Mr.P in Kerala.

Hi,

Bottomline first: KERALA IS TRULY RELAXING, PERIOD. Me (and not to mention Mr. P) went there with my family on October 7th, 2009 for a net eight day tour. I went there to relax and get a break from the usual days and nights I used to spend in Kolkata (except for those where Mr.P used to reawake himself inside me) and Mr. P went there...huh... yes, right. To shoot.

Below are a few of his snaps (made to reflect the possible best in them) by him. As you will proceed, your little tour guide (that would be me) will take you milestone by milestone the journey we had from start to end. One thing I must tell you: This isn't just another regular post of an-hour-or-two-of-a-crazy-outing-of-mine-in-the-city type with only five to six snaps. This post has a good amount of pictures. So, if you are really on a tight scheduled, I suggest you better close it. But hey! I would love to see you find some time and go through it.

But, if you are sure you have time... we can start from THIRUVANTHAPURAM.

Having our hotel booked in Tridendram, on 9th, we went to the KOVALAM BEACH. Below are a few snaps from there:

The beach has a very steep shore and you suddenly might feel like toppling as the sand below your feet can be gone with the retreating wave. By the way, the picture above is called CHILD, LOOK BEYOND.

The picture below is called CALENDAR (for some weird reason). Here it is:

There are lots of rocks on the beach. And not to mention loads of coconut trees.

This picture is called WINDY. I know its a very aaa....obvious name buut still.!

The next one is a feminine potrayal of what Mr. P was exactly doing in the beach.

I call this picture as Mr. Me.!

Still keeping our reservation in Trivendram, next day we went to KANYAKUMARI

Frankly speaking, there was nothing much for Mr. P. Below is what he got:

This is the VIVEKANANDA MEMORIAL on the Vivekananda Rock.

Below is THE COMPLETE ROCK:

(well almost. Thanks to the only 3 inch screen, the ends got truncated).

Upon entering the Vivekanada Memorial (where photography is not allowed), anybody in any state of mind can feel the peace and strength at the sametime. I did (and thought I would share the feeling with you).

One our way back to the hotel, we stopped at the PADMANABHAN SWAMI TEMPLE. There they have a tradition: If a woman is wearing a Saree, then only she can enter the temple with her hair covered with a cloth. If she is wearing something else, she has to wrap a saree around and then she can enter. For men.. no such relaxation. Can wear only a Dhoti, only. No further questions.

Below are a few snaps from that place:

I call this picture TWILIGHT TEMPLE.

Mr. P was lucky enough to get the picture of thisYOUNG DEVOTEE. (As I said, no exceptions.!) All I did there was get some evening tea with some UFOs (Unidentified Fried Objects)

After we came back to the bus, we realized that many of the ladies were missing. And guess where we found them? Yes, a place which closely resembles a place like the picture below:

Well, SHOPPING ANYONE?

Next day we moved out of Trivendrum and headed for ALLEPPY. From there, through THE BACKWATERS, we were to reach KOTTAYAM (a city with 100 percent literacy rate in India)

Below are some of the snaps by Mr. P there:

This picture above I call THE CROSSING. Almost every house near the backwaters banks has a boat like this and it is the most vital mode of transportation there.

And who doesn't know about the most the relaxing floating things in Kerala??

Yes, I am talking about the HOUSEBOATS.

According to Mr. P, there were numerous other situations to take pictures of (may be, I hardly understand this stuff). But all were not captured, technical problems, we were constatly moving.

I have no idea what this church is actually called but Mr. P calls this picture THE OPEN OLD.

In between all these, there was a local guest in our launch. Even a dull person like me admired the beauty of it and Mr.P helped me reach it out to you. Here it is:

This picture is called THE GUEST.

On the banks by now we had spotted all kinds of people from all religions and their walk by the banks remainded me of the drawings I used to do back in my school.

This picture above has no specific name. But as of now lets call it GOING TO WORK.

That day we had a single night stay at KOTTAYAM where I took a little time out to call up my friends (was missing them a lot there). Next day we all set out for KUMILY. Its a hill station which is famous for its spice market and homemade chocolate.

On our way there were a few snaps taken by Mr. P:

This picture is of a rubber tree trunk, lined to collect the INFANT RUBBER.

Our travel guide, on our way to Kumily, told us that there wont be anything for us to do in the evening after we reach there, so we can just follow the scenary on the way. I just did and so did Mr.P:

This picture is called FOLLOWED (dedicated to our guide)

Looking out of the bus window there were again many (many) breathtaking places. But as Mr. P is not an expert photographer (and again we were moving quite fast on a contstantly direction changing spiral hilly road), many snaps were just a piece of junk.

