Reading Agatha Christie & Thinking of Slow LIFE

Solan - Feb 20 23

My mindspace has been blocked by MUBI and the daily dose of movies where I am trying to sample a few movies from directors and across genres. While I did my best to pick and choose based on reviews and suggestions. Many of them were stark / had strong emotional overtones or covered topics like transgender growing up n identity (GIRL), war and its effect (beanpole) which leaves with a very melancholy mood.

To beat the same & lack of a good book for which I have a strong desire I picked up Agatha Christie’s ‘A pocketful of Rye. I had never read a Miss Marple mystery - I am not an out and out fan of hers but I enjoy reading them when it comes to our house. In recent years I am more in the space of experiencing different genre’s / authors and have not read any of the latest books of 3 of my all time favorites - Amitava Ghosh, Jhuma Lahiri or Murakami.

What I like about her books are the way she describes the English life, the description of characters and the overall setting is of a laid back life, something which I always looked forward  to and am enjoying (read trying to) in the last 6 months. It’s like the movies by Hrishikesh Mukherjee & Basu Chatterjee - everytime i feel bummed I go back to Chupke Chupke or Gol Maal. They have to put a smile back on your face. Yes they are comedies but they are also so 70’s an era I wish I was born - there was a romanticism about life which has been taken over by our aggressive competitiveness / career focused objective life. Everything has to have a purpose and an outcome.

As I was reading the book I realized that so much of the investigation is about the understanding of the character and how his / her mind works. Deriving how a criminal and all other character’s minds work based on their past actions or what they speak about. Her deductions are mostly based on an astute understanding of the psychology of the person & the mechanics of the society and less of the deductive science which Holmes uses.

And as I was reading it, rather after finishing it I couldn’t help but reminiscence about my recent conversations with many of my relatives when I met them in Assam, Lucknow, Kanpur - especially the older lot on how much they talked and most of the talks were around pretty inane stuff which just did not make any sense to me. Why are we talking about someone’s issue in their house and how that will affect someone else & what’s happening in the village etc. I just could not make any sense about it and after a point of time I used to feel restless and find everything so pointless. 

But that is probably the biggest unlearning, there is no point of being so purpose driven, you have to learn to flow with the time. 

Kabir says” Aaaye hain to Jayenge Raja - Rank - Fakir…. 

Postscript: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaasWuOieqw (Listen to Prahlad Tipania - his renditions are priceless...)

Buddhist Chants

Ladakh mountains - 2019

In the last 5 yrs, I developed a strange affinity towards Buddhist Chants. Around the same time or maybe a few years before that I was drawn to Buddhism as a religion. It sort of fitted the concept of religion - it’s very logical in its explanations. Also led very strongly by psychology - for example mindfulness has become a whole new thing and there are lots of studies on how meditation, mindfulness helps to calm you down.

In Gayatri mantra or other sanskrit shlokas I have heard & I haven’t heard many - there is a meaning to whatever is being sung, recited. So you actually are listening to words and music is only on the periphery. 

But the buddhist chants, tibetan music - it evokes a very different feeling, the music, chiming bells and the way chanting or the words are spoken makes me feel calm. It has become one of my go to playlist whenever I am feeling stressed or a bit off sync. One of the visual memories which it triggers is of Ladakh. The snow peak mountains filled with mist and large rock cut images of Budha and the monasteries and prayer flags. 

Postscript: I stumbled on this blog & love this creation. 

Poetry and ceramic pots. http://blogs.newarka.edu/nawam/2022/06/07/poetry-ceramic-pots-by-julia-polen-24/

Off to forest - Reading about animals, birds and their habitat.

One of my favourite columns which I read regularly in the weekend edition of Hindu is by Janaki Lenin. It comes once in a fortnight and she shares the experience of a researcher / naturalist who studies a particular bird or animal in their habitat. 

She has a very beautiful way of writing - it’s almost like you are reading about a friend or family. She describes the approach and the reason for the researcher to get interested in a particular species & their behaviour and how difficult it is to be up close and personal with these animals. There are times in fact, most of the time, these young students will get up at 4 am and go in search of a bird or mammal or go into the river in search of a fish. Many times after 6 months they would have a sighting or they may come back empty handed.

But it’s not just students, the trigger for this note came from an article on nicobar long tailed macaques written by Ishika Ramakrishna. It must be a 1500 word article and beautifully captures her travel to Great Nicobar island and beautifully captures the island's micro-environment and the diversity of endemic plant, animal, insects & marine. It’s not just about macaques - it’s about an appreciation & holistic understanding of the fragile ecosystem. Everything will come to ZERO if the government’s plan to transform this into an international transhipment terminal, international airport etc. 

