Shanghumakam Beach
There are some places that do not merely exist on a map but they quietly become a part of your inner landscape. For me, this lonely stretch of Shanghumakam beach in Thiruvananthapuram was one such place. While the city still slept under the weight of unfinished dreams, I would wake before dawn, pick up my camera gear, slide quietly into my VW Vento car and drive through the silent roads toward the sea. There was something sacred about those drives. No honking. No rush. No noise of ambition. Just empty roads, moist air, sleepy coconut trees and the faint promise of light waiting somewhere beyond the horizon. People often chase sunrises in Kerala, but being on India’s west coast, sunsets are where the real poetry unfolds. And this frame, this particular photograph was taken during one such evening when the sky decided to perform Mozart. I had my usual ritual. Tripod. Camera. A burger packed casually on the passenger seat. And patience. I w...