Out of them this one was quite postable:

Mr.P couldnt stop admiring the courage of this tree standing there alone. He calls this picture HABIT OF THE EDGE.

After we reached Kumily, we were told that there is a Kathakali show to be held that night in a nearby hall. People who are interested can go and enjoy.! You can imagine, in what Mr.P was more interested in than the dance on the stage.

I call this picture IDENTITY.

Just a little walk from our two night stay hotel at Kumily there was a turn in the street. There was a statue of Mother Mary holding a dying Jesus on her lap. Mr. P tried and tried but couldnt be happy about his picture below.

See if you can feel anything other than SADNESS OF THE EYES.

Next day, we all went to PERIYAR (in a useless hope to see a few wild animals).

Not much promising, but here are a few snaps of the forest and the lake:

This is the PERIYAR LAKE boating where is currently prohibited due an very nasty accident that happened here a few times back.

While walking in the road of the forest, just the way I was listening to some music, my dad was walking alone humming.

I told Mr.P not to lose this moment when my dad was HAPPY ON HIS OWN.

After we came back, had lunch, many of the us from the touring party were feeling lazy enough to miss the spice garden visit. But I went and so did Mr. P

It was nothing as brilliant as anything but what I enjoyed most was an elephant ride.

This picture is not taken by Mr.P but by a person called SAUNAK (thanks buddy.!). I call this picture GOPAL (that's what is the name of the elephant in the picture). There are reason for me to select this picture. First, Gopal is in a brilliant pose with his trunk raised to greet the camera. Second, being the fourth person on Gopal at that moment, I am hidden.! You can only see a part of my blue jeans above Gopal's left ear.

The next day we were informed that we are finally starting for MUNNAR with a faint warning of a chilly weather there.

Here are a few snaps of what we saw on the way:

My sis was holding these FLOWERS in her hand and it was looking worth a few MBs in my camera's memory card.

We were told of a journey through the hilly regions and there the last thing we expected was the rain. But who knew, the dying Jesus from the streets of Kumily will fulfill even the last expectation of us.!!

This picture is called the WET SETUP for the rest of our journey.

On the way we had the DEVIKULAM FALLS:

This water fall was in the midst of vast bed of tea plantation. But instead of capturing the tea plantation around (like everyone else) Mr. P got asked these ladies to wait and hold it right there.

He called them up as 'aunts' on which they started to laugh. Later on Mr. P had to say 'g'bye sister'. I call this picture AUNT SISTERS.

We continued with our journey in those spiral roads (with the sky tap still on).

At times, we prayed no other vehicle till the same THICK CURVE of the road lasts.

But the journey to Munnar was only not scary, it was beautiful too.

When places like the above picture came, it was hard to imagine if anything could have fulfilled the snap had the climate not been MOISTURIZED.

And after a journey of about four and a half hours and we could finally see the town of Munnar.

This picture is by my dad. Sure he has literally FOUND THE TOWN in the 'middle' of the rain.

On the afternoon the day we reached Munnar, we went out for a sightseeing. And here is what we saw:

TAKE-1: THEY CAME.

TAKE-2: THEY ATE.

TAKE-3: THEY LEFT.

After this royal feast, our bus moved ahead for the couple of nearby places:

This is a shot from a place called the ECHO POINT, not a that bad place for paddle boating.

Then we stood on the MATTUPATHY DAM (and Mr.P took the snap below).

The next morning was booked for RAJAMALAI, for the highest peak in the Neelgiri mountains. But before brushing my teeth on that day, as soon as I woke up, Mr. P rushed towards the hotel balcony and snapped the picture below:

He calls this sunrise THE SUNSET HANGOVER.

While we were being taken by the forest officials to the top of the Rajamali hill in a wildlife park (whose name I have forgotten but it was recognised as the cleanest wildlife park in India) we saw this:

You have to forgive me but I had no other option but to name this picture by Mr.P (who took it straight right down from the fall's foot)as UNKNOWN HEIGHTS.

At a checkpoint, we were left to explore the rest of the uphill journey on our feet. On the way to the top of the hill, we found this animal:

It is called the NEELGIRI THAR. It is something in between a deer(body) and a goat (head). Rajamalai is the only place in the world where this animal is found.

And after we went to the top, it was altogether a different mood. Clouds playing around, the chill, the wet air, the moody sun....huh.!!!!

