Gone but never forgotten

 I sit here today all covered in dust. My tires are as flat as a plateau. As my skin turns to rust, I remember the good old days when my wheels were always sprinting. Although my only job was to reach destinations, I would witness a million things... 

I helped bunk lectures. I was the third wheel to love stories, the shoulder to cry on for the heartbreaks that would occur. 

I witnessed my master make a family and was passed on to their children. I was loved and I was hated. 

 After thousands of rides through the streets of this city, I finally rest forever. 

A smile to remember...

  In 2018, I visited the Land of High Passes. Ladakh, a barren yet beautiful region located in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. 
  It was my very first photography expedition in life as well as with Impressions Photography.  Learning the art of capturing time at a destination with an abundance of culture and scenery from enormously talented photographers and mentors, Mr. Lalit Deshmukh and Mr. Sarang Mhaskar, it felt like I hit jackpot! It was a 10 to 12 days journey and each day still remains fresh in my memories. 
  It was the last destination of our trip, Turtuk. A small yet beautiful village situated on the border of India and Pakistan. It was a part of Pakistan until the war of 1971 when the Indian Army occupied the village. It is one of the very few places where you can experience the Balti culture. 
  With cameras in our hands, we set off to explore this fascinating place. Everywhere we saw, we could find something to capture. While observing someone in the group noticed a little girl peeping through the window. The moment we saw her, she immediately hid behind the curtains...  One of us waved at her and started a conversation. She only replied in yes and no head nods. In no time this little girl became friends with the person conversing with her. The moment we asked her "Can we click your pictures?" She nodded in excitement... She came down to us running and stood in front of us. Her hair was a mess and she had dirt all over her face but she looked so beautiful. She went straight to the brand-new friend she had just made. They talked for a few seconds and all of a sudden ran back inside her home. We all looked at each other cluelessly. "Is she coming back? Did we do or say something? Why did she go back inside so suddenly and hurriedly?" 
  After a few minutes, she came back outside. She looked different. The dirt on her adorable little cheeks wasn't there anymore. She had a scarf over her messy hair and her clothes seemed cleaner than before. She looked radiant. Apparently, she had cleaned up for the photoshoot. 
   It was surprising that she wasn't even a bit scared of us or our cameras. She stood in front of a wall and everyone was taking pictures. Looking into every camera, smiling and posing as per the instructions given to her, she patiently waited for everyone and let us capture her beauty.  Every time someone called her, her eyes looked straight into their lens and her little lips curved into an innocent smile. 
 

I moved a little away from the crowd hoping to get a candid shot. I wanted to capture what my eyes were witnessing at that very moment. For the first few minutes, I didn't click any pictures as my mind was captivated by her grace. Her golden eyes, her little nose, her rosy cheeks, and her innocent smile; everything about her was so, so beautiful! Especially her smile! 
   Eventually, we decided to let her go and move ahead. She didn't seem happy with the thought of ending her photoshoot. She was barely 5 or 6 years old but she was more patient than any adult. We could see how much she loved the attention which she very well deserved. But we had to say goodbye as we had a long way to go. 
 On my way back home on the flight, I took my camera out to check out all the photos I captured. I stopped at her picture and starred at it. Her gentle little smile made me happy. It was pure and blissful. And it has been stuck on my mind ever since. 
  I don't think I will ever get over her cute little smile.  It will forever be a smile to remember! 

 I hope you enjoyed reading my post! Please leave your opinions in the comment section!

The fallen soldiers of the forest

 

 Here we lie remembering the good old days... From bearing just one tiny leaf to being a big branch full of leaves, flowers, and fruits. We believed that providing shelter and food to the winged and the four-legged ones was the purpose of our existence. We danced to the melodies of the birds, stayed still for the leopards that slept on us, and became a home for the monkeys. 

 

Even today as we lay on the grounds, we protect the tiniest creatures of nature. For we see what the naked eye cannot. We survive the hottest summers, the coldest winters and not to forget the heaviest rains. Tried our best to fight the odds and live for our dearies.

We live for the forest and we die for the forest. We are the branches, the fallen soldiers of the forest...

I hope you enjoyed reading my post! Please leave your opinions in the comment section!

