Clicked on 21 May 2005 / Pottery town (*album) / Team - Rakesh, Karthik

In many parts of India people place or hang demon (rakshas) heads made out of clay on the exterior of their house. It is done to ward off any evil or misfortune from befalling the house.

Even my parent’s in Bangalore including many of their neighbors display one on their house, though, not all of them are as colorful as these.

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Clicked on monochrome film | 12 September 2004 | Nandi Hills (*album)

My friend and fellow photographer, Zeeshan sat and tinkered with his camera, while I took the liberty to frame this shot with him in it.

I am so happy that the negatives from this trip lasted until now and I was able to make a high resolution scan of it.

Nandi Hills, also known as Nandidurg has a rich history dating back to the time of the King Tipu Sultan of Mysore, and stands tall at a height of 4851 ft. (1478 meters) above sea level.  The stone statue of Nandi, the bull (Lord Shiva’s ride) is seen in the background housed under a stone ceiling supported by stone pillars with intricate carvings engraved on them.

Nandi Hills, has become a popular tourist destination and considering it proximity to the Bangalore International Airport, its popularity is growing.

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Clicked on monochrome film / 01 May 2006 / Achalu Betta (*album)

The hike up Achalu Betta (Betta means hill) remains fresh in my mind to this day. I did not even know such a place existed until the day prior. It was brought up as a possible location by the ever enthusiastic and shutter crazy Sudarshan. He knew a friend from Nayakanahalli, a village neighboring the hill, and that mixed with its close proximity to Bangalore the choice was made. At sunrise we (Jayanth, Venky, Nish, Satz, Sudu and I ) headed to Achalu Betta armed to the teeth with our gear .

A small hike, sprinkled with photography, a dip and coracle ride in the lake at Nayakanahalli, hot lunch at a local’s (Sudu’s friend) house, and then some beer made this an unforgettable outing.

Among the many photographs I clicked this had been one I had look forwarded to. When the scans from the lab came in I was disappointed, for it looked like I had completely screwed up the metering. Here I am now a couple of years later scanning some of my old negatives myself, and what do you know??  It came out the way I had originally wanted it. Woohoo!

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Clicked on monochrome film / 1 May 2006 / Achalu Betta (*album)

The uneven ground made it seem as though the statue was sinking and the rock with the kid on it rising…

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Clicked in October 2006 / Near Gadige Tomb, Coorg (*album)

Enthusiastic, energetic and uninhibited in play… one of the many joys of childhood. Sigh!

Clicked on 30 July 2005 / Belur & Halebeid (*album)

‘Divine’ is one of my all time favorite pictures. It manages to instill a sense of serenity within me every time I look at it.

I remeber the seconds of hurry prior to this click. The temple was crowded and photography inside was quite difficult due to lack of light. People were seated here and there praying / pondering while many others were walking in and out.

I stood staring at the door, visualizing the clicky possibilities. I was still using a film SLR camera at the time and hence would not know if I got what I clicked the way I visualized it until later.

As I stood there muttering to myself, I saw a man seated in contemplation and the beautiful light coming from the door way and my fingers went jittery with excitement. And just as I was wishing for the other people around him to step out of the door it happened. It lasted only a couple of seconds before the dude who was seated got up and left… but it was enough.

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Clicked on 25 September 2005 / Maddur (*album) / the team – Satz, Sudu, Venky

Striving to get ahead, to be in the limelight, curious and competetive in an ever growing population.

Clicked in December 2007 / Marina Beach, Chennai (*album)

I had to make multiple trips to Chennai and spent most of my time running around trying to get my visa work done. Somewhere in all that running around I was left with an hour or so of free time. I decided to hit the Marina Beach despite overcast skies. Walking along the beach and clicking pictures was exactly the kind of relaxation I needed. Sigh!

Clicked on 18 April 2006 / Gokarna / Around Ankola (*album)

It appeared as though they were staring into the horizon and enjoying the moment.

They did not seem to be bothered by me. I clicked many pictures and in different angles. And I think this picture best captures what I saw and wanted to convey. You will find a couple more shots of them in the album.

Clicked in June 2006 | Mumbai

He sat on the official’s chair and amidst cheer posed for a shot in a very regal manner.

The Railway officials (the freight/loading section) were a little shy to pose for a picture. This kid came along shouting ‘chai chai‘… he brought tea many times during the day from a nearby restaurant where he works. Everyone tried to pull his leg but he was a smart one and his answers brought surprise, laughter and applaud. I asked if I could maybe take his picture instead and they agreed.

It is sad that child labor still exists in India and kids like this have to work for a living at a age when they should be in school or having fun playing.