ಚಾರ್ರಿಯಟ್ ಉತ್ಸವವು ಒಂದು ದಿನದ ನಂತರ ನಡೆದರೂ, ನಾನು ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ದನಗಳ ಜಾತ್ರೆ ವೀಕ್ಷಿಸಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಬಂದಿದ್ದೆ. ಈ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮವು ಸ್ಥಳೀಯ ನಿವಾಸಿಗಳನ್ನು ಮತ್ತು ನೆರೆಯ ಹಳ್ಳಿಗಳಿಂದ ಬರುವ ಕೆಲವು ಸಂದರ್ಶಕರನ್ನು ಆಕರ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತದೆ, ಅವರೆಲ್ಲರೂ ತಮ್ಮ ಅತ್ಯುತ್ತಮ ದನಗಳನ್ನು ತರುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಇದರ ಉದ್ದೇಶವು ಅವರು ಹೆಮ್ಮೆಪಡುವ ತಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರಾಣಿಗಳನ್ನು ಪ್ರದರ್ಶಿಸುವುದು ಮಾತ್ರವಲ್ಲದೆ, ಉತ್ತಮವಾಗಿ ನಿರ್ವಹಿಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ, ಉತ್ತಮವಾಗಿ ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಲಾದ ಎತ್ತುಗಳು ನಗದು ಮತ್ತು ವಸ್ತು ಬಹುಮಾನಗಳಿಗಾಗಿ ಸ್ಪರ್ಧಿಸುವ ಸ್ಪರ್ಧೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಭಾಗವಹಿಸುವುದು. ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಭಾಗವಹಿಸುವವರು ಸ್ಪರ್ಧೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಭಾಗವಹಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ; ಕೆಲವರು ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ತಮ್ಮ ದನಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾರಾಟ ಮಾಡಲು ಹಾಜರಾಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಜಾತ್ರೆಯು ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಸೂಕ್ತ ಸ್ಥಳವಾಗಿದೆ, ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ಇದು ರೈತರನ್ನು ಮಾತ್ರವಲ್ಲದೆ ಜಾತ್ರೆಯು ನೀಡುವ ಅತ್ಯುತ್ತಮ ಜಾನುವಾರುಗಳನ್ನು ಹುಡುಕುವ ಅನೇಕ ಸಂಭಾವ್ಯ ಖರೀದಿದಾರರನ್ನು ಸಹ ಆಕರ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.

ನಾನು ಕಮಾನು ದಾಟಿದ ಕ್ಷಣದಿಂದ, ದೇವಾಲಯಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗುವ ರಸ್ತೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಲುಗಟ್ಟಿ ನಿಂತಿರುವ ಪೆಂಡಾಲ್‌ಗಳನ್ನು ಗಮನಿಸಿದೆ, ಸುಂದರವಾಗಿ ಅಲಂಕರಿಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ ಸೆಟ್ಟಿಂಗ್‌ಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ವಿವಿಧ ಗಾತ್ರದ ಎತ್ತುಗಳಿವೆ – ಇದು ಕಣ್ಣಿಗೆ ಕಟ್ಟುವ ದೃಶ್ಯ. ನನ್ನ ನೋಟವು ಹತ್ತಿರದಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಲ್ಲಿಸಲಾದ ಅಲಂಕಾರವಿಲ್ಲದ ರಥದ ಮೇಲೆ ಕೇಂದ್ರೀಕೃತವಾಗಿತ್ತು ಮತ್ತು ಖಾಲಿ ಜಾಗದಂತೆ ಕಾಣುವ ಸ್ಥಳದಲ್ಲಿ ನನ್ನ ಕಾರನ್ನು ನಿಲ್ಲಿಸಲು ನಾನು ನಿಲ್ಲಿಸಿದೆ. ನಾನು ಹೊರಗೆ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆ ಹಾಕುತ್ತಿದ್ದಂತೆ, ರೋಮಾಂಚಕ ವಾತಾವರಣವು ಮಿಂಚಿನಂತೆ ನನ್ನನ್ನು ಹೊಡೆದಿದೆ. ಇದು ಒಂದು ಉತ್ಸಾಹಭರಿತ ಕಾರ್ನೀವಲ್ ದೃಶ್ಯವಾಗಿತ್ತು, ಆದರೆ ದೇವಾಲಯದ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳು ದೇವಾಲಯ ಅಥವಾ ಜಾತ್ರೆಗೆ ನೀಡಿದ ಕೊಡುಗೆಗಳಿಗಾಗಿ ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಬ್ಬ ಭಕ್ತರ ಹೆಸರನ್ನು ಕರೆದರು.

