Sometimes unexpected moments in life give out the best pictures. When i took this shot I never really thought it'll create such a sudden fan following for it. But, it has hardly been a week since I uploaded this on flickr, the image seems to have been selected as favorite by at least seven people as of now. And none of them are people who I personally know.
There's this little known beach in Udupi district (Udupi taluk of erstwhile undivided South Canara district). Its called Kaipunjal. Its adjacent to the more popular Kaup(also spelt as Kapu) beach. Kaup beach is swarmed by visitors through out the day. They come there to climb up to the lighthouse to get a bird's eye view of the coast line, the view of the distant Kunjaragiri hill shrine, the concrete buildings of Manipal and the greenery all over in the landscape which begins just as the blue sea and the shoreline end. I shall write about Kaup beach in a later post and will not hijack the essence of the photograph I am talking of.
Kaipunjal was never in the map of beach holidays and I hope this Status Quo persists. It was just us, the kids - me, my cousins and my sister - who made this a holiday destination every time we visited our grandpa's place near Pangala, which is another town close to Kaup. Kaipunjal is just 2 miles away from grandpa's house. We have to cut across the highway (NH 17) and then take a narrow tarred road, which leads us to this beach. The reason i want this to remain so secluded is because of that feeling I get being here. You will hardly find anybody strolling there. Few fishing boats - some of which are anchored at the shore line while others are trawling in the vicinity, couple of young fishermen trying to make a catch using primitive ways and some city-bred people like me who would have possibly come down to their hometown to experience that tranquil calmness which their city lacks in. Nobody here seems to be in a hurry except for the crabs which crawl around in fast speeds and look like aimless foot soldiers running for cover.
It is always exciting here during the evenings, when you have the beach all for yourself while you watch the color of the sky and sea change from shades of blue, to the shades of orange and pink as the sun goes down the distant horizon. Truly an inspiring sight in any beach, ain't it? But it feels the best only when you are in a beach as lonely as Kaipunjal. Evenings at the beach had been savored by us many a times.This time we decided to get a taste of the beach during the morning hours. One fine morning during the last month, I along with my dad and a cousin of mine walked down through those familiar roads again. As we strolled by, we passed by a group fisher women who were off to the market . They were amused by seeing me, a stranger who took their photograph. I sometimes feel that the dwellers in the countrysides find it funny to know that I get easily amused by the sights of nature and countryside. I believe that it is always a place which spins a tale in the mind of an inspired author and not the the author who spins a tale about a mystic place. It must be a usual sight for them but for me its a pilgrimage every time I am here.
A stroll for twenty minutes and we were there at the beach come fishing village of Kaipunjal. We walked into the morning calmness of the beach. The only noises were of the weak waves. We were greeted by those familiar sights of anchored boats, trawlers and tiny crabs. There was this young boy who looked barely out of school and was trying to see if he had made any catch through the fishing net he had put over night. Dad loved to converse with him in the local dialect (Tulu). He spoke to him for a considerable amount of time while me and my cousin listened to their conversation. It was sad to know that the boy had dropped out of school. His daily routine involved waking up early and walking down to see if there were any catches in the two nets he would've set up previous night. If there were any, he would save some for his family's lunch and dinner and sell the remaining in the local market. He seemed to be content with the life he was leading. I am not sure if he ever regretted leaving school mid-way. But this content life of his amazed us a lot. This chap didn't seem to have any of those worries we city people have. No credit card payments, no EMIs, no loans, no daily commuting through chaotic traffic to reach his workplace. My dad has this additional thing which he worries about a lot these days. He is upset with his son(me) having quit his software job in pursuit of photojournalism dreams. Dad is not in terms with me and my decision. I have moved on, but he still stands there pondering over the question if I have made a wrong decision in life. This sent three of us into an introspection as we looked far ahead into the sea. When we were done, we walked on slowly away from the waters. At some point of time I realised that dad wasn't walking with us. This was when I turned back and saw this sight, which I instantly decided to capture in my camera.
Once again I had walked on, while Dad stood his ground somewhere far behind in time........
There's this little known beach in Udupi district (Udupi taluk of erstwhile undivided South Canara district). Its called Kaipunjal. Its adjacent to the more popular Kaup(also spelt as Kapu) beach. Kaup beach is swarmed by visitors through out the day. They come there to climb up to the lighthouse to get a bird's eye view of the coast line, the view of the distant Kunjaragiri hill shrine, the concrete buildings of Manipal and the greenery all over in the landscape which begins just as the blue sea and the shoreline end. I shall write about Kaup beach in a later post and will not hijack the essence of the photograph I am talking of.
