Battle of the nerves….

Celebration begins & your adrenaline gets pumped up….

Night’s going younger with each passing hour & all those thumbs up.

With every beat going faster would take closer to your high….

Music, meat & drink what else you desire.

And as you heard a loud cheer what it is for….

Then you see the wild belle dancers….could not ask for more.

One of those times when you felt alright….

To check her out…. with high dose inside.

As your eyes shamelessly slip over every curve she creates

And you wanna get closer and desire for more….

Further close ups can get you on rough and crush your toes.

A bunch of wild eyes looming over the dancing mellow….

Once the busy bar….now gone for cold show.

With DJ music going up and high….

Some getting cosy…. while some going wild.

You too wanted to ride over the line….

Then something from nowhere knocked at your mind.

You put your back….tighten your saddle & back to your horse

You knew…. you just couldn’t subsidise the truth….

Cause’ you wanted to be with the woman and the kid you call your own fruit….

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Delhi to Kashmir by Road: Chasing winter on the wheels….

(A photographic journey through the heavenly valley of Jammu & Kashmir!!!)

Jan-2015: If you are an Indian, your Travel-list is gonna remain without the red cherry at the top until you put a tick mark on Kashmir valley. Time was high for us to fill that void and shift it from the wish-list to the accomplished one….to greet the brand new year 2015 in our own-way. Mission Kashmir by road from the capital city Delhi….Howzat sir???

Kashmir in extreme-winter!!! Could imagine some eyebrows going wider and some jaw-droppings too!! Oh Yes….there will be challenges ahead to face-off with….but then, where is the taste of success without the fear of failure….! With Destiny by your side you can tear the star from the sky and wear it at your forehead. Of course, you just can’t change what is written on the cards.

They say a bride look her best in bridal dress- Just could not agree more. Kashmir- A place to admire all seasons, however, looks beyond beauty in its milky white snowy-Lehenga during winters. Imaginations, hopes, dreams, curiosity together have the power to create some super unidirectional magnetic force and here, they resulted in me, an unquenchable desire to date with the dashing beauty in its most glamorous-outfit!

Of course, there is another option: Book a flight> Reach Srinagar> Acclimatize for 1-day>Book a taxi to visit major tourist locations> Return Flight. But as they say, you miss the ground reality when you fly over it.

Approx. 1000 kms drive one-side! You need some able partners for cheering up the mood throughout and set the ball rolling. Then, who will be the partners in this crime !!! We approached a few families, but some were reluctant, some were already planned and for some not possible…….So, after a few unsuccessful attempts…. no more search for the perfect strangers and decided to give a lonely shot this time.

The preparation:

We had already run through the internet few many times, going through various websites and blogs for gathering information on below:

 Statistical predictions of the weather.
 Route map information

(Photo courtesy: Google search)

Major places to cover (Patnitop, Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Pahalgam)
 Getting my car ready for the journey
 Actual Cost incurred: Fuel cost 10K, Accommodation 15 K INR for 6 nights.
 Medication (First-aid, some knowledge about AMS and carried a mini-oxy cylinder)

During our preparation, as I mentioned, we did analyze the statistical predictions of the weather. But the old saying, statistics are just like mini-skirts; they reveal the most and give you fair ideas but hide the most important part. There was certainly a big gap between what were forecasted and what we actually experienced…..at least -5 degrees in the down-side in Srinagar, enough to make you a fish out of water. However, with our contingency plan, we were able to stem the rot and we were gradually coping pretty well with the conditions….how it was done?….reveal you shortly.

Day-1

4-00 AM….It was ghostly dark outside, even if a thief slaps you, you won’t be able to locate where it came from. We were already packed up since last night, so just had to get out of the bed and hit the road. This little compromise to start early would help us to avoid traffic while crossing Delhi. Just had a cup of black tea with light snacks to break the dizziness and then twisted the ignition key. Our little pocket dynamite (4.5 years old son-Jagrav) was ready to explode…..as if his favorite character from the movie Toy Story hero- Woody says to his horse, “Run like the wind…. Bulls-eye”.

