Tip for Rain Photography

Most photographers prefer not to venture out in rain to get a perfect picture, all to keep their equipments safe. Well one should know that ‘rain photography’, is one of the best to get good images if exposed well.


I tried to catch the movement of the women as well as get the rain drops (top Left),
In the next picture I wanted to get some close up of the drops of water (top)
and in this 1991 photo taken on M G Road for Times of India showing the water drops on top a car bonnet (left).



In this picture taken in Bhopal during the tribal protest against the Digvijay Singh Government their was a downpour which was relenting to go, and I wanted to shoot a image to show only the umbrellas from a height. So I climbed this 12 floor residential building to get this image for the Hindustan Times - Bhopal Edition, which got a display of six columns on the front page.


TIP: Use the low lighting condition to your advantage and lessen the shutter speed using aperture priority mode. Always try and get a dark background, and use a zoom lens rather than a wide lens. The zoom lens will help you to capture the water droplets and also give the field of depth which is required for any good rain pictures.

Shutter Speed bracket: s 1/ 30 or s 1/60 Aperture bracket: f: 8 or f: 11


The family running in the rain was taken at f:8 with 1/60 of second (top left), the girl on the bike was at f:11 with 1/60 of a second and the last picture was taken at f:11 with a shutter speed of 1/15 of second.

Note: all the pictures were taken with a 70 -200 mm, f:2.8 lens.




http://epaper.dnaindia.com/dnabangalore/epapermain.aspx?queryed=7&eddate=7%2f25%2f2009

The link above is the page in DNA- Bangalore where the tips are given.

Prisoners offer a lesson in self-help on water crisis

This story was planned when one day I was visiting the jail during the annual Raksha Bandahan that I saw two dozen hardened criminals being paraded in a line and taken by walk to the other side of the jail premises, so I asked the Jailer on their movements and he just brushed it aside and told me to call him later in the day after the other media members have left the jail premises. I did so that evening and he explained me the whole story, and asked me to visit if I want to the next day. I did so and landed up with another story to my credit.

The convicts residing with in the four walls of the Central Jail are set to teach a lesson or two to their compatriots on the outside. The jail inmates have their own solution to the current water crisis and accordingly plan to construct their own stop-dam at the Gandhi Nagar area of Bhopal, opposite the jail premises.
Till recently, illegal occupants had a free run of the place setting shops and houses on the Central Jail land. Thanks to the efforts of Jail Superintendent Purshotam Somkuwar the encroachments were removed. It was Somkuwar’s idea to set up a stop-dam and a farm in the area.
“When I saw the Bhoj Wet Land people breaking up the hills close by and dumping boulders in our grounds, I decided to make use of them by constructing a stop dam. The dam would make available potable water for the 2,500-odd inmates, 1,500-odd staffers and residents in a four KM radius. The 50 by 8 meter stop dam would span an area of 600 meters and run 1.5 meters deep. The entire construction would be undertaken by the Bhopal Central Jail inmates.
Somkuwar says the project would enable the Police Department to save Rs 5,000 per day in water expenditure for the jail.

He adds the rain water running down adjoining hills and flooding the area would be the main source of water.
“I have requested the BMC to give us digger machines to remove the silt. There has been no response so far, so I have decided to approach private organizations for their support,” he says. While the dam promises to solve the summer water shortage in the jail, for life convict Kanahiya Lal, it also promises a taste of freedom. Kanahiya Lal says it feels great to work outside the four walls without the chains – a staple scene in innumerable Hindi films. And while the hardened criminals confront the pressing problem head-on, it is high time the BMC and public in general learn a lesson and start thinking of the fate of the 15 odd lakes in the City. Hopefully, they have to approach the Central Jail inmates for potable water.

