I am gripped my camera passionately after three years of ignoring it in favor of my iPhone. Travels in these three years took me to beautiful places that have generated a plethora of photographs, all with the convenience of a device that sits in my pocket and fits in my palm.
But today, I needed the talents of my trusty old Nikon D700. Its 3.5 kg weight and brick-like size felt familiar even after a separation of three years. Even in pitch darkness, my fingers could easily find buttons and dials, and more importantly, I had muscle memory about the combinations of these two to pull up menus and adjust parameters. It is a good thing because at that moment of time light is the polluting evil.
This evening definitely cannot be titled ‘the sound of silence’, because there is excited chatter around me in a multitude of languages. But the mantra of the evening is certainly the first line from the said song, “Hello darkness, my old friend”.
Ten of us from places as varying as Ludhiana to Poona to Chitradurga are stood in darkness, bent over our tripod-mounted cameras in the midst of the Zanskar Himalayas waiting for the star of the show to make an appearance. The time of year chosen is perfect with the moon setting soon after the sun and the clouds have obliged by staying away. Soon from behind the crest of high mountains she makes an appearance — that celestial diva; the Milky Way.
I say that darkness is the old friend tonight because to capture the Milky Way on camera the shutter needs to remain open for more time than it would take to blister papad in a microwave. And when the shutter is staying open for over 30 seconds, even a flash of light sullies the scene like a drop of motor oil in a ship’s drinking water supply.
NAVNEETH Unnikrishnan the leader of this masterclass in astrophotography — is an amateur astronomer and astro-landscape photographer from Kerala. He walks down our line of tripods giving out tips, tricks, and techniques. He came to my camera and asked me to manually set focus using Saturn as a reference because that is the brightest object in the sky over the Shapath campsite, which is our base for the night. I did the same and then set my aperture to f/3.5 — the widest my archaic 28-300mm lens can go down to and my shutter at 30 seconds. “Set your white balance to tungsten,” he told me before walking off to show Amit Nigam how to set the shutter release timer to reduce initial vibrations on the camera.
I got a spectacular shot of the Milky Way in all her dense and sparkling beauty. Something that reaffirms my belief that a phone can never completely replace the conventional camera.
We were all there in the cold and windy Shapath somewhere about 10km before Rangdum, in the Zanskar region, bonded together by the trio of travel, photography and motorcycles.
The trip is Royal Enfield’s AstralRide 2021 which is an effort to use the Royal Enfield Himalayan as a means to ride to places to practice your passion. What had made this trip attractive enough for me to sign up was the fact that I would be riding over newly cut dirt roads in Zanskar, learning how to shoot the Milky Way and have the backup support that would transport my luggage or handle punctures or breakdown — in short a stress and load free photography and motorcycling adventure!
LIKE MOST OF MY TRAVEL Companions
I had flown into Leh two nights before the ride was to begin so that we could acclimatise well, since we’d be eventually riding in the realm of 16,500 feet.
The first day’s ride — 224km — from Leh to Kargil was a blacktop delight. The Border Roads Organization (BRO) has tamed the topography between these two cities well and the tarmac is flawless with sweeping corners kerned with cambers. This meant that I could really put the Himalayan down into a corner. In fact, so much so that the sides of shoe soles often scraped the road.
On that day when the needle often swept past 80 km/h we were all getting accustomed to our motorcycles and gear. It was the perfect ride to check out how the luggage — such as cameras — loaded on the bike affected its balance, or whether riding jackets and pants scuffed at a certain place.
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Stargazing In Ladakh
Cleaning the dust off the DSLR was all worth it. This ride to go stargazing in Ladakh had many inspirational and joyous moments
CULTURAL & COASTAL CONCOCTION
Home to many undiscovered gems, Tamil Nadu has a lot more to its name than what it’s given credit for!
An Escape To Your Own Private Sanctuary
Hotels, hostels and nothing like home
Paris on a Plate
French delights have a new address in the capital, where all diets go to die
A Rainbow Summer
THIS SUMMER, IN THE CITY WHERE I lIVe, the rainbow flags are everywhere — up in the alleys, on top of buildings, and even outside the important-looking official buildings.
A New DIMENSION
A new adventure awaits every time one ventures into the incredible land of Ladakh. This was an epic ride that afforded unparalleled experiences
FOOD FIT FOR THE GODS
From rice and dal to delectable sweetmeats that make you see stars, Odisha’s culinary diversity is a journey you must make
THE Known UNKNOWN
Beyond the popular — but now routine — Ladakh, lies an infinitely absorbing stretch of the land that offers culture and life little known to the regular traveller — the Zanskar region
Of childhood memories and more
The oldest was thirteen, the youngest six. a day of choices, resilience, strength, friendship and above all, survival, binds six kids on the (mis) adventure of their lives
The other side of the mountain
THERE WAS NO GALE THAT MORNING, and the sea was far, far, away. In fact the Himalayan Pass of Nathu La is 18,380 feet above sea level, according to its board. But, apart from such factual information, whenever we discuss a project the floodgates of our minds spring open releasing a virtual storm of, often conflicting, ideas.
Ladakh and Rajasthan
The Royal Biker Boys
Strategic Zojila Pass remains open under vigil of BRO amid severe cold
The Chillai Kalan season in the Himalayas this year has set new records.
MHA sets up 17-member panel to protect land for locals in J&K
OVER three years after the abrogation of Art 370 and bifurcation of J&K into two UTS, the Ministry of Home Affairs has constituted a 17-member committee headed by Minister of State Home Nityanand Rai to discuss protection of land and job rights and the unique culture and language of Ladakh UT.
India-China Boundary Dispute And Fighting In Tawang
VAISHALI BASU SHARMA explains why till there is the clear delineation of a single common boundary between India and China, patrols on both sides can be expected to face off in skirmishes like the latest one in the Tawang sector
Festive Riding
Right on schedule it's that time of the year where we set off for the 2022 India Bike Week
India, China hold 17th round of military talks
No visible outcome
Clashes reminder that LAC tension may spill over to other sectors
The latest confrontation between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector is a reminder that while eastern Ladakh is the focus of the current border tensions between the two countries, trouble could spill over into other sectors too even as the army is keeping its guard up all along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) to deal with any contingency, officials familiar with the matter said on Tuesday asking not to be named.
Fortifying The Border
New Delhi has doubled the pace of building strategic infrastructure along the himalayan border to match China's aggressive push in the region
Amid row over 'outsiders', J&K adds over 5L voters to its rolls
Figure Much Less Than The 25L Projected Earlier, Should Put End To Controversy, Says EC Official
Amid row over 'outsiders', J&K adds over 5L voters to its rolls
Figure Much Less Than The 25L Projected Earlier, Should Put End To Controversy, Says EC Official