The Lucky Owl

 

When you go for a wildlife expedition, you don’t come back home with just one story, you come with a sack full of tales to share for the rest of your life. Here’s another experience from my favourite wildlife tour, Kanha National Park expedition.

As I mentioned in my previous Kanha blog, I went to this amazing jungle with Impressions Photography led by Sarang Mhaskar and Snehal Joshi.

Kanha is a beautiful jungle and has so much more to see than just tigers. But since the main attraction are the big bad striped cats of the jungle, we all want to at least catch a glimpse of them.

The first safari of our expedition was very exciting. We started with an evening safari the day we reached Kanha. As soon as we entered the jungle we could hear the symphony of the forest. The purity of nature was so blissful. As we went deeper into the forest, we could hear a variety of birds chirping.

While we were busy enjoying the serenity of the wild, our driver spotted a Brown Fish Owl and stopped the jeep. We were all so excited for it was the first sighting of the expedition especially me since I had only seen owls in pictures or on Nat Geo. We clicked a lot of photos and admired the beauty of the wise old owl while he sat there and posed for us. Since we didn’t have a lot of time, we decided bid goodbye to our new friend and continued with our journey, secretly hoping we’d see him again. A few miles later, we also spotted a bear somewhere far in the meadows. After an hour we decided to return since it was about to get dark. While coming back, we were passing the spot where we spotted the Brown Fish Owl and we all curiously looked for him hoping he’d still be there. And we did! So, even though that evening we only saw the owl and the bear, we weren’t disappointed…

The next day we started early at 6:00 AM. We once again passed by the owl’s spot and looked for him. To our surprise, he was still sitting there as if he waiting for us for another photoshoot. Jokingly, we bowed at his feet and hoped for some amazing sightings that day. On our first morning safari we spotted vultures enjoying the early morning sunbath and a few other wonderful creatures of the jungle. We could hear the calls of deer, foxes and some point even tigers! Although we didn’t really see any tiger that morning, we were hopeful... Our minds were capturing more images than our cameras were.  We knew the jungle would never dishearten us. We roamed for a few hours in the woods until it was time for lunch. While coming back, we once again saw our friend, the owl. This time, we really were surprised. He was still sitting there. That’s when we decided to call him our lucky owl.

Post lunch, we left for our evening safari. The owl was still sitting there! We bowed at his feet and moved ahead. that evening saw a herd of spotted deer with a black buck and some guars. While leaving, we once again saw our buddy, the owl. We once again bid him good night and hoped for a miracle sighting in future.

The next morning, we passed by the owl’s spot and to our surprise he was still sitting there. This time, he facing the other way. He turned his head 180 degrees as soon as he heard us. Once again he was posing for us. After his short photoshoot, we prayed to him for an epic sighting. And we did! We witnessed an actual chase between an Indian Sambar deer and a pack of wild dogs. The most mind captivating encounter of my life. We were all so excited. Our minds were boggled. While returning, we saw the owl sitting in the exact spot, in the exact pose he was before. We thanked him. He was indeed our lucky owl!

In the evening as we passed by the owl’s spot, we saw him once again. We bowed at his feet and thanked him again for the epic real-life Nat Geo scene we witnessed that morning and moved forward. It was our second last safari of the expedition. Hence, we were all really observant and alert hoping for a tiger sighting. Deep in the woods, we heard some tiger cubs calling their mother. We were all very thrilled yet very quiet. It was the most alert I had ever been. We were following the calls and finally we saw a tigress somewhere far in the meadows. We stealthily followed her and reached a spot where we knew she would pass us. We were trying our best to be quiet and control our excitement…And then it finally happened! A beautiful, majestic tigress walked by us. We quietly captured numerous photos. It was only for a few minutes but we felt accomplished. One of us jokingly said, “I think our lucky owl blessed us.” On our way back to the hotel, we stopped to thank our lucky owl, he was still sitting there. We thanked him for giving us not one but two amazing memories.

Then arrived the last safari of our expedition. We weren’t ready to bid farewell to beauty and to our beloved lucky owl. We passed by our lucky owl’s spot and bowed at his feet like it had become a ritual. That day we didn’t really come across anything. Not even a bird or a deer. Only lush green forest. We had to leave early since some of us had a flight to catch the same day… We stopped for a final good bye at our lucky owl’s spot. Only this time he wasn’t there. It was kind of heart breaking to not see him and wish him farewell.