Pools shut doors for 'Swimming Prodigy'

This story after it appeared in the Hindustan Times - Bhopal edition in 2001, gave a great feeling to me, since I being from a sporting background, I had placed myself into the situation the boys who were using the Lower Lake as their swimming turf and bringing laurels to the State of Madhya Pradesh, while those who were slightly higher in financial status were given the privilege of training in the Government swimming pool. After this story appeared in Hindustan Times - Main Paper along with supplement srories in the HT Bhopal -Live and the Photo Story, Uma Bharati the then Union Minister for Sports intervened and ensured that all these underprivileged swimmers of the city of Bhopal are issued a card and allowed to train in the government swimming pools. This plain satisfaction which my story did for the boys of the fishermen community in Bhopal will always remain in my memory and am also thankful to Uma Bharati who had taken some steps to build the bridge and ensure that at least in sports there is no difference between the rich and poor.

Winning two swimming gold medals at the National level and about 75 gold medals at district and State levels during the past five years means nothing for the people who run the three swimming pools in Bhopal. Swimming prodigy 14- year old Sajan Batham would still have to practice in the highly contaminated and foul-smelling waters of the Lower Lake.
The doors of the swimming pools are close on Sajan and about fifty other youths of the fishermen community for they cannot pay the annual fee of Rs 1000 or above. Nor do they have the conveyance facility to travel from downtown Bhoipura locality on the bank of the Lower Lake to the swimming pools every day.
Sajan is one of the most promising boys being trained by Murildhar Batham who runs Dolphin Club.
In the national meet, Sajan participates in an amazing 16 events of the junior groups and eight of the senior’s category. The Batham community holds total sway in the district and State level championships. About 30 of the 45-member district team, participating in the current State Swimming championship under way here at Prakash Tarun Pushkar, are Bathams.
Nobody exactly remembers the number of golds Sajan has won at district and State levels. Not even Sajan himself. All his coach Murlidhar batham can say is “Sajan has won about 125 medals and no less than three-fourths of them are gold.”
But business is business. Neither the Capital Project Authority (CPA), which runs Prakash Tarun Pushkar, nor the Bhopal Municipal Corporation which runs Pari Bazar swimming pool can make a concession to the talented sports persons. Pay fees and acquire membership; health hazard from the Lower Lake and your talent both be damned.
Sajan and 30 others boys practice up to three hours every day in the Lower Lake. And yet they do not feel uncomfortable when they switch over to the swimming pools for the championship.

Sajan Batham (Left) and Sunil Batham (Right)

“I sure would like to regularly practice in swimming pools,” says Sajan with a sad look.
What facilities are provided by the State Swimming Association?
“Well, they allow us to compete in championships,” remarks Murlidhar. “In any case, the Association does not have funds to support swimmers adequately,” he adds. Sajan, though hurt and bewildered at not being allowed to the swimming pools, is undaunted. “I will keep winning till they come to me and offer to use the polls.” That, however, seems to be not possible in the near future.

Swimmers in Search of Water

Ranjit Bataham, a strapping 20 year old from the fisherman community is a temporary hand in the ongoing pulse polio campaign for a meager daily wage of Rs 30. his muscular tone doesn’t go with his menial job. He’s a swimmer in a league of his own, having made innumerable contribution in aquatics for Mahya Pradesh over the last eight years.
He doesn’t even remember the first splash in the historic Lower Lake of the State Capital. Boys from his community start that young. Ranjit has a unique legacy: his father Ravi Shankar was national and State Champion for over five years on the trot in the late 70s.
A word with the father-son duo reveals a shocking reality. Fishermen like them have been swimming in the polluted and stinking waters of the Lower Lake for decades before going on to be national champions. That’s because they aren’t allowed practice in the Government-controlled swimming pools in Bhopal, except for the odd meet because the State desperately needs the medals to show off. There’s no formal coaching. The love of water is all that keeps them going.
Ravi Shankar was a BHEL employee. Denied promotions despite earning bagsful of medals for his employer, Ravi Shankar turned to liquor to drown frustration borne out of neglect. When he was kicked out due to irregular attendance, unions demanded Rs 50,000 to help him get the job back. His latest vocation is taking tourists on a cruise in the Lower Lake and makes about Rs 60 a day. Fishing during pre-dawn hours helps him support a family of eight with about Rs 80 per day.
Ranjit, on the other hand, has quit studies and does odd jobs to support his family. “I have five younger sisters to marry off,” he moans.
There are many stories like this father-son duo. They don’t figure in the sports plans of the officialdom.
The indigent community went to the extent of pooling money to get a Sports Authority of India (SAI) coaching certification for one of its boys. Ishwar Ram Batham, another national swimmer, was coached at the SAI center in Patiala. Lack of opportunities forced him back into his dingy slum on the banks of the Lower Lake.

