The variety of things people are engaged at a beach is fascinating. Some child is looking at a balloon and the next moment he's crying for it. A few lazy feet away, two human beings are attempting to express their feelings to each other but the gang of boys around are in no mood to let that happen. In Chennai, more often than not, the boys are successful in it. It is more of a cultural shock for them. so in their eyes, the girl is guilty but at the same time- vulnerable. Traditional and patriarchal mindset is the cause.
A passive creature. Though he barks loudly, in human dominated world, the Audi or a BMW owner makes a louder statement. Interesting. it is more fun to shoot if you have all these thoughts coming in your mind while you are composing the frame. There is no scientific formula for the frame, but you somehow weigh various options, contemplate for a short time and then finally go for the kill...oh, I mean the shoot!
Evening cricket is fun. The race the kids have against the sun was and is amazing. Its nostalgic too hear, "Abe 2 over ka khelte hain match...3 ka khelenge to tere ko batting nahi milega saale. Phir rona mat." The Besant Nagar beach (where this pic is taken) is a very lively place in Chennai. Its liveliness is conspicuous because of the near absence of the same in other parts of the Detroit of Asia.
Upper the class of people, higher is their objection to be photographed. (Some even do not like their cars being clicked.) The person in the picture absolutely didn't care about a camera making him as its subject. Engrossment in work is not the only and the primary reason. That it makes no difference in his life and he knowing this, is the real reason. Thanks 'dude'!
One of the most popular symbols of the British in Chennai, the Central rly. station. It is the gateway to Chennai for the most. It lacks the aesthetics of and the way people look at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), Mumbai. This must be the area in which there are maximun Hindi speaking (no, Hindi-knowing) lesser mortals. It is also one of the few sign of a metro.
The idea behind this pic was to click the stn. from an angle which shall not be the typical tourist's PoV. What better than the backseat of Chennai's lifeline, the MTC bus. Its fare is unbelievable, Rs. 3 minimum.. So is the auto fare: Rs. 40 for 1 km.
The above mentioned bus in a close-up. The curiosity in the boy's eyes caught my attention. Also, he did not typically go for a pose with a stupid grin. I think he was curious to know what I am exactly clicking and why. I think he is sitting in the front row out of the typical but beautiful urge in early youth to have a window seat and that too, possibly near the driver.
the sheer placement of routine things catches the attention of a photographer. This pic is taken from a moving bus. I write this not to boast of my photography skills, but that it caught my attention in such a short time. our eyes (and mind too) are used to see some things below a particular thing, always. If it is the opposite, it becomes a pic.
The short wall in the lower left of the pic multitasks. It is a bed to a few homeless and sometimes drunkards too. In Chennai, drinking is comparatively very high. At night, a sight of a man lying (actually sleeping 'tight') on a road is very common. Back to where we were, the wall is also the boundary for newspaper arrangers in early morning, two-wheeler parking and a shadow place for the policemen.
The Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) train. It is a success for me considering the auto fares here. but to see a larger picture, it is a failure. One simple statistic: Daily operating cost- Rs. 16 lakh; daily earning: Rs. 3 lakh. It is not well-connected to the residential areas and also to the commercial ones. the frequency has been one in 20 minutes from day one. Security too, is a problem, especially for the fairer sex after late evening.
I like to click trains from this angle because it gives a sense of continuity and the apparent shape of the train goes on tapering. I got an idea of this angle by standing at the foot board of 'local' trains in Mumbai.
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