I ran into the Wigglees Man when Devon and I were filming. He was simply standing there in the distance. All kids favoured him because he was just colourful. He only agreed to pose for me for a couple of photos before walking away. He explained that he had left since he needs to go make some sales today.

But afterwards, Devon introduced me to his pal Jo’Buddy, a performer. He was just performing on the opposite side of the street, across the street. I simply got the gist of the idea from one of his albums covers that I happened to see.

For him, I wanted to create a stage-like setting. In order to generate a sort of theatrical spotlight for the performer, I set up my lights from one side. So, to duplicate the effect, I used a softbox with my Godox Ad200 Pro. He now has his own concert. Something from my side.

I had no idea when asked for a project proposal. I had a base idea that it had to deal with portraiture in some way. When I was back in India, I distinctly recall wanting to do an environmental portraiture project. So I made the decision to try it out here. Nothing to lose.

So I made the decision to go for a walk around Kingston to meet some fascinating locals and look for stories. Everyone is able to share a story.  All you have to do is wait patiently and pay attention.  I ran into Devon at the Bentalls Center at the Kingston Town Center at that time.

Then the magic began to happen. He simply began to enjoy the process and began to feel like a star. After that, I simply didn’t stop shooting. I merely requested him to adopt the position from one of his favourite wall art. He went with Bruce Lee.

Following the shoot, I showed him the photos. He began to giggle and was shocked to see him acting that way. Then he made a revelation. When he was 13 years old, he used to work on photo projects for hire. He added that he previously received payment for selling his photos to newspapers. He advised me to begin doing it as well. Never stop doing art, he advised, and keep your focus. If you are passionate, you will succeed in life without a doubt. I heard him tell me that. I’m telling you that right now.

This is my first time getting my work displayed in a gallery space. I was really excited to see this project grow into something this big. All thanks to my mentor Sean and Kingston University. Without their help and guidance, I don’t think all of this would have been possible without their help.

Sean made all the prints for the project with help from the printing workshop. We took the space next to our photography classroom and laid down all the prints to decide what goes up the wall first. I have already done a black-and-white portrait project before, and that was what I had in mind when I decided to take up this project. My friend Elliot made colour prints with the pictures he shot with his Mamiya RB67.

But to see your pictures come to life in the form of prints. The feeling is just surreal. I have never really made any prints in the past. To enter a room full of photo prints that you spent hours working on, you just have to experience it. Moments like this will push you further to create art.

When we got the opportunity to visit the Baking Ideas Space ( A part of the community brain organization) at the Tolworth Station, I get to meet Robin Hutchinson. He is a man of charm and surprises. He was telling us about the history of Tolworth and how he has changed the place into what it was now. The place had so many interesting people.

I thought it would be a great project to celebrate them.

This project allowed me to meet so many amazing people and hear about their life experiences.

The biggest hurdle for us during this project is to convince total strangers to be a part of our project. Our studio was set up right next to the Tolworth Station. Most of the people we met during our shoot were in a hurry to get to work. The time of the shoot was also between 10 AM to 1 PM and the place was naturally busy. But I still managed to pull it off with the help of Sean and Elliot.

I chose to pursue my MA in the United Kingdom mostly because of its art galleries. But for whatever reason, I never had the chance to go see them. Why I wonder. I believe I was simply lazy.

I finally made it to my first gallery visit at the end of October. We started off by visiting the Chris Kilip gallery. I don’t know if there were such photo galleries of this kind back in India; I haven’t actually visited any. So, the experience was simply incredible.

The crimson walls with white writing caught my eye immediately. Just the walls looked good with it.

I especially enjoyed some of the photographs that served as a record of the location. When Chris visited the same location at various times, the scene changed each time.

Black and white portraits have always been a huge favourite of mine. With monochromatic imagery, I believe you can convey a lot more information. They are also easy to use. No enticements. Black and white only. Nothing more.

But the images of the workers were what truly attracted my attention. It was quite reminiscent of a thought I had. It inspired me.

The Kolli Hills, popularly known for it’s mysteries is located at the Namakkal district. It takes roughly 90 minutes to climb this hill, as it has a whooping 70 bends. Only trained drivers could drive past these many bends. But the roads were well constructed, and the place is well developed. This place even has a 5 star hotel which attracts a lot of foreign crowd to visit this place.