“When I approached SAI center in Bhopal after completing training in Patiala as a coach, I was told that it was a waste as there was no vacancy. “They added that swimming is not going to be promoted in Madhya Pradesh.” He then approached the State Swimming Federation only to hear the same answer.
The last swimming coach at SAI center in Bhopal was Dilip Singh Chouhan in 1995. Ishwar says if swimming is promoted in Bhopal, an unbeatable team could be produced.
“The Swimming Federation in Bhopal and Madhya Pradesh do very little for our community who are gifted swimmers from an early age. We are not even allowed to enter the pools for training,” Ishwar complains.
For the swimming team of Bathams & Raiwakars, the day starts very early, at 4am, catching fish. A two hour swimming practice follows from 7 am and after that it’s off to schools and colleges. Food, of course being low priority. Twenty-year-old Sunil Batham, a national swimmer and present State Champion with an unmatched record doesn’t know nutrition. He has taken part in 15 championships and meets including school-level, national opens and State championships, and has a haul of over 75 medals. “All we need is proper training and nourishment to produce results,” he says wistfully.
Sajan Batham is another swimmer who at 19 already has more than 50 medals, “All we need is the SAI canter to adopt us and the results will follow,” he says.
The list of national swimmers this small community has produced is long and medals are visible in all the community households near the Kali Mandir on the banks of the Lower Lake.

Can Uma Bharati & SAI help?

If sports lovers back they would have enough reasons to feel proud of the achievements of Limba Ram & Kamala Sidhi. Former Union Minister for Sports Margret Alva had started a scheme for the Sidhis in the costal belts of Karnataka. The scheme paid dividends. Present MP and Union Minister of Sports Uma Bharati would do well to initiate a similar scheme for the swimmers of the Batham & Raikwar community in Bhopal. Any delay would only kill the sport for this community, which youngsters already feel is a waste of energy. Instead they want to concentrate energies on their generations –old profession and catch fish for the “thekedars’ at an ever-decreasing price.

AWARDS ELUDING THE COMMUNITY
The Ekalvya and Vikram awards coveted by every State sportsperson have eluded the swimming community of the city for more that a decade. The last swimmer to have received the Vikram award for swimming was Deepak Joshi in 1990. Though their coach has been applying for his wards for the last 5 years the Lower Lake boys have yet to find favour with the Sports Department. The community calls it bias, and cites their extraordinary performances at the State and national levels. Sunil and Sajan Batham seem to have got the worst of the deal. Rajender, head coach of the community, says Indore swimmers wlk off with the awards with much less achievements. Last year’s Ekalavaya award winner for swimming has only a single National opens silver medal, he points out.

Reaction form the Union Minister for Sports:
After the Hindustan Times carried this story Union Sports Minister Uma Bharati who was in Bhopal, ensured that all the swimmers from this community were given an pass to enter the government run swimming pools and also were issued a free bus pass. As for SAI adopting them, Uma Bharati had issued an order asking SAI to work out the modalities of adopting them and had the director to submit a detailed report on how many would actually make it to the SAI center. This reaction from an Union Minister was very helpful and now the Bathams and the Raikwaras of the city of Lakes have started to swim their way to glory, only a few more years and one will get to see a flood of swimmers from this very bank at the Lower Lake fighting for honor in the elite of the elitist in the field of water sport.