ಇದೆಲ್ಲದರ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ನಿರಂತರವಾದ ಝೇಂಕಾರ – ಹತ್ತಿರದಲ್ಲಿ ದನಗಳು ನಡೆದು ಓಡುವ ಶಬ್ದ – ಪ್ರತಿಧ್ವನಿಸುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ದೃಶ್ಯವು ಗದ್ದಲದಿಂದ ಕೂಡಿತ್ತು ಮತ್ತು ಕೆಲವೇ ಪದಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ವಿವರಿಸಲು ಕಷ್ಟ. ರೈತರು ದನಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಬರುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು, ಕೆಲವರು ತಮ್ಮ ದನಗಳನ್ನು ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು, ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ಅವರು ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಹೊತ್ತು ಕುಳಿತುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು ಅಥವಾ ನಿಲ್ಲುವುದು ಅವರ ಕಾಲುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮರಗಟ್ಟುವಿಕೆಗೆ ಕಾರಣವಾಗಬಹುದು, ಇದು ಅವರ ನಡಿಗೆ ಮತ್ತು ಮಾರಾಟದ ಮೌಲ್ಯದ ಮೇಲೆ ಪರಿಣಾಮ ಬೀರುತ್ತದೆ ಎಂದು ನಂಬುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಇತರರು ಎತ್ತುಗಳು ಓಡಿಹೋಗದಂತೆ ತಡೆಯಲು ಅವುಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾರ್ಗದರ್ಶನ ಮಾಡುವ ಮತ್ತು ಪಳಗಿಸುವಲ್ಲಿ ನಿರತರಾಗಿದ್ದರು. ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣವಾಗಿ ಬೆಳೆದ ರೊಟ್‌ವೀಲರ್ ನಾಯಿಯಂತಹ ಚಿಕ್ಕ ದನಗಳಿಂದ ಹಿಡಿದು ಪಕ್ಕದಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಲ್ಲಿಸಲಾಗಿದ್ದ ನನ್ನ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಹ್ಯಾಚ್‌ಬ್ಯಾಕ್ ಅನ್ನು ಆವರಿಸಿರುವ ಬೃಹತ್, ಅತಿಶಯೋಕ್ತಿಯ ಪ್ರಾಣಿಗಳವರೆಗೆ ಜಾನುವಾರುಗಳು ಬಹಳ ವೈವಿಧ್ಯಮಯವಾಗಿದ್ದವು. ಕೆಲವು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿದ್ದವು, ಇನ್ನು ಕೆಲವು ಅಷ್ಟೊಂದು ಅಲ್ಲ. ವಸಂತಕಾಲದ ಆರಂಭದ ಸಂಜೆ ಗಾಳಿಯು ದೇವಾಲಯದ ಪ್ರವೇಶದ್ವಾರದಿಂದ ಧೂಪದ್ರವ್ಯದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಬೆರೆತ ಸುವಾಸನೆಯ ಮಿಶ್ರಣದಿಂದ ತುಂಬಿತ್ತು. ಹಸುವಿನ ಸಗಣಿ ಹೇರಳವಾಗಿತ್ತು – ದನಗಳ ಜಾತ್ರೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯವೇನಿಲ್ಲ. ಹತ್ತಿರದಲ್ಲಿ, ಒಬ್ಬ ಮಾರಾಟಗಾರ ತಾಜಾ ಪಾಪ್‌ಕಾರ್ನ್ ಅನ್ನು ಮಾರಾಟ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದನು, ಆದರೆ ಇತರ ಐಸ್ ಕ್ರೀಮ್ ಮಾರಾಟಗಾರರು ತಮ್ಮ ಕುಟುಂಬಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡುವ ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಆಕರ್ಷಿಸಲು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಿಸಿದರು.

