2022! The year was all about Intense Struggle, Embracing Morality, and Experiencing Miraculous moments! It will be an understatement if I say everything that has happened was a perfect execution. It was not the easiest of days to get the things done as planned. But the virtue of patience, conscious deed of single-minded determination and strong will did miracles. These are some of the characteristic principles that I have pursued over the many years. And, together with virtuous elements, I would say the year 2022 has help me rewire several inhibitions, thereby paving way for optimizing the path to achieve my objectives & ambitions. Join me as I ride you through the memory lane of yet another adventurous year. If you are someone who loves seeing photographs more than reading, then click here.

PREFACE

At the start of the calendar year, the world was slowly crawling its way out of the scars of deadly COVID-19 pandemic. The geographical borders were beginning to open for leisure travel. Being confined to the walls of home for more than a year and the uncertainty that prevailed was a discouraging trend. It was hard to break away from the stigma of fear that had gripped in through the past years. On a personal note, I was going through a rough patch. Literally, there was nothing going my way. There were enormous number of emotions building up inside me. However, it was my greatest wealth that helped me sail through these tough times. By wealth, I am referring to the immense learning from the past to stay balanced and focused on such adverse situations. I was quick enough to have the perception of tough times ahead of me and I was psychologically prepared to be cautious with all that I do. All I had to do was to cultivate the habit of a positive mindset and confine to performing just my day-to-day roles. Perhaps, 2022 will go down as the phase of my life where I have had least number of interpersonal interactions. During the entire year, the weapons of my choice that helped me break out from the shell of uneasiness were Photography and Travel. With the passage of days, these hard times helped me evolve as a stronger human, psychologically.

SUBLIME BEGINNING

It’s no secret that, oftentimes, most beautiful things happen unexpectedly during difficult times. January 2022 was one such phase that fetched me my most glorious moments of the year. It’s a privilege to have visited several prominent wildlife parks in the country and collecting memorable encounters of wildlife species through the medium of photographs. There was always an inner urge to pursue a journey to one of my favorites and long-pending destinations in wish list. Before the onset of the pandemic induced lockdowns, I have been meticulously gathering information for a visit to India’s most iconic wildlife destinations. Located far away in high altitude regions of the Himalayas, in the north-eastern part of the Indian State of Himachal Pradesh is Spiti Valley. This visit to Spiti in January 2022 was made possible when a friend of mine, coincidently, asked me if I would be interested in a Snow Leopard Expedition. I was excited because this was exactly what I was planning for. So, I reciprocated my willingness in no time. We have travelled together to various wildlife destinations in the country. Hence, the rest of it was centered on how to make this another memorable travel experience.

Bordering Tibet, Spiti has a cold desert environment. As the winter embraces, Spiti is a winter wonderland. I was waiting for an opportunity to be here during the peak of winters. Everything turns white – the row of houses, roads, distant mountains and Snow-clad glacial peaks all get under thick sheets of snow. While the big cats are an absolute delight to spot and photograph, there exists a mysterious animal found in the higher regions of the Himalayas – The Indian Snow Leopard.

Among the most challenging animals to track and spot is a leopard. There are several reasons that contribute to this factor. Firstly, Snow Leopards are elusive creatures. And they are shy. Furthermore, they are masters of disguise because their skin pattern perfectly blends with their habitat. Especially, their Himalayan counterparts are extremely difficult to spot. Due to their elusive nature, they are also known as the Grey Ghost. Snow leopards are opportunistic predators. It was a great opportunity to spot and photograph the important prey species of Snow Leopard too – The Himalayan Ibex, Blue Sheep, and Red Fox to name a few.

During our visit, we experienced the first snowfall for the season. We woke up to extraordinary visuals providing extraordinary experience! The unforgiving temperatures between dawn and dusk fluctuated between minus 35 Degrees and 15 degrees Celsius. Truly, this was a phenomenal encounter! The vastness of open fields dumped with massive snowfall, road blocks due to snowfall, clear blue skies and the distant snow-clad mountains was a sight to behold. And the silence all over was a tremendous rendezvous! As a mountain loving person and a photographer, I thoroughly enjoyed this experience of being at some of the most isolated places on the planet. A detailed travelogue about this journey is in the making and will be published soon.

PHASE OF ESSENTIAL REHABILITATION

After a splendid journey to the Himalayas, it was time for a much-needed recovery. At high altitudes, especially during the winters, it’s never easy. Negative temperatures, cold winds, and effects of UV radiation at high-altitudes cause apparent damage the upper layers of skin. And, if not properly insulated, these could cause irreversible damage. Prolonged direct exposure to Sun’s radiation caused suntan on my facial skin, turning the skin complexion to dark. There’s very little one can do about it. However, I was least bothered about getting tanned. Typically, the regeneration process takes about 20 to 30 days to restore the actual. It’s all about the passion I have towards Photography! So, suntans are good! Aren’t they?