Target of the day was to reach Jammu before sunset. As usual, it was the typical North-Indian dense foggy winter morning, probably 10~20 meters of visibility. The need of the hour was to drive defensively, drive safely. 3.5 hrs of drive, surprisingly after Ambala, it was clear.

Approx 4 Hrs of driving, time for a little break. We had a halt for break-fast somewhere after entering Punjab. Cool weather with hot stuffed Paratha with warm-tea and omlet. Between the Alu-paratha till lunch, our target was to cover a distance of 200 odd kms. However, with clear weather and excellent road-way we managed to reach Jammu by 3-00 PM (which we expected to reach by 5-00 PM). We took lunch and revised our target to reach at Patnitop. And our 4-wheels keep on turning for another 3 hours to finally reach Patnitop at 6-30 PM. Stayed the night at a reasonable good hotel with warming facilities. After approx. 14 hours of drive (720 km)….very quickly surrendered to the night after dinner. So next day we have to cover only 180 kms to reach Srinagar, but most of the part will be at the hills.

Day-2

Good morning Patnitop!! We all had sound sleep till 8-00 AM. My wify and kid had light snacks while I extended my dreaming for another half an hour. By 9-00 AM we left the shelter. My morning break-fast was the song “Nothing else matters” by Metallica which warmed me up by few degrees.

After half an hour drive, we located a roadside tea stall and decided for a halt. It reminded me of our college days, where we used to have our morning-tea during break, at an Old man’s tea stall in front of the college main gate. I tried to emulate the same feeling by pouring the tea into the plate and then sipping in…..super pleasure!!! Felt like going back by 15 years…..Sweet 20 revisited.

Continuous driving on the hilly winding road….no inhabitation….occasional trucks crossing us….all alone….really was a tough testing time. My delicate-wall separating enjoyment and irritation was melting to thinner & thinner. Finally some respite came when John Bonjovi fittingly started in my stereo with his masculine baritone, “Nothing good come easy….every good thing takes some time”….one of my favorite number “Dry Country”. I just could not help but stepped up the volume by few decibels. There is always a divine power in music. It recharged me with the much needed high…..as R.Shambora screamed in with the high-voltage fast guitar-lead.

Two more hours of drive from Patnitop, we reached Jawahar tunnel (a 3.5 km long tunnel). We crossed the tunnel to reached the little famous “Titanic view point”. Suddenly the mountains made way to the valley below. As we had our first glimpse of the Himalayan valley from the “Titanic view point”, a shivering run-through my spine!!!….. Rising from the dust….a hail to the king of the mountains!!! The mighty Himalaya and the heavenly valley Kashmir started.

And then, our kiddo wished to get lighter. It was time to have a short juicy break. As they sipped in some pulpy fluid, I took the chance to burn the stick of slow death. We had the delicious maggy too at the cool breezy Titanic point.

As the landscape gradually started to change its color and contour….felt like the snaky highway wanted to say…follow me down to the valley below….

Reached Srinagar by 3-00 PM and just roamed around the Dal lake on the Boulevard road to find a suitable hotel. Finally, zeroed on a beautiful Hotel named “The Nehrus”. Tried hard with our negotiation skills and deal finalized for an executive-suit for INR 2600/night (felt good to run away with such a deal as this time of the year very less travel-traffic is around in Srinagar). A very rare win-win situation for both the parties.

After one hour of rest, we had the first trial Shikara side for ½ an hour in the beautiful Dal lake which spreads around 27 kms (INR 200 for ½ an hour). We had a short walk around the lake in the evening then back to the den and ordered for the dinner.

The mercury showed -6 degree. Needless to say, you ought to take support from the bacteria-fermented fluid to keep up the heat-on in those bone-chilling conditions. Of course, it also does help to get closer to your hopes & dreams…..We did warmed ourselves up with a few pegs of the Old Monk with Luke-warm water….before hitting the bedtime.