This picture was taken by Mr. P after he waited long for the sun to get caught in that crack in the cloud. He calls this picture ORACLED.

One moment you can clearly see who is down there.. Come back after 15 minutes...

you are bound to ask the clouds WHOOZ DOWN THERE?

These pictures are absolutle nothing (believe me when I say that) when it comes to actually go there and stand at the top.

And what a sight after we descended down.

The clouds were between my two hands.!!! It had started to drizzle and we had no umbrella (it sure was fun.!!). We had a coffee in a tourist shade. Then Mr.P took the above picture (by taking out the camera in that highly moist weather). All in all... it was ... mesmerizing.! I will never forget how it actually felt to PLAY THE ROMANCE there.

That day afternoon, we left Munnar and started for COCHIN, the last milestone of our Kerala trip.

It took us five hours to reach Cochin in bus. There, one the next day, we went out to see some history, but half of the things in the city were closed. Below is what we could manage:

This is the VASCO DE GAMA CHURCH where his corpse were buried for a few years after his death before it was taken away by his sons to Lisbon. THIS IS THE FIRST CHURCH IN INDIA buit in 16th century and last renovated in the 17th century.

Very near to this church is a beach used by fishermen.

The fishing is done by these CHINESE FISHING NETS which are in India almost for more than four hundred years now.

One the evening that same day, we were taken to see the sunset on a cruise. Later it was announced that due to the clouds, the setting sun won't be visible. So Mr.P again grabbed whatever he could.

Although the we were not on a luxury ship, but the trip on that boat was good, overlooking the sunrays FROM THE DECK.

Then comes the last snap by Mr. P in Kerala.

The HOMECOMING.

Next day was our train back to Kolkata.

I know I have eaten up a lot of your precious time, but by any chance you liked (or hated) this album, please do let me know though your posted comments.

Thanks you.!

Cheers.! :)

Sunday 5 am?? Thats not me.!!

Hi,

Seriously, Mr. P has gone nuts... he has gone completely mad and in the process of this highly unwanted task... he is making me like him too.!!!

After a few calculations... Mr. P could infer that its gonna be next year March if not now.! This was the last weekend before the Pujas.. during Puja and the week after that I will be busy at my office... after which I will be out on a 15 days trip to Kerala..

When I will be back it will be almost November... winter... which means waking up at 5 am will be even tougher. To let the winter go by.. it will be almost next year March... so Mr. P set an alarm (and two wake up remainders) at 4:45 am (and 4:50 and 5:00 am) to get up and get the fresh picture of the fiilthy Ganga (many call it Ganges.!) in the morning.!

Frankly speaking, Mr. P was not very happy with any of the pictures taken... but these are some of the better ones.

Believe me, these are the cleanest steps at Babughat. The ones which go into the Ganga have an inch of the polimaati on them throughout the year. I almost slipped on them today. Mr. P calls this picture with a very obvious name STEPS OF THE BABU.

Thats all he could get at Babughat worth posting. Mr. P moved out

of there.. while I was having some biscuits, he asked a person selling neem sticks, natural toothbrushes, about any other nearby ghaat.

"Outram Ghat"... Mr. P went there but photography was not allowed...

Then me and Mr. P were on our own.! Mr. P could find some of the unnamed ghaats... Here is what we got from there:

This old man in the picture was holding up arms in the same way since I discovered that he is there in the Ghat... I took few pictures of him ... he was there in the same position... and before I finally turned away from him... I saw him staying in the same position... chanting something...

Mr. P calls this picture FAITH.

The next picture is from the same unnamed Ghaat.

After Mr. P had taken the pictures.. I was standing at the same place thinking... They have been tied to the same stock for hundreds of years... neither the boat design nor the majhi uniform has changed in so many years.! Only the crossing fare might have gone up.! Thanks to the "developement" we are a part of.

Mr. P calls this picture OLD FERRY.

And what is Ganga to a bengali without the Howrah Bridge.! I had tried many times to see it in a single shot... but I always had to turn my head to cover the complete view. But hey.! Look what Mr. P has done.! He just did it...

From another unnamed Ghaat near the first one... Mr. P just clicked the view.. and I called it, much to the disagreement of the highly philosophical Mr. P, THE WHOLE PACKAGE.

But the problem started to show up.! I was at the place from where this 'whole package' picture was taken and Mr. P wanted to go to the foot of the Howrah Bridge... the one which is on the left side of the picture above.

