The world has long been dead.......we just don't know it yet!!

Enthralled with the way we are, the way we think.... the way we do everything that we have forgotten to live actually. 

Fallen in a channel that leads to the same place. Either way we all are going there....to the grave! On the way why not have some fun. At least there won't be any regrets and even if there are we would rest in peace if not with a smile. In the net of intertwining memories and an uneasy future we are lost from the present. The very present which in essence is the ultimate gift while death the absolute truth.

The stars don't twinkle anymore.... animals don't speak. The clouds are not the cotton puffs flying away in the oceans of innocence. Catching sunlight is silly now. The greenery of the grass doesn't amaze us. Sarcasm is not against the oppressors and praise is just the acknowledgement of fear. 

Ignorance is at its peak and We know it all!!

God is in the temple with a copyright policy. Men don't trust. Love is a memory. Broken hearts are a trend. Art is but publicity and fails to evoke the slightest of emotions. We stare at things that are lifeless for hours for the feeble shots of dopamine that hits with the notifications bell. 

The self-isolation/quarantine has lead people to meet their greatest foe or their best friend...Conscience! The mind fails to divert from its own incessant chatter. The brakes had long been broken and the accelerator always been on full throttle. People are suffering their own thoughts and emotions. Unchecked and unleashed, its creating havoc. 

For long we have forgotten the fuel of life. Its just that we have been going with the meager momentum acquired till the time worldly desires dragged us down.

 The world has long been dead.......we just don't know it yet!!

A Visit To The ZOO

Believe it or not, this is the ambiance of a zoo!!
The drive from the railway station to the hills takes about 3-4 hours. The difference in surrounding happens very suddenly.
The temperature.....
The weather.....
The scenery.....
Everything changes within hours. As if its a new world. While driving only, we had to put on our warm clothes. The wind gets chilly. Silence takes over, apart from occasional honking of passing cars. Sun starts the usual peek-a-boo behind the clouds and then there is this smell.
I don't know what but there is a specific smell in the mountain air. Even before the change in scenery or anything, we would always know that the mountains are close because of this smell.
It is so unique.....So earthly.
Then there are these clouds. Clouds that wash you away. As if a wave comes and takes us to another place. Even dreams envy the clouds.
Never had I imagined a zoo to be like this until I saw this one. There is no chaos.....no clatter. Silence everywhere. As if the clouds covers this place from chaos and the outside world. Even the animals are at peace here, even though caged. The ambiance does not let us feel that we are in a zoo. Its as if there is a jungle out there and we have come to see the animals in open. The flora all around also tricks the senses into thinking so.

This place has a magic that can only be sensed.

"There are more to things than meets the eye."





Location: Gangtok Zoo,Sikkim,India

THE SOUND OF TRICKLES

It had only been 4-5months since I bought my DSLR. Its a Nikon D5100 with a 18-55mm kit lens. A very basic gear arrangements and so I was in mood for severe experimentation. Also, I heard of something called a neutral density filter which is basically a sun glass for my camera. This is a picture of my first trip right after I bought the gears.
I have watched to many pictures of slow motion photography where the fast moving object is captured slowly so as to capture the full trail of its motion. The application of this theory on waterfalls is what gives it a smooth look. I was determined to try out.
As its always true that no matter what gear you use, if the composition and light is not good then its nothing.
This was a trip to Sikkim which is a state in northeast India, bordered by Bhutan, Tibet and Nepal.
There are innumerable waterfalls on the way and I tried to capture each and every one of them with all my gears. The water was coming out smooth in most of the pictures but lacked punch. Before this, I had an idea that its only the smoothness in the water that makes such pictures incredible but no. It is again the composition and light. I kept on trying and finally found a spot.
This spot was actually under the canopy of trees. There were many tourists but nobody actually noticed this place. They were busy with grandeur of the larger part of the waterfall and missed this part completely.Nature hides her precious ones so efficiently out in the open. There was no stairs. Only a bunch of rocks,some sand covered in moss and algae. Somehow I managed to get down here while my father and brother stood there looking at me(Probably thinking that I have gone!).
The water was slow and steady and the light was amazing. There were sound of trickles all around. Then there was this smell......
I don't know what but I am definite it's the smell of nature. A raw smell which is not pleasant but very soothing......very peaceful.
After taking the shot, I sat there for sometime.
Nature reveals her secrets to those who listens. She speaks through sounds of the trickles(In this case at least).



