A Photographer's Journal

I moved

2011-08-03T00:20:00.003+05:30

To here

When the Voices Stopped

2011-08-02T23:42:00.000+05:30

The Last Chair.

Horizons

2011-06-27T18:00:00.003+05:30

Location : Poovar Island, Kerala

That inability to see beyond.

Sleepless

2011-06-22T00:24:00.005+05:30

Location : Chettinad, Tamil Nadu

Did you notice there are no mirrors in this house?
Oh yes! Why is that?
Because every morning, they used to find them broken.

These memories. Those voids.

2011-06-20T23:43:00.004+05:30

Losing. Slowly.

Applause

2011-06-16T11:32:00.002+05:30

Tell me that story just one more time please???

The Collection of 'Untitled' Begins Here.

2011-06-14T19:33:00.003+05:30

Only the dead remain young forever.

Finding Marta

2011-06-05T17:07:00.004+05:30

Location : Belfast, Ireland

What did she say? Nothing. She just took her bag and left.

Little Miss Sunshine

2011-06-03T22:38:00.003+05:30

Black Hole

2011-05-29T01:35:00.003+05:30

Location : Fort Cochin, Kerala

Like all the other things she used to spin into existence inside her mind in those dark days.

- Murakami.

Eleven Minutes

2011-05-15T18:18:00.002+05:30

Time kept ticking away. Nobody came. May 15, 2011. 03.01 pm

How bizzare, these dreams...

2011-05-09T08:59:00.003+05:30

Location : Trout Hatchery, Ooty

Far Away

2011-05-03T12:35:00.005+05:30

Poovar Island

Of course there is God.

Where?

Somewhere? Far away may be?

Lessons Learnt.

2011-05-03T09:11:00.001+05:30

"Doesn't your advanced age account for anything?

Why are you so naive about the world and its functions?"

-CAC

Rain Comes Home

2011-04-22T18:41:00.000+05:30

The Lady in Red

2011-04-21T17:48:00.002+05:30

"Its not about financial independence anymore." "No?" "No." "Then?" "Financial success. That is key." About finances, independence and women in business. April 2011, Bangalore

Visceral

2011-03-27T12:11:00.003+05:30

"They will be happy. Always. No matter what."

"But why?"

"Because they are... Visceral."

Down Under

2011-03-26T09:03:00.004+05:30

A world that's deep down under and all thats black and magical about it.

A Thousand Splendid Flowers Such as These

2011-03-24T08:12:00.004+05:30

Location : Red Hills, Ooty

"Someone asked me how I was.

I told them, I'm happy. "

Kashmir

2011-03-10T13:04:00.003+05:30

The angrez were interesting; some had long hair and some shaved their heads.

They rode big motorbikes and at times were half-naked.

I had asked a neighbour who worked in a hotel, "Why do the angrez travel and we do not?"

"Because they are angrez and we are not."

But I worked it out. They had to travel to see Kashmir; we lived there and did not need to travel. We waved at them; they waved back.

Kashmir 1986.

Basharat Peer.

Nila

2011-03-08T07:05:00.001+05:30

Goudaguda Village, Koraput Dist., Orissa

In the Gardens of Eden

2011-02-25T20:39:00.003+05:30

Location : Goudaguda Village, Interiors of Koraput, Orissa

"Didi... You, liking, flowers??" -Pothima, a lovely girl from the Porija tribe.

Orange Dreams

2011-02-17T13:04:00.000+05:30

Strawberry Swing

2011-02-14T21:39:00.003+05:30

"And She Said,

2011-02-11T02:02:00.000+05:30

.. this too shall pass."

In Search of a Genie

2011-02-06T23:21:00.000+05:30

Capital City

2011-02-03T13:28:00.005+05:30

So how is S? Good. Does he treat you well? Are you happy? Ys. But its only for this month. Why? Because he is leaving. He is going back. Will you miss him? Do you still live with him? Ys. Of course. Does he love you? I don't know. Do you? Ys. Do you want to marry him? He cant. He is married na.. But don't you want to be with him? Arabs can have multiple wives right? Ys. But he cant. Why not?? Its not that simple sister, he has a good family. He is a good man. And, he is a diplomat. Don't worry. We'll find you your prince. Ys. Sure. February 2011, India.

