To be or not to be!

Place: Hammerstiel, Bavaria
To be stopped by a piece of bread from returning back to witness this paraglider coming from nowhere, soaring high across the alps. I imagine the flyer to be a curious scientist. Carried for free by the wind to experience the giants, in the end only to realise one's own non-existence.

Proximity and Belonging

Place: Grünstein, Kramerlehen, Bavaria
When the climb and finally the sight of the giants triggered an emotional moment.

The bavarian Giants!

Place: Kneifelspitze, Berchtesgaden
The sky painted by jet planes and the land by the imposing bavarian Alps. Kneifelspitze and the  panoramic view of the small hamlet that was Berchtesgaden.

Made to remain small !

Place: Malerwinkel, Königssee.
A spot that witnessed the renaissance artists captivated by the coming together of the Alps and the pristine waters of the Königssee. The Giants made every other thing meaningless. The tourist boat was only an illusion.

Tranquility left unsaid !

Place: Königssee, Bavaria
A few lonely branches distanced from their community by the multicoloured waters of the Königssee in the south of Bavaria, trying to reach out.

Be-headed!

Place: Erfurt, Germany
An elevated platform, from where only heads dominated personalities..and the man on the corner....

Sh'eye'

Place: Zwiebelmarkt, Weimar
The usual hide and seek initially and then.........permission granted for limited access!

Carry on tiring!

Being seated high above the rest can be tiring too!
There might not be enough space to move around, after all.........
Place: Zwiebelmarkt, Weimar, Germany.

nur das nicht!

Place: Zwiebelmarkt, Weimar, Germany
When a street artist unintentionally terrified this young visitor by demanding his doggy.

Corn Air !

Place: Bischleben, Germany.
Breezy corn fields devoid of Airlessness- short after harvest, giant wind mills and the part-time farmer who collected feed for his hungry rabbits back home.

Night show!

Place: On a window panel, Jena.
11 pm, lonely streets and the street lamps on the background. For someone, the stage was set on the window.

Can't stand it anymore!

Place: Weimar, Germany
That 'Urge' to grow up......and the displeasure caused by a primitive vehicle that once was so dear...

sprengender Spring!

Place: Stadtzentrum, Jena, Germany
The Spring festival culminated by lighting up the skies for a minute and a half.

Tramp and Trampoline!

Place: Frühlingsmarkt, Jena, Germany.
When the Trampoline invited kids to momentarily challenge gravity .......
Stadtkirche, Jena- a 15th Century accomplishment.

but, not from the books......

 The moment, when the flow of deep and dark prayer chanting seemed to be interrupted...Assembly of young monks before school beginning..
place: Khecheopalri Village, Sikkim.

Cosmic fall!

Place: Khecheopalri Buddhist Monastery, Sikkim.
Stationary light sources, that appeared to be falling from above, from a common source- in the prevailing dark surrounding.

hope - ohne Anfang, ohne Ende!

Place: Durpin Monastery, Kalimpong, West Bengal
Countless prayers on colourful tibetan prayer flags. Prayers that seemed neither to have a beginning nor an end.

Dhara and magic!

Place: Dharasuram, Tamilnadu.
The monolithic stone mandapam with meticulously crafted stone carvings.
The calm evening hours just before sunset, and the Sky with an inclination towards painting.

The Light within!

 Place : Kabur Guest house, Pelling
End of a decelerating session .......and the light above that went unnoticed several times previously.......

Remember this!

Too young to be Rinpoche...
Place: Khecheopalri Lake Village, Sikkim.

until we stay......

The Hosts X and Y-rays scanning the Uninvited.
Place: DPCA School, Pelling, Sikkim.

Diving deep!

Much above the clouds in all sense of being. A solitary young monk, still air and lasting contemplation. He knew best.
Place: Sangachoeling, Sikkim.

Away... at home.

Place: Khecheopalri, Sikkim
The Lepcha tribe living on the mountains around the Khecheopalri lake.
A self-constructed wooden house,
chilly floors, firewood, tongba (rice beer) and unlimited charm.

Bug quarters..

Where giving in and giving up contributed to Co-existence.
Place: On a rock for a biscuit-break at Chumbong village, Sikkim.

intervention.......

There is certainly more than just one way in looking at a problem...........
Place: Pelling, West Sikkim..

Wood, mist and lost!

Place: Kalimpong, West Bengal

Serenity of being unused................

Diamonds facing!