A few miles later, we spotted a leopard sleeping on a tree deep in the forest. Seeing a leopard in the woods of Kanha is a very rare incident. We were obviously overjoyed.

It was the farewell gift from our beloved friend, the Brown Fish Owl. We will always remember our lucky owl. Although we didn’t get to say good bye to him, he gave us a souvenir. He proved that he will forever be more than just a Brown Fish Owl, he will forever be our adored lucky owl!

 

Thank you for reading my blog! Please mention your opinions in the comments!

An evening on my terrace

    These few months have been a difficult time for all of us.  Staying positive and sane was a challenge and we all tried our best. We all tried to find happiness in the littlest things possible.
   Just like everybody else, I too found my key to staying sane, my happy place during the lockdown. It was the terrace of my building. 

   Every day at 5:00 PM, I went to the terrace and sat on the topmost part of the terrace.  I felt the cool breeze on my cheeks and in my hair. I watched the sun slowly hide behind the buildings, the white cotton-like clouds turn grey and the birds fly to their nests. Sometimes accompanied by a friend, sometimes alone. I eagerly waited for 5:00 PM every day. Those evenings had become an important part of my daily routine and were the most blissful and relaxing moments of my life. 

   One fine evening after a hard and depressing day, I went a little early to my happy place. It was a cloudy, grey day. The strong wind would not let the birds fly to their homes. The sky was dull and gloomy, just like me. It was all so overwhelming that all I wanted to do was cry. However, just as I was about to have a mental breakdown, the sky seemed to change its colors as the sun started going down.  The sky slowly started clearing and within no time, a yellowish-orange shade was above my head. I felt peace as the wind was taking the grey clouds and my sadness with it. 

   The sky now had changed to a reddish-pink shade. I could see the birds chirping happily, as they flew home. I could hear shutter sounds of people's cameras as they captured this magnificent view. The colors gave me a feeling of being in the seventh heaven. I had never seen the wild blue yonder turn into such marvelous colors before. I had never seen a sunset so alluring.  I was once again overwhelmed but this time it was because my dolefulness was disappearing. My heart was feeling lighter and contented.

   As the sun went down, the sky turned purplish-blue. The bright, shiny moon had come up. It was a hint that the show is ending. My mind and heart were finally at peace. Every bitter emotion I felt was gone.  I had witnessed the finest sunset of my life.  I did not click any pictures that evening. I did not feel like it.  I just wanted to absorb the colors and moods of the sky. I only observed everything around me. I knew that I would never forget that evening. 

  That evening taught me something. It is okay to feel miserable sometimes. Because joy follows misery. When you are picking yourself up, you feel happiness and peace take over every glum emotion. The sunset taught me that anything could inspire you; anything can lead you to positivity. You only have to let it in. 
 

Please leave your opinions in the comment section below. Thank you for reading my blog!

Survival of the smartest- Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India.

  We all know that India is famous for its history, culture, food and of course breath-taking landscapes. But India is also recognized for its national parks. We have around 104 national parks in India according to May 2019 study. Madhya Pradesh alone has 11 national parks in its territory. One of the most well-known is Kanha Tiger Reserve, the largest national park of Madhya Pradesh, a state in the heart of India. The present-day Kanha area is divided into two sanctuaries, Hallon and Banjar. The forest depicted in the famous novel by Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book is based on jungles including this reserve. 

  As the golden sunlight touches the ground, the forest awakens, and in front of you is nothing but jaw-dropping beauty. The beauty of Kanha forest is so surreal that the ones who experience this scene call it magical.  I being one of those experienced people would definitely agree.

 I visited Kanha Tiger Reserve for wildlife photography 1.5 years ago with Impressions Photography led by Mr. Sarang Mhaskar and Mrs. Snehal Joshi, both brilliant photographers and mentors. Our day began at 4 o’clock in the morning as the park’s gates opened at 6. As we woke up before the sun, we witnessed the golden sunrise every day. We had two gypsy safaris every day, one in the morning and one in the evening. Every safari was a different experience. The one I’ll be sharing today is the most mind captivating encounter of my life to date.