Etudes

2011-02-01T00:17:00.002+05:30

"In fact, the only situation in which it would be justified for me to kill a man who was trying to kill me would be if I were incapable of killing a man. Any man." "Only then, of course, I wouldn't be able to kill him." -Aseem Kaul

Pockets of HappYness

2011-01-29T17:44:00.002+05:30

Location : Sandwich Beach, Kasargod, Kerala

About an Ethic

2011-01-16T10:04:00.002+05:30

"Anarchism is an ethic, a way of life. I, am an anarchist. " -Henry Cartier Bresson

This Day This India.

2011-01-08T18:22:00.004+05:30

Scene - A special court gathered to address violence against women. Victim : He beats me in a fit of anger. Judge : Is that true? Husband : Well, I don't mean to... But she is so disobedient. Judge : Now my girl.. stop crying.. dont you know you need to be obedient to make this marriage work? January 2011. India.

Life in Limbo

2011-01-07T15:03:00.006+05:30

I had a dream. The same dream I had the other night. I was banging on a door with all my might. It was a large ornate wooden door. It wouldn't budge. Someone whispered in my ear that I had reached the point of no return. I've been thinking a lot about God these days. Really? For what joy? Just like that. ... Do you think you will meet God if you travel to the end of the world? You really need another drink. I am you five years back. Hmmm. So if I am you five years back, who are you? I am you!! There are two kinds of people in this city. I hope you never meet the other kind. This city. We do not belong here. We need to go away. Where to? Does it matter? No.

Faith

2010-12-20T23:56:00.002+05:30

You were there. You did nothing. -About God and belief systems.

Losing Perspective

2010-12-15T14:09:00.004+05:30

My world; as seen upside down.

"Imagine," Paul said to me once, "that the present is simply a reflection of the future. Imagine that we spend our whole lives staring into a mirror with the future at our backs, seeing it only in the reflection of what is here and now. Some of us would begin to believe that we could see tomorrow better by turning around to look at it directly. But those who did, without even realizing it, would've lost the key to the perspective they once had. For the one thing they would never be able to see in it was themselves. By turning their backs on the mirror, they would become the one element of the future their eyes could never find." - The Rule of Four (by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason)

Alone

2010-12-10T19:23:00.005+05:30

A person gets used to being alone, But break it just for a day and you have to get used to it again, all over from the beginning. - Richard Bach

Hidden Magic

2010-12-09T10:24:00.001+05:30

"The unknown is where all the magic is. Where the surprises will be. " - Dayanita Singh

Finding Neverland

2010-12-08T12:26:00.004+05:30

Happier Alone

2010-12-06T12:10:00.004+05:30

Pics from Vembanad Lake, Alleppey.

"I can hardly see anything." "Its an illusion. This proximity." "I guess this is going to be a long journey. Im glad you are here with me." "I'm an illusion too. This journey, is yours. Your's alone. Never forget that." - (from A Conversation That Never Was)

Futile. This waiting.

2010-11-23T23:15:00.002+05:30

Silence of a Valley

2010-11-22T21:19:00.006+05:30

Maruthan, an Irula tribe lives in the forests of Attapady (Silent Valley National Park, Kerala)

"Aren't you scared of going to the jungles alone at your age?" "Who will feed us if I sit idle at home?" "Hmmm. Do you see wild animals when you go there?" "Yes. Pythons, cobras, bears, wild boars, leopards." "Wow! Which is the most vicious animal you have ever encountered in the jungle?" "Man."

The Devil is also in the Details

2010-11-05T10:00:00.007+05:30

To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour.