The power of an idea comes only through storytelling - that’s when common people like me can feel deeply about what’s happening in our delicate biosphere and they help connect the dots.

And stories are that we need to save the world, not just data and good work. 

Postscript:  

The hindu article which I referred to above are only for subscribers :( 

But you can read a few here.

https://m.thewire.in/byline/janaki-lenin 

Ishika’s article here

https://roundglasssustain.com/species/nicobar-long-tailed-macaques (Explore the site it’s a hidden gem)

Read how melting of arctic ice,leads to flooding in louisana. (Also explore evoke which has some of the best articles on biodiversity)

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/as-greenlands-glaciers-melt-louisianas-waters-rise-ice-is-the-keeper-of-deep-time/articleshow/98398561.cms

Banshees of Isherine - Some more ruminations

I have stayed with the movie for a day now - reading various interviews, reviews, making of the movie etc. In my morning walk, like it always happens, some thoughts from the previous day creep in - so here is a different take from whatever I have read.

Most reviews spoke about the Padraic character played by Colin Farrel. On how he was a simpleton and believed in goodness and simple things of daily life and ritual. Which is, herding his cows to feed them and talking and walking with Jenny his baby donkey, having his food with his sister and best part of the day was having beer in the pub with Colm his buddy aimlessly. And how the movie is all about coming to terms with Colm stating he does not want to be his friend any longer. And so about friendship and dealing with the bitterness etc.

No one talks about why Colm made that decision - which it struck me as a very nice take on the current obsession of most of us and especially start-ups. Which is - to leave a legacy behind. I guess it all started with Steve Jobs and his apple. But most of us are wanting to make that dent in this world and we will go to whatever extent we want to to do that. Me included. Which is a risky proposition - if it works well you are team Apple & if it doesn’t you are fraught with stress and irreversible damage to you mental n physical health 

In many of his monologues and explanations he gives Padraic who plays fiddle (kind of violin) he says “No one will remember you, me, our family but music is everlasting that is we remember Mozart & other composers. I also want to spend my last few years creating something so give me that space. Don’t talk to me because our chit-chatting idling is a waste of time. Leave me alone”

The particular conversion is very funny as well as meaningful, where Padraic does not have any clue on Mozart and says”I don’t know him. But it’s more important to be nice than being remembered.” Something to that effect. And he says that because Colm set the term that he will cut one of his fingers if Padraic talks to him.

Again I found it quite insightful at least for me - because when you are very objective in career or even personal life you may become very clinical and hurt / ignore others around you especially your family and relatives. 

One of those lines which made me think and change my perspective was from Stephen Covey. He says:

“Don’t be efficient. Be effective.”

The banshees of Inisherin

Since I got interested in sustainability - I see everything from a sustainability lens. 

So as the movie showed the houses made in 1928 my first thought was ‘WOW, these houses are so similar to the ones I had seen in the hills Rajgarh in Himachal. During one of our downward journeys from a hill we saw houses whose terraces were made with small circular stones. See pic below. In the movie which was shot on a remote island - Aral Island and Achille Island. Using local materials to build their house was common sense in the early 20th century - but as more and more people started to migrate to the city we started having the matchbox structure or flats in which we all stay. Our intention / dream to make a house the way we want is now a distant dream as the time and effort needed to make a house is monumental and neither of us have the energy to make it.  

Back to the movie

For me the stand out was the cinematography. 

This is how cinematographer Ben Davies describes how he chose the location “I spent a lot of time [on Inishmore]. I tried to spend my time in preparation and spent a hell of a lot of time photographing it and trying to capture what the island said to me. I’m not a writer as Martin is. I can’t articulate what I felt about the place or the feelings that place evokes. But I can photograph it and show you the images. There’s something very special about it, the raging ocean and the sky is so barren. It’s very beautiful, but it’s also quite melancholic, and I adored it. I loved it there because I’m not afraid of melancholy. It's something I quite embrace. That did shape the idea. But I think Martin always knew that.”

The key word is melancholy - different shades of sky, the barren land, the rocks and ocean all of them formed the perfect backdrop of a friendship which is changing colours & also the turmoil & angst which both the lead characters are going through. I could have taken still shots and painted them if I could. 

The second was music 

Again, the background score adds melancholy and builds the various moods across the movie.