ನನ್ನ ಅಂತಃಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆಯನ್ನು ಅನುಸರಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಂತೆ, ನಾನು ನನ್ನ ಕ್ಯಾಮೆರಾವನ್ನು ಹಿಡಿದು ಎಲ್ಲಾ ದಿಕ್ಕುಗಳಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಚಿತ್ರೀಕರಣ ಮಾಡಲು ಪ್ರಾರಂಭಿಸಿದೆ. “ವಿರಾಮ ಹಾಕಿ, ಕಣ್ಣಿಗೆ ಬೀಳುವುದನ್ನು ಗಮನಿಸಿ, ನಂತರ ಅದನ್ನು ಮತ್ತಷ್ಟು ಅನ್ವೇಷಿಸೋಣ” ಎಂದು ಒಳಗಿನ ಧ್ವನಿ ಸೂಚಿಸಿತು, ಆದರೆ ನಾನು ಮೊದಲು ಬೆಟ್ಟದ ಮೇಲಿರುವ ದೇವಾಲಯಕ್ಕೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಲು ನಿರ್ಧರಿಸಿದೆ. ದೇವಾಲಯಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗುವ ಮೆಟ್ಟಿಲುಗಳು ಖಾಲಿಯಾಗಿದ್ದವು, ದೇವಾಲಯದ ಆವರಣದ ಶಾಂತ ವಾತಾವರಣಕ್ಕೆ ಹೊಂದಿಕೆಯಾಗಿದ್ದವು, ಮುಖ್ಯ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮ ಮರುದಿನವಾದ್ದರಿಂದ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಸಂದರ್ಶಕರ ಕೊರತೆ ಇತ್ತು. ದೇವಾಲಯದ ಒಳಗೆ ಮತ್ತು ಸುತ್ತಮುತ್ತ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿರುವ ಎಲ್ಲವೂ ಮುಂಬರುವ ಭವ್ಯತೆಗೆ ಸಿದ್ಧತೆಗಳಾಗಿದ್ದವು. ಸ್ಥಳೀಯರು ತಲೆ ಬಾಗಿ, ಕಂಬಗಳ ಸುತ್ತಲೂ ಕಬ್ಬು ಮತ್ತು ಬಾಳೆಹಣ್ಣಿನಿಂದ ಮಾಡಿದ ಅಲಂಕಾರಿಕ ಮಾದರಿಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾ, ಸಂಜೆಯ ಸೂರ್ಯನ ಬೆಳಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಂದರವಾಗಿ ಕಾಣುತ್ತಿರುವುದನ್ನು ನಾನು ಗಮನಿಸಿದೆ. ನಾನು ಮೆಟ್ಟಿಲುಗಳನ್ನು ಇಳಿಯುವಾಗ, ಹತ್ತಿರದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಟ್ಟಲಾದ ಬಸವ (ಎತ್ತು) ಅನ್ನು ಗಮನಿಸದೆ ಇರಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಸ್ಥಳೀಯರು ಹಳ್ಳಿಯ ರಕ್ಷಕ ಎಂದು ನಂಬುವ ಮತ್ತು ದೇವರಂತೆಯೇ ಪೂಜಿಸುವ ಅದೇ ಬಸವ ಇದು. ನಾನು ಈ ಹಿಂದೆ ಸಂಕ್ರಾಂತಿ ಸಾಕ್ಷ್ಯಚಿತ್ರಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಈ ಎತ್ತು ಛಾಯಾಚಿತ್ರ ತೆಗೆದಿದ್ದೆ. ಅವರ ಹಳ್ಳಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಪೂಜಿಸಲ್ಪಡುವ ಅಂತಹ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಎತ್ತುಗಳು ಪಳಗಿದವಲ್ಲ; ಎಲ್ಲರನ್ನೂ ಸುರಕ್ಷಿತವಾಗಿಡಲು ಅವುಗಳ ಸುತ್ತಲೂ ಕಟ್ಟಲಾದ ಅನೇಕ ಹಗ್ಗಗಳಿಂದ ಅವುಗಳ ಆಕ್ರಮಣಶೀಲತೆಯು ಸಮತೋಲನಗೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಆದಾಗ್ಯೂ, ಈ ಬಸವ ವಿಭಿನ್ನವಾಗಿ ಕಾಣಿಸಿಕೊಂಡನು – ಶಾಂತ ಅಥವಾ ಬಹುಶಃ ತಾಳ್ಮೆಯಿಂದ – ಶಾಂತವಾಗಿ ನಿಂತಿದ್ದನು, ಅವನ ಸುತ್ತಮುತ್ತಲಿನಿಂದ ತೊಂದರೆಗೊಳಗಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲ.