- William Blake

Cold

2010-11-04T20:37:00.003+05:30

For some inscrutable reason, he decided to have a snake for a pet. He was fearless and he loved the snake. It would coil and sleep on his bed every night. One day, he found that the snake was lying straight next to him. It wasn't eating anything either. Worried, he decided to consult the vet. "Do you think he is sick?" "For how long has this been happening?" "For the past two days." "Get rid of him right now. He is measuring you." -A real life incident as narrated to me by Cheryl Ann Couto

Ways of Living

2010-11-03T15:01:00.005+05:30

Location : Baratang Island, Andamans

"What do you want most in life?" "Sunshine. Lots of sunshine. "

Life and Happiness

2010-11-03T09:10:00.003+05:30

Location : Radhanagar beach, Havelock Island (Andamans)

"I seldom meet people who are truly happy..." - Far Out

Sea

2010-11-01T08:23:00.005+05:30

Location : Radhanagar Beach, Havelock Island (Andamans)

"Watch the silence of the sea. When the sea comes in, it will take away everything you've ever loved."

Do you think I can write a book?

2010-10-14T17:14:00.001+05:30

Location : Casa Batlo, Barcelona

Prison

2010-10-12T00:09:00.007+05:30

Location : Casapatas, Madrid

Half Asleep

2010-10-10T23:04:00.003+05:30

"Hmmm.. I tell you a long winding story and you wish me good night. Am i that boring ??" "No. I'm just half asleep."

Location : A dainty hotel (who's name I can't remember) in Seville, Spain

Letting Go

2010-10-09T01:12:00.001+05:30

"I forgot you had dreams..." Location : The Flamenco Museum, Seville (Spain)

Beyond

2010-10-08T15:04:00.002+05:30

Location : Malaga, Spain

Secrets

2010-09-18T10:03:00.002+05:30

"Come, take a seat. The night is still young."

- Espionage (Location : A Club in Hyderabad)

“You have to ask. And someone will tell you.”

2010-09-16T12:05:00.005+05:30

The prospect of chance encounters and discoveries, I think, are the most exciting part of travel. I met Baichung at one such unexpected moment, while loitering around the premises of the Rumtek monastery. The journey to the Rumtek monastery from Gangtok town was a tedious one. The roads were long, winding and often filled with potholes. But then when you reach the little hill on which Rumtek rests, a sense of calm envelops you that you quickly forgive the rough ride you’ve just had. At its gates and in its premises are gunmen from the Indian army, guarding one of Tibet’s most controversial treasures. The Black Hat crown of the Kagyu sect. The Rumtek Monastery (aka Dharma Chakra Center) includes a beautifully structured main shrine temple and monastery with monks' quarters, where the Karmapa resides and where the most of the important relics are enshrined; a three-year retreat center; a monastic college, where the relics of the Sixteenth Karmapa are enshrined; a nunnery; stupas; a protector's shrine; institutions for the lay community; and other establishments. I had walked straight into the main temple hall after going through a rigorous check by the security guards at the entrance, looked around the courtyard and stepped out. I was standing there, lost in thought when I felt someone’s gaze on me. What I saw when I turned around was a beautiful picture. Of Baichung, the 17 year old Kagyu monk looking out of his window, with a steady gaze and a disarming smile. I walked straight upto him and asked if I could take a picture. He obliged. “Have you been to our Devi’s temple?” He asked me after a while. “What Devi?” “ Our Goddess, the White Tara. The Black Hat was created with hair strands from a thousand incarnation of our Goddess.” “But there was no special Devi temple in the main hall. And the Black hat was closely guarded and no visitors were allowed.” “The Devi and her manifestations are in one of the rooms in the monastery. Not in the main hall.” “Nobody told me.” “You have to ask. And someone will tell you,” he smiled ingratiatingly. “So can I see it now?” “It will be locked.” “Oh” “But I can take you there.” I was happy. Baichung took me through some narrow passages and dark corridors in the structure lining the courtyard to finally reach the Devi’s temple. It was a small room, heavily laden with sheets of silk, statues, books and an overwhelming sense of secrecy. Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the disputed head of Karmapas and (rumored to be) Dalai Lama’s favorite choice for the next heir to the Buddhist throne, was himself a refugee said to have crossed the Himalayas from Tibet at the age of 15 to escape the Chinese intervention. His picture too hung on the wall, like it did in the other worship areas of the monastery, smiling genially at his people. “You can take a picture if you like,” Baichung was talking in a soft voice perhaps owing to the sanctity of the sacred room we were in. “But isn’t photography prohibited in this temple?” “Yes. People fight over nothing. I trust you. You can take a picture if you like.” I wished there were more Baichungs in this world. Innocent, trusting and simple. I left the monastery after taking down his address so I could post him his picture. I left without a picture of his sacred temple.