This is how the music director Carter Bartwell describes how he created the music “I began largely with Colin Farrell’s character. We see most of the film from his point of view, and he’s this naive man-child. When we first see him, he’s got a big smile on his face because it’s another sunny day in Ireland, and you get the impression everything’s going great for him until exactly two minutes into the movie, when that stops being true. I started by playing with his childlike qualities. The way the melodies are structured, the harmonies are not totally straightforward, and it does suggest that there’s something that’s off or is going to go off in the story. I did keep basically the same set of sounds throughout the film, and it’s very simple: the celesta, harp, flutes and marimba, and then some low percussion-like tuned gamelan gongs. What happens is, because of the nature of the story, that same playing of innocence at the beginning of the film [becomes lost innocence] at the end of the film.”

I went back and heard the music and it automatically brought back the images from the film, that is how beautifully they are tied to the movie. Of course the credit goes to the director for providing stewardship and vision to all of them. It’s actually a very simple film - more like a play actually but the island plays an important role to give it a cinematic panorama.   

The movie has got 9 nominations and won several awards, so there is lot of reviews & article which one can read online. 

Below is the best one which I found in India.

https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/the-banshees-of-inisherin-an-ode-to-broken-friendships-and-a-takedown-of-nice-guy-syndrome-11988512.html

The Elephant Whisperers

The message from Shruti (my colleague n friend)was brief 'Tomorrow is World Wildlife Day). Obviously the idea was a trigger to think of a campaign.

Which set me thinking - if I were to do something what would that be.

I am sure we will see many dramatic press / TV / social media advertising talking about how wildlife is getting affected by rise in pollution, felling of trees & hence disappearing of many species from the planet. 

But what would create ‘wonderment’ in my children, friends, family so that we can take home a  castaway cat / dog or give food to a deprived dog in our bylane rather than chasing them.

As I sat thinking I recollected the documentary which I have been promoting to all my friends, children & family.

The Elephant Whisperers on Netflix

The documentary was filmed in the Theppakadu elephant camp in the forests of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu. It follows Bomman and Bellie, middle-aged baby elephant caretakers who belong to the Kattunayakan tribe and their unique relationship with Raghu and Ammu, baby elephants separated from their herds. 

It was one of the most immersive experiences of last year. Unlike other wildlife documentaries which are great to look at because of their unique & never before seen exposure of the animals, this was about a relationship & trust built by a parent and child belonging to 2 different species & their unconditional love.

The film runtime is only 39 minutes, but in this 39 minutes you would have seen:

#unconditional love from a human being on a baby elephant - the other way round is of course given and stated many times over

#team spirit between 2 people thrown together 

#growing up tantrums 

#harsh reality of life when love is also followed by separation

&

# elephants playing football & doing all the tricks you would have seen in many Hindi movies.

If this does not move you to be kind, I wonder what will.

Back to Writing n Re-Building Writing Muscle

I was talking to Naman last week and he mentioned - we have to keep writing to build our writing muscle.Well he should know, he had made a commitment to write 100 newsletter & like  clockwork every Friday he will write about a new startup / interesting individual who is working in the space of sustainability. Well, he is on his 106th. Check him out at https://www.notmyproblem.earth/ , you can also subscribe to him on substack.

Why am I writing about him?

Because today is 1st March 23 & it’s been 2 months since I wrote my last post. 

That was on 31st Dec

&

I am also making a commitment to write every day for the next 30 days.

So here’s to the first post. 

A lot of ideas are buzzing in my head - many of them will germinate into a blog post and many of them will die a natural death between sleep and wakefulness and the vagaries of daily life. 

I have been on a MUBI diet since I got the Rs 99 plan for 3 months. 15 movies in a month is a first in my lifetime - I will write about most of them but one of the most lyrical / dream-like movies was “What do we see when we look at the sky?”. It’s shot in a riverside town Kutaisi, Georgia. 

Yes, there is a story but most of it is like the postcards from this beautiful city - children playing, lush green grasses & the river continuously flowing, people are elegant, well dressed, well spoken and have a natural innocence which is difficult to find / portray. 

In one of those (stupid) questions the interviewer asks - meaning / purpose of the film -  the director says, simple life is just beautiful the way it is. We don't really need a story ….my blog posts are postcards from my life. 

C’ est la vie

Baz Luhrmanns Elvis

I saw it en route from Cal to Bangalore 2 weeks back.  Last year I had seen the documentary on Elvis on Netflix and knew the real story of Elvis from interviews with him, Priscilla, her mom and many others who had worked with him. I saw it only because of that name before Elvis - Baz.

