She is also beautiful man! But she is married?

(Short hair, green dress)

Me: huh?

Sindhur: :))))))

7:30 PM - Bus ride back to Mangalore KSRTC from Pulambore Beach!

(Sunil Stories)

The girl also shared the same bus but not the seat! So a lot of back exercises were being followed on the way back!

8:00 PM - KSRTC Busstand!

Danny: Lets walk!

Me: Lets ask that auto!

Sindhur: Poonja International!

Me: Yeshtu?

Auto: Meter Sir!

Danny & Me: Startled! WOW!

On MG Road, Mangalore

Danny: We should have such buildings in Bangalore. Looks like some kalyan mantapa!

Auto: No Sir! This is ******** (I dont remember) and has an art gallery too!

Danny, Sindhur & Me: Startled!

(At Poonja International Hotel)

Me: Lets ask him to pick us up for the Kadri Kambala!

Danny: Yeah! Sir, can you take us tomorrow to Kadri Kambala for the buffalo race?

Auto: What time?

Sindhur: 6 AM

Auto: Okie! Any contact number!

Me: Yeah, give me yours I will give you a missed call!

Auto: 97********

Me: Cool!

8:30 PM - Poonja International Bar!

Danny: This is the only reason I wanted to stay in the Hotel! They have an amazing BAR!

Sindhur: You guys carry on, I will have dinner and sleep!

Me: I will join you Danny!

Danny: Sindhur, come man, what will you do sleeping!

Sindhur: But, I have ordered Dinner!

Danny: Tell them, to get it when you call them again!

11:45 PM - Back to room no. 508

Danny: I will have curd rice!

Me: Me too!

Sindhur: I will ask them to get my Veg Thali!

Room Service: Sir you Veg Thali... Only the rice has gone cold since we had it prepared earlier only.

Sindhur: Oh! Ok!

Danny: Curd Rice is fucking cold! (5 pegs of Old Monk Rum)

Sindhur: This rice is not Cold, its DRY!

Goodnight!

a typical Bangalore winter morninig

Cold, Gloomy and Overcast



A typical Bangalore Winter Morning!
Cold mornings to start with and as the day passes the humidity levels go high. The sun comes out once in a while out of the clouds (Bliss).

Children's Day!

Wishing all children a very Happy Children's Day!







Hope they keep the smile always on their faces!

Will be back soon!

Finally the Autumns set in!
The leaves are turning their colors and the air is getting cooler.



Will be back soon... drowned with loads of work!

Back to Routine Life

An amazing experience at Kabini was short lived.

23 hours of fun, listening to hilarious experiences, spotting the weirdest of birds and animals.

An elephant is called a Tusker in the wild and wild dogs hunt and eat even when the animal is alive. Turtle, Tusker, Wild dogs, White Breasted Kingfisher and a Woodpecker is something that I could capture with my camera.

The freaking Leopard was a good spotting, only if he would have been near!

March-April - Kabini, here I come once again!

Elaborated report coming up soon, drowned with a lot of work!

Off for the Weekend!

I will be on my way to Kabini in the next 5 hours.

The beautiful roads, the smell of wet soil, the green paddy fields and the hopefully blue skies...

Have a great Weekend!

Courage

Sunday morning, I wake up and pack my gears and I am on my way to Hasseraghatta to visit Nrityagram. Its been a long time since I wanted to capture images here. Well, it turned out to be that the dancers were on a long break and were in no shape and didn't wanted to be photographed.

On my way back home, it started raining and there goes my last chances of any photography. I had a couple of friends with me who were to shoot a drawing competition at a park in Bangalore. I wasn't interested at all, but something kept me waiting with them. The rain stopped and we reached the park and I was taken by surprise.

Well, it sure was a drawing competition held by Association of People with Disability. For a very long time I wasn't responding to anything. I was hit, until a lady asked me to help carry a wheelchair down the steps.

What shook me up was the courage, the enthusiasm and energy each child had. They just went on drawing on sheets after sheets. There was nothing that could stop them.

What I witnessed cannot be described by words, it can only be felt. I leave you with some moments that I captured at APD and these would last as memories forever.

Akash's hands don't function, he gets exhausted extremely fast, but it just didn't stop him what he likes the most; Painting! And he does it with his feet.

What I noticed here was the amount of courage every single person involved with APD had. Teachers drawing on sheets for those who couldnt draw but could color, students from Chitra Kala Parishath making paintings non stop, as much as they could and in all the buzz, excitement... you could also hear parents talking to their son and daughters, tears rolling down looking at their picture and saying "my kid did this drawing"

It takes courage to be anyone of them - be it a teacher, a student or a parent. We all dream, it only takes courage to full fill them.

More photographs from APD on my Photostream

From a passive existence to a meaningful life.

From days and nights of empty hours to an enriching lifestyle.

This is the aspiration of every child and adult living with disability.

THE ASSOCIATION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY

Wet September

Looked like Autumn had set it, but the rain gods just wont go away!

It has been a wet September and so does October continue to be.

Waiting for Autumn...!

Autumn! Just round the corner...

Come September, Autumn time... and it brings a smile to my face.

It's the most giving of all the seasons.

The northern breeze that sweeps things up, adds colors, and adds sway to my photography. The leaves that saturate themselves leave me no need for post-processing. The brisk days that make it a joy to be outside all day long, catching festivals, and family gatherings without the oppression of heat and humidity. The foggy mornings... yes those wonderful foggy mornings that make every passing day look beautiful.

I get the feeling it's just around the corner... may be I'll just take a nap and when I wake up, it would have arrived.

*sigh, missing Denver!

Photo Walk

My first time to a Photo walk. A World Wide Photo Walk and some photography after a very long time. Just couldn't wait for the day to come.

Residency Road, now known as Field Marshal Cariappa road, stretches from Mayo Hall to Bangalore Club. Starting from Mayo Hall at 8 AM in the morning, was a very different sight of Residency Road.

From Sweepers cleaning the road, people setting up their flower stores, beauticians waiting to open their beauty store to someone sitting in front of closed shops and lots in thoughts.  What I realized the number of buildings being constructed on this Road and the number of sky scrappers that have come up on this road. I passed by this road every single day for 4 months and never realized them. 

Is it that time flies or we have just got too busy with ourselves?