A Run for a cause

A Run for a cause
Originally uploaded by travelling writer.

MCC students union members preparing posters for the charity run in aid of BOSCO mane, an NGO for kids. The run is organized by them as part of their intra college cultural fest, the Culha 2007.

Note:The photograph was shot by me for an assignment for the e-magazine Sattva.
For more on Sattva check this link, www.itihas.org.in/Sattva.html

One fine morning: Me, you and our dear old Amby

The Ambassador car, once synonymous with the word 'India' is now slowly disappearing from its landscape. It seems to be now relegated for use by the politicians. For years, I had believed that Amby, as it’s fondly called by its aficionados has disappeared from the cities and can only be found in the countryside. But, the fact is that even from the country roads they are now making way for the newer cars available in the markets today. The recent relaunch of "Amby" in its new avatar wasn't that successful in contributing to any revival of the legendary car in mainstream Indian roads.

For me, summer vacations during childhood days were spent in visiting maternal home near Pangala in Udupi district. It used to be a gathering of all the relatives with the entire house being converted into a den for 'Hide and Seek' games, the verandah being converted into a miniature cricket ground and finally countless road-trips to weddings, temples, beaches and 'Kudla' (Mangalore); all of which used to be marked by a visit to the 'Diana Hotel' in Udupi. But common in all these road trips of ours was the Amby, a perfect vehicle to stuff in large Indian families:-) . A rugged metallic body and well suited for Indian highways, Amby was and is much resistant to damages in accidents than most modern cars of the day. It was hence a natural choice for the elders when compared to Maruti 800 which was in its infancy during those days. But it only took few years for Maruti 800 to turn into an icon which represented the Indian middle class family. This era marked the decline of Amby. The throne was passed onto the new, small car with a weaker body and Amby slowly began to fade away from the Indian roads.

The moment framed in a photograph above was one of those rare sightings of Amby for me during my recent visit to our hometown. There was this one odd Amby waiting outside our home among other popular cars. The Omnis, the Altos and other creations of Maruti Udyog were lined up along with few mini buses and this solitary Amby. The vehicles were all for ferrying people to the local temple nearby for them to take part in the celebrations of the day. This event was connected to the fact that my grandfather turned a hundred years old during the year 2006. He was a founder of this temple in Katpadi and it was decided that a public event was to be held there to mark this occasion. There wasn't any centenarian in our village except for him and there wasn't another car from the classic pre-globalization era except for this Amby. And I guess it was a fitting tribute to their survival in the race against time that they undertook the journey to the temple together.

Realists may say that Amby is in the fag end of its life and will fade away soon. But who knows, they even said that video killed the radio star. But today, the radio is having its finest hour as predicted by the Late Freddie Mercury in 'Radio Ga Ga', one of the greatest hits by the rock band 'Queen'. Maybe even our dear old Amby and its cousin 'Premier Padmini' will have their renaissance someday too.

Dying in a foreign land

Dying in a foreign land - 3
Originally uploaded by travelling writer.

As I walked past the tombstones, I came across this old and beautifully carved memorial built for Louisa Wallace, wife of a British gentleman. Her husband Mr Walter C Darling(as indicated from the epitaph) must have loved her a lot that he built such a splendid memorial for her. I felt bad that they had to be separated in a foreign land. Just as I began to move ahead, my eyes caught the tombstone just behind the Louisa's resting place. It was the final resting place of Mr Darling, who had passed away six years after his wife's death.

Even death could not do them apart.

The tombstones of the British officers from East India Company and British Government dating back to 19th century are found in this Indian Christian Cemetery located at Bangalore. This place is a heritage from the British Era.

Images of Kaipunjal

In my previous post, I wrote about the Kaipunjal beach which lies in Udupi district and one of my popular photographs which has been shot in that location. That travellogue introduced to the readers this little known beach which is adjacent to the more popular Kaup beach. The story unfolded by describing the sights and sounds of this quintessential fishing town and then it finally led to the moment which made that photograph. Since the core of that article was that particular picture, I did not display any other images from that story. In this post, I am showcasing the remaining photographs from that story with excerpts from it describing the moments which went into the making of each one of these photographs.

"...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....." Read more

"...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. ...."Read more

"....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....." Read more

Footprints of time

Footprints of time
Originally uploaded by travelling writer.

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........