  It was a pleasant morning and the sun was above our heads. We heard a tiger’s morning roar and planned to wait for another call. We waited for some time and decided to move ahead. But just when we were about to start our engines, we saw a pack of wild dogs chasing a herd of Indian Sambar deer. Yes, we witnessed an actual chase! (Like the ones they show on National Geographic and Discovery). It was obviously breakfasting time for the wild dogs. The deer being fast had an advantage but the predator was hungry and hence not planning on giving up.

  One of the deer jumped into a lake nearby and swam to the middle of the lake and stood there. His herd ran into the jungle and the wild dogs after them. At first, we thought the deer was merely taking a dip in the lake but after observing closely we realized that it was a survival trick. We assumed that the entire pack of predators chased the herd into the forest but no, 2 wild dogs were hiding in the bushes waiting for the deer to come out of the pool. The deer had obviously spotted the danger and hence remained in the water. The predators refused to go in the water and attack their prey. They kept circling the lake, pretending to go away and hiding in the bushes. The deer stood there firmly and didn’t move an inch. The show went on for an hour…

  The wild dogs eventually lost patience and left in search of new prey. The deer watched as the predator left but still remained in the water. We enjoyed this live Nat Geo show and headed back to our hotel. As we were on our way back to the hotel, I wondered how the prey didn’t use his strength but instead, he used his brain to survive. Did the deer know that the wild dogs would not jump into the lake to attack him? What if the predator had jumped into the lake and attacked him?

  So the rule of the jungle says, “Survival of the fittest.” But in this case, we can say it was the survival of the smartest, can’t we?

Thank you for reading my blog! Please leave your opinions in the comment section below. 

People of Pushkar, Rajasthan

There is a small village in Rajasthan named Pushkar. Extremely famous for the Puskar Camel Fair, this village is one of the biggest attractions of Rajasthan. Every year Pushkar celebrates a 7-day colorful camel festival in November. This vibrant fiesta is mostly celebrated to attract local camel traders and other livestock.

Camel traders sitting together inspecting a camel to buy

Camel traders sitting together inspecting a camel to buy

Apart from the livestock traders, there are many interesting elements in this fiesta like- camel and horse races, cultural performances, bridal competitions, magic shows, exhibitions, the longest mustache competition, and camel and horse safaris.

    Besides the animals, the people are also an attraction. I visited Pushkar for this festival last November with a photography group named Impressions Photography, led by the director of operations Mr. Sarang Mhaskar, an amazing photographer and mentor. The tour was organized during the last days of the fair when the number of cattle is minimized which let us focus more on the local people. The conversations with the locals are one-of-a-kind experiences and this blog is all about the incidents and the conversations I had with a few of the local people there...

 

 Don't let the wrinkles deceive you, he was one of the most positive and enthusiastic men I met in Pushkar. He had come to visit the Pushkar Temple like almost every Rajasthani does on the last day of this 7-day fiesta. We asked him if we could take his pictures and he immediately agreed. He seemed quite excited because he posed for all of us, looked into each camera as we carefully observed, and captured his expressions.
   After a few clicks, I showed him his photographs. His eyes twinkled and his mustache curved into a smile. He loved the pictures and this one was his favorite. Later, he came to me and asked me to click a few photos of his wife. This was a bit surprising for us because the people in Rajasthan are known to have a certain mindset and this type of reaction to photographers is less common unless the photographers are willing to pay them in exchange for photos. But this gentleman here wasn't anything like what I heard or experienced. He loved his wife and thought she genuinely deserved to be photographed. He said, "My wife is very beautiful. Take a few photos of her." Unfortunately, his wife was very shy to be photographed so he respectfully apologized and gave me his blessings. It made me wonder how we automatically judge people. Youngsters follow the modern lifestyle while the oldies are still stuck in patriarchy. This man changed my perspective. His wonderful attitude towards us and his love and appreciation towards his wife was truly adorable. What impressed me more was how he respected his wife's choice when she said she didn't want to be clicked. He did ask her politely a few times but when she said she felt shy, he stopped and said, "Sorry beta, I cannot force her if she's not comfortable." The man is an amazing example of how men should be.

