Winters have almost ended. Over the last few weeks, I was able to get a lot of things in order at home and garden. The fruit trees are now covered with blossoms and some lazy ones are still to wake up from their winter hibernation. Today, after a long time, I got up early for a trek in the forest and for some bird-watching.
With the festival season going on in full frenzy, the village near my place also celebrates the season in its own way. Due to Covid-19, the celebrations were toned down. There was mask on every other face. People avoided gathering up in crowds… and yet the season was festive.
One of the major attractions in the region is ‘Ramlila’ or enactment of the Ramayana. It lasts for ten days. This was an opportunity to capture some interesting scenes from the spectacle and from behind the scenes.
Coo..coo…coo…tweet…tweet…coo…coo…
It’s 5:45 AM in the morning. I get woken up by the melodious song of a Blue Whistling Thrush. This one had made a nest near my roof last year. The call is just in time to wake me up for early morning light on the Himalayan peaks.
Just a few days back, a couple of photographers came to stay at Maini’s Hill Cottages, a homestay run by my family. They were old friends. They came on a family vacation and had their photography gear with them. A photographer will always remain a photographer after all. What followed were two days of great photography and photo-walks and some beautiful moments spent together.
Hills always attract me. Even more so, when the distant snow-covered peaks are visible. Every winter, these glimmering white peaks become my favorite subject for photography. Different peaks, different weather conditions, varying times of the day… these peaks are very dynamic! Every day presents a new subject.
(Is that an early morning snow storm on the peak that I just captured?)