GETAWAY FROM TROPICAL SUMMER

By the end of March, the Spring season was down to its bare minimum in this part of the world – Chennai. By this time, I had a good 60 days of recovery phase. During these recovery days, there came another blessing in the form of aerial photography. For more than a year, I have been researching the internet to get my hands on a professional drone for my travel needs. After prolonged research, I lay my hands on a beautiful little flying machine capable of recording 4K resolution data.

From time to time, I would drive far away from the crowded city spaces to devote time on getting acquainted with the drone. And, few weeks into the training, I wanted to get some real work done with this magnificent flying machine. As a person who loves colder temperatures and an enormous fondness for spending time in the lap of nature, I drafted a plan to a popular hill station in Tamil Nadu not far away from Chennai. Although I have been to Ooty on several occasions, this is the first time I was travelling with my wife. And this was her maiden visit to the hill station. Hence, I wanted to make this journey a memorable experience. Click this link to read more about this enchanting travelogue.

MOMENTOUS OCCASION

On our way back home from Ooty, I was drafting another plan to commemorate an important event. The month of April brought our first wedding anniversary. To make this super special, we planned a trip to one of the finest beach resorts along the coast of Mahabalipuram, near Chennai. I had my vision set on making a cinematic video sequence that would perfectly honor our special occasion. As always, I was behind the camera issuing instructions to my better half on several aspects, such as facial expressions, walking style, when to look at camera among others. As a content creator, I, thoroughly enjoyed the entire process. Here’s the YouTube link to watch the complete video.

ENDURING RESILIENCE

The next few months were relatively dry phase. To be frank, there was a scheduled trekking program to the Himalayas in mid-July. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I had to drop out of it. I had a major injury to my leg joints in the very first week of July. While I did put every effort to make myself fit for the trekking program, the Universe had other plans for me. It was a tough call for me to drop out of something at the very last moment. And the dry phase extended to another month and a half. A friend of mine shared this beautiful message from the Himalayan trek I just missed. I was extremely happy with this gesture! Here’s the link to it:

Meanwhile, I was focusing on the events that were happening in and around Chennai that would help revive my drone flying skills. Coincidently, there were two major events lined one after the other. The first event was the International Chess Championship.

Chennai was hosting this event for the first time. In a bid to raise public awareness about the global event, the Chennai Corporation decorated the iconic Napier Bridge like a giant Chess board. This attracted large crowds, and this was another opportunity for me to demonstrate my drone flying skills. Flying a drone in a public space in a busy city like Chennai is a sensitive affair. A minor mishap could be devastating. To allay my fears, I made multiple visits to the venue and drafted my flight path. On the day of actual flight, I was a relieved person. I was more than happy with the results. Here’s the YouTube link to watch this spectacular video sequence.

With the culmination of Chess Championship, Chennai was gearing up for another mega event – The International Kite Festival. As a kid growing in the 90s, kite flying was a fantastic pastime. And, watching them again in varied dimensions and colors was a visual spectacle. Click the below link to read all about this mega event. And here’s the YouTube link to a spectacular video.

TIME TO REJOICE

As a Pluviophile, I am always on the lookout for exploring the destinations away from maddening crowds. Among my favorite destinations during monsoons is the majestic Western Ghats. During the Month of September, my wife and I had a fabulous experience of over 2000+ km spanning 8 days of travelling across the Western Ghats.

This was an amalgamation of destinations ranging from lush green paddy fields, unrelenting rains, gushing waterfalls, and heritage sites. This journey was, specifically, planned for the ongoing monsoons. We were traversing rural Karnataka and the visuals all through the journey were truly magnificent. Here’s the YouTube link to a beautiful video sequence comprising splendid moments from this journey.

The yearly budget for travel was exhausted by the end of September. With no major travel plans for the rest of the year, I had ample time to reconcile various aspects of life thereby maintaining the balance of personal and professional responsibilities. To sum up all, 2022 was a puzzling phase with several hurdles, life lessons, and tormenting times. Above all, the determination to remain calm and composed during such times immensely helped me come out stronger, psychologically.

2022 was all about hitting rock bottom and gathering strength all the way up!

The wisest and most well-rounded people one meets are, usually, those who have gone through tough times themselves. They have overcome challenges and they have great stories to tell. The past few years, including 2022 has been one such learning phase for me.

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

It was 12 December 2012, a day to remember for as long as my memory lasts. There are two reasons to it. The first is that it marks the birthdate of my all time favorite movie star – Rajinikanth. Also, this was the day when I got my first Digital SLR camera and the rest is history. December 2022 marks the 10th year anniversary celebrations of my self-taught Photography journey. It’s been an incredible Journey with my camera equipment.

5 Years later, in the year 2017, my journey as a Travel Writer took shape. I single-handedly built my website from scratch, including the look-and-feel, website name, the logos and the numerous Travel articles. I do not publish my articles just for the sake of writing or monetary gains. Rather, its purely for my passion towards narrating travel stories through photographs and thought-provoking words. 2022 marks the 5th year anniversary celebrations of self-taught Travel Writer journey.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

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Wishing everyone a very Happy & Prosperous New Year 2023!