But how this place got it’s name? What made all the sages choosee this place to do their penance? All these questions lead us to one place. The place which is popularly known for it’s power and spirtuality. It’s the Ettukai Amman Temple located at the heart of Kolli Hills. The locals believe that whatever they wish for in this place, will definitely happen. This popular opinion attracted a lot of people to come to this place. But what fascinates me is that this place doesn’t have any fancy architecture. It’s a tiny temple located at the top of the hills. But never judge a book by it’s cover.

The tiny compounds of this temple is bestowed with humongous hopes and believes of people. People write what they wish for in a tiny paper, and tie it using a holy thread. But I never expected to see so much chits here. Not only this, but the temple has other powers too.

Recalling the history, the Sages come to this place to do their penance peacefully. But when the demons intruded into these hills, the Sages performed rituals to save them from the demons. The Sages seeked the blessings of Ettukai Amman, who destroyed the demons with her enchanting smile. In reference to this, Ettukai Amman is also known as “Kolli Paavai” from which the name Kolli hills was originated. For the same reason, people come to this place still to get rid of the demonic spirits that haunt their lives.

By the time I visited this place, it was past eclipse and they made preparations to clean the temple. I could witness the whole process of cleaning the deity. But the Gurukkal was kind enough to allow me take pictures for the blog. That’s when I could see all the eight hands of Ettukai Amman.

But what haunted me throught the trip is the existence of sages in the hills. I have heard stories about the sages and their mysterious conspiracies. Some say that they roam through the jungle with a dog, and they transform into one eventually. This is because of the fact that holy sages aren’t visible to our eyes. Some still believe their existence there, and that surprised me. I managed to find some places, which appeared to be like caves where they existed, but I’m not sure. It may be just my aww struck mind that found everything I saw amusing. I’d like to show some pictures I managed to get, but they might be misinterpreting.

But the entire trip seemed like a mirage to me. I couldn’t believe everything they say nor I can make up my own theories. I couldn’t come to a conclusion about this place. It remains a mystery. But I could feel the freshness that existed thought this place. Is it the God? Is it the Sages? Is it the nature? I don’t have an answer. But this place is definitely a blessing.

This is definitely a gateway to heaven. Heaven what I meant is pollution free fresh air to breathe and refreshing mountain water to bathe and drink for the next 2-3 days you’d enjoy there.

T – 531. I just woke up. I had no idea about going to the launch. I was tired and sleepy. But the tiny bit of photographer inside me wanted to see it no matter what. The decision I made was a gamble. I decided to take on the journey. I decided to go with my boys.

T – 431. The journey began. With all hopes on witnessing the GSLV – MKIII soar in the sky, with bright red fumes of fire from the launchpad, tearing every bit of cloud in it’s path was the scene I pre-visualized on my way. We didn’t get the Gallery tickets, but that didn’t stop us from going. We atleast wanted to see it from a considerable distance, somewhere near Pulicat Bird Sanctuary. But I believed in destiny. I know something great’s gonna happen.

T – 261. We stopped at a Dhaaba to finish our dinner. We had a lot of time to kill, so we decided to spend some time there until he closed and wanted us to go away, but we didn’t. Some decided to shoot the stars at those darkest hours. But I felt a glow of light on the face of our boys. I wondered what they were doing?. It’s the World Cup Finals. The outside of the closed Dhaaba transformed into a Stadium within seconds after the super over. Tough luck Kiwis.

T – 201. We are back on track. The dark roads of Pulicat lead us to the vibrantly lit, heavily guarded walls of SHAR. We didn’t know where to go, as we didn’t have gallery tickets. But God was kind enough to take us inside the gallery. I won’t say how. But I have to say. The Atmosphere was breath taking. The entire place was crowded and fast filling. I rushed to the top of the stadium where I saw dozens of camera setup to shoot the launch. I sneaky my spot, in between those professionals waiting for the sky to get illuminated by the Indian Marvel. We reached the spot 2 hours, prior to launch.

