SOJOURN

Photos: My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

surajputhane — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 19:18:00 GMT

The pictures I shoot is an extension of myself. My thoughts at the moment, My feeling at the moment and My sixth sense. All put together makes an Image to me. I have traveled and I have shot, the world will never end for me. I have a long way to go, many things to see and many things to do. Am always looking out for an opportunity to follow my dreams. The pictures here just a few examples of what I am. I try and shoot what I see at that instant. I believe capturing the natural beauty is the biggest challenge. Every second the light changes, the mood changes, the atmosphere changes in the open, that is what am looking for. Being Adventurous, Spiritual, Respecting Cultures & Traditions, Am just ready and up for anything I face during my Sojourn.

The Killing Fields

surajputhane — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:24:00 GMT

There are times when I feel am an opportunist coz am trying to capture some horrid truths and gain sympathy for my work and in the process become popular...taking photographs around the killing fields was one such time. I feel guilty putting up these images in my album coz am trying to cover 2 million deaths in 200 shots of my camera, I would get some good comments and be appreciated, but the truth is I feel I am en cashing upon those lost souls. The only reason I made this album is for the people who do not know about the Genocide in Cambodia which swept away generations of people in just 5 years of regime of the Khmer Rouge. This is a tribute to those who were killed mercilessly….

The killing fields are a number of sites in Cambodia where large numbers of people were killed and buried by the Khmer Rouge regime, during the rule of the country from 1975 to 1979. At least 200,000 people were executed by the Khmer Rouge and the approximate estimation of the number of deaths resulting from Khmer Rouge policies, including disease and starvation, range from 1.4 to 2.2 million out of a total population of 7 million. It took 5 years to research 20,000 grave sites which contained the remains of 1,112,829 victims of execution. The Khmer regime headed by Pol Pot targeted anyone and everyone suspected to be in connection with the former government or with foreign government, Professionals, Intellectuals, Ethnic Vietnamese, Ethnic Thai, Ethnic Chinese, Ethnic Chams (Cambodian Muslims), Christians and even Buddhist Monks were not spared. To save ammunition the executions were carried out using hammers, axe handles, spades and sharpened bamboo sticks; some victims were required to dig their own graves. It is often described as “One of the worst human tragedies of the last century”.

“No religious rituals, No religious symbols; No education, No training; No currency, No bartering; No communication, No public transportation; No human rights, No social gathering; No marriage, No divorce; No flirting, No masturbation; No shoes, No sandals; No soaps, No detergents; No mercy, No help; No radio, No TV …” these were a few lines of the poem written during the Khmer Rouge regime, A third of the population didn’t survive. In 1979, Vietnam backed by Soviet Union attacked and ended the Khmer Rouge regime.

Photos: Floating Market

surajputhane — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:36:00 GMT

Well, one of the most touristy places in Thailand. Floating market especially near Bangkok is a commercialized hub upon the name of Tradition. But it does attract first timers and new tourists. Nonetheless a place to visit at least once when u visit Thailand.

Photos: The Killing Fields

surajputhane — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:27:00 GMT

There are times when I feel am an opportunist coz am trying to capture some horrid truths and gain sympathy for my work and in the process become popular...taking photographs around the killing fields was one such time. I feel guilty putting up these images in my album coz am trying to cover 2 million deaths in 200 shots of my camera, I would get some good comments and be appreciated, but the truth is I feel I am en cashing upon those lost souls. The only reason I made this album is for the people who do not know about the Genocide in Cambodia which swept away generations of people in just 5 years of regime of the Khmer Rouge. This is a tribute to those who were killed mercilessly…. The killing fields are a number of sites in Cambodia where large numbers of people were killed and buried by the Khmer Rouge regime, during the rule of the country from 1975 to 1979. At least 200,000 people were executed by the Khmer Rouge and the approximate estimation of the number of deaths resulting from Khmer Rouge policies, including disease and starvation, range from 1.4 to 2.2 million out of a total population of 7 million. It took 5 years to research 20,000 grave sites which contained the remains of 1,112,829 victims of execution. The Khmer regime headed by Pol Pot targeted anyone and everyone suspected to be in connection with the former government or with foreign government, Professionals, Intellectuals, Ethnic Vietnamese, Ethnic Thai, Ethnic Chinese, Ethnic Chams (Cambodian Muslims), Christians and even Buddhist Monks were not spared. To save ammunition the executions were carried out using hammers, axe handles, spades and sharpened bamboo sticks; some victims were required to dig their own graves. It is often described as “One of the worst human tragedies of the last century”. “No religious rituals, No religious symbols; No education, No training; No currency, No bartering; No communication, No public transportation; No human rights, No social gathering; No marriage, No divorce; No flirting, No masturbation; No shoes, No sandals; No soaps, No detergents; No mercy, No help; No radio, No TV …” these were a few lines of the poem written during the Khmer Rouge regime, A third of the population didn’t survive. In 1979, Vietnam backed by Soviet Union attacked and ended the Khmer Rouge regime.