"Koi Gal Nahi, Sir jee"... I told Mr. P... I had a fresh morning tea from a stall... plugged my earplugs with a song in it... and simply started walking towards it. On the way I got this picture of the road...

Mr. P and I call this picture with the very same name as the girl from

a nearby car would have called it (after she was done with her amazement of seeing a short guy taking the picture of an empty street at 6:00 am for no appearent reason... I wish she could see Mr. P.. but she couldnt as he was inside me..)... A TAKE FROM A WALK.

And finally when me and Mr. P reached that 'left sided foot' (hey... m good at keeping names.!!! Mr. P... left sided foot.!)of Howrah Bridge after walking a little more and finally taking a bus... Mr. P discovered another ghaat there... it had a name starting with 'Chan...' but I dont remember the name rigt now.!! (sorry..! next time pakka.!)... Mr. P descended on it...

After taking a few snaps... Mr. P (and I) found only this picture 'bloggable'... It was more than 6:30am and this is exactly what I call as my dawn. And this is what I call this DAWN OF DAWN.

Then it was just a return bus with music plugged in my ear... and a Kolkata waking up....

I seriously have loads of doubt that you would like these picture on which Mr. P made me invest my half of sleep... but some kind of satisfaction would come to Mr. P after I have posted them here...

Do post your comments if you feel like.!

Cheers.! :)

Aadi Kolkata

Hi,

This time Mr. P was stuck with the idea "why always grandure... why not the little things.!!??" and as usual, Mr. P ruined a saturday afternoon of mine.! We went out with my camera, this time to the Northern part of Kolkata, the old and the real Kolkata. I being a South Kolkata lad also believe so.!

There we have Kumartuli, the hub of Durga idol makers in Kolkata, in India or rather in the whole world.! The month was August and it was about to end.. Puja was at the end of September only.. No time could be better than this to go and see the artists at Kumartuli in full swing.!

I managed to get the help of my friend Soumalya to reach there. Thanks dude.! You and your bike made it possible.!

Here is what me and Mr. P got.!

The face has got an extra clarity over the rest of teh picture... the light is there the most and it looks brilliant. Mr. P called it THE ONLY LIGHT.

Not very convincing name... but he just couldn't exercise his poor vocab for a name for this divine one.!

His next one was through a narrow door. He almost would have missed it had he been a little bit more absent minded.!

Anyway, Mr. P managed again to get and capture the glimpse he had got. He calls it ENLIGHTENED DARK ONE.

Me, Mr. P and of course Soumalya came out of Kumartuli after a few more snaps. Then Mr. P was in the hunt of his "little things" (I told him... Sir, you have a camera which is not even one year old.. you dont even know what is its aperture opening... (whatever it is) ... you just are excited about taking pictures. So, Please sir, stop being so philosophical.!)

But I kind of have a funny belief in him and I followed him... after he completely ignored my short speech.

The boy in this picture made three jumps for Mr. P. No...No... dont take me wrong...!! Neither me, nor Mr. P and not even Soumalya told him to do so...!!! He was just having fun... jumping and getting photographed at the same time.!!!!

Mr. P calls this picture LIFE.

The next picture is something I could feel like is of type which goes to photo exibitions and places like that.! I dont know why.!

But after Mr. P took the picture, he didnt feel like complaining, but apperantly didnt find any reason also for these pictures to go to the photo exhibitions... for some reason, they just go.! Anyway, looking at it Mr. P could find no other feeling than sympathy and called it TENSE PAST.

When I was coming back, Mr. P just happened to turn back from the bikes rear seat and saw something. He told Soumalya to stop.

When Mr. P came back with a picture no name could suit this very narrow old Kolkata lane other than ALLEY SEPIA. These empty alleyways take you back to the Kolkata of the 70's, the bloody decade of Bengals political turn... or may be even in the 40's when these gullies had witnessed the freedom fighters taking bullets on their chests.! (this is not Mr. P writing... its me. I am feeling the same shiver in me which I always feel when I think of the old Kolkata even in this very second when I am writing about it.!)

I and Mr. P thanked Soumalya for his such a help... He went back home and so did I with Mr. P to post these pictures here.!

Hope you have liked them... Please do post your comments... to keep more of Mr. P coming.!!!

Cheers.! :)

Mr. P is out again.!

HE LIIIIVES.!!!! More like a Frankenstienish pleasure came out of me when I felt the same Mr. P in me while going out on little weekend out with my family. We went to Digha.!

