My first and the only camera that I have, has been my solo companion for a long long time now. However, back in 2008, I was just starting to occupy myself with it. Being my last semester in college, I tried my hands at various different things including probono activities.
I clicked a frame of bricks on which we were teaching kids basic numerical system. I don’t know if they were in the right atmosphere to learn all of it, as for the rest of the day they had little attention from educators. These kids came from migrant laborer families from the remote villages of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Back then, there were few mechanisms to absorb them into formal education and so the NGO at Kanpur played a major role in shaping the future of some of the kids.
I also remember clicking various moments on IITK campus including my beloved BSBE department, which shaped me into what I am today. As and when time permitted, I would take my friends on a field trip and capture our surroundings. Some of the photos that I clicked are included here.
Soon my fateful day at IITK came and we presented our final year research project to faculties who graded us and were happy with the overall outcome. I remember we had a farewell party with faculties as it was the first BTech batch to graduate from an interdisciplinary biology department from IITK or possibly entire IITs back then. Some of the photos from our BTech project presentation day are included herein.
The buffer time before my joining a pharma in Hyderabad in the summer of 2008, I spent with my family visiting Bangalore and Kodaikanal. It was a picturesque place where we had lots of fun as a family.
Soon I made my first trip to Hyderabad and stayed briefly in a company-sponsored guest house before renting out an apartment in the Amerpeet area. It was a new experience as for the first time I was supporting myself with food, space, and work. As they say, there is beauty in the entropy. Back then, being the second most populous country in the world, every angle had something great to offer. I ended up clicking our surroundings in Ameerpet.
Later, I moved to Malaysian Township and found out about HOPE foundation, an NGO sponsoring kids’ education. I would take an MMTS metro from the Malaysian Township to Nampally Station and then walk a mile to reach the place. On a few occasions, I used my camera to click photos at the railway station.
I can’t find all of my photos so sharing here only those that I could get a handle on. Hopefully, you will be able to find the essence through them.
I can say with confidence that photography has helped me become a better person by truly appreciating the beauty in some of the ugliest of things. It has given me a perspective to look at the brighter side and think about the positives in life.