Like I said before, people in Rajasthan have a certain mindset and are pretty religious. They strongly believe in the concept of castes, popularly known as ''Jaats" in Hindi. This one was clicked when we were roaming on the streets of Pushkar trying to capture some candid as well as learning a little about architecture photography.

  This lady here was a little offended at first when I asked her if I could take her pictures but once I hit up a conversation with her, she got comfortable and posed for me. As we spoke, I realized that she's very religious and had a very traditional mindset. She asked me questions about my family and suddenly she asked me, "आपकी जाति क्या है?" I genuinely felt really weird at first but considering how religious she was, that was expected. When I told her I'm Maharashtrian, her facial expressions changed and she felt uncomfortable once again. She took a pause and said, "We do not allow women and girls to do whatever they want. It does not fit our virtues."

  There was definitely a lot of awkwardness and tension. It wasn't really her fault. She grew up in a surrounding where females have certain rules to be followed. So, what was I supposed to reply to her? All I could do was smile and thank her for letting me click her pictures. And that is what I did.

 I met various people in Pushkar. People with different mindsets. Some believed in strictly following the tradition and culture, while some believed in modernization. This lady here was a mixture.

   I randomly struck a conversation with her asking about the Pushkar temple and the fair. As we talked, she asked me my age and of course my 'Jaats'. I told her I'm 22 and that I'm a Maharashtrian. A woman next to us immediately asked if I'm married or about to be married. It was a weird question for me, obviously. But, before I could reply, this lady said, "Marriage? Are you mad? She's just 22. She's so young. She has to study more." Then she turned to me and said, "Beta, study as much as you want and be successful first. There is no rush to get married so early. Tell your family to find a good husband for you who is as educated and good-looking as you are. Don't settle for less."

  Her words hit me. I loved her so much for saying that. I touched her feet and took her blessings and jokingly said, "When I'll be looking for a husband, I will call you. You come to Pune and help my mother." She laughed and said, "Yes! Don't forget to invite me to your wedding. I will not miss it. You're like my daughter." 

  I was so touched by this. She was very different from the rest of the crowd.  I knew I would never forget this woman and her words. She was so different from the woman in the story for this one. Yes, she also asked about my 'Jaats', but instead of getting offended, she was more interested in me and the Maharashtrian culture. That is what made her different from the rest of the crowd.  
  

  I had a really interesting encounter with these two girls. I mostly wore Kurtis and Indian jewelry during my Pushkar trip and it gave me a new story that hit me hard! I was casually capturing candid of the crowd near a temple when these two girls approached me saying, "Hello! You foreigner?" I was surprised and a little offended too. I didn't understand why they would think I wasn't an Indian. I instantly replied, "No! I'm from Maharashtra. Why did you think I'm not Indian?"  They were clearly awkward and embarrassed but their reply shocked me. They said, "Usually the female tourists here wear shorts and very modern clothes and the foreigners wear Indian clothes and jewelry. That's why we thought you are also a foreigner." There was an awkward silence between us for a few seconds. But then immediately one of them asked me to click pictures. As they posed, various thoughts ran through my mind. It felt like reality hit me. I didn't understand how exactly I should feel about it. I was disturbed obviously but I was also a little proud of myself. 

  I thought to myself, "Are we losing our culture? Are we so busy adopting the modern lifestyle that we have forgotten where we have come from? What are we doing exactly?"  While trying to catch up with the modern world and adopting the changes, we are forgetting our origins. Of course, what we wear is a personal choice and nobody has the right to tell us differently. But when we go to a religious place like Pushkar, we forget that we are also representing India and Indian culture just like the locals there. I know clothing isn't the only element to represent our culture, our manners and teachings also count. But isn't clothing is the basic element of the country's culture?

  There's nothing wrong with adopting the modern lifestyle. But forgetting our culture to do that is definitely wrong.

Thank you for reading my blog! Please mention your favorite story and your views about the blog in the comments!

The story of Jaswant Singh Rawat- Hero of the Indo-Sino war 1962

A new destination, a new story... 

I came to know about this one when I was in Arunachal Pradesh- a truly beautiful destination. Every view is so mesmerizing that no matter how many pictures you click, you simply can never have enough. The beauty is enough to make one fall in love with it instantly. 

