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I set out to Hemakuta Paravatha on one of the evenings in Hampi with my camera, tripod and other photography paraphernalia. I walked beyond Viroopaksha temple and climbed up the hill and found a good location to start shooting. In a few minutes, I had my equipment setup, camera mounted on the tripod and started off. Must have been two-three pictures that I had shot, and was wandering around the hill when someone called me.
A man sitting on one of the boulders – he looked like a government babu – indicated to me that some one is calling me from below. And there was a man with the uniform of a security person who was waving at me and coming towards me. I wondered once if I had stolen something or behaved badly somewhere, but obviously neither of it; there must be something else. So I decided to bring out a curious look on my face and wait for the man to come to me. He came up and said – “you can’t shoot with a tripod here”. That was a surprise I wasn’t ready for; I know ASI doesn’t allow use of tripods within their premise to prevent any damages, but I was standing on an open hill, built and cherished by mother earth, not by our ancient kings and architects. Whatzupwiththesefolks, I wondered. Actually, was a bit infuriated but pretended wonder instead.
Viroopaksha temple and the boulder covered country
Unable to contain my curiosity to myself, I politely asked him if there is a problem with using a tripod, and was there any reason for this. He pondered on the question a bit. From the looks of his face, he did not seem to know an answer but felt obliged to justify his action. He was only doing his duty as commanded by the brilliant folks to whom he reported, and I would have been happy to move on if he had said just that. Instead, he decided to use his brain and come with an answer that would help him dominate me. After much thinking he finally created an answer –
“If you shoot with the tripod, your pictures will come out perfect. There won’t be any fault in it. If it is a handheld shot at least there will be some shake or some imperfections in the picture. So you can’t shoot with the tripod”.
I gawked. A perfection reaction would have been to gasp with my mouth wide open and faint immediately, unable to contain the surprise. But I let sanity prevail and managed a gentle smile, but unable to speak yet after listening to the brilliant response. When all this happened, the babu who had initially called me had walked towards us, and realizing the situation and probably worrying that I might indeed faint, interrupted. He said – “he is only doing his duty; we have been told not to allow tripod the hill, which he is trying to do. How would he know the reason behind it, we should really ask his bosses”. I smiled and nodded, and I think babu felt encouraged to go on with my response. He continued and now switched to government lingo, saying that if I would still want to shoot with a tripod, must go to Bangalore and bring a ‘permission letter’ from so-and-so officer, etc. At this point I cut in and said “thank you”, which he clearly understood to mean ‘stop now’, and obliged.
I decided to withdraw, for neither did I have the wish to argue with the messengers nor did I have the energy to go and bring ‘permission letter’. But I would not go away simply either. So I got those people to help me unfold the tripod, made them hold my camera and wait for me till I packed it all inside, just to give them some minor trouble and satisfy my ego! And after all that, the colors of the setting sun had started to appear on the west and I moved on, immediately forgetting all the drama that happened.
Sunset from Hemakoota
And I am still wondering why I haven’t got those perfect pictures he talked about, though I have been shooting with a tripod for many many years now!
Continued at: Badami
Yet another visit to Thadi. I would never have enough of the place, and just before embarking on this trip I had already committed myself to another visit.
* Destination never mattered. We decided to rest somewhere halfway, found a place under shade and sat down, and were lying flat the next minute under the shade of the tree, with cool breeze adding to the mild winter weather. And we remained lying there long enough, till sun moved to stunt the shadow and brought in warmth, moving only slightly once a while to make way to a few more people who made their way up.
* Pitched the tent at the standard place, the highest point where there was water, and instead of moving on, comfily settled down for the harsh sun of the afternoon to move over.
* Unwillingly yielded to move on towards the peak, pretty late in the day, reluctantly leaving the comfort of the tent and the books we were reading; making it to the peak just in time for the golden sunset
Sun setting on Thandiyandamol peak
* sitting down at the peak, watching the hopelessly beautiful valley at one side and going ‘oooooh…’ and then after forgetting self for a few minutes, suddenly turning around to the other side, only to watch another hopelessly beautiful valley and go ‘ooooh…’ all over again…
* braving the cold wind on the top, overlooking the world below, dreaming of various things undescribable, feeling immensely happy. Finding a shelter from the wind – in a seat of comfort – watching the glory of the evening sun in silence.
* returning back to the tent, walking in darkness, guided only by the mild rays of the half moon. Watching flicker of fireflies in the dark forest. The feeling of a firefly landing on my shirt and walking up slowly, lighting up its path. The pleasure of letting it into my hands and watching it remain there for a few seconds before flying off. Pleasure in its purest form.