Hard Work

2010-09-14T11:32:00.002+05:30

Driver : You are so hardworking. Must be tough, no? Me : Why do you say that? Driver : My wife says it must be tough. You are a girl no, and you are going to different places alone with your camera. Me : So if I was a guy, you or you wife wouldn't consider me as hard working? Driver : No. September 2010. India.

In a Land (not so) Far Away

2010-09-11T19:40:00.003+05:30

When the sky bleeds into the river

2010-09-07T12:10:00.002+05:30

a sunset

Rain Rain, Please Don't Go Away...

2010-08-28T21:02:00.000+05:30

And then there were none.

2010-08-18T21:48:00.001+05:30

Location : Casa Maria, Mattanchery

The Visitor

2010-08-16T23:54:00.002+05:30

"Death, you cannot kill one who is alone;

I died before you came."

- Ramana Maharshi (from The Reverse Arrow of Time )

About Once or More Than Twice

2010-08-16T21:45:00.003+05:30

"Are you saying you don't remember me, or that you don't remember seeing me?"

- Orhan Pamuk (excerpt from Snow)

In pursuit of happiness...

2010-08-15T19:35:00.001+05:30

Location : Fort Cochin

Sunshine

2010-08-12T09:48:00.003+05:30

Location : The Old Harbour Hotel, Fort Cochin

It never stopped raining

2010-08-06T10:24:00.001+05:30

And then, I met Muskaan..

2010-08-03T23:44:00.003+05:30

Breakfast Anyone?

2010-08-02T18:33:00.002+05:30

The Tea Party

2010-08-01T22:01:00.001+05:30

Back to Chairs

2010-07-28T22:25:00.003+05:30

So now im bored (yes. BORED) of my Leh pictures. Guess I ve been trying to kill it for a long time now and ended up spending too much time staring at it. But chairs, I never tire of. I like to imagine who might have sat there, what conversations people might have had and some times, I almost think that the chairs themselves are the characters of my fictitious world. But that's besides the point. Like someone told me the other day... This chair has been alone a long time... Location : La Maison, Coonur

Patience

2010-07-27T10:20:00.001+05:30

"I wait for someone to come..." Location : Shey Palace, Leh-Ladakh

A Prayer

2010-07-26T08:49:00.003+05:30

"All you need to do is say a prayer" Location : Thiksey Monastery/ Shey Palace, Leh-Ladakh

Away

2010-07-25T09:01:00.002+05:30

"I have been to Bangalore once in my life. It was a long winding journey..."

Location : Thiksey Monastery, Leh-Ladakh

Heaven is Here

2010-07-22T19:39:00.003+05:30

They say this is Heaven. I believe them. Location : Near the Village of Alchi, Leh-Ladakh

Wind

2010-07-22T19:05:00.003+05:30

The wind, they say.. ..is the messenger.

Lost

2010-07-21T18:59:00.004+05:30

"Whats so fascinating about the droplets?" "This is how memories work. Through associations. This is how I will remember this moment. This is how I will remember you." - Unknown.

The Enchanted Woods

2010-07-21T13:24:00.002+05:30

The Man in the Mountains

2010-07-20T16:40:00.003+05:30

"Listen carefully... the mountains are telling you something..."

Location : Near the Magnetic Hill, Leh

Forever After

2010-07-12T11:39:00.005+05:30

Amira

Tenzing

2010-07-01T18:27:00.002+05:30

"What is your name? I like English. I go to school. Iam in fifth standard." Up in the Himalayas, in a tiny village called Jispa, I found ten year old Tenzing.

