My travel photography 2011 scholarship entry

Why do I deserve it? not counting that I really, really want it.

lucille — Tue, 8 Nov 2011 08:34:00 GMT

When I was 5, our family was invited to a wedding reception of a neighbour. We are Catholic, our neighbours Muslim, but in a country like India, that's no rare occurrence. I was the first to walk up the bridegroom and congratulate him and as is customary in our tradition, I planted a kiss on each cheek. It felt like the end of the world for 5 year old me, because this action was met with screeches from my mother, laughter from my sisters and palpable silence from the entire crowd.

It was my first lesson in diversity & over time, I've realized that it's a never-ending journey. This incident in turn made me more observant of the nuances of different cultures, while heightening the awareness, that beneath it all, we are the same.

Meandering through the myriad throng of cultures and subcultures that constitute India, I’ve learnt to respect opinions that do not concur with mine and have honed my instinct to identify situations and back off, when I’m stepping on another’s sensibilities. My eagerness to see the world has taken me to 3 continents and although I have managed to check several items off, my bucket list is ever-growing.

Although my tryst with photography began only a couple of years ago, it already feels like a lifetime. From being a shutterbug to growing to a state of conscious incompetence where I take time to compose, find the story and tell it through a few pixels, it’s been a long and arduous journey. However, the years have only served to whet the passion and child-like inquisitiveness to learn and better myself. This opportunity is my chance to bring my two loves – Photography & Travel, together.

Seeing through new eyes

lucille — Tue, 8 Nov 2011 08:06:00 GMT

The mind map I had associated with Spain always read Matadors and Siestas, but visiting this country made me realize how much more there was beyond the projected media stereotype of bull running and sleepy afternoons.

Although 22% of the people in España claim to be atheists, the churches that adorn almost every street of the country remain witness to the power that the Church wielded over the country in days gone by.

The most attended service tends to be the one that begins at noon. Not a very common occurrence, where I come from, but it’s a way of making sure that the Saturday night partygoers make it to church.

And post feeding your spiritual self, it is time to break open the bottle. Tapas bars fill up with the after mass crowd, friends catching up for drink or just whiling away time till tables are available.

Sunday afternoons are perfect for a long, unhurried lunch with family and friends. A time to bask in the sunlight and enjoy the sights and sounds that surround you. Roasted lamb and piglet are among the specialties

There are several buildings to wow at in Spain, examples of extraordinary architecture dot the skyline, and are major attractions for tourist and architecture aficionados alike.

And amidst it all, they find time to sing and dance as well. I never believed it possible that religious songs could be danced to, but watching these dancers express their anguish at the crucifixion of Christ through the stomping of their feet and incredible expressions, made me a believer.

Seen through the eyes of a wanderer, Spain turns out to be a heady concoction of old and new, both living in perfect harmony and offering the best of both worlds to anyone willing to stay and savour something unusual.

Photos: my travel photography scholarship 2011 entry

lucille — Tue, 8 Nov 2011 05:59:00 GMT

Spain through the eyes of a wanderer