ಪ್ರದರ್ಶನ, ಸ್ಪರ್ಧೆ ಅಥವಾ ಮಾರಾಟಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಅಲ್ಲಿದ್ದ ವಿವಿಧ ಪೆಂಡಲ್‌ಗಳನ್ನು ಅನ್ವೇಷಿಸಲು ಮತ್ತು ಉತ್ತಮವಾಗಿ ನಿರ್ವಹಿಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ ಸ್ನಾಯುವಿನ ಎತ್ತುಗಳನ್ನು ಗಮನಿಸಲು ಈಗ ಸಮಯ. ಆದಾಗ್ಯೂ, ಉತ್ತಮವಾಗಿ ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಲಾದ ಹಲಿಕಾರ್ ಎತ್ತು ಹೇಗೆ ಕಾಣುತ್ತದೆ ಮತ್ತು ಇತ್ತೀಚೆಗೆ ಅದನ್ನು ಇಷ್ಟು ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧಿಗೊಳಿಸಿದ ಪ್ರಭಾವಲಯವನ್ನು ಅರ್ಥಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ ಎಂದು ನೋಡಲು ನಾನು ವಿಶೇಷವಾಗಿ ಉತ್ಸುಕನಾಗಿದ್ದೆ. ನಾನು ನಿರಾಶೆಗೊಳ್ಳಲಿಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ನಾನು ಹೇಳಲೇಬೇಕು; ಕಳೆದ ಕೆಲವು ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದ ನೆರೆಯ ಹಳ್ಳಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ಪರ್ಧೆಗಳನ್ನು ಗೆದ್ದ ಕೆಲವು ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ, ಅವುಗಳ ಆತ್ಮವಿಶ್ವಾಸದ ನಿಲುವಿನಿಂದ ಸಾಕ್ಷಿಯಾಗಿ, ನಾನು ಸಾಕಷ್ಟು ಪ್ರಭಾವಶಾಲಿ ಮಾದರಿಗಳನ್ನು ನೋಡಿದೆ. ತೀಕ್ಷ್ಣವಾದ, ಉತ್ತಮವಾಗಿ ನಿರ್ವಹಿಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ ಮತ್ತು ಅಲಂಕರಿಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ ಕೊಂಬುಗಳು ಎಲ್ಲದರಲ್ಲೂ ಎದ್ದು ಕಾಣುತ್ತಿದ್ದವು.

June 3, 2025, a day that all RCB fans across the globe will remember forever for the team’s first-ever trophy in 18 years, but the next day, June 4, 2025, turned out to be a disaster in disguise. What was supposed to be a victory celebration in the home city for RCB ended up with 11 youngsters, including a kid, losing their lives due to a stampede and leaving more than 50 injured.

Everyone is busy pointing fingers in all possible directions at what happened. As usual, the media are being their lunatic best, making the best “breaking news” out of the situation. Politicising any issues is in the DNA anyway. The press and the opposition are just a click away from pouncing on anything the ruling party does, and not that the ruling party does anything sensible to come out of a situation clean. Everyone wants their share of whatever is happening in society, whether good or bad.

The elementary question is, what was the hurry to announce this celebration and parade on such short notice without any security and safety arrangements being made? Taking an extra day or two, or maybe having this on a weekend, would have made more people happy and saved many innocent lives. And give ample time for the BCP/BTP to plan and execute it.