This may be the recency effect, yes one of the best films of the year. More than the debate of the right portrayal or not. The show stealer was of course Austin Butler - he may not look exactly like Elvis but his acting as Elvis was mind blowing. After the movie I saw many interviews of how Austin has been preparing for this movie for many months. 

Interestingly Austin had read and seen Elvis videos, pics and sent a video of him playing a piano and singing Unchained Melody to  Baz even before the auditioning started. He learnt to play guitar and he actually performed in stadiums in front of 1000’s of people. One must see the movie and then understand the effort which went behind making this movie. Of course add to this the villianish role played by Tom Hanks who is also the narrator of the movie and as always outstanding in his performance and you are set for a good trip.

Of course when Baz makes a movie, it’s his vision end to end, (he has done story - screenplay - direction) and is in full control. His sets & costume design as expected is like all his other movies - Romeo+Juliet, The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge is phenomenal. I only wish I could see it in theaters.   

On Elvis: Anybody who listens to music cannot ignore Elvis. He is a phenomenon who had nothing, had everything then left a vacuum which no one could fill. One feels sad when one sees how he has been exploited to the extent that he lost his life making music. But that is true for many musicians. More than music Elvis is about stage performances which is why Baz is the perfect director to make this movie.                

There are plenty on the you tube: Start with these 2. 

Behind the Scene video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vww_q9c8C-I 

Austins’ interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6gh-PUa85s

Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

The book got the Booker's Award and I found the premise interesting. This is like Ghost meets Saving Private Ryan. It’s a long read and I felt it could have been reduced a bit, maybe 50 pages. Or, maybe I was in a tearing hurry in the end to just finish it. When you see a war movie after a point the scenes seem to blur - dead bodies, destruction, torture, battle ground. 

But, that’s a very small crib compared to the brilliance of the book - in terms of structure, characters, suspense ultimately it’s a murder mystery which also lays bare the Lankan mess with IPKF, UN, LTTE, srilankan army in 90’s which led to the death of Rajiv Gandhi. It’s also about photography and journalism which is what Maal (short for Maali Almeida) does. He takes commissions from the press, govt, NGOs and goes to war / conflict zones and takes pictures or fixes interviews. So apart from being a photographer he is also a fixer - he connects the journo’s to chiefs or leaders of various organizations. 

The fact that he is gay and is constantly found groping or being groped, kissed etc was at times became irritating - as if sex is a constant thing in his mind. I had read Less by Andrew Seen Greer last year which is written from a gay perspective and I felt a similar sense of a constant need for sex. In reality I don’t think it’s like that or Is it ? I wouldn’t know. But Maal being gay and flirtatious is an important angle which becomes clearer only in the end.

Why should you read this book?

It’s funny, yet philosophical. The character of Maal is similar to what I found in most Murakami books, carefree, cynical but philosophical, speaks his mind, what he does he does very well. War, especially civil war is a very depressing topic, political deaths, bomb blasts, description of a mother whose whole family is killed etc. This is the news you read in all papers and throw it in the dustbin with disgust. But the beauty of the book is the way it is narrated through the voice of the ghosts and afterlife that the message is delivered without making you flinch or stop reading. 

I loved the language, the dialogues and philosophical one liners or two. It’s almost like after a cynical outburst - someone says it in a deadpan expression. 

The structure of the book is unique, at least I have not read it before. 

Postscript: I browsed and read about the 83 pogrom and what happened. I was too young when this was happening and our history books don’t talk about these conflicts. Vanni - the graphic novel is one of the best portrayals of civil war in Sri Lanka.

I dusted and took out his first book Chinaman from my personal library, which incidentally I could not finish when it came out. Will read it soon.

Some passages which I liked: 

“The memory comes to you in pain,The pain has many shades. Sometimes it arrives with sweat & other times it comes with nausea and headaches.”

“...in this noisy station & memories that lie at the edges of your thoughts, on your visions of periphery, at your tongue’s tip. They wash against the windows  of your mind but stay hidden in the storm.”

“All stories are recycled and all stories are unfair. Many get lucky, and many get misery. Many are born to homes with books, many grow up in the swamps of war. In the end all become dust. All stories conclude with a fade to black.”

Goals for 23 - 75th & last post of the year.

In the ultimate analysis - you are alone. You came to earth alone and you will die alone. So, goals can be only your goals. Any goals beyond this circle are only possibilities. This has always been my principle. Yes, there are a few principles which you want to follow at home or as a lifestyle choice, but you have to accommodate. 