Day-3

There is a divine music in the drawn in early morning at Dal lake. We experienced the frozen Dal.

Target of the day was to explore Srinagar.

This wonderland’s allure lays in its beauty, culture, food and history. Let’s check it out. During our evening walk in the prior evening we met a Shikara boat rider and his warm hospitality and politeness impressed us. After a few casual talks, we decided to take him as our guide.
Apart from major places like a few Mughal gardens (Nishant Bagh, Shalimerbagh, Chashm-e-shahi etc), Hazratbal, the most interesting was when he invited us to his village located at an island in the Dal lake. It was certainly a bonus. Just unable to explain the experience….however, a picture can convey better than words…just check it out….

He then also took us to a restaurant named Shamyana for lunch where we tasted delicious Kashmere cuisine.

During the evening Shikara ride- The jaw-dropping views made us spell-bound for a while. A photographer enjoys and views by his lens just like a soldier lives and dies by the sword. The honey dipped sunset was just mesmerizing ….but the photographer in me said to me…. shutter speed 1/200 @ F 8.0.

It was end of day-3 already.

Day-4

Target of the day was Gulmarg. It is just 56 kms from Srinagar, hence decided to make a day trip. We reached Gulmarg at around 10-30 AM.

Oh’dear! I am running out of superlatives to describe you the unparallel majestic divine beauty. If the snow blanket around is not sufficient to push your adrenaline to flow out then, the frozen water streams and white painted sky kissing pines by its side could be more than enough to put the switch on though.

I love to let the flow of thoughts and emotions to take over the rest and drive the lead while I convert our experiences and encounters into ink….just to give you a first-hand kick-up.

Anyway, snow and snow all around…. Wooohooo! We can’t wait any longer….

We decided to try out some skating and sledging. We were very enthusiastic…..tried and failed several times and same with others around. It looked little embarrassing though. However, significant improvement after few more tries; Impressive!!!….and then we left it to the professionals to explore further.

After the whole days of fun, we returned back to Srinagar.

Day-5

We checked out from the hotel at 9-30 AM to date with another hilly beauty- Pahalgam (Approx. 95 kms from Srinagar). On the way, we noticed a chain of cricket bat factories. We curiously went inside in one of them.

Opportunity comes with an unseen lady called Luck. My wify spotted a lady. We were little hesitant in the unfamiliar terrain & people…but warm welcome broke the ice and we had a nice session with the willow shapers. We ended up buying one of the finest straight-grained bat for INR 1200. (Would cost around INR 15~20K in retail market).

Reached Pahalgam around 12-30 PM. Checked in a reasonable good hotel with warming facilities. After having lunch, we went exploring the town and also went to famous points like Betaab valley and Chandanbari (starting point for Amarnath yatra).

Day-6

Time and river waits for none. We are on the day 6 already. Time to bid adieu Kashmir valley. Target of the day was to reach early at Patnitop and explore. We checked out at 8-30 AM. After a drive of 5 hrs, via Anantnag we reached Patnitop at 2-00 PM. Checked in hotel and then explored the little hill top.

Day-7

Back to where we started. We began at 8-30 Am and reached Delhi at 11-30 PM.

So……Kashmir…..A heaven on earth….yet dented by terrorism and recent natural disaster. With our first hand experience we can say that they see tourist as their cultivation as whole system dependent on tourism. These warm-hearted bunches of people have clawed back to their life against all odds and need our love. You just can’t question their honesty (although may be a few bad elements has given a bad name).

Also on a different note-Kashmir is the land with most political turmoil with each inch of land dearer for both the countries. Peace on Sale, but who is buying? Some people believe that justice lie in the barrel of an AK47….This is nonsense! Utter nonsense….strange illusion, isn’t it?

