coup de foudre - third time lucky

The day waned. The afternoon got hotter. She just couldn't keep her hands off the hat. Nor could I, off the shutter. They missed me at the shoot that day.

Kalki and her hat by Phish. Bonbay, 2007.

coup de foudre - part deux

She smiles. And I fumble with the exposure to capture the change in light.

Kalki and Kalki, captured by Phish. Bombay, 2007.

coup de foudre - the first time

From the archives. A couple of months back. Just back from Jaipur. The Bombay chapter of the shoot begins. It's 40 degrees in the shade. I take refuge in the cold, trailer van. That's when I see her.

My camera liked her just as much as I did.

Kalki photographed by Phish, Bombay 2007.

dream within a dream - face

The day creeps towards its end. My muted affair with her approaches closure. It's been six hours of lurking behind the shadows with my contraption. She asks me to step forward with her eyes. My knees are making a racket. She smiles at me and says something. I cannot understand her. I try to read her lips.

I give up mid-way.

Anita by Phish. The Piramyd Shoot, Mazda Studio, Bombay. In September.

dream within a dream - wonderland

Somewhere over the rainbow,
Blue birds fly
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Dreams really do come true.

Packaged with glitter. With a logo on the bottom right hand corner (er..could you please make it bigger?).

Phish exposes Anita's mind. Behind the scenes at The Piramyd Shoot, Mazda Studio, Bombay. September, this year.

dream within a dream - the voyuer

It started innocently enough. Predictably. The frenzied and often whimsical dreams factory was hard at work. The well-oiled machines pointed and waiting. Ready to capture that perfect emotion. The emotion that will pierce your psyche and possibly torment you for three and a half minutes next Tuesday.

But in all the activity they missed a thing or two. Brought to you by the other guy with the camera.

Anita's Feet by Phish. Behind the scenes at The Piramyd Shoot, Mazda Studio, Bombay. Sometime in September, Bloody September.

in a devil mood

As the frantic millions pass along the idol, heads hung with habit or perhaps shame, the stench of new clothes and sweat thickens the air. And I cannot help but detect a trace of something else.

An unmistakeable smell of fear.

'Mahisasura' or 'The Buffalo Devil' at Ballygunge Cultural, Calcutta. Mahasaptami.
Photo by Phish.

calcutta; a moment in dusk

I was trying to think of something to say to her. Fumbling for a light at the same time. Round and round my room in half-hearted irritation. Then I found myself near the window. And as I looked up with a dangling cigarette (now lit), my world changed a little.

I look at skies a lot (see: bombay blue). It somehow makes you feel insignificant. In a nice, pleasing sort of a way.

Photos by Phish. October sky, Calcutta.

morning glory - jaipur diary 4

"Why are you always in the girl's room?", they ask. Amidst the perfumed clutter that is so unique to the species, she has just woken up. She wants a cup of coffee. I want her. We strike a deal.

This is why I was in the girl's room.

Flavia, photographed by Phish. Umaid Bhavan, Jaipur 2007.

a little blue - jaipur diary 3

Nicotine runs scarce. The long fingers scurry to the pockets for a quick fix. The spot boys run to make tea. A long satisfied silence ensues. Shared with the photographer.

Photo by Phish. Jaipur 2007.

pink moon, early morning - jaipur diary 2

Sunday Morning 7.00 am. At the gates of the Pink City. As the last crease is ironed out, the kodachrome handler yawns. And makes a note with the lens. The iPod shuffles to Nick Drake, as if on cue.

Flavia photographed by Phish. Jaipur 2007.

dusty dusk - jaipur diary 1

The first day. The last shot. A sudden gust of cool wind interrupts the proceedings. From where I stand, I can be anywhere. But a few miles outside of Jaipur.

Neha and Kiran as seen through a Phish. Jaipur 2007.

walk the line

A little rest on the cool concrete of the city. A slight pause before we move on to the seemingly bigger things in life. Like a career. Success. Investments. Higher tax returns. Bigger houses. Shinier cars. Sexier women. The perfume of money. The high of lights. The stink of newsprint. And maybe even a little love.

Taken near the sea. Bombay.

Rajenda's footwear photographed by Phish.

momentary lapse

Bombay would have been dead if it weren't for the sea. You need something to pacify sweat stained skin.

victims

Sheldon and Tj from Kastadyne. Tj makes a point as Sheldon thinks of another angry word. They are a new band. And have just released their first album 'Eleven Complaints'. To read the review go here.

To know more about the band go to www.kastadyne.com

yellow

Sunday evenings can be numbing. Especially if you suddenly find yourself in an auto, going nowhere in particular. And like every big city, this one too revels in the uncanny ability to throw up exactly the kind of stuff that you wouldn't want to see. Suddenly everyone is a couple. With all the money in the world. The men seem fitter. The women sexier. So I prefer to look inside.

Here's what I see.

the dangling conversation

Just before lunch break. The first whiffs of paper wrapped chicken hit the air.

say a little prayer

A Buddhist prayer wheel that dad got me from Katmandu, Nepal. Inside the top lies a handwritten manuscript with a Buddhist chant. I don't know what it means.

On some days, I am Buddhist.

click

I have always been fascinated with the camera. As a concept. As a device. I am not scared of technology. I am one of what marketers call 'early adopters'. But I still do think that the simple camera is something far ahead of its time. Anything that has the ability to freeze time, is.

My contraption is a Nikon D40x. And I learnt how not to take photographs on my father's old Yashica. I got a lot of blurs. Now I try to take photographs whenever I am not thinking of other ways to keep myself distracted. I take photographs because I like to. I take photographs so that I can share with you what I want to. To put you in my shoes, if only for awhile. Not for you to critique. I am not that good.

I like portraits. I like dogs. I like comics and most forms of graphic art. If you are reading this and have reached here, I like you too.