Story telling through 'Images'

This innovative way of telling a story through images is an old wine but what I learned more about it during my Reuter's Foundation Willy Vicoy Fellowship at the University of Missouri in Columbia town of Missouri state in the mid-west of the USA, was that how to make it more powerful if worked with a theme and more so to sequence the raw images to make it flow like a 70mm movie in the eyes of your readers.
Like most journalist I too had come out with photo stories earlier to my fellowship but the one we started once a week in the Bhopal Edition of the Hindustan Times was very satisfying as a fotog, and which also made me put into practice the knowledge I had learned from very senior American photographers during my fellowship.
As new launch newspapers who have a lot of space to fill the easy way out for the desk is to fill it with images and so the photographers come in demand during these not so often situation. But I have been very lucky that way, since the start of my career with the City Tab for a year or so, and then later with the Times of India’s Bangalore Edition in 1987 to 1993, the paper had a whole lot of space to fill and so I got the encouragement I needed to go out get anything that will run into the newsprint with a snappy caption to correlate with the picture.
So what you get to see are the scanned copies of some of the photo stories which I had worked on in Bhopal and published in the Hindustan Times – Bhopal edition.
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The first of the Photo Story was on the gates of Bhopal which was in a dilapidated condition, and so after a lot of deliberation between the Resident Editor, Bureau Chief and me this theme was to lead our weekly package. This theme was decided so that we could wake the citizens as well as the city officials to start conserving them before they came down on their heads.

The readers notice read: A photo feature will appear in this space every Wednesday. It will narrate a story on an aspect of Bhopal’s life and times via visuals. For its inaugural edition, we thought it would be a good idea to carry something which epitomizes Bhopal. Hence the gates (and archways). Happy viewing!

MUTE VICTIMS OF NEGLECT

In the era gone by, the town of Bhopal was dotted with huge gates and archways. The gates were entrances to the walled city and the archways led into palace complexes like Taj Mahal, Benazir, Moti Mahal and Sadar Manzil.
They witnessed battles, rebellions, coronations, marriage processions of the royalties, ceremonial welcomes to the state guests and other such grand occasions.
Most of the entrances to the town, like Ginnori Gate, Peer Gate, Imami Gate, Budhwara Gate, Mangalwara Gate and Itwara Gate were obliterated to create spaces (they no longer exist).
However, some survived the mindless attempts to broaden roads and streets. Jumerati Gate, one of the entrances to the walled city, survived miraculously and was repaired a few years back. The archways near Sadar Manzil, Kaala Darwaza, Islami Gate, Benazir, some around Taj Mahal and a gate of the Fatehgarh Fortress in Hamidia Hospital premises are among the few left to tell the stories of the past. Hindustan Times lensman S Shiv Kumar captured some of the remaining gates and archways.

THE BAWRIS OF BHOPAL

Centuries ago, a poet of yore advised those with altruistic inclinations: Pul bana, Chaah bana, Masjid-O-Talaab bana. (Build bridges water-wells mosques and ponds).
The rulers and the pious (and the occasional combination of the two!) followed the advice. Actually, they went a step further and built step-wells (bawris) too. These bridges, wells, places of worship, ponds and lakes are still providing relief to the people.
Among these constructions, which dotted the country, were the bawris. To call them merely ‘step-wells’ is an understatement. These quaint constructions did much more than merely provide water to people. During hot weather they became a retreat for people, as balconies were carved out of the wells’ walls on all four sides. Here people took refuge during afternoons to enjoy a cool siesta with families and friends.
Bawris were preferred over the tehkhanas (basements) because they were always open and provided ample fresh air. They were constructed with elaborate care with beautifully carved arches and rooms inside. No air-conditioners or coolers were needed there.
At least ten of these bawris have survived the ravages of time in Bhopal. A visit to them opens a window to the past. Some are still in a good condition but others have unfortunately been neglected. Some bawris have fallen into private hands (like the one near Aish Bagh) where the crew of a TV channel was recently bashed up. There is still time to preserve this legacy of the past.