I preferred listening to Enya in my ipod while roaming in the beach but that Mr. P in my told me "dude.! pull up your sleeves.. get that damn clicking device out and let me work.!"

I asked him (with big watery): "Enya??"

He said, checking the battery charge level in the camera (and not sparing a look at my big watery eyes), "Take it... it will add to the mood.!"

Well... so there were we, out again, alone, again in a sunset. Here are a few results on which Mr. P was happier than the rest:

Mr. P had two very different colours of light in front of him and behind him... This golden one was in teh West side of the beach.! He called it, out of shear reflex, ABSOLUTE GOLD, PERIOD.

The next one was a few moment before the above one was taken ... on the same side of the beach... (Mr. P and me realised that its really strange how the rays of the sun changes its colors in such beautiful places.. it hardly happens in the cities.!!!)

Anyway here is the next one. he calles it THE SANGAM. Quite sarcastic if you see... the sky seems to meet with the land and the water, the water meets with the sun, the sand seems to hold the sun and waves think they have reached the shore but nothing is actually there.!

Enough talk, next one was very tough to get. Mr. P had to use a full 10x Op-Zoom and a steady hand to get just the correct image. It was on the east side of the beach.

Mr. P, after he took this picture, examined it, and made sure that the faces are out of bounds of recognition. This was Mr. P's first (copyrights protected) snap which had so much emptyness yet was flooded with so much of emotion. He smiled a little after this click and called it ONLY.!

Me and Mr. P came back from the beach for the day. Next day, me, mom and dad went out for a little sightseeing. (I had Mr. P inside my jacket.!). While our car was crusing on the beach of Mandarmoni, I got this:

Mr. P took this picture from a running (and vibrating) vehicle, from behind the windsheild. This added to the effect... a blurry look came in the picture which gave it a fine glow. Mr. P calls this picture SOLITUDE

Mr. P had a few more pictures of the beaches that he liked but for some reason I am not posting them now.

One more thing I learnt, Enya sounds absolutely mind blowing, even to a highly-non-classical person like me, when you are roaming in a beach, capturing the world around you, with Mr. P!

Cheers.! :)

Bitten by the ClickBug

Hello...

Last year I got this new digital camera... and very much not to my surprize, the photographer in me realized that its IN me...

Well... after this divine realisation, it woke up one evening (brushed its teeth) and went out to explore.!

Here is what he got when he went out:

This picture here is of one of the most significant landmarks in Kolkata... a symbol of its gloriuos past... a woman can be seen here standing in front of it.. a woman whose economic condition doesn't seem to be very good... this is what it is... my true Kolkata.. has everything... My camera calls it REFLECTION OF TRUTH.

Next, the photographer in me (lets call him aaa.... Mr. P ( P for photographer)) tried to get some more like these... and here is what he could grab.

The light was very weak... Mr. P could just hold what he could before he left.. He calls this picture of the St. Pauls Cathedral ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL only.!

Next, Mr. P was wondering what to shoot next... when his gaze ran into a pair of women, staring... Mr. P had no idea to what.!

He went closer... and followed the gaze of one of them... when he went even closer... one of them turned towards him.. Mr. P knew.. he will not a get a second chance... Click.! he got THE STARE.

Mr. P had some more time and wanted to use the in built flash in my camera. Why??? I dunno.!! but that arbitrary click wasnt that bad... as Mr. P told me. Take a look. He called it what it was:THE GUARD.

The light was getting feabler but Mr. P wanted some more... he didn't know what but he just wanted that... something to complete the day... he had no idea that only a 180 degree turn would do it.

But when he did... he had this... a VICTORIOUS reason to click.!

Mr. P had his day. He told me: lets go back.! The day was great.! That day I had went out alone but came back with a knowledge that a Mr. P lives in me.!

Lets see for how many days it does.!

cheers.! :)

waddaahh!!!

kisi se kabhi kuchh kaha...
kisi se kabhi kuchh na kaha...
aajkal fark nahi padta...
ya phir sabse zyada fark padne laga hai...
tabhi ye kahyal aa rahe hain...

dimmag par itna bharosa tha...
ab toh woh bhi dil ke haathon majboor ho gaya hai...
kuchh bhi socho...
ek feet neeche jaane ko kehta hai...
saala...

chalo koi baat nahi...
ikraar bhi sahi...inkaar bhi sahi...
but itni sahi zindagi ab boring ho gayi hai...
kuchh galat karne ko jee karta hai...
tum se sach bolne ko jee karta hai...