For nearly a year, we have lived in a world of fear and uncertainty. The year 2020 was largely believed to be futuristic. However, it turned out to be something we could never expect. It was unforgettable. By the beginning of the new decade, there were apprehensions on a disease caused by the novel coronavirus. What was flagged off as an epidemic in China and few other countries soon spread its wings and globe trotted. The World Health Organization (WHO) rang the alarm bells with apprehension. Soon after, the COVID-19 pandemic besieged the planet affecting millions and is yet to vanish completely. For most of us, looking back at the year 2020 was being confined within the four walls of home. Although, the new normal of working from home sounded de-stressing, there were several challenges. For a person like me, who loves travelling, the year gone by was terribly awful. Thanks to my Future-Travel itineraries, I managed to travel and return home just in time before the lockdown was announced in March. By this time, I had already completed my travel to three Indian states of varied Photography genres. Every year, I set my objectives and diligently work towards them. My Future-Travel itinerary is one such objective. It’s all about planning and execution! After a brief lull, I continued with my travel plans when the situation was limping back to normalcy by September.

Being an adventurous buff, I prefer offbeat travel destinations that are typically, out of reach of regular touristy crowd. People that comprehend me well, know that I am allergic to crowds. And, the year 2020 was no different than its predecessors. Most destinations I travelled to were not crowd pullers. This article sheds light on the series of enchanting travel fantasies I have had in the year 2020.

January – Pench National Park (Madhya Pradesh)

The first month of the new decade started off with an exciting journey to central India for a wildlife photography trip. India is home to some of the beautiful forests on the planet. One such is the Pench National Park at Madhya Pradesh in central India. A major proportion of forest cover is occupied by teak and bamboo plantation. And, it’s always a pleasure to spot a tiger amidst dense bushes. Watching a big cat in proximity is always an exhilarating experience. A fascinating aspect is seeing those golden hue skin color shine in all its glory when exposed to sunlight. Apart from close-up shots of the big cats, I love capturing the habitat shots! This photography trip provided me with an opportunity to capture varied species of fauna including Tigers, jackals, dhole (aka wild dog), Indian wolf and an assortment of birds.

February – Kavalur (Tamil Nadu)

It is always a fascinating experience to observe the night sky! It’s even more engrossing to have them photographed. Typically, the winter months of January through March in peninsular India provides clear skies. And, this is a brief window of opportunity to gaze at the night sky for the gazillion cosmic bodies. Astronomy is an intriguing study of all that’s existing beyond the earth’s atmosphere enticing both amateurs and experts alike. To observe the night sky in a best possible manner, one needs to get far off from the light pollution. For second consecutive year, I was ecstatic to go on board a journey far away from the city lights and camp under the starry night sky. With a group of likeminded folks, we embarked on a journey to a tiny hamlet along the Eastern Ghats across parts of Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts in Tamil Nadu.

At an altitude of about 4000 feet, the Jawadhu hill range separates Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts. We arrived at our campsite at Kavalur just about dusk. Soon after, I initiated my typical checklist processes. Among the most important of them is location scouting followed by setting up of camera gears & equipment. This village hosts the Vainu Bappu Observatory owned and operated by Indian Institute of Astrophysics. The observatory is named after Indian astronomer Vainu Bappu who started this 93-inch aperture telescope for observing celestial objects. The adjoining villages and lanes are prohibited from any kind of illumination, thereby providing a view of clear dark skies without any light pollution. Taking complete advantage of this opportunity, I programmed my camera to capture images all night long. And, after some 3 hours of stay put on a cold wintry night and sleep deprivation, I was delighted with the outcome.

March – Gir National Park (Gujarat)

Of all the travel experiences I have had, this was different. Amid severe concerns of novel coronavirus, I decided not to defer any of my travel plans. At the time of this travel, the new disease-causing bacteria was flagged off as an epidemic. Shoving off all fear, I gathered strength and determination towards the execution of my travel plan. This was my third consecutive travel of the year and I was ecstatic!