What’s even more concerning is that RCB management proceeded with announcing the parade plan and time details without obtaining the necessary approvals or permissions from the government and the police. Now, with the stampede happening at the Stadium, they continued with the plan for the event celebration in the stadium, which was a follow-up to the felicitation program at Vidhana Soudha. I’m wondering how insensitive and irresponsible a team management can be.

It makes me realise that we, the cricket lovers, should be blamed. We, the RCB fans, or maybe Virat Kohli fans, should feel guilty about what just happened. Given what happened during the celebration on the match night, was it not clear what the consequences could be if the players came to the team’s home city for a victory celebration? 

Eventually, what people don’t realise is that for us, the fans, it’s a celebration of a victory or a trophy – but it’s just another match, yet another tournament, yet another day for the cricketers. Ultimately, what matters, at least in franchise cricket, is money, and the fans’ emotions drive more revenue. Your time, your emotion, your money feed their pockets, not the other way round. Their win will bring you happiness for a few days, months, or even years, but they won’t come and feed you and your family. 

For you and me, a family is waiting at home: a father, a mother, a brother, a sister, a wife, children, and friends who care more than a cricketer does. There should be love for players, teams, and all that, but it should not come across as desperate. The fans should have been equally responsible.

And what was the “Official Statement” from the Franchise?

a. Incidents have come to light through media reports

b. Regarding public gatherings all over Bangalore

I repeat, how insensitive and irresponsible can this get? Don’t they have eyes to see what’s happening in front of them, either at Vidhana Soudha or Chinnaswamy Stadium? Are they taken blindfolded from the airport to the different venues?

As a cricket lover and a fellow RCB fan, I’m hurt and devastated by what I’ve seen happen in Bangalore today. 

Devanahalli Fort is a fine example of the military architecture of the time. The fort’s solid stone walls are about 20 feet high and punctuated by 10 sturdy bastions. The fort also boasts a trench and a series of secret tunnels, which were likely used for strategic escapes during battles. Inside the fort, you’ll find a mixture of Hindu and Islamic architectural elements, reflecting the confluence of cultures in the region.

That’s what we can say or boast about this beautiful historic place outside the highly acclaimed Bengaluru International Airport. Anything else one sees or witnesses after visiting this place, like one of the quick touch-and-go hotspots en route to the other region icon, the Nandi Hills, is just a state of disgust. Every single wall, every single pillar, every single bastion or anything that one can see in this fort is, in simple words, mutilated by the numerous senseless tourists or locals who have visited this place over the decades. Names, Initials, Hearts, and you name it, you have everything carved, engraved, inscribed, and etched to an extent that you forget why you even visited this place, which is a witness to this iconic location from history.

What’s despicable, which one can realise only after seeing all these in person, is that the entire place is under the control of the Archeological Survey of India. There is not even a single security guard who is found, and we were told he comes once a day, and cleaning is taken up by some other 3rd party company which does it once a few weeks. There is no indication that this was cleaned a few weeks or months ago. The last time someone used the word “CLEAN” in this place should have been years ago. Plastic litter, Liquor bottles, cigarette and Chips packets, and worst of all, human excreta in every other nuke and corner of the fort. In the entire fort, we got to see one pole which housed 2 CCTV cameras, of which one was broken and dangling. Even when fitted, I wondered if it was connected to any DVR.

If left in a similar state, I feel it’s just a matter of a few years before this place will not only lose its identity but also go back to where it came from in history. No one will be able to witness such an architectural marvel, which is about 45 minutes’ drive from the city centre. Some form of legal or illegal encroachment from the surrounding properties and the consistent pace of littering and defacing witnessed is enough to sing a lullaby to this place.

Focus Siktha? ( Got focus? ) – This has been a raging phrase over the last couple of months more so with the Kannada movie-watching community after the release of the much anticipated directorial return of Upendra through the movie “UI”.

