Delhi Photo Diary

Rain or Happiness? You decide

2013-06-18T02:16:01-07:00

Rains always bring with them a feeling of joy. The blast of colours from behind the screens laced with water droplets, caught my attention this Saturday evening as I drove around the city enjoying the rains that came early to Delhi this year.

Rain colour

A cup of coffee

This young boy and his enigmatic smile left me warm and smiling. He was selling gajras (small flower strings usually worn by women in their hair) on one of the busiest traffic signals of Delhi. With the rains bringing the temperatures down considerably, he was busy singing and splashing water in a huge pothole in the middle of the road. When he caught my eye, looking at him and smiling, he rushed to my window, smiled his big happy smile and asked me to click his photograph. After I obliged he asked me to buy some gajras as well. I, of course, could not say no to that smile. So I came home with the fragrance of rain infused with the fragrance of the white flowers.

White and the brilliant smile

Offering me beautiful flowers, with that brilliant smile

He made experiencing the rains better

Elephant spotting

2013-06-16T08:00:47-07:00

An elephant is considered a good luck symbol by the Hindus. For me, it was a great way to start the day. I was on my way to Hauz Khas, when my rear view mirror became a bit more interesting as I saw the beautiful animal striding majestically.

Spotted!

Intimidating the automobile

And it gets closer

Photography - Getting Started by Ashok Kochhar

2013-06-08T09:53:38-07:00

Three years after its opening, I visited the Kunzum Travel Cafe again today. I had fallen in love with the cozy little cafe in June 2010 and unfortunately did not return till today.

A friend informed me about a 4-session photography workshop titled, Photography - Getting Started, by Mr Ashok Kochhar at Kunzum. The Facebook events page showed other members of the ClickWalk group would be attending as well. I decided to brave the sun and headed to the Hauz Khas Village. The talk was interesting and catching up with fellow ClickWalkers was fun.

This new experience left me thinking a lot about what is my photography ideology. Hopefully, I'll learn new techniques of photography and also find a new facet of my personality in the course of the next three sessions of the workshop.

Here are some of the clicks from the day.

Mr Ashok Kochhar

My seat

The Kunzum Mug

The attentive class

Child's Play

Hindustan Times: Delhi Blog of the Week

2013-05-31T00:05:48-07:00

I'll be turning 30, the big three O, over the weekend. I don't think the celebrations could have started in a better way.

Delhi Photo Diary has been featured as the Hindustan Times Delhi Blog of the Week. It's a full circle moment for me since in the early days of my career I had been an intern with the organization. To be featured on its pages has brought a big smile to my face.

Thanks to all of you, who have been with me since March of 2008, exploring Delhi through my words and photographs.

To Read, Click on the photo, and then enlarge :-)

Butterflies in Lodi Garden

2013-05-12T10:12:01-07:00

An article a few days back in the national daily, The Times of India inspired to wake up early this Sunday morning and head to the Lodi Gardens. The beautiful winged insects, squirrels, red trees, people exercising and cobwebs ensured that I clicked only a few frames of the monuments.

Anita Gokhale's Terrace

2013-05-08T10:10:01-07:00

Delhi is full of places which are open to everyone--people who live here, people who are visiting from other parts of the country and people who are visiting from other parts of the globe. However, there are a few places, beautiful sanctuaries if you will, open only to a select few. My aunt, Anita Gokhale, has managed to create such a sanctuary for her family and her thousands of friends on her terrace.

Going to her terrace garden to witness it in full bloom is a spring ritual. We welcome the colours on her terrace and in our lives every year by spending a fun-filled afternoon sipping tea and munching on delicious snacks made by her. Then we linger on to spend the evening with friends, sharing more delicious food and drinks while watching the stars in the sky and inhaling the aroma of the beautiful flowers that adorn her beautiful garden.

This year I went specially to click photographs one afternoon so that I could share her passion for flowers with you.

A big thanks to Anita aunty for working so hard to ensure all her family and friends enjoy the fragrances and beauty of these amazing flowers. You all will notice that she herself is as beautiful as the flowers she so painstakingly tends to. She is the one, standing on the right, wearing a beautiful smile in the last photo. The lady in the left is my mom. And she sure is always happy to be with Anita aunty. The presence of flowers and the sun makes it all the more special.

The complete view

Cornered

The pink flower bed

Blues, what blues?

Standing out

Saying something

The swing

Even the setting sun shines to honour the beauty

Bright as the sun

Folds

The bar

The source of light

The colour purple

Open

Friends and flowers

Sorry, I was supposed to do this post sometime in February. However things, in hindsight not that important, kept me away. This is my way of bring the cool spring breeze into your lives :)

Weave me a story, please: Autumn, Aum, Ghost, and Fire

2013-05-01T11:01:41-07:00

Autumn leaves

Aum

Ghost

Fire

I have given you pictures. Weave a story for me, please.