BHOPAL'S MORNING LIFE

Bhopal makes up for its lack of night life by the early morning activities. While you are tucked in the warmth of your blanket at dawn, half of the city is up and kicking. By the time sun’s rays hit the city (around 5 am), all its major walks face a traffic jam. Homo sapiens of all varieties – young and old, tall and short, thin and fat can be seen perambulating. And, by 9 am, the remaining half of Bhopal’s populace is revving. Except the oddballs, of course.
One can spot the flower pickers (for pooja) as also who laugh their lungs out at the laughter club adjoining Shapura lake. The earliest to hit the job tracks are the fishermen who leave their house between 4 to 5 am, to serve the city’s fishy people. The newspapers vendors and the milkmen (with their water jugs) follow on their heels. For the bargain seekers, early morning is ‘the’ time to land at the sabzi mandi.
Around the same time, children get thrown out of their beds by their mothers … The otherwise impossible to wade Hamidia road wears a curfew look (but for the sweepers).
It is reporting time on the job for the beggars, in particular for those with the plum outside – the temple postings. The city’s by lanes are by now filled with the smell of Poha Jalebi, its favoured breakfast.
The recent drinking water crisis has converted many in Bhopal to be forced as early risers. Let’s hope the habit stays on. After all, early to rise … makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise.

BHOPAL'S WATER CRISES

For the past couple of years Bhopal has been facing water shortage, particularly during summers. This year, the scenario is even worse. What has brought it about? What can be done about it? In the short and long term?
The concrete jungle that has come up has virtually blocked the surface flow to the lake. Besides, the tube wells dug over the years have lowered the groundwater level. In any case Bhopal’s water resources were not meant for a city of this size. As the city is bound to grow there is no chance of the problem abetting. So something will have to be done about it. Water from Narmada is still a far cry, if at all.
Hence in the short term we will have to manage the present resources better. Ground water recharging could be taken up, but some reports say that it pollutes the water. Harvesting rainwater from the rooftops could be another way. These and some other steps could be taken in the short term. For the long term, a perspective action plan for the city’s water needs will have to be drawn. More than these, it is an attitudinal change that is needed.
However, none of these will work without public participation the problem cannot be tackled. An aggressive and sustained awareness campaign will have to be launched – at once. Else, the citizens of Bhopal will have to accept watered down quality of life.

BITTAN BY 'HAAT'
The Haats are symbolic of the process of Sanskritisation … They are the carry overs when villages grow into towns … Have a culture of their own … The bargaining, noise, smell and the informality make up for a heady experience.

For roughly a quarter century now, people living in and around Bittan market have not worried about fresh vegetables. The secret – a travelling vegetable and fruit market – the Haat – comes to their doorsteps thrice a week (Monday, Thursday and Saturday). The Bittan Haat is a treasurehouse of vegetables, fruits, spices, sickles, clothes and what have you. The Haats are circulating markets which derive their name from the station of the day. Hence the name – Bittan market for those three days. The prices too vary according to the economic station of the people of the area. Thus, if Bhindi costs Rs. 20. a kg at Bittan market, at Nehru Nagar it would cost Rs.16.
The stall owners come from all parts of the city and beyond- Sehore, Berasia, Neelbad, Karod, Misrod, Naya Basera- to name a few. While some just about make their ends meet, others are quite happy with their lot. Shabbir Khan from Baag Sevania, a spice stall vendor in one such person. He says ‘I make a lot of money and that’s why I do not want to put up a regular shop’.
Likewise, Mahesh (who hails from old Bhopal and sells chicken at all the Haats in Bhopal) when asked about the criterion for varying the pice smiles and says ‘it is a trade secret’. Occasionally an elephant strolls at the end of the day collecting sundry gifts from the vendors and passing on them to the mahout. Tea vendors too have a field day supplying ‘cut tea’ at regular intervals to the vendors, at times even in absentia. They end up raking 200 bucks on an average day. The petromax suppliers are another species to inhabit these Haats. (A dozen of them supply lamps at Rs 15 per night).
Saleem, a fish stall owner cites the quality of the produce as the USP of Bittan. He adds on with a smile, ‘However hard the politicians try to divide people on the basis of caste, religion and creed, we at the Haat move on like one family.’ Says a seasoned Bittan visitor ‘it is definitely cheaper than the open market and you get everything fresh.’ Haven’t you been Bittan yet?