The Final inside-out

If really a seventh heaven or a cloud nine exist we don’t know…..but if they do….we are pretty sure, we were not far away from them being here in this heavenly valley. Now, we could safely say….we lived yet another dream once we dreamt together while our little emotional bubble bursted.

As we drove through the heavenly valley of Jammu & Kashmir, through the lush green meadows with sky kissing pines, ice creamed mountains, aquamarine-sky, winding rivers, white snow blankets, deserted mountains and honey dipped sunsets, apart from my wife & our son Jagrav (& also our maid) another two companions made this expedition more memorable.…Thank you my trusted Honda for being our chariot and thank you my Nikon for holding those memories.

Like the Holy Geeta says, “everything that has a beginning has an end”. Finally by the grace of Almighty, we are back at home safe and sound. A few more days required to soak in what we experienced in last 7 days. And then as I am jotting down our enjoyments & encounters in black & white, but somewhere deep down I know, conversion of feelings into ink has its own limitations.

You just can’t have it all!!! Due to various factors and circumstances we missed several things….A visit to Sonamarg, a ride in the gondola at Gulmarg, the floating vegetable market or may be something more….But we understand-“You just can’t have it all”! ….May be…Destiny might have made us miss the gold to reward the platinum someday.

 

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12 Composition Secrets that can make you an Instant Photographer!!!

In recent times, I came across people who often ask me looking at my photography….”Which camera do you use?” And my answer more often than not is short and crisp “My old war-horse Nikon D90 with 50mm 1.4D lens or my favorite 85mm 1.8G”.I am by no means close to a Pro…..Not too bad either!! Being self-taught, I normally restrain from going further into the nuts and bolts until someone shows curiosity and have common interest. But sharing ideas and knowledge release an inner joy as well as scope to grow further…hence decided to put my pen down finally….

Of course, a DSLR (a D90 or any other) will give you better result than a Point & shoot or a Bridge-camera. But then, this is only the beginning. In parallel, one must also acquire the soft-skills to align with the hardware for narrowing the gap with a Pro.

In the very outset—Yes!! Photography does look a little complicated to general mass with terms like Composing, Aperture, Shutter speed, White-balance, ISO, Len type like 18-200mm F3.5~5.6, Focusing, Editing….etc. How do you start then?

Even if you have some interest to dive deep to collect some knowledge-pearls, our fast paced lifestyle does not help it further. However, these quick tips may elevate you a few steps closer towards your unconquered dream. Here in “The Instant Photographer-Part1” I would like to start with some low hanging fruits (my top 12)….your first baby steps- “Composing a Shot”-The foundation of a photo.

Let me tell you one thing for sure, photographic concepts are just mere guidelines to explore your creativity, unwind your imagination and empower your thought process with wings to fly. You can always play with them; twist as per your desire or even challenge them at times once you know the purpose of the rules. You may apply them with any kind of tool you have…….even with a simple Point & Shoot camera.

Simplicity is the key, someone rightly said,” Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible”.

What is composing of a shot then? It is the base or skeleton of your photo…..the first glimpse impression while you observe the arrangement of the subject and its surroundings.

(1)    The Rule of Third:

Rule of the Third (Correct)

This is the most simple yet most widely used and proven rule. This rule says divide your frame to 3 columns both side (vertically and horizontally) and put your subject somewhere 2^nd line/plane. Or to say it in simple- Avoid putting your subject right in the middle.

  

(2)    Breathing Space and Movement Space & Follow subjects view

Give your eyes some breathing room….keep some space towards the movement of the subject to give it a dynamic feel….follow the subjects view.

  

(3)    Meet in the Middle

If you are working with more than one subject….meet in the middle is a good option.

 

(4)    Vertical-Horizontal lines

Human mind does love to see some vertical and horizontal lines.

 

(5)    The Magic of Back-ground Blur and foreground and Bokeh.

Blurring the back-ground or foreground helps the viewer to concentrate on the subject. Of course there is magic in the bokeh.