Fifth Birthday Celebration Contest Result!

2013-04-10T10:04:52-07:00

Firstly, thanks for participating. It was a pleasure to see people taking time out and sending entries. Also, I was glad to know that others love their cities as much as I love mine!

Deciding the winner was not an easy task (wonder how others do it). So I decided to pull in the services of my mother and asked her to tell me which photograph she liked best.

As they say the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, she also loved more than one photograph.

The joint-winners of the first DPD contest are... drum roll please...

Winners:

Kshiteej Sumant (from Pheonix) and Vivek Arya (from Haridwaar)

Honorable Mentions:

Niranjan Dandekar (from Pune)Ankita Kaul (New Delhi)Meet Kaur (Jodhpur)

There was one photograph by Trisha that would have won hands down. However, the condition of the contest was to like the DPD page on Facebook. Her entry cannot be considered for the contest because she did not like the page.

The winners will receive their prize, a Flipkart voucher worth 1,000/- (given by CupoNation) in their mail boxes.

Hope to see you with more pictures of my city soon.

Thanks again for participating. This was fun!

Continue to post on the Facebook page of DPD!

Click walk at Lodi Gardens

2013-03-17T10:40:15-07:00

I went for a click walk, after a long gap, last week. We went to Lodi Gardens. The slight nip in the air, the beautiful flowers, and nice blue skies welcomed my camera and me with a warmth that is hard to describe. I had a great time working with these photographs. I hope you like them as well.

The majestic tomb at the Lodi Gardens

The enlightened one

Silver dust

Lovely morning blue

Spotlight

Walking in red

Water beasts

Sunrays

What are you looking at?

Natural carving

Posing

Flowers on your feet

Dew drops

It's a dog's life

Side view

The young click walker

Fifth Birthday Celebration Contest

2013-03-21T04:42:04-07:00

Five years!

Yes! DPD is five today. Five years of capturing my city through different cameras. I started the blog by capturing my city scape through the lens of my phone camera. Then, the love for my city graduated to the love for the art of photography. I think growth and love need to be celebrated.

So, I invite you to participate in the first ever DPD contest.

~~The prize is a Flipkart gift voucher worth rupees 500.~~ Now the prize is a Flipkart gift voucher worth rupees 1,000 by CupoNation. So put on your thinking caps and think harder.

Participating is a piece of cake.

1. Take out a few moments and like the DPD page on Facebook.

2. Post one photograph from your city (clicked by you) on the page.

3. Write 5 lines about why that photograph is special to you.

4. If I like your post, I’ll declare you the winner.

CupoNation

Once you submit your entry, visit CupoNation website. I promise you’ll not be disappointed. CupoNation is India’s largest coupon portal. It makes the online shoppers shopping experience even better. They offer discounts up to 60% for a vast selection of categories like books, electronics, clothes, etc. So, don’t waste time and head to the website and grab some coupons!

Winner:

1. You will be judged the winner if your post tugs at my heartstrings J

2. The contest is open for three weeks.

3. The results will be announced by me on ~~3 April 2013~~ (the deadline has been pushed back so that many more people can take part) 10 April 2013 on my blog as well as the DPD Facebook page. The best way to ensure you do not miss the result is to keep checking the blog and the DPD page on Facebook.

4. The winner must contact me by email within a week of the announcement to receive the voucher.

Spread the word of the contest and ask your friends to participate as well.

Good luck! Revisit the moment when you fell in love with your city and play to win!

A Sunny Afternoon at Jantar Mantar

2013-01-11T08:45:53-08:00

The sun is finally out after a very long time in Delhi. I decided to coax my friends to take a walk to Jantar Mantar during lunch. Thankfully, they did not need much convincing. They packed themselves in their woolens and I wore the camera around my neck and we went for a pleasant walk. Here is my loot from the day.

Anu, flaunting her eskimo jacket and bright smile!

Sangeeta in her brand new jacket, smiling to her heart's content in the bright sunlight

The Colour Purple

Green with envy?

Roots, enroute

Eye see you

Veins

Sorry, please talk to me again

Secret passage

Shaken not stirred

Underground

Sun n Shade

Cornered

Spotlight

St. Mary's School, SDA

2012-10-15T11:35:31-07:00

I had the privilege of visiting St. Mary's School in SDA a few weeks ago. It was a Saturday and it was not a working day. So, I was really surprised to see a few students running around the school. They looked super busy. I was intrigued and wanted to know what these teenagers were upto when I saw two of them rolling a gas cylinder towards the football field. I had gone to the school with my friend SKT, who is a teacher at the school. She took me to the spot where a bunch of teenagers and some teachers were busy cooking in huge utensils. I was later told that these kids are a part of The Hunger Project. They cook meals, pack them in separate tiffins, and then deliver them to the lepers basti nearby.