Kaipunjal was never in the map of beach holidays and I hope this Status Quo persists. It was just us, the kids - me, my cousins and my sister - who made this a holiday destination every time we visited our grandpa's place near Pangala, which is another town close to Kaup. Kaipunjal is just 2 miles away from grandpa's house. We have to cut across the highway (NH 17) and then take a narrow tarred road, which leads us to this beach. The reason i want this to remain so secluded is because of that feeling I get being here. You will hardly find anybody strolling there. Few fishing boats - some of which are anchored at the shore line while others are trawling in the vicinity, couple of young fishermen trying to make a catch using primitive ways and some city-bred people like me who would have possibly come down to their hometown to experience that tranquil calmness which their city lacks in. Nobody here seems to be in a hurry except for the crabs which crawl around in fast speeds and look like aimless foot soldiers running for cover.
It is always exciting here during the evenings, when you have the beach all for yourself while you watch the color of the sky and sea change from shades of blue, to the shades of orange and pink as the sun goes down the distant horizon. Truly an inspiring sight in any beach, ain't it? But it feels the best only when you are in a beach as lonely as Kaipunjal. Evenings at the beach had been savored by us many a times.This time we decided to get a taste of the beach during the morning hours. One fine morning during the last month, I along with my dad and a cousin of mine walked down through those familiar roads again. As we strolled by, we passed by a group fisher women who were off to the market . They were amused by seeing me, a stranger who took their photograph. I sometimes feel that the dwellers in the countrysides find it funny to know that I get easily amused by the sights of nature and countryside. I believe that it is always a place which spins a tale in the mind of an inspired author and not the the author who spins a tale about a mystic place. It must be a usual sight for them but for me its a pilgrimage every time I am here.
A stroll for twenty minutes and we were there at the beach come fishing village of Kaipunjal. We walked into the morning calmness of the beach. The only noises were of the weak waves. We were greeted by those familiar sights of anchored boats, trawlers and tiny crabs. There was this young boy who looked barely out of school and was trying to see if he had made any catch through the fishing net he had put over night. Dad loved to converse with him in the local dialect (Tulu). He spoke to him for a considerable amount of time while me and my cousin listened to their conversation. It was sad to know that the boy had dropped out of school. His daily routine involved waking up early and walking down to see if there were any catches in the two nets he would've set up previous night. If there were any, he would save some for his family's lunch and dinner and sell the remaining in the local market. He seemed to be content with the life he was leading. I am not sure if he ever regretted leaving school mid-way. But this content life of his amazed us a lot. This chap didn't seem to have any of those worries we city people have. No credit card payments, no EMIs, no loans, no daily commuting through chaotic traffic to reach his workplace. My dad has this additional thing which he worries about a lot these days. He is upset with his son(me) having quit his software job in pursuit of photojournalism dreams. Dad is not in terms with me and my decision. I have moved on, but he still stands there pondering over the question if I have made a wrong decision in life. This sent three of us into an introspection as we looked far ahead into the sea. When we were done, we walked on slowly away from the waters. At some point of time I realised that dad wasn't walking with us. This was when I turned back and saw this sight, which I instantly decided to capture in my camera.
Once again I had walked on, while Dad stood his ground somewhere far behind in time........
12 comments:
Well well well, I had thought the photo itself is . .how do i put it.. thought-inducing.
Now that I read the story behind it, I'l say the story brings about the same feelings that the photo did.. only in a deeper way and with more magnitude.
Thanks Kiran.
I am glad you liked the photograph and also the story behind it.
nice work....
I hope u have made the right choice!
good luck...
Really a nice peice of work my frnd.
Ur words are not too far behind the Picture quality :)
U hav always struck the rite chord in me through your words and now these pictures seems to be doing exactly the same.... need i say more
Cheers my unconventional friend!
i saw the snap first, it caused a sense of loss , decided to read the story. Last para says it all :)
Still walk on , keep walking ;)
hi,nishath
its really a nice piece of work..i must say..the beach,the foot prints..actually reminds me of that classical picture of " foot prints of GOD".now the story reflects the subtleness of life.
The pic and your write-up compliment the time, and the mood. Some amount of melancholy is brought on, and it is captured very well. From a holiday destination, to a little boy's main source of income - the myriad shades reflected are picturesque and lovely. Keep it coming!
Nix you are just too much man. That was such a powerful write up and a an amazing picture. You will defi go a long way nix and you have done just the right thing for if you hadnt quit your job we would have never gotten to see this side of yours and read such wonderful articles!You wont have a bigger fan that me. Trust me :p
unconventional life - thats all it is. You might take a whole life to learn it, or just go by your instint and learn it the hard way.
All the best dude.
hi man
I am from kaipunjal.I seen ur ariticle/photos.I felt great.
It is nice peice of work.
all the best
Hi guys..
Thanks for exploring this place.
This is the place where I used spent my school vacations. My Grandma's house is just 100meters away from the sea water. One of the white sand beaches and I take my child during their vacation.
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