Though there are multiple aspects including creative, philosophical, circumstantial, etc in which you can decipher the movie – the bigger agenda or the message has been to let viewers answer the question to themself – Focus Siktha? ( Got focus? ). While for many it takes time and for some, it’s still far away from interpreting what Director Upendra is trying to tell – the simpler explanation is – to concentrate and spend time and energy on things that are important to you and now than worry about other things ( materialistic or momentary ) from past or future with a clear emphasis on the impact of social media and short-form content freely available on the phones on us.

What I vividly related to while watching the movie, and even after stepping outside, was a connection to an article I had read. The article discussed how attention spans—of both kids and adults—are drastically declining due to the overwhelming amount of information bombarding us every second, especially from short-form videos like reels and shorts. The constant shift in topics, genres, moods, and even sounds in this type of content causes people to lose track of what they’re watching, often just minutes ago. This phenomenon seems to be undermining our ability to concentrate, resulting in a noticeable lack of focus. I’ve also observed this to be justified, especially in group conversations, that people quickly seek topic changes and appear disinterested if a discussion lasts too long. The constant flood of notifications, the dopamine rush from endless scrolling, and the addictive nature of short-form content have made it harder than ever to focus on our goals and live intentionally. If you’ve ever found yourself mindlessly scrolling through social media or binge-watching short videos, you’re not alone. These distractions are designed to keep us hooked, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

This brings us back to the main topic: unless we actively push ourselves to break free from the cycle of social media distractions, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to concentrate and achieve what we desire in life, ultimately leading to failure. Therefore, it is up to you to analyze your situation and determine the direction you are heading in, both professionally and personally. Ask yourself: Do I truly have the focus I want? What is preventing me from achieving it?

• One can try to do these things to get away from the distraction zone!
  • Set Clear Goals and Priorities
  • Create Designated “No-Distraction” Zones
  • Limit Social Media Consumption
  • Embrace Slow Consumption
  • Practice Digital Detox

<Update> After publishing the above blog I bumped into one book which resonates very well with what I was trying to articulate in the post above. For those interested in reading it then you can pick that up here > Dopamine Detox or maybe listen to this audio version I found on YouTube

A few weeks back, I was at Temple Town in Western Ghats along with my family, and I happened to get up early thanks to the frantic calls of the peacocks in front of the cottage where we were staying. I went out and sat in the veranda and was enjoying the calls of not just the peacocks but what looked like an orchestra involving drongo, sunbirds, woodpeckers, orioles, robins and, to an extent, even a flock of grey hornbills. While I sipped my morning cup of coffee, I could see that the sun had decided to start his day too and was just starting to peak out and shine its first rays of light on the wall behind me. What I thought as a (and was) beautiful view in front of me was obstructed by this mesh compound, which was raised by the property owner to keep the cows away from their well-maintained lawns they had. The photographer in me just kept on murmuring – What if the barricade was not there? It would have been such a mesmerising view of the sunrise clubbed with the symphony of the birds around me adding to the visual spectacle. But the early morning rustiness clubbed with the warm cup of coffee in my hand induced a sense of laziness in me. But again, the voices in my head kept telling take that extra effort leave the comfort and laziness behind and see if you can find a better view of the sunrise. At this moment all that i did was just keeping the glass away and stand up and the scene in front of me changed what i could say drastically. It was a mesmerising view the golden rays of sun hitting the areca field in front and some even managing to reach me and add the much-required smile on my face. It was between these two moments that the diptych photos above were taken.

This was then followed by going out of the property, taking a short walk in the field, and enjoying the moment even better than I was whilst I was sitting on the veranda. This also allowed me to voyeur on the peacock, which was busy impressing the peahen a few feet away without having the slightest hint that an intruder was busy snapping his photos/videos.

It was during the walk back to the cottage that I realised the barricade or railing I was seeing was merely a figment of my imagination, not something in front of me. Had I not acknowledged the voices in my mind and persuaded myself to get up and move forward, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy what I did. This feeling mirrored what I was experiencing in both my professional and personal life; I perceived the lack of effort or desire to improve as a barrier preventing me from enjoying the work and life that lay before me. I was confining myself to a comfort zone without even realising the harm it was causing me. I felt virtually ensnared in a web of unwanted barriers, unwilling to take risks or seek the freedom I so desperately yearned for.

