My pictures with their little stories

The Man and The Machine It is the love, care and dedication of the technicians at the steam loco workshop at Coonoor that has kept these beautiful X class vintage steam locomotives running on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway . Whoever I spoke to at this workshop - the technicians as well as the engine drivers, they were all proud of the fact nowhere in the world you can find such relics from the past up and running. (2007) Here is my blog post on Nilgiri Mountain Railway

Makke ki roti, Sarson ka saag at Amritsar Relished the desi ghee preparations at several restaurants in the alleys of the old city. These were certainly not places with new world ambience, but then the food they served was authentic.  (2010) 

Buddhist monks at a monastery, Bhutan The red robes of the young monks in this Buddhist monastery in Bhutan created a stunning contrast against the backdrop of predominantly white majestic walls and steps.  Another sharp contrast was the age - the monastery which is few hundred years old providing a solid foundation to the young energetic monks who are still learning. Interesting to note this contrast operating at two different planes.

At the upper level of the monastery, photo by Milind Sathe As I climbed up to the upper level of the monastery to take few pictures from above, came across this motley group which included western travellers, seekers of spiritual experience, two local young beauties and two bubbly kids. All these characters made a perfect setting for a lively shot with so many little stories in one single frame.

View from above - Dancers at the monastery festival in Bhutan While the local dancers wore spectacularly colourful attires, the wet surface of the floor below prompted me to climb up and take few pictures from above. The pattern of the stone floor which did not have any symmetry looked very inviting after a shower in the morning that day. While the downpour stopped, the clouds were still hovering and this lent a sense of special air to the festive mood already prevalent.

At village Shoja, Himachal It was a fascinating walk through Shoja in Himachal, a village on the edge of the mountains. All houses with slate roofs, close knit to be available for each other at a shout and living together with their cattle. To be on the edge all the time is something urbanites cannot imagine. The slate stone shines when the sun rays fall upon it at an angle. From a distance, this is quite a view.

Play of shadows at Paro Dzong It was late afternoon with the sun going down. The shadows of the trees created a lovely visual on the white outer wall of this dzong at Paro . I had to pick this up.