I was in Bhutan last week, leading a photography tour with an enthusiastic group of people who had travelled from several parts of India, Singapore and USA. We had a great camaraderie in the group with many enjoyable moments, some great photography opportunities that allowed many beautiful images to happen. There were some missed opportunities too, thanks to some early morning fog. Here is a moment I stole from a young monk during the tour.
I have a fascination for Buddhist Monks. I have watched, interacted, admired and photographed practicing monks for many years during my travels in Ladakh, Himachal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh. They have a genial smile that quickly puts me at ease, and their photogenic faces and ochre-robes seem to attract my camera. My last encounter with monks happened at a remote village in Central Myanmar, where curiosity led me to a Buddhist monastery.
This was at Ywama Village in Inle Lake region, where I was with my guide-cum-boatman to visit a market. The monastery was at the entrance to the market and I wasn’t going to miss a chance to exchange smiles with monks.
Perhaps these young monks understand, and effortlessly practice Buddha’s teachings the best: ‘live in the moment’.
At Chimi Lhakhang, Bhutan
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