People

View more photos 

People. They are my favorite subjects. It's the genuine expressions that captivate me. People laughing, children crying, friends teasing and children playing. Human. Purely Human.

I had gone to photograph the underground portion of a temple which my friend, Jani, had showed me a few days before. I went in took a series of photos then walked out and sat on the steps of one of the temples. The temple complex is situated in an area that doesn't have much tourist traffic, I was the only one there, and the place exuded a fair amount of tranquility. I sat there indulging in the serene atmosphere.    

A few minutes later, a group of children entered the complex, their laughter resonating in the complex. They spotted me and ran up to me to say hi. Upon seeing my camera, they asked if I can take their photo. Of course, the photographer in me obliged. How can I refuse when I had a group of beautiful and willing subjects? That was the beginning of what became a fun and delightful family photo shoot.    

View more photos 

I captured the moment as best I can. The laughs and the smiles of this precious family. The pouts and the cries of the babies who were being forced to pose by their elder siblings. The pure innocence of the children and even the grandmothers at play and the serenity of the ones resting nearby, silently waiting.    

They invited me to dinner and we walked over to an area where the rest of the family was performing their religious rituals. There was a woman dressed in a beautiful red sari giving puja to their God, Shiva. I was asked to take off my sandals and join in. I put my hand over fire and brushed my hand over my head. They poured coconut juice and water into my hand to drink, so I drank. These rituals symbolized receiving blessing from their God Shiva and purification. A woman dipped her finger into kunkum (red powder) and dotted my forehead showing I had taken part in the ritual.    

View more photos 

We then gathered in a small stone pavilion, sat down cross legged and were served dinner. They placed banana leaves in front of us which served as our plate. They proceeded to fill our plates with delightful sweets, rice and sumptuous vegetable masala in which they poured it's soup onto our rice. I looked around as the family used their fingers to mix the soupy masala into their rice, scoop it and ate, so naturally, I followed. The children pointed and laughed at me as I struggled to eat my rice which kept sifting through my fingers so much that by the time my hand reached my mouth I only had a few grains of rice. It took me awhile but I managed to get the hang of it and finish my dinner.    

After dinner, I was escorted out by the children who lined up to give me a kiss on both cheeks and sent off with their enthusiastic waves of goodbye. We kissed, waved goodbye and I walked away. A smile emblazoned on my face and in my heart.

View more photos 

I had been missing my own family back at home since it's the holidays and today, I was blessed to be part of a special family gathering somewhere else half way around the world.