The Chair

2010-06-28T02:04:00.002+05:30

"Why didn't you call me earlier?" "I'm leaving in a couple of hours." "When did you arrive?" "Tuesday" "And today is ... Friday?" "Yes." "Will you come back?" "I don't know." "You are leaving." "Yes." "But why didn't you call me??"

Basha

2010-06-16T22:49:00.003+05:30

"I have a tiny child... she is just 3 months old.. she will grow up to be a beautiful girl one day..."

The Golden Chamber

2010-06-15T14:45:00.004+05:30

"We'd been waiting for so long... where have you been?"

Can you tell me a story, with windows?

2010-06-10T07:53:00.008+05:30

Can you tell me what colours are like ? Why birds fly by? Can you tell me a story......? .....with windows?

Summer is Over

2010-06-07T12:30:00.003+05:30

Megan

Portrait of a Honeymoon

2010-06-05T10:09:00.006+05:30

Somebody once told me that you should let portraits be about the subjects, let the pictures be what your subject want them to be.. try removing your 'photographer self' from the picture and just be the instrument that connects your subject to your viewer. Let them say to your viewer, "Look. This is me. This is who I am. This is how I want you to see me." I'm not very sure that I understood this at the time. But there I was, wandering around Darjeeling, looking for the perfect subject, waiting for the perfect light. The subject never came, the sun was still hiding. And then, after a long time spent staring at the clouds, along came this honeymoon couple. I suppose monks in red robes will never cease to interest photographers (like me), looking for typical travel shots. But once in a while, you bump into people in these tourist spots for whom that particular journey, the moment and the experience will stay with them for a lifetime. And if you are lucky enough, you get to take a piece of them with you.

----------------------------------------------------------

He looked at my black-ugly-block of a camera, looked at his precious Kodak point-and-shoot camera, looked at his sweetheart, looked up at me and said smiling, "Sure!" I clicked, smiled, and let them be.

The Castelinos

2010-06-01T13:26:00.002+05:30

After a violin performance on a Sunday evening.

The Knight Rider

2010-05-31T16:42:00.002+05:30

Darjeeling Express

2010-05-29T09:03:00.003+05:30

"Its not a toy. Its for real. The train can take us to a world where time cannot reach..." -Ramblings of a demented mind. My mind.

The Curtain

2010-05-28T11:53:00.000+05:30

The Waiting

2010-05-27T20:16:00.004+05:30

"Silence, I discover, is something you can actually hear."

- Haruki Murakami (an excerpt from Kafka on the Shore)

2010-05-26T14:36:00.001+05:30

That inability to see beyond.

Vanilla Sky

2010-05-26T14:22:00.004+05:30

The Ganges

I suppose Monet would beg to differ. But this is my vanilla sky nevertheless :)

The City Of Joy

2010-05-25T13:48:00.001+05:30

Jyothy Karat/ Anushree Bhatter

"Could you take a picture of me? When the storm comes in? With flying hair and a happy face?"

Mrs. Smith

2010-05-22T00:55:00.003+05:30

"I am vain darling... Let me stand up for your picture. I'd like to appear tall." - Mrs. Smith Age : 89 Owner of the Fairlawn Hotel, Sudder's Street, Calcutta.

Please Step Quietly, Everyone Can Hear You.

2010-04-28T11:13:00.007+05:30

Room No. 13, Takshila, Mumbai.

Inspired by Trente Park Exhibition

2010-04-27T15:49:00.004+05:30

Sorrow and her sisters.

Blinded. (Almost).

2010-04-25T23:42:00.002+05:30

From another round of pyrotechnics at Trissur, Kerala during the Pooram festival.

The Temple

2010-04-24T20:46:00.002+05:30

The Vadakkunnathan Temple, Trissur.

Note : This image has NOT been digitally manipulated. It so happened that the temple authorities had lit up the structure with blue light; thanks to the Pooram festival :)

Small Wonders

2010-04-23T00:57:00.000+05:30

Bubbles

2010-04-18T13:51:00.003+05:30

The Jade Garden

2010-04-18T13:44:00.002+05:30

The Touch of a Flower

2010-04-18T13:34:00.003+05:30

A Memory

2010-04-15T22:58:00.001+05:30