Fast forward to today, I came across a LinkedIn post. I admit I had seen the photo many times in the past, but this time, the text made me lean back in my chair and ask myself, isn’t it similar to what I experienced a few weeks ago? It’s not exactly an analogy of what I want to convey, but the parallels the author draws to the corporate world made me feel it’s related—though perhaps that’s just my perspective. The issue of lacking freedom, the absence of motivation to take the next step, and so on.

The exact text from the post and the image are below, and all due credits are to the respective owners.

In a small town adjacent to wild reserve in India, a leopard chased a dog eventually, cornering it into a locked public toilet.

The leopard followed the dog inside, and both were trapped. Surprisingly, despite being hungry, the leopard did not attack the dog. Instead, both animals sat silently in opposite corners for almost half a day until the leopard was tranquilized through the window and captured.

Wildlife researchers explained that wild animals are deeply sensitive to their freedom. When they sense captivity, their natural instincts, even hunger, fade.

The loss of freedom leads to a loss of motivation.

This story mirrors the corporate world.

Employees, like wild animals, thrive in an environment of freedom. The freedom to think, create, and innovate fuels motivation, productivity, and happiness. When employees feel trapped—whether by rigid processes, micromanagement, or lack of trust—they lose their drive and creativity. Even the most talented individuals may retreat into silence, like the dog in the story.

Companies must nurture an environment that values freedom, encourages expression, and supports risk-taking. Freedom fosters innovation, while restrictions breed stagnation.

Ask yourself—are your employees motivated or just cornered? The answer could determine whether your company thrives or just survives.

As I get older, if one thing has made me clear, I have started to believe that having a clear and open mind makes a huge difference in both physical and mental well-being. I recently read that time flies by when we start growing old compared to when we were children because – when we are children, anything that we see around us is new, and we consume that, and we eventually take time to do that. But as we grow old, we are not just seeing what is happening around us; we are also consumed inside this vicious circle of social media content, be it tweets, reels, shorts, audio bytes, etc. We are not pausing for anything that we see, hear, or feel; we are just moving ahead, which makes the time feel very short/less. Our attention span has reduced a lot, all thanks to the short-form content, and this, in turn, means that our minds have become susceptible & impatient to quality information.

What I experienced in my own approach to photography kind of relates to it. A lack of patience to slow down or learn or even an open mind will never lead to quality thoughts, and that will never translate to good images. During our good old days of photography, things were never like this. We had no smartphones, we had no Twitter and Instagram status to update our lives about, and we had no WhatsApp to catch up with every other group of people around us. It was all about us, the mindset, the vision of what we want to achieve with a photo and everything around that. Most importantly we were open to experimenting and learning from it.

Over the last several months or even beyond a year, the ability to take good photos was reduced to pulling out the phone from the pocket, firing a few quick shots and letting the computational algorithm or AI do all the heavy lifting and quickly move on to the next thing in life that day. The year-end break/vacation that happened recently was a sincere effort from my end to force myself not to get distracted with the thought of what I am missing out by not checking the Slack messages or emails and convince myself that I need this break, and I need this off time – and most importantly give time for myself. And the conscious effort that was made was to keep the phone aside while spending time taking/making photographs. This lack of distraction also meant that my mindset was back to being the earlier self of calm and putting that effort into thinking about what I wanted to photograph, how I wanted to photograph, and what type of frame or composition would make “ME” happy (than). Another equipment variable that helped me here and for sure for others is having fixed equipment rather than multiple cameras, lenses, and accessories. It forces you to patiently think about what you can do with what you have rather than just convincing yourself to move ahead because you don’t have the necessary equipment.

The image set here is an example of such an attempt. The sample frame on top of this post is what I started with, and the more I spent looking at the scene in front of me, the triptych frame formed by the two pillars and the two walls, the more I was flooded with ideas. At first, it was to have someone walk in between the three frames, and later, it was an effort to look for people who would complement the images that I have already taken. As time progressed, I became cautious about the colour of the subject in the frame. There was even a time when sub-consciously I was thinking of the philosophical side of things in the frame, which is a movement from closed doors to open doors – and hence the final image in which everything fell into one place – OPEN CONVERSATIONS. The colour of the saree worn by the lady, the dynamism in the image, and, most importantly, the direction in which the subject was moving when related to the philosophical aspect I mentioned made it my favourite image from the series.