I set goals on my birthday and these were scribbled on my notepad, I thought I will transfer it here. It’s great to have these, I believe what gets measured gets done.

Here goes:

(Key Driver - Health n Fitness, Resilience, Solitude & Balance)

• Running - This year I will end with 12k, next year I want to double it to 25K & MY DARE would be to do 55K on my 55th b’day

• Perfect Swimming - I can manage to stay afloat but I want to enjoy swimming.

• Many small treks as prep & 1 long trek (2 - 3 wks). This has been on my list.

(Key Driver - Creative ME, Create Something, Self Sustenance, Family time)

• Writing - This year I did 75 posts and plan to double it at 150 & DARE - 300 posts

• Photography - This year I focused on candid photography and had a lot of good shots, next year buy a good camera and take a course and also do wildlife photography. 

• Painting - Last year experimented with oils, watercolor - acrylic.

(Key Driver - Family, Home, Sustainability) 

• Cooking - Experimented with lot of veg dishes and few non veg dishes (which is my forte), next year focus on Bengali recipes (especially the ones which baba used to make like pithe) & vegetarian, salads, soups 

• Gardening - Grow my own herbs & graduate to vegetables. 

• Declutter - Reduce to only the basic needs and give the rest - Re-use, Re-cycle

• Zero Waste Home, Vacations, Travel.

• Cycling - No goals, just cycle around as much as I can so it can be my default transport, Also use public transport as much as I can

Overall, my principle for 23’ would be to lead a slow and mindful life. Be more compassionate. Meet more friends, relatives physically. 

Smile More and Spread the Smile.

Adieu 22: My philosophy and principles

I think sometime in 20-20, when I was alone in Mumbai in one of those philosophical musings, most likely around my birthday when I got into a huddle with myself, I had laid out the AOM (Pronounced Om) principle. I have been steadfastly following it and I keep going back to them when in a corner or my mind is in turmoil.

A - Accept the past.

O - Optimistic about the future. 

M - Mindful of the present.

This year I had these 5 principles I followed & I will continue 

1. Gratitude: I owe my existence to my parents and my success to my family, relatives, colleagues, maids, drivers - anyone and everyone who has touched me in some way.

2. I love myself: The first principle is crucial - Only if you love yourself can you love others. Don’t judge yourself harshly. Shit happens all the time.  

3. Don’t Worry Be Happy: It’s pointless to worry, but it’s also automated, when the chemicals fire you are helpless. Most challenging,but I am on it.(Thanks Bobby Mcferrin)

4. Be Resilient: Setbacks will happen, the faster I get going faster I can move forward

5. Persevere to reach my goals. What gets measured gets done.

Adieu 22: Creativity & Connections. Conflicts and Dilemmas.

I have written so much copy (for which ad agencies hate me), sms and subject lines that punchlines are second nature to me. Since this is the 2nd last post I wanted to write about year 22. What did it stand for me? In appraisal we always wanted to put our best foot forward during the time of appraisal because we knew that this will be top of mind for the appraiser - it’s a different matter that some of them had an elephantine memory and dug out all the skeletons from my cupboard and laid it bare. 

For me these are the 2 things which stood out this year.

Creativity: 

With the available of time I explored various things which I always wanted to:

• Painting, I loved the process of drawing a painting, how the lines get formed in a white page then slowly it takes shape and finally the colors give it a life of its own. It's the nearest I have come to be a creator. I have a long way to go so 23 will be a year of finding my rhythm and style in painting.

• Photography, thanks to my continuous travel across hills, grasslands, beaches, lakes I explored it to my heart's content, using my phone. Sometimes the pictures and story come fused and at times while you are editing the photos a story form like the shots i have shared above. 

• Cooking is the area which i dabbled into but more in the area of exotics like non-veg dishes but I tried making simple thing like bhindi, louki, beans poriyal also lot of interesting non-veg like chicken, dry fish etc, Next year I want to try seleti food for which ingredients may be a challenge - let's see. Well baba is an inspiration in this case - he brought Assam to where he stayed.

• Directors from across the world and their thinking and style and storytelling. It’s a fascinating world. Thanks to MUBI and Jai who conducted these film meetups during the year where he shared his encyclopedic knowledge on movies.

• Long List of post retirement reads: Harry Potter & Tolkien is in process. GOT is in the pipeline.