* Lying down on the rock in the night, watching the ‘moon and the stars and the sky’, wanting nothing else but just this, feeling infinite gratitude to mother nature for its creations.
* Waking up early in the morning only to see a foggy world, and to postpone ‘actual waking up’ again and again; finally dragging out of the tent after many postponements to see a ‘slightly’ clear weather.
* continually postponing the process of returning to the ‘world’ from 10.30 to 12.30 to 3.30, and finally 5.30pm, and finally walking down after a failed attempt to move it further to next morning!
* A random walk in the meadows that ended up in a nearby peak, experiencing force of the wind that made standing up difficult! Listening to the lone rhododendron tree braving the wind and roaring like a sea while at it. Wondering what the tree felt – was it jubilant to be standing alone at the top, kissed by the high winds, or did it curse the bird that dropped its seed in this high place?
…feeling overjoyed to face the force of the wind, until the wind won on us. And then to find escape from the wind to the warm sun at the other side of the hill, sitting protected and watching big trees and the tiny grass on the opposing hill sway sensuously. And to hear the magically beautiful words – “this is all that I really need”.
* Returning from the random walk for refueling, only to continue on the random walk, to discover a small waterfall. Finding a fallen tree next to a rock in front of the fall. Sitting on the tree, with the rock providing backrest, silently watching the water fall-by in the theater of nature, feeling blessed and blissful.
* Endless chatter all through supported by an equal share of blissful silence, on desires, on the wish to escape from the routine and mundane, on the wish to be free, on the wish to live by the moment, on the wish to see the world, on wishes themselves, on things wise and unwise, on simplicity, on synchronized minds, on books, on movies, on Betelgeus and Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent, on bikes and trains, and even on the chatterati’s topic of delight – the Bangalore traffic!
* watching a blackbird fly past as we walk, listening to the incessant chatter of parakeets on the top of the canopy, and the pleasing whistle of the drongos, watching sunbirds go ‘chee.. chee..’ oblivious to our presence, trying to judge how far is an invisible partridge by listening to its call, seeing colorful yellow browed bulbuls..
Thadi, never, ceases, to, fascinate!
When I wrote about taking some time off from writing the usual travel-logs and asked my readers what else they would to read on this page, Mridula and Mouna asked for little things interesting that happened during the journeys. Here is one to start with.
A few months ago, I made a trip to Thadiyandamol with a friend. We deliberately planned it on a weekday to avoid crowds. When we were there we figured it was indeed empty and there was just us in the peak and the forest surrounding it.
Also read – other small incidences when travelling
* An encounter with a hermit
* An encounter on the ghats
* I thought you are going to fall..
* A Struggle between fear and love
* Encounter with the pachyderms
* Ask for directions and have some coffee
We were equipped well for camping for a night, and had carried tent, food and other things we needed, and shared them between us. My friend had carried food for all the days, I had picked up the tent, etc… Previous evening, we had discussed and checked that we had everything we needed.
Come evening, we pitched our tent and were ready for the night.
My friend said: Keep the torch outside, it will be needed once it is dark.
Me: Yeah, need to keep the torch out.
Suddenly something flashed in my head.
Me: Me keep the torch out? Haven’t you got the torch?
He: No, you were supposed to get it right? You don’t have it?
Me: umm.. I thought I heard you say you have picked up the torch.
Obviously there was some mis-communication and now we had to spend a night in complete darkness. We did not see the moon anywhere in the sky either. Anyway it did not worry me much, as comforts and assurances are usually something that I don’t look for. Pretty much same with my friend. An hour or so later, we figured that both our cell phones had all the battery drained, and the last source of light is also lost! brilliant!!
Come nightfall, we were there without any light but for what is granted from the celestial sources. And it so turned out it was one of the most beautiful night I have seen in the skies and wilderness. Stars were appearing all over the place and soon they were denser than the city lights seen from an airplane. Moon’s absence added to the resplendence of the stars. Complete silence but the for gentle and pleasant breeze and the silhouette of the hills complemented the glory of the sky.
We kept conversation to the minimum, managed to eat in darkness and wondered how do we wake up early in the morning with our cell phones out of action. Lucky for us, I managed to wake up and little before six and walked out of the tent. Nature had a lot more to offer to us beyond the beauty of the starry night. The scenic beauty of Thadiyandamol in that clear weather has few parallels. It was my fourth attempt in search of this clear weather in Thadi, and I had found what I had been craving for.
Views from Thadiyandamol in the morning