December 2006, Salzburg.

June 2005, Berlin.

The cupola inside the Norman Foster designed dome on top of the Reichstag, which houses the German parliament.

She traced the continents
time had mapped on my forehead.
My nose yielded its secrets of
rough crags and hidden crevices.

Her tongue traveled to the delta of my lips
and explored the rivers flowing across my tongue.
She slid down my neck with the help of her nose,
her mouth left a trail of lip locks as postcards.

On the plateau of my chest she lingered for a while,
inhaling the smell of civilization, hearing the basic rhythm of life.
She traversed the smooth plains of my stomach like a seasoned traveler,
sheltering for a moment in the shadows of my navel.

My back became an open ground
where she played games with her fingertips,
fighting battles with stiffened muscles, and
feeding the frenzy of rippling skin.

Every measured movement of hers
opened up my flesh like an atlas.
Her dimples gave me direction, her lips latitude,
while her hands struck boldly across my southern shyness.

I could not stop her probing fingers
from proclaiming freedom for my senses.
Nor could I resist the soft music
her slippery skin played on mine.

In her naked embrace,
I was a nation without borders,
I was a country without a capital,
I was a world without war.

February 2005, Hyderabad.

An art installation at the State Art Gallery by an artist whose name I cannot recall. The gallery had been recently opened then and is housed in a building made up of assorted design elements. It was as if the architect was trying to put in everything he had learnt in architecture school. But the whole experience was rather interesting from a photographic p.o.v. The outdoor gallery cafe has an amazing view, perfect for having a cup of coffee in the evening and watch the sunset. The gallery mostly exhibits modern art but ironically it does not even seem to have a presence on the net! In addition, although the gallery was built at great expense, like most government galleries/museums in India it was languishing in a state of semi-obscurity. When I visited it with a friend, I think we were the only two visitors in the whole building! There was not even any basic security for some of the art installations and paintings. I hope the situation has changed now and more people in Hyderabad know about its existence. I also hope they take better care of whatever art they put on display there as it is a nice place to check out the results of the contemporary art scene in India.

January 2005, Bangalore.

Edinburgh 2007.

July 2006, Wurzburg.

This photo is my way of spoofing all the cheesy, campy, melodramatic and kitschy moments that most mainstream Telugu, Hindi (Bollywood) as well as other regional language films of India have made (in) famous. My thanks to everyone in the shot for quickly and graciously agreeing to pose in this ‘special’ manner. The next round of drinks is on me!

Hyderabad 2002.

Another one from the University of Hyderabad. This is actually a Neolithic burial site of a tribal chief. Apparently, the surrounding area has been settled since the Stone Age by various tribes. The top of the standing stone is roughly sculpted in the shape of a snake’s head as befitting a tribal chief’s burial site in that age. The site is a protected architectural dig although, as far as I know, very few people in the university even knew about its existence.

That is one reason I love the campus so much. There are all these little surprises tucked away in various corners. All you need to do is wander around through the vast campus. There are plenty of wonderful things to discover. Sadly though, most of the campus is being turned over for ‘development’ and the pristine greenery and interesting rock formations are being destroyed slowly.

Neuschwanstein 2006.

(I could have framed it better but still like the way it came out. Thanks to ‘S’ for the idea of this shot and the title! Press F11 to view the photo in full screen mode in your browser.)

Berlin 2006.