The Past of the Present is in the Future of the Now

  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...

Darwin said we descended from apes. Scientists say chimpanzees share nearly 80% of our DNA. Fair enough. India, of course, looked at this theory and said, “Cute. But let us upgrade the script a little.” We gave the world the Ramayana. Lord Rama. Hanuman. An entire monkey army that crossed oceans, burned Lanka and took down Ravana. Since then, our relationship with monkeys has remained beautifully complicated — part devotion, part negotiation, part armed conflict. Even the Discovery Channel once did a full documentary on India’s monkeys. Frankly, they deserved a sequel after meeting the Vrindavan gang. Here’s my classified field report. Last Holi, end of February, I landed in Vrindavan for a photography walk. Our team leader gathered us like a commando unit before insertion into hostile territory. “Seal your cameras.” “Waterproof your gear.” “And for God’s sake… protect your spectacles.” Then came the final briefing. “ The monkeys here are professionals. They steal goggles, ...