The Hunger Project

Later SKT took me the the staff room. I loved being there. It was nice to be in the teacher's staff room without being in trouble ;)

Answer sheets

Teacher's room

Teachers can be messy too!

I loved the work she and her students had done on the classroom bulletin boards.

Introduction board

The teacher and her work

My favourite one was this particular one about fishing for good books.

Najaf Khan's Tomb

2012-09-26T19:25:59-07:00

Another monument SKT and I visited over the past weekend was Najaf Khan's Tomb. The unique thing about this tomb is that it is without the dome. Apart from that there was nothing else to see or savour.

Safdarjung's Tomb

2012-09-25T02:37:07-07:00

This past weekend I went to Safdarjung's Tomb with my friend SKT. We both were a little disappointed after seeing the renovation/restoration work being carried out at the tomb. We sat there for some time, clicked a few pictures, and had a good talk. Surprisingly, I was very happy with the photographs I took and hence decided not to edit them at all.

Let me know what you think about these clicks.

Ganpati Bappa Morya!

2012-09-22T03:20:14-07:00

This is the idol of Lord Ganesh that graced our home this year. The decoration has been done by yours truly. I used my chhunis and red coloured fairy lights to make the idol's seat beautiful.

May Lord Ganesh remove all the hurdles in your lives!

Qutb Minar--Revisited

2012-08-15T23:18:42-07:00

I had the good fortune of re-visiting the Qutb Minar yesterday. I say good fortune because the skies were blue, the clouds were white, and I had the company of two friends who have studied history and have a keen interest in the subject even today. I'm happy with my photographs thanks to the background provided by the blue skies and white, fluffy clouds. The history lessons I received will stay with me for a long, long time to come and the awesome time spent with friends laughing over inane stuff just made me a happier person :-)

A Rainy Day's Work

2012-08-01T10:46:56-07:00

A rainy day and an old pair of comfortable shoes tempt me. I picked up my paint box and brushes and got to work.

This was the result of a bored mind and creative hands :)

An Early Morning at Connaught Place

2012-07-16T03:08:49-07:00

The sky was beautiful after the rains through the night. The Click Walk group had planned to meet in Connaught Place to go shutter crazy on Saturday morning, 14 July 2012. There was no reason for me to miss this walk and I should have been amongst the first people to have arrived. But I was the last one to join the group. I did not hear the alarm when it rang for the first time and I woke up only 15 minutes after the appointed time. I rushed and managed to reach in another 15 minutes to the spot of meeting. And boy am I glad that I did not miss this one!

The skies were in a generous mood and showed me all their colours!

Golden

Brown

Blue

There were devotees who were up and about even before us. I spotted this garlanded symbol of the Shani God on the footpath.

Worship

By the time I reached the group, they were already busy clicking pigeons.

Shutter crazy over pigeons

I did my share of pigeon clicking.

To the sun

Chaos

In one direction

This group of crows caught my attention. This one seemed to tell others, this carcass is mine!

Mine. All mine!

With others still busy clicking the pigeons, I decided to enjoy an empty Connaught Place. You can barely see one pillar without people crowding the place in the afternoon or evening or night.

Pillars of Strength

The editor in me could not help herself from spotting a spelling mistake.

The case of a missing P

I saw some photo-friends move away from the pigeons

Click-Board

Some remains of the previous day were still visible on the grey roads.

Road advertising

I turned my attention to me and decided to get a self portrait with this well dressed mannequin.

Arm candy?

The stores with their well-done window displays did not hold my attention for long and I again pointed my camera to the blue skies.

Travelling

Though the traffic was slow in the early hours, there were birds flying, autorickshaws moving and the Metro stations had also been cleaned and readied to welcome passengers.

Up and Down

For some, morning was still a few minutes away. So they slept in innovative beds made by joining chairs and a big stool. This is what is called 'jugaad' in India and what Delhi is famous for!

Jugaad

Some men had been discarded and were lying carelessly on the roadside.

Discarded Men

There were other men doing the job of cleaning the heart of Delhi before the crowds came.

Hard at work

Not satisfied with clicking pictures of pigoens, sleeping men and the skies, a friend and I decided to venture a little and take the view of the city from the top of the white buildings designed by Lutyens. Now, partly residential and partly commercial these buildings and their approach from the middle circle is a revelation. It was surprising for me, someone who has lived in the area for nearly a decade and a half, as well.

Red

We were told by the care taker of the building that we can climb this ladder if we wanted to get a bird's eye view of the Inner Circle of Connaught Place. Unfortunately, we were not adventurous enough.