Having photographed the many striped Big cats across the many parks in the country, it was my longtime wish to watch, observe and photograph the un-patterned Big cats. Watching massive, muscular, and intimidating Asiatic male lion was a jaw-dropping experience. The icing on the cake was spotting the cubs in playful mood and getting a glimpse of a female and her cubs feasting on their priced prey.

April to August – Lockdown

Being an introvert, I always have fancied being with self. It’s sheer quality time. There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 wreaked havoc everyday living. I had to cancel my travel plans and deviate from the planned itineraries. That was painful. As a traveller & photographer, it’s a blessing to be addicted to Nature. But it is not always about Photography. This lockdown provided me with ample time to focus on things I love doing both with my profession as well as personal life.

The COVID-19 pandemic was here to teach two major aspects among others: Discipline and Responsibility. It’s important to know and understand the boundaries of the said parameters. Every life form on the planet has a role to play. It’s very unfortunate to see a large proportion of human population deviate from the said parameters. And, hence, the current crisis had taken shape.

Sometimes, an invisible force is necessary to reshape and remold the necessary. And, during this process all that’s unnecessary perishes.

IT’S A TAD DEEP TO UNDERSTAND!

Well, the lockdown period paved the way for a major overhaul in personal mode of commute. It was satisfying to see many cities gearing up for a pollution free mode of commute. With a steady increase in fuel price, the modest bicycle was making its way back to the roads. On a personal note, what started as a leisure activity and one that meant only for high-altitude trekking preparations, soon turned into everyday obsession with endurance rides. During the pre-COVID days, I took to cycling for my workplace. Before the onset of pandemic, I had completed several 100 km rides. Alongside, I am happy to have motivated people around me to opt for cycling for everyday needs. It was satisfying to see my friends purchase cycles and use it on a regular basis.

What’s more? Seeing the many arterial lanes desolated during the period of partial-lockdown days was a sight to behold. Not in the wildest dreams, anyone would have visualized such scenes. Cycling is one of the best exercises for cardiovascular fitness. Regular cycling has plethora of benefits, something I have penned down about in my blog. Click here to read.

Also, this lockdown period proved to be super productive. It was a pleasure to have been invited as a guest speaker at a historic organization. Founded in 1857, the Photographic Society of Madras (PSM) is among the oldest organizations in the world, promoting the Art & Science of photography. I was extremely elated to have presented a session on High Altitude Trekking among the members of the Photographic Society of Madras.

September – Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu)

After nearly six months of confinement at home, there was an inner urge to get back to the routine. And, it feels nice to have shattered the illusion of fear within me. Being an adventurous buff, the propensity of courageousness is natural. So, I drafted the plan and took it over for a discussion with few of my closely-knit friends. Although, I was skeptical about my travel proposal, it turned out to be a unanimous decision for a road trip.

This was our first trip post the lockdown blues and, hence, the plan was to visit places of interest within my home state – Tamil Nadu. It was the trust and belief of a safe travel that my friends had in me that made this trip a reality. And, it’s always SPECIAL. It was a thoroughly planned trip right from the time each of us agreed to meet at a pre-agreed venue, food arrangements and up to the point we all got back home safely. This trip will go into my long list of archived trips administered by me! Click here to read more.

October – Pulicat Bird Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu)

The northeast monsoon had just announced its arrival with a thunderous downpour. Chennai had received a massive 870 mm rainfall, inundating several parts of the city. As a Pluviophile, what more can make me feel happy? Later in the day, a friend of mine called me up for a trip to Pulicat lake. This enticed the birder in me. Pulicat is the largest brackish water lagoon in peninsular India. It serves as an important wetland to attract northeast monsoon clouds towards the north of Tamil Nadu. Also, it is considered among the best places in south India to see migratory birds such as waders and shorebirds. Although, it was not the right season for birding at Pulicat, I was satisfied with the outcome of the photographs! Click here to read more.

December – Tungnath & Chandrashila (Uttarakhand)

Ever since my first visit to the Himalayas in 2015, I plan my itinerary in a way that it includes at least one visit to the spectacular mountains in a calendar year. December 2020 was my 8th successive visit to the Himalayas in as many as 5 years. And, each of them attribute to High Altitude Trekking.

