Happy World Sparrow Day:)

As a kid, i used to see them everywhere. Now, i don’t see them much. So it was a pleasant surprise when i came across one whilst shooting the ducks around the Banganga tank. This one looked straight into the camera, before taking flight.

It is World Sparrow Day today. I am planning to get one of these nest boxes just to wake up to the sound of sparrows chirpring on my window sill.

Take Care,
Ciao

Hanging Feet 2

This is a continuation of a series i started at the Kala Ghoda Arts fest last year called Hanging Feet.

Also this photograph is heavily inspired by this shot made by one of my favourite contemporary street photographers Eric Kim. Please visit his blog for a treasure trove of information on the genre of street photography.

Take Care,
Ciao

Candles by the Basilica

I never tire of checking out the Basilica of Bom Jesus popularly known as the Old Goa Church, whenever I’m in Goa. I guess it has to do with the fact that this is the only place that i know of, which houses the remains of a priest – St. Francis Xavier. The story is quite fascinating and may seem unreal  when you hear it for the first time, but when you see the casket housing the remains, you realise that it is the truth. 
St. Xavier passed away while enroute to mainland China in 1552. He was buried on an island temporarily before his body was moved to St Paul’s Church in Malacca. The body had absolutely no signs of decay after two months. It was ultimately brought to Goa and the body was placed in a casket in this church. In fact, just to be sure, one of his arms was detached from the body to check for any signs of any substance within which was keeping the body from decaying. None was found. 
Another thing that catches your eye is the very attractive baroque architecture. 

The casket is opened for public viewing once every decade, last time being in 2004. 

Take Care,
Ciao

Story of my life…

I made this photograph when i was covering the largest technology festival in Asia – IIT Techfest 2012. While in this room, which was hosting the Robo race competition, i noticed this guy engrossed in reading the newspaper while his partner was engrossed in trying to make sense of the code to make the robot optimise its path and not run into any obstructions. 
It took me back to my engineering days’ laboratory sessions, where my partner used to do all the dirty work of conducting the experiment and making sense of the code, while i would be more interested in the daily happenings of the day. Hell, I never sat for the lectures in college without a newspaper or a book with me. We had a 75 per cent compulsory attendance rule, and with teachers who were pathetic enough to contain your enthusiasm in the subject, i found solace in the written word. 
When i saw this duo, i realised that they were completely reflecting the story of my professional life. From engineering to journalism;)
Take Care,
Ciao

Street library

Whenever i pass by the street opposite Flora Fountain, i walk really slowly, taking my time looking at all the books on display. I try my best not to go to any shop, as i then end up buying a couple of books atleast, causing the other books, magazines at home to remain unread. It’s an addiction, this hoarding of books and magazines, and i am pretty sure my books hoarding is borderline pathological. Can’t help it. Who wouldn’t want a library like this?

Take Care,
Ciao