Also see: my photography tour to Myanmar.
It was a pleasant October evening, but an unusual moment when I arrived in Mandalay. Our boat docked after a long journey upstream on Ayeyarwady, throwing us immediately into chaos that we weren’t prepared for. The road from jetty to the city was clogged with people in a celebratory mood. Loud speakers–giant black boxes decked on mini-trucks–blared loud and shrieking music on a road filled with revelers dancing wildly. Chaos, crowds and cacophony had conquered the road in a way I had never seen anywhere during my journeys across Myanmar.
Sunset hour at U-Bein Bridge, Amarapura, Mandalay.
In the last leg of our week-long trip in Myanmar that had taken us through the depths of a spiritual, graceful and congenial country, we had suddenly landed into an unexpected contrast. It was the last day of Durga Puja, and much of the Indian-descents in the city had gathered by the riverside for a procession and idol immersion. We got off the car, which we had barely boarded after alighting the boat that had ferried us from Bagan, and walked into the gathered crowd. Cameras strapped around our neck, we stood out as tourists in the completely-local crowd, and caught the attention of a few revelers in no time.
U Bein Bridge, Taungthaman Lake, Mandalay.
The evening wouldn’t get better than this. U Bein bridge bears a festiva atmosphere as the sun moves towards the horizon. Young couples from Mandaly come here to spend time holding hands and chat up with a slice of watermelon or a fried crab. Monks walk back and forth – to or from their monastery in Amarapura. Cyclists, not permitted to ride on the bridge, trudge slowly pushing the two wheels. Tourists flock to see all this, decorated by a golden sun in the backdrop.
It is said to be the world’ longest wooden bridge. To me, the lake and U Bein bridge are more charming thanks to a feel-good factor, festive atmosphere and a picnic-like mood that the people of Mandalay bring to it.
Shot during my annual photography tour to Myanmar.
In the last five years or so, I have developed a growing fascination to everyday life of Buddhist Monks. I have spent considerable amount of time watching them when they pray, work, seek alms or go through their daily chores.
It is also a happy coincidence that the countries I have visited exploring as a travel photographer in the last few years–Bhutan, Myanmar and Cambodia–have a thriving population of Buddhist Monks.
This image was made in Mandalay, Myanmar, the erstwhile capital of the Burmese Kings. Thanks to the patronage of these kings and subsequently from the general population, Mandalay is home to many monasteries and a large number of practicing and learning monks. This photograph was made early in the morning, before the sun came up in the east. This was the penultimate day of the photography tour I was leading in Myanmar. We had a few successive days of very-early morning outings, but despite that, decided that we should go out to watch the monks seeking alms in the morning hours. A short walk later, I found this bunch of young monks being lovingly fed by these restaurateurs. It’s a moment that has stayed strongly in my memory and I wanted to capture this as an image to share what I saw.