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    Kavyanjali Kaushik - 2013 Travel Photography Scholarship Entry

    Bhutan

    There are [5] photos and [1] story about Bhutan

    The old lady who smelled of alcohol - Bhutan was the happiest country I've ever seen. A country without red lights (though Thimpu, the capital, tried to introduce them once, they were soon dropped after protests from people), without arguments and without an overly exaggerated sense of ambition. The people were happy, genuinely, no matter whatever little or big they did, they went on about their lives calmly, without being particularly bothered about the world outside, and were very religious. I found this old woman, or rather she found me, outside a temple in Thimpu. As she came near me, my nostrils were filled with the alcohol on her breath, and yet, she smiled unabashedly, pointing to the camera suggestively. I took a few shots of her and when I showed them to her, she instantly burst into a laughter which resembled a 20-year old young girl, obviously flattered and turning crimson. It took her sometime to stop laughing and get ready for the next shot. After that, she tried explaining me something that I failed to understand, so she walked away smiling. I am yet to meet a more friendly stranger who left me feeling like I had met my favourite model. by: kavyanjali Views[450] Head monk entering Kyichu Lhakhang - I happened to be inside Kyichu Lhakhang during one of the prayer times and suddenly all around me, from every mouth I could see or not see, from every room of the temple, began a chanting of seven words. The head monk had entered the sanctum sanctorum, and that must have been the cue for everyone to begin their afternoon prayers. Technically without a tune, the chanting, sung loudest by the head monk, turned into something exceptionally powerful and within minutes produced wonderful vibrations, with everyone, including the outsiders who did not know the words at first, singing along, rocking together. by: kavyanjali Views[526] The old lady at Kyichu Lhakhang: Bhutan offers shelters inside temples, chortens, stupas and monasteries for its older citizens to rest or sleep during the day. At Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the countries oldest temples, I found her whispering something funny about me to her fellow shelter seekers. Maybe because I had the camera pointed straight at her. Her instant reaction of making fun of me taught me one of the most important things I learnt about portrait or travel photography - engaging with the moment. I sat with her then, unable to understand her language, and she talking continuously to me as if it didn't matter I couldn't understand her. Bhutan's Gross National Happiness formula fully executed, I had thought in my mind then. I took this shot of her after taking her permission as I left the temple. by: kavyanjali Views[581] Young monks at Paro Monastery - Two young monks, selling religious amulets and lucky charms, laugh at something my mother asked them. Usually very shy, especially when surrounded by women who point cameras at them, these two couldn't resist after a few minutes of us imploring them to answer a few questions that they thought were absolutely unnecessary or were not difficult enough to be questions. Monk training is very gruelling and requires a great amount of strength. Even the Dalai Lama once admitted he wanted to run away during the course of his monk education. So it is very rare to see them laugh like this, especially the younger ones. by: kavyanjali Views[1253] Tiger's Nest Monastery (Taktsang) - The crowning jewel of Bhutan. Tiger's Nest monastery, 1.5 hours drive away from Paro Valley, is perched at a cliff precariously, and by what legends suggest, strands of the hair of the angels. Guru Padmasambhava - the second Buddha - flew to the spot on the back of a Tigress - hence the more common name of Tiger's Nest. The monastery is built around the cave where Padmasambhava meditated and the head monk, if available, does not hesitate to take travellers to the very stairs that lead down to the sacred site. Owing to its strange and rather lonely location, every step in the monastery can be heard perfectly clear and one can almost imagine, if they closed their eyes, how Padmasambhava's chantings must have echoed in the mountain. by: kavyanjali Views[787]
     

    Photos: My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

    Friday, 5 Jul 2013 | Photo Gallery | Scholarship Entry

    I had always thought I could never do justice to a place by merely writing about it. But then I picked up an old point and shoot camera and began to understand that whatever I lack in my words, I can make up for it with my photos. Photos directed how ... Read more >
    See all 5 photos >>
     

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