Connections: 

I met a lot of people during my family trips. My first creative partner to my relatives, mama’s mashi’s and their families. Youngest (2 month old) to Oldest (82 years old). It was a lot of fun making these connections and looking at life from their eyes. Guiding some for a better job prospect or someone who is looking for a job. Sustainability crusaders in Assam and Delhi and Himachal of course. Talking to unknown people in flights, trains, taxi’s - cab drivers to cooks. The net take out was that you need to just step out with an open mind and a world awaits you. But you have to take the first step. I am happy I did that.

This is a big challenge: Conflict Management

This is still the biggest problem all around me. Hindutva/right wing led conflicts in India, border conflicts with China. Burma, Pakistan, Ukraine - Russia war will be 1 yr on 24th Feb. Human vs Wild, Corporate vs nature. The list is endless. How does one read/see news these days? I don't. But you can ignore what’s happening around the world but what about your locality and your home. It’s difficult to ignore the increasing gap between have and have nots. 

We want to help but we are tied down by various things - inertia being one of the most well accepted reasons. We all enjoy living in the bubble and I am no different. This is a challenge I am trying to overcome as I find it too messy - Not sure I want to get into it.

& Lastly this is the big Dilemma

Dilemma of the year is the choice between middle path vs fanatic. The people whom I met in sustainability are fanatics in a positive way. They are OK in starving vs buying something in plastic. They think, do, eat, breath sustainability - whereas I am a preacher of the middle path. I think that's a more balanced way than going fanatic. I am happy with the choice but progress is slow, you  tend to take the easy way out and don’t look for solutions. When you are pushed to the wall, you don’t have a choice. But do I want to go extreme ?

Adieu 22: Learnings from my solo trips

A new way of life began when I took 2 long trips to finish some long pending work, meeting families and working with friends. There were very important life lessons on these trips which I thought I will pen down, because these have changed me and my outlook on life. 

You can plan as much as you want but be prepared for the same to not work exactly the way you had planned, so be ready to enjoy the change. Accept. Go with the flow. 

There were so many open-ended items in all my travels that after a point I stopped planning for “What If ?”. Taking connecting trains in foggy winters, staying in houses where I have never stayed before, surviving on food that was available (this is my biggest bug bear because of my weak stomach), Uber canceling even though I booked it the previous day, train tickets not confirmed and no place to stay. It all worked out in the end. That constant reassurance which you give your mind clams it to a point where you don’t need it anymore. 

Joy of connecting with unknown people - say the first ‘Hi! Where are you headed?’

The beauty of speaking to an unknown person or a person in transit is that there is no past and there is no future to that brief relationship. You both just revel in the proximity of the brief moment you are thrown in together with nothing in common except the train or the flight or the bus like Aamir famously mentioned in Dil chahta hai - All 3 of us are going to Sydney, you me & the plane. 

I had a long and deep conversation with a wife who is carrying a bag full of food and (this is unbelievable) raw fish for her husband from Cal to Agartala and how she likes painting and has changed fields from art to science but still struggling to find what she wants. 

I spoke to a 2nd year student in DU and what she is studying - we exchanged thoughts on film scripts & books and how she wants to be a professor like her mother and come back to the hills. I helped a doctor couple take some shots of Himalayan range on my flight to Guwahati and the wife explained in detail how the hills were formed.

The Pause. Reflection. Finding your story. 

I shot and shot and shot. It was like photography in overdrive. One of the famous words in our family lexicon is ‘composition’. This was my patented word when kids were growing up, the wife was guarding them and I was the family jester/photographer. During my trip I realized how much I love it and how a story forms in my mind before I shoot a picture / pictures. In travel you will find these stretched times when you cannot do much - like when I was waiting for the baraat to come and I had nothing to do, so I walked and found a place where paddy fields were stretched as far as your eyes could see and at the horizon there were mountains. It was a beautiful place and I just loved the tranquility and peace and the scenery was so beautiful that it reminded me of Vincent Van Gogh and his trips to fields where he would set up his aisle and draw. I could relate to probably what was going in his mind when he drew - at times the natural beauty can be an inspiration. 

Extra effort to explore and maintain connections.

Early morning walk / run at the beach, lake and taking some lovely shots as well. Catching the kachori with tea in a shop which opens at 6am, juggling time and convenience of the person you want to meet and meet him. All of this requires extra effort & extra understanding especially if you are traveling with your family (the wife in this case). It’s not easy to get a balance but you have to be ready to settle with what you can do. After the trip you appreciate the connections you have made but you have to still work at keeping them alive. But at least a beginning is made and you know that the extra effort was worth it.