BHOPAL'S NIGHT LIFE

To many, Bhopal’s night life is a contradiction of terms. According to them, no such thing exists. (For, they equate night life with glamorous and /or sleazy stuff). There is some element of truth in this. Compared to the cities of its size (even Indore). Bhopal hardly has any activity post prime time TV. In fact, by late evening the city resembles an overgrown village. However, there is more to night life than merely that.
As darkness sets in, the city presents a different picture. If for the majority it’s time to jump into a cozy bed or to play with the TV remote control buttons, there are many others who turn nocturnal to keep the city ticking. Our photographer and correspondent vroomed into the streets and past the landmarks of the city to capture the night’s spirit. Barring a few stray dogs, Bhopal’s night showed no signs of life. As for the ghosts, they inhabit the select areas like the VIP Road. MP Nagar and Jyoti railway under-bridge (according to sources). When our team tried to contact them, they stonewalled saying they do not speak to the press. The idea of the story was to catch the various shades of Bhopal’s night. For which our team zipped roughly from dusk to dawn. The results are hereby displayed.

BHOPAL'S FISHY BUSINESS

“Fishing is not easy as it appears to be”, says Gore Lal a fisherman with 16 children 6 grandchildren, and, of course, two wives.” When asked is it sufficient for such a huge family, he laughs and replies “I just about manage to survive, by god’s grace.”
These fishermen who start the day as early as 4.00am, strain all their muscles till 12 noon, and find solace in the company of a quarter (Pauwa) bottle of liquor, (and good fried fish to go with it.) In the evening Kalu a fisherman from Beta Gaon (on the edge of the upper lake towards Bairagarh), says “We get so tired and the water in the lake being filthy, our full body starts to itch in the evening, so we have a pauwa and sleep like a baby”.
Most of the fishermen are from a select few communities like the KAr, Batham, Raikwar, Manjhi and Nishad, (all Hindus). Bhagwan Das a fisherman of the lower lake sys that it is because of the job crunch that some of their children who have completed their 10th standard and a few who are graduates, too join the family business.
With the BMC leasing out the fishing business to private contractors, these 500 odd fishermen have been forced to make do with a meager sum of rupees 6 to 8 a KG of fish caught by them in the lake.
Fishermen throughout the city are peeved at the way their society is treated by the BMC and the State Government.
“What can we do say’s a fisherman, we all are uneducated and the BMC and the Government has fooled us, by saying that we will be paid more. Earlier, they made at least rupees 100 or more a day, while not the contractors pay only up to rupees 60 per fisherman.

BHOPAL'S WILDLIFE SPOT

In a way wild animals are our reference points. Bhopal has one such spot – the Van Vihar National Park – right in its heart. Situated on the South-West part of the City, perhaps Van Vihar is the only National Park which is situated in the heart of a city and is open around the year. Spread over 400 hectares, it is a microcosm of Madhya Pradesh’s wildlife. Tigers, Lions, Leopards, Cheetals, Barasinghas (the state animal of MP), Bears, Wild Boar and a host of other animals can be seen in their natural environs and a visitor can get to have a close encounter with them. Another significant part of the Van Vihar is the spacious separate enclosures for the carnivorous species. White tiger lends a special charm to it. According to the range officer of Van Vihar Shankar Jangle, a novel experiment was recently carried out here wherein a white tiger was given live bait. The white tigers across the world are in captivity and have almost lost the habit to kill. In this case it was interesting to see it return to its natural instincts. The Van Vihar authorities also help to trap monkeys which create nuisance in Bhopal. In order to promote awareness about wildlife, the forest authorities have set up a shop in Van Vihar selling T-shirts. So, if you have not been to this patch of paradise in southwest Bhopal, do so now.