All these were possible only because I was far more patient, calm, and composed during this outing, which I realised I didn’t use to be in some of the instances where I used to take pictures in the recent past. So, a costly lesson learnt for me is that to hone your craft, you should never let go of the key ingredients which are expected to be an essential part of the craft-making process itself.

Hope everyone had a good start to the year 2025 and, most importantly, had that one essential break which enabled you to go and hit that reset button, which will reshape you for a better year ahead.

Stay Happy, Stay Healthy.

When there are no distractions, concentration is not a challenge. How true is that statement? In a time and age where all that we are a part of is a rat race and running around multiple conflicting priorities and in between that getting more distracted each minute and each second through social media, this scene was a testament to what focus should be.

The person in the frame is Mr. Rangaiah, a tailor with a small yet functional shop on the temple street in Melkote town. During a recent visit to the town, I sat down for 20-25 minutes just opposite his shop and watched him engrossed with his work. While I was busy experimenting with some photos that I had started to put into shape while sitting there, all that he did was concentrate and focus on his work. In less than 30mins he completed a skirt from start to finish, including folding and packing it aside for delivery. I hardly saw him lift his head and worry about what was happening on the road or around him. Or what I was sitting for so long in front of his shop and doing with a camera in my hand. I didn’t see any phone anywhere around him, which I thought was a big win in reducing distractions. No wristwatch or clock in the shop, which would push him to think of the time that’s passing by – which is actually a major reason for impatience in city dwellers like us. The only source of audio in that space if not for the passing bikes or cars visiting the temple, was that of an AM radio playing songs and a mix of some informative news in between, in the hotel on the other side of the road. Once again not the chaos that we get to listen all the time in the FM radios in the city which is quite often packed with unnecessary chit-chat, uncountable ads, and loud irrelevant music.

The numerous notifications, messages, updates, and pings on the phone, as well as the smart stupid watch, not only eat away much of our time, but it’s also the time which makes us think about what we will be late for and what we will miss in future than worrying about giving quality focus on the thing which is on at the current moment. The situation presented me with a fantastic example of how two things, CONCENTRATION and FOCUS, can help us finish work on time and with no chaos, and all that it ends up with is peace of mind rather than peace of mind due to the stress otherwise.

There is one video called How to Stop Holding Yourself Back by Simon Sinek which has had an excellent impact on how I think about what I have to do next or how I want to shape things coming my way.

In that video, Simon articulates it very clearly – “The human brain cannot comprehend the negative. You can’t tell the human brain not to do so the human brain cannot comprehend the negative. You can’t tell the human brain not to do something, can you? Therefore, we often reinforce concepts by framing them negatively. It’s significant to convert these thoughts into an affirmative form. It’s up to you how you choose to perceive your career. something, right? So, we often reinforce things when we put them in the negative, right? It’s such a huge thing to convert things into the affirmative. It’s your choice how you choose to perceive your career.“

It’s kind of a similar mindset which works even in photography or, for that matter, even in life. In fact, in one of my recent photo walks where I was walking around in small lanes of a small temple town, I spent a lot of time shooting the house fronts, which are not just beautiful and intricate but also make you go back in time, and they amalgamate architecture and tradition. But I had these conflicting thoughts in my mind that morning that I was doing too many of the doors or entrance kinds of images, and the more I wanted to avoid shooting every house, I ended up chasing the same.

This is exactly when I took a step back and reminded myself of the power of the subconscious mind. I enforced the word “Windows” into my mind and then started asking myself, “Can old windows be interesting and photo-worthy? “Can they signify the time and character just like the doors would? “And that’s when all that I was presented with was a series of beautiful windows across various houses. And this made me like these images more than that of the doors that I was trying to make before this.

So, it’s all in your mind what you want to do, what you want to think about, and what you want those thinking to lead in which direction. This is also where the power of positive thinking and a positive mindset makes a big impact.