(6)    Show emotion, drama and connection of subject with surroundings

Add some emotion, drama and try to connect subject with the surrounding. It provides your photo another dimension.

(7)    Frame within a frame

This concept again helps to draw attention of the viewer to the subject.

 

(8)    Point of view

From which angle you are taking the snap is also very important. Example-A kid looks best most of the time if you shoot from his height level. Taking a shot from your standing position will make him dwarf.

  

(9)    Drawing attention through a line

Help the viewer to draw attention to the subject through a line.

 

(10) Pepping Through

Give a firsthand feel to a scene by experimenting with pepping-through shots.

 

(11)Freeze the action

We always love to see action and a freezing moment….Don’t we??

(12)Be innovative….and dare to break the rules

As you will learn, sooner or later you will realize that rules are mostly made to broken and are too often for the lazy to hide behind. Dare to break the rules…set your own rules and play with a free mind.

  

Avoid disturbance:

We often make silly mistakes while framing a shot. Just -look at the below two shots.

     

The 1^st shot would have been better (Mother & child together) if the photographer avoided the other people. In the 2^nd one (Father & son), look at the left corner…the half appearing child could have been avoided. However, little mistakes can be corrected during editing too…..but a correct framing will cut short your extra effort.

Photography is one of those things which once you learn the basics, will remain activated at your sub-conscious mind. It is just like learning the balancing of a bicycle, once you learnt you can’t go wrong for rest of your life or just like driving a car when you change gears sub-consciously with respect to your speed.

Photography skills are like a fine old wine which gets better and better with time, of course with practice.

So, how do you find the above???….and I once thought composing was not so important!!!

 

(From a Photography hobbyist…..to a budding Photography hobbyist…..Professionals can relax…:))

 

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Die Young….

Give your body the first 30 min of a morning….it will do wonder for the whole day.

 

I am in my mid 30s, not getting younger anymore. If I check myself in the life-health indicator graph, I am probably in the stable zone in between the ascending and declining curve. Who don’t want to prolong this period before going to the eventual down-slide to the sick-hurry age?

Last 10 years-I have been promising myself every season for some morning workout. However, my cozy bed becomes dearer in the morning. It was just not happening.

 

There were handful of advices from near and dears- Morning workout before sun-rise brings in positive energies. It’s like an investment or your health insurance in this age when Health care business carries a hefty price tag…etc etc. Still you know; it is difficult to pour that first mug of water, when you are taking a winter bath.

Of late I looked at my tummy; it was going out of allowable shape. Also, I used to feel out of gas quickly in the evening after the day’s work when our little son eagerly waits for his share of time with us. Now, I am slowly starting to realize, it’s the high time to battle with the inner devil.

Back in my native country-village, my grandfather, an achiever of octogenarian will celebrate his 92^nd birthday shortly still commutes by a bicycle, play cards with people who are 3 generation younger to him. Am I able to replicate who carries the same gene???? My father is diabetic; already fail to emulate the fit. G-father’s case might be little different from our current given conditions, his case has been advocated by pure nature-fresh food products since his childhood…what today we call it organic products which comes at an expensive rate at a metro/ city while availability being an issue as well. Moreover back then, communication means were either by walking or cycling which improved their fitness and agility.

Here, we have to survive by the food and vegetables that are primarily grown with hormones and industrial fertilizers. How much benefits or side effects they bring to the table is a separate issue.

Further, in this fast faced life-style, those occasional moments of social gatherings do invite some extra fat to your waistline. Someone jokingly said- your best friends are harmful for your Lever……indeed.

So modernity comes at a cost. You just can’t take it all, has to be a trade off. So then, how do we minimize the dent?

It is difficult to build a habit, but once it becomes a habit we all know, it becomes more difficult to break it. I am firm believer of the approach >>>>Motivation is what gets you started…..Habit is what keeps you going.

  

So what can motivate you to start the kick off? >>>Your will power, a friend who is already doing it with some result, a pair of new shoes, a new track suit. Whatever may be….Choose the one, which has the power to overpower your mental barrier.

