Transformed by light

Stood on the edge and watched grey clouds gliding across the sky, and the sun hopping around, trying to peep in through the gaps, creating magic on earth below. On the grassy patch at the bend, a listless log remained - a bench waiting to be filled. Gentle furrows rushed down the steep face of the hill while trees alongside remained still. The language in which elements of nature communicate with one another is intricate and complex. One stands in silence to watch and admire.

Today was our first wedding anniversary. And so the dinner followed. Can't believe it's one year already. Blip, of course will bear testimony to that.

There was a little incident today when we lost our driver whose idea of distance, despite clear milestones was exceedingly poor. For a brief moment we had to hitch a ride from a friendly stranger to catch up with him. And of course a strong rebuke followed. Though Munnar is very tourist friendly, swarming with many, the people seem to have evolved into a kind of dry professionalism I've observed from whatever little I have seen of Tamil Nadu and Kerala over the years. It is this very feeling, that somehow kept me away from shooting people and their lives. In Bhutan, the hills seem to leave their footprint upon the people rather than the other way around. The peaceful religion of Buddhism contributes to it too. This was a large deciding factor why I wanted to shoot portraits when I was there.

In Bhutan, when swarms of children walk the streets unsupervised, chatting playfully with their mates, hiking up little hills to reach their homes, older ones helping the young, the atmosphere is transformed. It becomes a peaceful place. We become free to be. I associate a kind of rustic simplicity with the people of the hills, and indeed people who live in remote regions. In Munnar, a business oriented approach has taken over. It was the landscape that inspired me and so I shot.