Place: Pelling, Sikkim.
The Twists and Turns, do not hinder communication always.......and sometimes make the exchange feel more stronger..
The super junior spectator at a primary school football match.

The Air Bender !

Place: Sangachoeling Monastery, West Sikkim.
A monastery on the edge of a hill - an unstable rock surface near the monastery- Milan, the young monk and Wind, both seemed forever present.............

Gliding along!

Place: Pelling,West Sikkim.
A peaceful monastery on a hilltop.
A boy from the monastic school, just before the start of school ........and paper rockets for all times....

Eye am here!

Place, Malana, Himachal pradesh
The eyes that invited -a pose for breath- a tribal boy in Malana.

Reaching new heights!

Place: Brihadeeshwar Temple, Thanjavur, Tamilnadu
The massive 11th century granite temple structure and a passerby who unknowingly rose himself to the Cholan accomplishment....

Employed to beautify!

Place: Karkadaiyur, Tamilnadu.
A refreshing walk through the windy rice fields to find a serene looking tree that gave a meaning to the vast landscape.
A scene between harvests.

The Himalayan Trance!

Place: Chhitkul, Himachal Pradesh
The Baspa River with the great Himalayan background and the dense pine forests provided the perfect setting for a quiet evening exploration.

United we sit!

Place: Malana, Himachal Pradesh
When the village men with their colourful caps got together for an evening ritual of gossiping.

??......!

Place: Jari, Himachal Pradesh
A simple tribal girl from a weaving community.Seemed quite undisturbed and continued to pose, but her gentle shy side that smiled now and then, was 'not ok' with eye contact ........contemplation lasted.

Die Freude am Leben !

Place: Malana, Himachal Pradesh
When wind and rain drops generated joy and smiles..............

Pressing Needs!

Place: Malana-Chowki, Himachal Pradesh
An untiring mother, who prepared her long-weeping child to pose for a photograph.

The Indo-Greek

Place: Malana-Chowki, Himachal Pradesh
Those eyes conveyed events of the past and the expression on the face took one by surprise.
The ancient village of Malana and its faces -according to history and researchers has a Greek connection.

Tribes of Malana

Place: Malana, Himachal Pradesh
One of those simple faces of the Malana that got thrilled at the sight of a visitor...
A simple tribe yet complicated in its culture, living on an isolated mountain top.

Way of the shepherd

Place: Chhitkul, Himachal Pradesh
A lazy afternoon in the lazy settlement of Chhitkul. Taking a rarely grazed path through the Great Himalayas, found this shepherd driving his reluctant sheep towards the village. An everyday battle which pleased him.

"Alright....i'll smile"

Place: Chhitkul, Himachal Pradesh
Walked out of the guest house on a foggy morning to find a serene looking face.Was difficult to say of she smiled or stared. Momtai, a 4 year old, one among the 500 residents in the scenic little settlement of Chhitkul.

Pause in the dark!

Place: Dresden, Germany
When light through this dark pathway froze human movement to look like a sketch.

King's view

Place: Castle Heidelberg, Germany.
An overwhelming evening experience at the castle Balcony at Heidelberg, from where the 'Kaiser' viewed his tiny city.
A strange architectural set up with an evident Mughal flavour.

They never walked!

Place: Schloss Schönbrunn, Vienna, Austria.
Was beautifully carved.. ...and demanded a second look through the viewfinder.
Depicted the last princess of Vienna and her Hesitation.

Way up!

Place: Nymphenburg Schloss, Munich.
The uncertain forest routes on this rainy evening at the castle garden at Nymphenburg,was a place to find fitness enthusiasts undeterred by harsh weather. 

Sublime designs!

Place: Weimar,Germany
When it snowed.

White coal!

Place: Dresden, Germany
He employed his father to do the pulling. Rest was unknown.

Speed of light!

Place: Olympia park, Munich, Germany.
On the top of a tower which was constructed for the Munich Olympics in year 1972.
Waves of freezing cold winds and numb hands were the only vivid memories, when i ventured to capture this beautiful traffic pattern.

A passive shopper!

Place: Flohmarkt, Dresden, Germany
More or less, an open Backpack, where he accommodated himself and followed his father without an effort. The serene looking Flee market in Dresden situated along river Elbe - a popular Saturday morning routine.

What about us?

2011 has almost come to pass and relative damage already done. And the results -halfway, somewhere lurking between Relief and Distress. Each stare must have had its own perspective.
However, Time is the medium...
Place: The corniche at pondichery.