Photos: Limestone Wonder

surajputhane — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:16:00 GMT

This is one of the major attractions if anyone travels around Malaysia, irrespective of religion and beliefs these caves make up for a worthwhile visit. The feel inside these caves are magnanimous and the views breathtaking. Batu Caves is a limestone hill, which has a series of caves and cave temples located in Gombak district, Kuala Lampur. It is named after the river Sangai Batu or Batu River which flows past the hill. Batu is also the name of a nearby village. The formation of the caves is believed to be 400 million years old, which stretches for 2 kilometers. It has 3 main caves and many smaller ones. The biggest is usually referred as Cathedral Cave which has a ceiling of over 100 meters high. Around the 1860’s these caves were used as a resource for ‘Guano’ which was used for fertilizing the vegetable crops by Chinese settlers at that time. It was only in 1891 when an Indian trader K.Thamboosamy Pillai promoted the caves as a place of worship for Hindus. The temple was designed as per Dravidian architecture and is dedicated to lord ‘Muruga’. At the foothills of the temple before ascending the 272 steps to the main cave stands the statue of Lord Muruga which is 140 feet tall, it is painted with 300 liters of gold paint brought in from Thailand and it costs around 24 million. It took 3 years in the making. Batu Caves is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, particularly to South Indians.

Photos: Myself...

surajputhane — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:46:00 GMT

Born in Bangalore, Nov 9, 1980. I did my schooling and college in the same city. After a course in Fashion Designing I shifted base to Mumbai (bollywood)to be an actor, but with time the process involved in Film making caught my fascination. It resulted in me turning into a writer and i started assisting top directors. After 6 years of struggle and experience as a writer, assistant director and an executive producer I took the plunge of making my own Independent films, with my work been screened at many film festivals. What started as a hobby of using the camera just on the film sets to shoot the stills became a full time obsession and that passion leading me to the profession. A self taught photographer with a keen eye of transforming emotions into stills, capturing the beauty of nature by understanding the importance of it. A thinker who believes in Post-Modernism, Ethical, Hard working and being Sensible is my strength.

Photos: Grandeur in the ruins

surajputhane — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:32:00 GMT

Ruins are often romanticized by Painters, Photographers, in Films and in Literature. To me, personally, every rock and every structure tells a story, they all contain fragments of my spirit. I felt possessed by the presence of an Ancient Ghost haunting around that place. The winds that blew amidst the cracks of the walls which are on the verge of collapsing, the roots emerging out from the little gaps on the structures, the opened roof of the libraries which used to be an ocean of knowledge. People relate to it in different ways, to some it is Religious, to some it is Historical and to some it is just an Architectural Splendor. What seems to be just a sight of rocks and debris at the present was a once flourishing empire. Being concluded as the largest Pre-Industrial city in the world, The ANGKOR WAT connects to a 1000 sq kms from its temple core. It is the world’s largest single religious monument. Over a period of 300 years (900-1200 A.D), the empire produced some of the worlds most magnificent Architectural masterpieces in Angkor. Jayavarman II, hailed himself as the Godking in 802 A.D and thus started the Khmer Empire. Derived from the Sanskrit word “Nagara”, Angkor was named the capital of his empire. The main temple is dedicated to lord “Vishnu”. Approximately 72 major temples and several hundred additional minor temples are scattered throughout the landscape and beyond the present Thai border. During 1170 A.D, the then king adopted Buddhism and altered the Hindu temples to display images of “Buddha”. In 1431 A.D, Thai invaders attacked the empire, which resulted in many people fleeing away from the main city. Another major contributing factor was the religious transition from Hinduism to Theravada Buddhism which created differences between its people…ultimately the whole Angkor was abandoned by the 15th century. Lost in time and going through the onslaught of weathering effects through the centuries. Since then, the temples remained hidden until 1907, when a French Archeologist discovered it. Even though there were efforts to restore the temples by the Frenchmen, the sites were robbed and the rich artifacts and sculptures being smuggled into the Thai border. To add misery to the restoration, the Khmer Rouges contributed in the plundering and destruction of the structures which were once the symbol of religious and royal importance. Since 1980’s, after the end of the Khmer Regime the temples have found their rightful place in the world and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.