Now it’s been close to a month I am doing it on regular basis and my wify also joined me in this renaissance. First 2~3 days we did take some pain for the gain, as body were reacting and adjusting to the new system in place.

We know result will start to show up gradually but surely. My tummy is showing some positive outcome already. It is getting close to becoming a habit now which once we were finding a hard target. We eagerly wait for the those 30 min, especially for those double refreshing last 10 min where we walk bare foot on the cool grass with little water droplets….rejuvenating.

 

A good testing time is waiting as we are planning our next trip to a place at the Himalayas which requires a mediocre track of approx. 7~8 kms.

So then, when you run and run to catch up with the sun…….before it’s too late…….

Remember: Motivation is what gets you started…..Habit is what keeps you going.

Die young………

 

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My Birthday: Who deserves a celebration Me or…..???

21^st Nov…Delhi. 7-00 PM: My wify is preparing my favorite cuisine with red-wine for the dinner before she surprised me with a beautiful Casio Edifice wrist-watch. My son, as energetic as ever is wishing me for my day. My parents called me in the early morning to wish me while I was getting ready for the office…but you know every minute in the morning runs faster so just took their wish and run for the daily routine.

 

Back to 1979. As the clock moved to 12-30 AM and as date just changed its digit from 21^st Nov to 22^nd Nov in the dead of the night, when the half of the globe were still in its sweet dreams, some 10 odd people of a joint-family in the far-east corner of India in a country-village were celebrating birth of a little….its a baby Boy!!!…..This is how destiny counted my time and brought the smiley curve to a struggling family then.

As the modernly stepped in, eventually this joint-family disintegrated and formed a few nuclear families. Economic health still remained same though. I am the second and only son among three siblings. However, arrival of the third (my younger sister) marked knocking of fortune at the door of fate of my parents and ours. We shifted from village to an urban-town as my father earned a respectable govt-service. We feel ourselves lucky as we have experienced different facets of life at different phases.

As kids, we had our days of chasing butterflies by riverside vegetable and paddy fields in country-village. During our schooling days, we were shifting schools in every 3~4 years as my father’s job was transfer oriented, though we enjoyed different urban cultures. But care and proper guidance by our parents ensured that our upbringing and education was not affected by these variations and they took the necessary pain to shield us against any adverse affect coming out of these conditions.

Going back to the time and day when I breadth the first air. The sweet-cry coming out of the first encounter of two tiny lungs and the earthly air- that has the power to bring smiles and tear of joy to every parent. The highest joyful, yet a very painful moment of labor of a beloved mother when a tense father counts every passing minute and pray almighty for a safe mother and baby…..and I say -This is my moment and only I deserve to celebrate the day every year from now on.

Being the next flag bearer of the family, I do enjoy a few decimal more affection from my parents specially from my mother (just a feel). Since the day from where I recall well…unlike normal birthday celebration with a cake, my mother used to offer prayer and offer puja to God and distribute sweets among little kids every year till I moved out of home for my higher studies and then for job. I have hardly celebrated my birthday with my aged friends. My mother believes that little kids are equivalent to God and they only bestow blessing from their heart….and I say –I wanna celebrate this day with an English way.

Here we are celebrating yet another birthday. This is my birthday and of course I do deserve to be at the center of the stage. As I took a sip of the finest red-wine sitting in the balcony and appreciated its aroma, but deep down somewhere…..I am feeling something has been left behind……Don’t somebody more deserve to be part of this celebration because of whom I am here?……Don’t they deserve some appreciation for their unconditional pain and efforts on this special day who have never asked you for any recognition? If success of life can be measured by the trophies at your showcase, wealth that you have accumulated, social power you have, fat of your bank balance or number of real estate’s you have????….or success lies in how many lives you have touched……

Feeling like calling my Mother and Dad……..Hello Ma….

(Being true to myself- following my inner voice and celebrating an event called life).

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