The many faces of South India

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Worldwide | Thursday, September 29, 2011 | 5 photos

In November of 2010, I backpacked around South India for 4 weeks in celebration for my 30th Birthday with 3 friends.
We spent most of our time in Fort Cochin, Munnar and Hampi and the amount of generosity and warmth that we had encountered was overwhelming.
We were all effected by the happiness from these relatively poor (and quite disadvantaged) people who were willing to give you everything that they had to make you feel welcome. The strong sense of community amongst the people was extraordinary - no amount of words can describe.
In these photos, we were greeted by a gentleman who suffered from elephant foot disease to teenagers going to after school classes to young mothers with their children.
Being an animal lover, having experiencing witnessing elephants in the wild with their calf was a huge highlight.
When I arrived back from such a beautiful journey, I came home to tragic news of my step-fathers passing. My passion for travel and photography go hand in hand. I adore traveling while trying to capture "the moment". In April of 2009, one of my photos that I took in Sapa, Vietnam of a village elder was published in the Lonely Planet magazine. I love travel and wildlife and I aim to address these feelings through my camera. I often also take photography for musicians. I do not do this for money but for pure passion and a more serious hobby. My love for animals and animal welfare is also a great passion of mine. This coming December I will be doing some volunteer work with rescued elephants in Chiang Mai, Thailand and I look forward to taking some photos of these magnificent creatures. One thing that my step father told me before I left for India was to "Have fun, enjoy life and strive for your passion", and I aim to make his last words to me ever so possible.