Location : Gangtok,Sikkim,India

At Ease

I was really having a hard time finding a good frame and was wandering clueless. I do not know what got into me but it was a beautiful sea beach and it was as if I was walking blindly. Desperately shooting away in the hope of getting that perfect frame. But perfection is like giving marks to yourself and marks are numbers and numbers are infinite.
Trying out each and every move....each and every trick up my sleeve. This continued for almost 3 hours. I kept running and lying and rolling all over the beach but all in vain. In photography, the time when the sun sets and rises is called the Golden hour as the light is perfect!! Well.....almost perfect. It was way past Golden hour and realized I have lost my chance of a good frame. Tired and dirty and hungry, I sat down. After 20 mins, I calmed down.
Closed my eyes.....
Took a deep breath.....
Listened to the sounds of the beach.....the sea......
Forgot about frames, pictures, photography, techniques......
and then opened my eyes.

This guy was selling puffed corn and on the beach. I went past him over and over again but did not notice him. "How is that possible?" - I said to myself.

This is not a very great shot but when you are hungry then even a piece of bread is God to you.





Shot taken at Marina Beach, Chennai, India.

THE GAME

How would you feel if all the clouds descend on earth right now?!!
It was about 5 am in the morning and everything was engulfed by the huge stretch of fog. The moment I opened the balcony door, i could see some fog entering and it was creepy. The night was very cold and we were hoping for some sunlight.
Whatever, I always like to explore around. Near about 5.30am, went outside along with my brother. Odds were getting even as it was extremely foggy but also windy, which is a rare case. Slowly, we vanished into the mist. Father stayed at the inn. Walking briskly for about half an hour through the mist was a feeling of another kind. The sound of the wind and the fog moving along with it creates an awesome sensation. As if the wind found a body ..... As if you could see the wind and its movement.
Finally, came up to Lava Monastery located amidst the hills. It was about 6.45 am and its starting to clear up. The monks were doing there daily chores and greeted us with a smile. Dressed in orange and red in the white fog, gave an amazing view. There is also a small school here and the students were starting to show up.
We decided to go up to an elevated platform in the monastery. The path was a bit muddy due previous nights rain. Small birds fluttering here and there but silently. It was as if they were concealing themselves in the silence of the mist. Now the sky is getting clear and i could see a light yellowish hue. So decided to hurry to the top and got struck by the game. The game played by light and mist. For sometime we just stood there and thus missed my chance to get the rays. My lens was not a wide angle one but i wanted to include all of it. So, shot multiple shots while panning slowly and made a small panorama which gives a more wide angle perspective.




Darjeeling is a well known tourist spot in west bengal, India and specially to Bengalis. Its about a small small town in the district of Darjeeling called LAVA.

Sleeping Beauty

My childhood days were mostly spent listening to the fairy tales and ishop tales and let me tell you, my story teller was really good at it.
Remember the enchanted forests of the fairy tales. The forests of my imagination. This place has all those elements.
The quaint small cottages.....
The canopy of lofty trees and flowers blooming all around the green foilage like colorful jewels.......
The early morning dew hanging from the flower petals like pearls.....
The constant play of light and shade.....
The vibrant birds flying around and occasionally sitting around me while I was busy sipping on a hot cup of tea , drenched in the ambiance.
Far away some feathered friend breaks the silence with an unknown call. A chirp here, a tweet there. The creaking of the tall trees. The rustling of the leaves. The winds passing by making a hissing noise. Insects making frequent playbacks. Its like a jamming session of nature.
The sunrise and sunsets are insanely awesome. As night approaches, the sky gets lit up by the stars and the earth sparkles with fireflies. Nature concocts such a recipe that the mind dims and the heart opens up to the intoxication of everything that is life.

The cottage above the hills on the right side of the picture was where I stayed. Hiked till the point from where I took the picture wading through the forest of the fairies!

Place : Rishyap, Darjeeling, West BEngal, India