Photo of the week: Roaming on bikes in Pondicherry

So, what do you do to escape the heat when roaming around on bikes under hot mid-day sun during the hottest season (which is basically the entire year) in Pondicherry in India?

How about this:

My friends and their ingenious ‘sunscreen’

Wednesday Wanderings: Sunrise at Pondicherry

One of the most well-known piece of advice for photographers is: Dawn and dusk provide some of the best lighting for landscapes. Yet, it’s not followed up on by budding photographers – especially, the sunrise time – I guess the inertia against getting up early ends up being too much for many.

I took this photograph from my beach hut in Pondicherry, with my simple point-and-shoot digicam. All I had to make sure was to keep my hands steady, as its very likely that the photos get blurred in low-light conditions. And look how well it turned out! 🙂

Sunrise at Pondicherry, seen from my beach hut

Wednesday Wanderings : Pondicherry

Something to cheer you up in the middle of the week..

This little kid was throwing pebbles at the waves – teasing the mighty ocean, and as the waves came crashing, would take off at full speed into the opposite direction to evade the waves. As the waves started receding, he would again have a go at the waves – taunting them how he could outrun them. 🙂

At the Repos beach, Pondicherry

Tequila Sunrise

I got the inspiration for this post when this Eagles song played on a friend’s car’s music system. I recalled the beautiful sunrises that I’ve seen till now – from Bombay to Bath to Bangalore.. I’ve witnessed some very spectacular ones.

The only negative thing about a sunrise is that one has to wake up really early, which can be painful at times, with the pain aggravated if the number of tourists crowding at the place is very large. I remember one of those times, it was at the Tiger Hill in Darjeeling, famous for just the view at sunrise, that I had to wake up despite the super-suhavna (pleasant) weather which entices you to switch off the damn alarm and to go back to sleep. Nevertheless, I did wake up that day, to see fog all around, and the driver promised that the fog usually clears before the sunrise. When we reached the place, the fog was still there, the air was very chilly – the cold biting, and the hilltop looked like the general coach of the Virar fast at rush hour. There were people everywhere. Every-damn-where. And the worst part, the cloud-cover didn’t disappear until it made sure that we miss the sunrise completely. The only ones who must have been happy that morning were the chaay-wallas (tea-vendors), who seemed like god-sent angels to save sleepy tourists from sleep, cold and frustration.

Nevertheless, here are a few of the beautiful sunrises that I’ve been able to capture in my camera (Each has a separate story that goes along with it, but about that, maybe some other day). Enjoy! 🙂

Golf Course, Bath, UK
A general stroll around the university campus on the day we were shifting hostels.

Vihar Lake, Powai, Mumbai, India
I and Anupom went for a walk to the hill-side in IIT and beyond..

Beach Road, Pondicherry (Puducherry), India
Fishing starts early in the day, when the seas are calm, and the catch plenty..

Beach Road, Pondicherry (Puducherry), India
A photographer lost in the beauty of sea of colours in the sky, captured in another photo..

Skandhgiri Hill, Near Bangalore, India
After a 2-3 hour long night trek, enthusiasts wait for sunrise as the skies turn into an unbelievable palette of colours and shades ..

Skandhgiri Hill, Near Bangalore, India
As the sun rises in full glory, it almost looks like its sinking into the darkness leaving a trail of golden light and warmth behind..