T – 60. The only thing that bothered me was my frame. I couldn’t frame out the projectile of the launch, and so I couldn’t plan my shot. I couldn’t see my dream frame happening there. It was a one time thing. I can’t go there the next day and shoot the same scene. It was so crucial for me. People started the 1 hour countdown. Everybody was eager and happy. Everthing was right, until then.

T – 56. The news came from the mission control. Somebody shouted. The launch is cancelled. There was a technical snag found at the cryogenic stage and the mission was postponed. I couldn’t believe my ears or my eyes. I was never this devastated in my life. My dream frame didn’t happen. But it isn’t a failure. It’s a new beginning. ISRO will come back stronger. India has lost many matches in cricket? Does fans stop supporting them? No. As Indians, we have to be with ISRO in it’s toughest times.

What if the vehicle was launched and it failed then? So, everything happened for the good cause. But the patriotism I felt there is still in my nerves. I saw a man, sitting on a wheel chair holding the Indian Flag up high for the nation. Tiny Tots of India came there to support us. Even Old Couples came and sat there, to witness the breath taking view with their loved ones. I drove back home with the determination that It will rise again and I’ll be there to witness it 🙂

So everybody knows how much I love food. I was eating outside at this random Nepali place without knowing that someone somewhere met with an accident. I returned home with my little brother. After returning home, out of nowhere he wanted to talk to my aunt at Pondicherry and my mother made the call.

My Aunt picked up the call and told us that they are on their way to the hospital. My uncle and aunt met with a road accident, while travelling back to home on their bike. Some random drunkard guy hit them and went away without stoping. My Aunt had minor abrasions and a fracture. But my uncle met with a serious head injury, as he did not wear his helmet.

We received the news. So we decided to rush to the place as soon as possible. We started by 11.30 PM and reached JIPMER by 1.45 AM. They took a CT Scan prior to our visit and detected SAH(Sub Arachnoid Hemorrhage). I went inside the Casualty and saw him, lying on the bed with plasters and cotton over his face. His left eye was swollen and he was heavily bruised at the left part of his face.

So anything can be said only after another CT Scan scheduled at 3 AM. He was talking finely, but everybody was bothered about him there.

Time was 3 AM. He went for the scan. Report came with positive results. Everybody was relieved. But I didn’t see my uncle alone at the casualty. I saw 10 different people, belonging to 10 different family suffering in 10 different situations. All were lying in 10 beds, one beside another.

A man was heavily bruised, and he hardly had any skin in his face. An old man was coughing to his death. A girl was sleeping beside him with a blanket over her. One relative of every patient were lying on the floor, besides them waiting for the doctor to call their name. I couldn’t be in this environment any longer. So I made my way out when a lady with 70% burns came there to be admitted, with they relatives came with her screaming. I turned my face to the other side. That’s where I saw hundreds and hundreds of relatives, lying on the floor waiting for miracles to happen.

Around 4 AM, I came back into the casualty to take him to change the dressing on his face. So we took him to the dressing him. We were waiting outside. Suddenly he started sweating. I didn’t know how to react. Suddenly, doctor rushed to the place and checked his pulse. His pulse was dropping and so we rushed him to the casuality. He had struggled breathing. So he was injected with fluids, and his pulse came back to normal. My aunt saw him struggle and went away crying. She was bold enough to face the situation on her own. She had bruises everywhere, but what bothered her was only her husband’s proper recovery. She called us and informed. She didn’t panic. She handled the situation pretty well. I always saw her as child-like, smiling and cracking jokes kind. But first time, she appeared to be as THE BOLD ONE. She was smiling through the entire process, not expressing her grief out but she couldn’t hold it inside for long.

I went out of the place after he became normal. But I wasn’t normal after that. A truck with two bodies, arrived to that place. A boy came screaming his mother’s name, carrying her in his shoulder. A piece of her flush fell from the truck on the floor. A dog came, grabbed it in it’s mouth and ran away. I cannot unsee it even now. I went further outside the barricade where I saw a guy carrying a dead snake in his bag which bit his relative. He took it out and showed it to everyone. How bold our people are! A friend of his took care of him, when we went in search of the ambulance. He helped us throughout the night.