But in all this mesmerizing beauty, so many heartbreaking, "not so famous" stories are hidden.  This one is about a brave soldier of the Indian army- A hero of the Indo- Sino war 1962.  

Hon Captain Jaswant Singh Rawat- a 22-year-old Indian soldier of 4 Garwal rifles, who won the Maha Vir Chakra at The Battle of Nuranang during the 1962 India-China war. 

   According to the legend, this brave young man single-handedly fought the Chinese army for 3 days. It was the last phase of the war in November 1962 and due to the lack of resources, the company was asked to fall back. But Jaswant Singh refused to give up and remained at his post. A Chinese medium machine gun (MMG) was located at a point close to the company. Hence, Jaswant Singh, Trilok Singh Negi, and Gopal Singh Gusain went after the Chinese army and by throwing grenades at the bunkers, they killed several Chinese soldiers. 

Later, while crawling back to safety Trilok and Gopal got severely injured, but they still managed to drag the MMG to the Indian post. Meanwhile, Jaswant killed around 300 Chinese soldiers but unfortunately, he got shot by one right in the heart.

    

 It is believed that the Chinese soldiers were so intimidated by the bravery of our young Jaswant Singh Rawat that after they killed him, they captured and beheaded him to celebrate their victory and the death of Jaswant.

After they chopped his head off, they placed it on a tree near the border. The tree is now placed in the memorial called Smriti Sthal built for Jaswant Singh Rawat with all of his belongings like uniform and other items. Although the significance of this memorial is the tree, there are also photographs of the Commanding officer and the other martyrs who played an important role in the battle of Nuranang.

The tree where the Chinese army placed Jaswant's chopped head.

Jaswant Singh Rawat's uniform and other personal items

 22-year-old Jaswant Singh Rawat is not the only young brave soldier who died serving his country. He alone fought and killed around 300 Chinese soldiers who had much more advanced weapons. Indian history has so many young soldiers who fought fearlessly and gave their lives protecting our country whose stories were never told or maybe we are unaware. 

A big salute to all those courageous young lads who sacrificed their lives to protect ours!

Please leave your opinions in the comment section below. Thank you for reading my blog!

The Legend of Nohkalikai

A few months ago I was exploring North East when I came across this beautiful waterfall called the Nohkalikai waterfall in Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya. 

Located at just a few kilometers from the main the town, this place is considered to be one the tallest plunging waterfalls and a famous and important place to visit in Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya. 

    Although we drove to the location, we had to hike for a small distance. Once we reached the viewpoint, we were amazed by the jaw-dropping beauty in front of our eyes- a panoramic view of the falls, cascading down into a pool- like formation.  

The literal meaning of the word Nohkalikai is "the jump of Ka Likai." We didn't hire any guide because there was always one available with some random group so we would just eavesdrop every time a guide was telling the importance of the place. That's when I acknowledged the terrifying story of this gorgeous place.

      Ka likai was a widow with a baby daughter who lived in a village near the falls. She remarried so that her daughter can experience the love of a father, but the new husband hated the daughter as Ka Likai's entire attention was given to her child and her work. 

      One regular afternoon Ka Likai came home after work, her husband surprised her. He cooked lunch for her and insisted she immediately settle down and enjoy the meal. Assuming her daughter was playing somewhere, Ka Likai sat down and enjoyed her food. Later, while cleaning the house she picked up a basket and found little fingers in it. It was then she realized what had happened. The jealous husband had killed her daughter and cooked the child's flesh as a meal for Ka Likai. 

      Filled with the self-rage of consuming her child's flesh as a meal and the grief of the death of her little girl, Ka Likai jumped from the cliff of the falls and killed herself... Hence the name, "Nohkalikai- the jump of Ka Likai"

     The story shocked me to the core and I imagined the pain this young woman must have felt after realizing what her husband had done to her and her child. The pain and grief of losing a child are too much for a mother but unknowingly eating the flesh of her child as a meal is just an unexplainable amount of grief, pain, and self-rage.

The husband wasn't just cruel but also psychotic. It is simply terrifying what jealousy can do to a person.

 Please mention your opinions about the story in the comments. Thank you for reading my blog!