Kavyanjali Kaushik - 2013 Travel Photography Scholarship Entry

BHUTAN | Friday, 5 July 2013 | Views [604] | View Smaller Image

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.

Tags: travel photography scholarship 2013

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.

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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.

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Kavyanjali Kaushik - 2013 Travel Photography Scholarship Entry

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