Monochromes and the old city

Project "freedom" drove us to the old city. LSP might disagree. I went without much expectation and took few shots. I enjoy the selective nature clicking. That way I am more engrossed in the scene, thinking about shots and no matter how the quality of the results are, it is an enjoyable process. Much of the thought isn't conscious or controlled but has a strong bearing on the actions.

It was grey and dull to begin with and nothing really caught my curiosity. But once we moved to the Mecca masjid (perhaps our all-time favourite location in the old city) things seemed to improve. The dynamism of the scene, an engrossed set of people feeding the hallowed pigeons, children frolicking around, all made for a most friendly atmosphere that immediately put us at ease. Met a Peruvian-Korean couple who had been travelling across India for the past 10 months and were thoroughly enjoying it.

I can never claim to be objective about the way I perceive or am affected by experiences, in fact, I would claim the opposite, since tiny singular incidents often supersede others bound by larger amounts of time. There was this elderly gentleman who came up to me while I was standing, looking at pigeons in the courtyard of the mosque. He was curious and asked about our photography. The tone of his voice was devoid of defensiveness or ambiguity; he was simply curious. When I obliged by showing him a few shots on my LCD, he responded with generous compliments, following it up with "Masha'Allah" at the end. He seemed to find something in them that touched him... Little moments like this make me happy. We headed off for a heavy brunch once the sun made it difficult for us to continue.

After returning, I caught up with Adda at "The bike affair", which, as it turns out is more than a bicycle shop. They offer loads of useful consulting and are generous with trial runs. Checked out some fantastic Schwinn and Cannondale bikes and took them out for brief spins around the area. I still haven't decided between a road bike or a mountain bike. The argument both the owner and Adda present in favour of a road bike (or a hybrid) is that I might be riding on roads 90% of my time. Though those bikes are a pleasure to ride and climb slopes on, I am tempted not to buy the argument. The remaining 10% often makes all the difference, for better or for worse. I am a bit wary of the bike being a limitation to the kind of terrain I would choose to ride on. I do of course have a few more considerations.

And despite the beating midday sun that gives you shivers and a heavy head afterwards, I got my rear tyre repaired. In addition to the valve and washer needing replacement, it had sustained a couple of punctures. Time for a new tube.

Thanks to the Telugu and Kannada new year, we had a holiday in the middle of the week. It had also been a while when we ventured out primarily for photography. And that leaves only the evening, in what has been a fine holiday. (The last 9 shots here are from today.)

P.S. Today is also my 800th blip. So yay!