Crossroads

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

India | Friday, July 5, 2013 | 5 photos

I became a freelance journalist & travelogue writer while in college & contributed(often along with photos shot with a point-and-shoot film camera)to several esteemed publications;but my middle class sensibility & financial responsibilities prompted me to take up the stable job of school master instead.So for 12 years I have been teaching in a high school & honestly,loving it.However, I remain a nomad at heart & what I still love most is to travel or trek to unknown territories & cultures,& tell their story to the world.This process gradually made me aware of the narrative & evocative capacities of a photograph.The editor of a travel magazine felt I had the makings of a good photographer & at her suggestion I bought a camera, read textbooks & studied works of great masters.Many mistakes and a few awards & recognitions later,I am convinced that this is my true calling.But I am an amateur with no formal training or experience,though a chance like this is perhaps all I need to live my dream.I am not sure what significant ‘contribution’ I can make to the ‘greater community’,but I am sure there are lots of important stories waiting to be told,& I am eager to learn how to tell them well.