Steep Climb

With not much else to see, we returned to the pigeon point and I tried to capture all the colours I could.

Colours

I then pestered the photography expert with us, Abhijeet Kothale, to teach me the technique of getting a handheld burst zoom shot. This is what I got in my first attempt.

Centre

We ended the morning's shoot with a cup of tea. The roadside vendor looked like a Marathi man (because of the cap he is wearing) and a small chat revealed and we were happily surprised to know that he belonged to Bihar. This was a wonderful case of national integration.

Chai!

A city under the clouds

2012-07-13T07:11:58-07:00

Delhi looks prettier just after the rains. This is the LIC building in Connaught Place in its full glory just after a rain shower.

Humayun's Tomb Revisited

2012-06-24T02:27:08-07:00

Braving the summer heat, I decided to finally attend a photo-walk organized by Click Walk to the Humayun's Tomb on Saturday. I was up at 5 and at the venue 10 minutes before 6. A friend, Meet, stayed over at my place the previous night to ensure that we attended the walk. This is how dedicated we are towards exploring Delhi.

A photo-walk is the best way to start a weekend. New friendly faces, breakfast as a side-dish with huge portions of laughter and teasing, after a two hour long walk discussing architecture, history, life, make Saturday awesome. I should say that I'm pretty pleased with the pictures I got this morning. So, I'm looking forward to more such walks in the future. Join us if you are in Delhi next weekend.

On top

Restoration

Line of Duty

Chained

Looking around

Silhouette

Humayun's Tomb

Footprints

Disturbance

Through the Narrow Lane

Reflection

Angular View

Monochrome Mania

Steep Climb

Veiled

Observing!

Door within a door within a door

Resting in peace

Star burst

Stylish photographer

Magnificent

Conservation Work in Progress

Morning Music

Vagabond with a Camera

2012-06-24T02:28:07-07:00

A hot evening in the month of June and I sling my camera bag on my shoulder and walk towards The Attic a beautiful multi-purpose hall in the heart of Connaught Place. The idea was to keep a promise to a photographer friend, who once upon a time was a colleague. These days, he is someone who I envy because he travels across the country and the world collecting memories.

Deepak Acharya invited me to visit his first solo exhibition, Vagabond with a Camera. It is a great honour to present my play with his work on Delhi Photo Diary today.

The magic door to the art gallery

The first glimpse

The world in frames on a mountain

Chaotic self-reflection

My favourite from the exhibition

Behind the arch

View from the top

Sands of Time

The man of the hour, Deepak Acharya!

Super Moon in Delhi

2012-06-24T02:28:48-07:00

This week's post was not too difficult. Despite having a stiff neck on Saturday monring and missing a photowalk, I managed some photographs of the moon that made me shutter happy as Sunday came to an end.

Here is my take on the super moon.

The super moon

Hiding in the corner


A Bite of Orange

Curtain Raiser

A Ball of Fire (behind the neem tree)

Patterned by Leaves

Earth's Own Lampshade

Varanasi

2012-06-24T02:31:27-07:00

Varanasi, a set on Flickr.

The Man in a Case

2012-04-19T18:52:18-07:00

Rati, who goes by the Twitter handle @punditcomment, had asked me around 15 days ago if I could go with my camera to attend the play she directed and is the star of, The Man in a Case, at India Habitat Centre. Unfortunately, I was travelling then and missed the show. Luckily for me, there was a repeat show on 19 April 2012 and I requested my younger brother to accompany me and take the driving wheel for the evening.

Organized by the Yatrik Theatre Group, this short play had props which you could count on one hand, modest but well done lighting, and two talented actors who ensured that the audience was involved in the stories of the characters and rooting for them. There was music, love, dance, laughter (from the audience), action (the hero falls trying to manage a bicycle), and intensity of expressions. The ambiance of the Amphitheatre at the India Habitat Centre added to the magic.

If you are on Twitter, follow the actors: Rati @punditcomments and Gaurav @mildlyclassic. Catch there play and it will be a pleasant, beautiful evening, I promise! For now, I hope my captures will do justice to the magic these two created on stage.

I have deliberately decided to post the pictures in an incorrect order. Try sequencing them and see if you can make a picture story :-)

The intense look

Love in the eyes

The fall

Eyes filled with a thousand questions

Best foot forward

Dancing

Red is the colour of my love

Look, can you see our future?

The beautiful bride to be

A man who captures moments lest he forgets to celebrate them later

A basket of fresh apricots

The bicycle and the red wall

Talking to the flowers

The stage

Hmmm

The end

The venue

Textures

2012-04-02T00:15:12-07:00

I'd like to believe that some people see in textures. I know scientifically, one is supposed to touch to recognize textures. But there are times when I see in textures. Here are some of the textures that caught my eye during my recent visits to the India Habitat Centre.