Thirsty doves quench his 'Soul'

This story which you read below was the first I wrote for the Bangalore Mirror Edition on June 23rd , 2007. The BM was launched on the 15th of June 2007 and since I liked writing soft human interest stories, I caught on this story during my early morning visit to Cubbon Park on June 22nd 2007 morning, only to see thousands of pigeons surrounding a man patiently pouring water into pots kept at various points of the High Court lawns facing the Vidhan Soudha. I got very curious and tried to get closer to talk to him only to scare the pigeons. So I first captured all the pictures I needed and waited for another half an hour or so, for the man could get free and was available to speak to me. Below is what transpired between him and me.

Many Bangaloreans love that morning walk through the serene environs of Cubbon Park. Those taking the route through the High Court road often see pigeons being fed grains and crushed corn by bird enthusiasts and morning walkers.
But if you spot hundreds of pigeons fluttering around one particular man, it's not because of 'something special' that he's feeding them. He's the man responsible for quenching their thirst. For 52 year old Shivalinge Gowda, this act of his is not just therapeutic, it's something he says has changed his life.
Gowda places little clay water bowls on the premises of the High Court lawns and fills them with water to feed the pigeons during his morning walk.
That he's surrounded by so many birds every time he walks there is proof that they are thirsty too. It all began three years ago, when Gowda - at that time an emotionally broken man - accidentally took a stroll through the High Court lawns and was surprised to see many people feeding the doves, but not quenching their thirst.

"Feeding is a good form of charity, but leaving them without water does not complete the circle of charity. I decided to take up the task, providing them with water. It makes me feel good that they don't feel thirsty," Gowda Says. Gowda's novel form of charity begins at 7:15 am every day and continues for over an hour. "I have bought a plastic pot and clay water bowls and personally carry water to feed these birds," he explained. This philanthropic work has brought its own rewards, said Gowda. "I don't know how, but I have regained my lost happiness and I have become stronger emotionally and mentally."

Little Luck is needed always

In the field of Photojournalism one needs a little luck to land up with good pictures for the benefit of the readers and the more so that the newsroom likes it. So when I came up with this picture on 23rd February, 1990, the then chief reporter of the Times of India had rejected them saying it was not good, but with a bit of luck and hard sell to the news desk it made it to the page 1 the next day. Soon after the picture was published on the front page the then BMP (now BBMP) sprang into action and repaired all the leaking pipe lines on that Hosur road Wilson Garden junction.

Luck and a little maneuvering of her tiny wrist fetch this young girl pots of water through a tiny gap between pavement slabs on the Hosur main road. But with summer here, her luck might not be so good a few weeks from now. Even the broken pipe down under might dry up like the taps in the city during summer.

This pictures was published on the February 24th, 1990 issue of the Times of India in Bangalore.

Sense of Sharing

The below picture which fetched me the Honorable Mention in the International Photography Awards for the year 2002 in the International submission section, held annually in the USA. This also got me the annual Photographic Society of India (Mumbai) and the India International Photography Council award.

Wetting their Throat … A cow and a girl quench themselves as the heat wave soared above the 43 Degree Celsius in Bhopal on 21st May 2000.

This picture happened when I was returning after covering a daily assignment for the Hindustan Times in Bhopal and I had lost my way since it was my fourth month in the lake city of India. I happened to land into the outer part of Bhopal city near the Kaliya Sot Dam, and this picture was taken even as I was riding my scooter.