To the moon and back

Sometimes I feel that blogging can be pretty pointless.

Why? Because I don't feel like letting go of the experiences I'm going through, the moments I'm experiencing and the thoughts on my mind. I want to hold on to things forever and savor them bit by bit.

This summer took me through moments of pure joy, excitement, love, happiness, curiosity, carelessness, intensity... and the list goes on. It tested my limits, made me more aware of who I am and what I want, throwing challenges at me one after another that said, 'lets see how you deal with this'. From New York City to Argentina to Manali and all the things that went up and down in between - what a mindblasting summer!

I saw a lot and I was inspired a lot. Inspiration came through its various ways - through friends, through the bazillion images that I saw and mostly through the experiences I went through.

Summer of 2011 goes down in history and reiterates 'never give up'.... ever.

Yamuna Yatra

The Yamuna river travels over 1200 km through several states of the country. Nearly 60 million people are dependent on the river as a water source for day to day living - washing, bathing and praying. Most of the clean water is stopped at the Wazirabad Dam leaving sewage and chemical waste material to go over into the next sector. The water past the Wazirabad dam is filthy black in color and the stench is unmistakable. People living on the banks of the river often fall sick as a result of waterborne diseases and suffer from various skin problems. The thriving forests, once the play ground for varieties of deer, antelope and other wildlife is now dead and barren land - the water, undrinkable and the non-existent level of oxygen in the water making the possibility for survival of marine life next to impossible.

The Yamuna Yatra is a 45-day walk or procession from the source of the river Yamuna in Allahabad to New Delhi to protest, to ask and to demand a cleaner river. Millions of rupees were recently allocated towards the clean up of the river, houses and temples on the banks were broken in the name of a clean-up, plans were made to 'seriously' look into the matter and it's been months, if not years that the level of pollution in the river continues to rise. The Yatra arrives in Delhi on April 15th to protest against the government and if all fails they 'will break the Wazirabad dam'.

fa-shun.

I'm not a fashion photographer and will never be.

A quick attempt today for a friend's new summer collection.

© Mansi Midha

Chandelao/Rajasthan

Chandelao is a quaint village an hour away from the city of Jodhpur, Rajasthan. These are a few images from when I traveled there in January 2011 on assignment --

Mansi Midha/2011.

A new lens

I just treated myself to a new lens. The Canon 35mm 1.4 L.

It's amazing how good glass feels - so effortlessly sharp, so easy to focus and just all around great. I'm a 28mm fixed focal length photographer (unless on assignment) and felt increasingly irritable with the inability to get what I wanted from my image. I gave into temptation, overstretched my pocket, my wallet, everything really... and found myself in pure ecstasy.

TO-go-TO LIST!

These are a few of the places I've been drooling over in the recent past -

1. Zanzibar, Tanzania

2. Peru

3. Laos

4. Andamans

5. North-East India

6. Bhutan

7. West Gujarat

8. Eastern Europe

9. Cuba

10. Bolivia

My top 10... err 5

I travel a lot. I also tend to 'fall in love' with a lot of places, things or just moments... the moments that come out of being in a new place :)

This a list of some of my favorite places, in no particular order -

1. Kadikoy, Istanbul, Turkey

Kadikoy is the better part of Istanbul I'd like to think. Istanbul is divided into two parts, the European side and the Asian Side. Kadikoy is a large cosmopolitan district on the Asian Side. I was in Turkey for a workshop in the summer of 2010 and Kadikoy came to be our 'home'. Its less touristy, more 'real' interms of people, prices, food etc. Since most of the tourist attractions (blue mosque, hagia sophia) are on the European side lesser tourists venture over to Kadikoy... which to me is AWESOME! Little do they know what lies on the other side of the Bhosphorous (shhhh don't tell them!)

View from the ferry to Kadikoy

© Mansi Midha

2. King's Cliff, Ooty, India

A long-ish drive from Central Ooty (long if you are used to short distances and short if you come from Mumbai) will bring you to the charming King's Cliff. It's a stunning property set amidst tea estates and panoramic views. The restaurant, Earl's Secret is the finest in Ooty.

Small intimate dining areas and private living rooms complete with a fireplace make it a must visit if you are in the area. Oh, and they even encourage you to carry your own spirits.

Imagine a cool winter evening, watching the sun go down over the hills, sipping red wine, a bunch of awesome people, an old-home, old-world, creaking-wood-under your-feet type of feeling, a fireplace and the best-est tiramisu. Sold?

3. Mumbai, India

Oh MUMBAI - you crazy crazy thing!!! What can I say?! Nothing really, except that I'm not a Delhi-ite who would take part in the Delhi-Mumbai war because I'm unsure if my loyalty rests with my home ground!

4. McLeodgunj, India

McLeodgunj, the home of calm and home to the Dalai Lama.

I visited McLeodgung in 2009 and stayed at Pema Thang. I don't know what it is about McLeodgunj that attracted me to it, it was probably the people and the heavy buddhist presence that brought about a sense of calm the minute I set foot in. Not to forget a chance meeting with the Dalai Lama himself and the blessing of my camera.

5. Rabbit Island, Cambodia

Read this.

... to be continued.

Happy New Year!

© Mansi Midha

Wishes for a fantastic year ahead!

With the new year I hope to blog a bit more regularly. I seem to be missing out on narrating a lot of great experiences and moments! With 2011 I look forward to spending a considerable amount of time working in the South of India on a personal project and then in South America.

A lot of things brewing at the moment - looks like it's going to be a good one. Salud!

Anjali House

I'm almost on my way to Siem Reap for the 6th Angkor Photo Festival.

This year I will be joining an amazing crew of photographers to teach photography to the kids of Anjali House. I'm really excited to see the work the kids will produce this time. From the 2008-2009 photo workshops for the kids a book has been produced, launching this year at the festival. 

Running parallel to the photo festival and the workshop for the kids at anjali house will be the workshop for young emerging photographic talent from asia,  a workshop that I have attended in the past.

I love Cambodia and I love the spirit of it's people - this has been the trip I've waited for all year long!

© Sohrab Hura

Durga Puja in Calcutta

Durga Puja is an annual festival in South Asia that celebrates the worship of the Hindu goddess, Durga. The festival is the most significant socio-cultural event in Bengali society that takes place annually over a period of six days. At the end of six days, the idol is taken out of homes and places of worship, in a procession amidst loud chanting, drumbeats and dancing. The idol is immersed in the holy river which symbolizes the departure of the goddess from her maternal home to to reunite with her husband.Durga Puja celebrates the power of good winning over the evil. To describe it in words simple for the western world – Durga Puja to the Bengali community is what Christmas is to Christians. Or like my Bengali friend says ‘It’s like Mardi Gras minus naked women’