So, after discussing with the doctor, I realized there wasn’t any Incubator facility that was free there. Also, there wasn’t any available in the entire Pondicherry. So we shifted him to Chennai via Ambulance. His friend refused to get the money from us and went back home without a word. My father, who’s a doctor arrived at the hospital with his close friend who’s a Neurosurgeon. He checked on him. He’s perfectly alright now. Everything is OK now. After one sleepless night, I came back home and slept off till the night. It was an “NIGHTMARE”, seeing your loved ones suffer. You’re lives are not to be lost on the road. Don’t rush yourself to you’re last day. I don’t know how good it is to right a blog on such sensitive topic. But time wanted it to happen.

Please where a Helmet while riding a bike. For all those who say, I drive properly. But do you expect the same from others? I realized the value of a life in this 6 hours. Maybe this 10 minutes will make you value yours. After I woke up, I told my father that after spending the night in the medical casuality made my throat sour and a little sick. I asked for a medicine. He smiled and left to the Hospital :). DOCTORS ARE GREAT!

After spending some time away from Chennai, I came back with a grief that I failed to study people as I was carried away by Landscapes. Sitting idle at home for a while, I was worried that I haven’t touched my blog in a very long time. With such a feeling, I went out for an evening walk when I found Mr.Micky standing below a lamp, carrying posters of a play school. He was distributing posters promoting the school. The costume was, of course to attract the kids.

I took a moment, and noticed what he was doing. He was struggling to remove his head gear to drink some water. I went and approached him with a feeble voice. “Evlo neram na irupeenga?”(How long will you be here?). “Na 8.30 vara inga dhan pa irupen”(I’ll be here till 8.30).

Meet Mr.Samuel. Samuel has been living behind such masks for the past 4 years. He had worked in a steel industry prior to it and started doing the current job after retiring from it. He used to work in the polishing line, and so standing for the whole day was something not new to him. The 46 year old Samuel has two children, elder daughter studying 10th and younger son studying 6th. Not only this, Samuel also works as a part time security officer.

He gets an average of 400 rupees for 4 hours of work. When asked “Idhu kammiya adhigama”(Is it enough?). He said I don’t smoke, drink or use weed. I couldn’t understand why he stated that. Later, It revealed to me that what he meant was the amount was sufficient for him as he doesn’t spend on any unwanted stuff. He also added that he can’t stand throughout the day if he did such stuff.

Apart from few kids there, everybody wants to take photographs with him. Seeing me with a camera next to him, people thought I was with him and also asked me to wait until their relatives arrive. When asked, “Ipo evening paravala. May maasam veyil lam epdi thangureenga?”(It’s evening and so you managed. How do you manage in the mornings?). He said I’m sweating even now. I used to stand at K.K Nagar for nearly 6 hours in the hot sun. I can’t breathe freely in it. I struggle a lot in such conditions, yet I come to job everyday without fail.

He said people scold me whenever I don’t see the camera. The problem is I can’t see comfortably from it. People don’t understand it. I can go back to my place in the night alone. He also added that he dresses as a bear in K.K Nagar and people go crazy seeing him in that costume. He feels like a celebrity in it. After being working in a factory for so long, such small things gives him the utmost pleasure but we never knew the pain he bears in it. Just imagine you living in a well spaced room without an AC? We can’t even think of anything without an AC. But he literally feels like he’s in an oven in his suit, and he still decided to wear it throughout the days.

Later Mrs. Jayashree, the owner of the play school came there. She told me how she met him. Samuel also has a student who works along with him. She is glad that her money helps them both in some way. I also realized that Mr.Samuel works under a contractor who takes the most of the pay. The contractor owns the dress and the stuff and Mr.Samuel works for him.

One thing I learnt from Mr.Samuel is “Do anything for your family. They deserve it”. Don’t steal, Don’t cheat and Don’t even imagine any harm to others. No job is lesser. Anything is suitable for your survival. The ultimate goal is to be a bread winner for your family, and Mr.Samuel had succeeded in it. Even though he suffers a lot the entire day, he’s happy that he does something for his family. Youngsters who try to avoid themselves from getting attached to their family. They work hard, just to give you a better future. Provide moral support to your family with a little bit of kindness. That’s all they want after one tiresome day. Be ready to take a extra step for your family. You owe it to them!

Finally, people started leaving back to homes. But still, Mr.Samuel waits to make even the last kid utter a SMILE 🙂