Hello Friends It has been a while since I sat down and wrote one of these personal updates— the last one was when summer was like a cat about to stretch itself. And here we are in Autumn, the season of color and cool air. A time when baseball has become a bit more urgent. … Continue reading October 2022: A Personal Update + Some Good Reads
August 15th is Independence Day of India. I was born and raised in India, and nine years ago, I became an American citizen. As a result, I am fortunate to celebrate the birthdays of two countries, both former colonies of Great Britain. Today also happens to be the 75th anniversary of the day. In 1947, … Continue reading Happy 75th Independence Day, India
I fell asleep quite early last evening, and not surprisingly. I woke up at an ungodly hour. And that’s when I found out the sad news. Lata Mangeshkar, the Nightingale of India, has died. While most in the west are familiar with the classical genius of late Pandit Ravi Shankar, for Indians of rank & … Continue reading Lata Mangeshkar, RIP
Over the last two days, I have been talking to old friends and family members, and no matter how you put it, the situation is grim. Except for my parents, the virus has impacted many extended family members. A couple of friends have lost family members. The stories I have heard, including shortage of resources … Continue reading India’s Coronavirus Crisis
In order to avoid political drama, India has banned all onion exports. No, this is not an Onion headline. Take a look. Continue reading In India, no Onion left behind
I had initially planned to bring along a Leica TL2 with an f1.4/50mm (equivalent) Summilux, but somehow that didn’t work out, and at the very last minute, I decided to rent a Nikon kit from a camera rental operation in Bangalore. Continue reading “The Cameras I used on my Ladakh Adventure”
Photography oriented trips are a visual Marathon. You are always on the move; your eyes are still looking, scanning, cataloging and telling your brain what a photo worth making is. I usually drive around with a local and then stop at a location that clicks. Pun intended! And then I would spend either minutes or hours at a location, and work it.
But after a while, your eyes start to tire, and you stop looking. It usually happens on the last day and today was no different. Luckily, Arun Bhat, who helped organize this trip and our man-Friday, karma, were there to push me. “Why don’t we drive up to Tanglangla,” and stop along the way and look at some Monasteries,” Arun had suggested. The drive to the second highest motorable pass in the world (maybe) is beautiful, and with early snows coming, the roads are going to be empty and pass through a beautiful landscape, worth looking and not just photographing. Continue reading “Gateway to Heaven: Ladakh”
When I went to sleep last night, I was excited about the prospects of the new day. I had no idea that it would turn out to be one of those red letter days that teach you pretty much everything about life. Now that I think of it, it was a good parable for life, and a reminder of how despite our illusions, we are never really in control. Continue reading “You just never know what life brings”
While visiting my parents in India, I decided to take a little break and visit Ladakh for a short photography break. When I was growing up, Ladakh was such a remote location, and the idea of going there was such a romantic notion. Today, however, it takes about 70 minutes in a flight from Delhi — and there are at least three a day. Continue reading “Traveling to Ladakh”
I remember the sparseness of talent and original thought, and degree of elitism during the formative years of Indian fashion scene. I used to write about that stuff and even as a non-trained, not-really-fashion-writer, it was obvious that there was such a huge chasm between the rest of the world and Indian fashion, despite the … Continue reading From India, New Fashion Stars