There are certain places that impart good vibes! It is because of these vibes that make a place pleasant!

Each time I visit a Himalayan state, my journey is never complete without a visit to a place of religious importance. While the ability to feel the reverberations of the vast Himalayan ranges varies from one individual to another, being present with utmost purity of mind is all one needs to practice diligently. My long time wish to experience and photograph the revered Ganga Aarti came true with visits to holy cities of Haridwar and Rishikesh in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. This divine light ceremony is filled with songs, prayers, rituals, and a palpable sense of the divine. Aarti is the beautiful ceremony in which oil lamps are offered to God. Ganga is not only a river. She is the divine mother. She rushes forth from the Himalayas as the giver of life, carrying purity, bliss, and liberation in her waters.

Following a week’s stay, it was time for some serious adventure. Winter treks in the Himalayas are very challenging. Irrespective of altitude, the weather conditions are always harsh. As a mountain loving person and a passionate photographer, I love challenges and a deep desire to collect stunning photographs of the spectacular Himalayas drives my inner urge to keep visiting the divine Himalayas.

Thus far, this was among the easiest of treks I have ever undertaken. Situated at an altitude of over 13,000 feet is the summit of Chandranath parvat (mountain). This divine and majestic mountain is where the Tungnath temple of Panch Kedar is situated. The summit of Chandrashila (that literally means Moonrock) serves as a vantage point of heavenly panorama of the Great Himalayas. Some of the known mountain ranges that are visible are Kedarnath Range, Trishul I, Trishul II, Trishul III, Bhagirathi I, Mandani mountains, Chaukamba, and Nanda Devi. At an altitude of over 25,000 feet, Nanda Devi is renowned as the Goddess of Himalayas and is Uttarakhand’s tallest peak (also India’s second tallest).

At the Himalayas, the weather changes very drastically. For most part of the trek, there was heavy haze and the visibility was poor. I was worried if I could ever get a slightest visibility of the many majestic Himalayan peaks. I would say I was lucky to have the photographs captured with clear views of the spectacular snow-capped mountains. Surely with the blessing of the Goddess of Himalayas!

There was a sense of euphoria and happiness for having captured stunning visuals of the Garhwal Himalayas. As I began making my way out of the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, I was held back emotionally by the divinity of the places I have visited during this travel. These are the memories that will remain etched in my memory for a long time.

To sum up all, 2020 was a baffling, perplexing and an arduous year of travel opportunities which helped me in varied ways both personal life and professional world. Firstly, I have had an opportunity to explore the many different destinations across the country. Secondly, the travel opportunities provided me with a window of opportunity to interact with like-minded people. Thirdly, it helped me accumulate great travel memories in the form of spectacular photographs! All these alongside my decade long career with Information Technology industry!

STAYING PROTECTED AGAINST COVID:

As you approach reading this blog in its entirety, you must have had one question. As I travelled across several destinations, how did I stay protected against the deadly COVID-19 virus? Click here to read more!

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

1. MAY 2020: Being invited as a Guest Speaker at historic organization is special! I have had the privilege of narrating my experiences and showcasing my photographs on high-altitude trekking with one Photographic Society of Madras (one of the oldest organizations in the country promoting the Arts and Science of Photography)
2. NOVEMBER 2020: Up until the beginning of this year, what remained a means for my high altitude trekking preparations soon became a routine activity! Beginning with joy rides to cycling to my workplace, the modest bicycle has become my mainstream mode of commute. And, with the passage of time, cycling to me has become much more than just a mode of commute! Today cycling, to me, is a sport. Alongside, I am happy to have motivated people around me to opt for cycling for everyday needs. It’s satisfying to see my friends purchase cycles and use it on a regular basis!
3. DECEMBER 2020: I am glad to have successfully completed my first Randonneuring attempt of 300 KM! This event was organized by Audax India Randonneurs (AIR) and is the all-India organization of Randonneurs for conducting Brevets and Audax events in India. And, Randonneuring is referred to as long distance endurance cycling with rides of 200 KM and upwards. These are self-sufficient type of events! Having trained myself up for several months and up to the build up of this event, there was a greater sense of accomplishment for having secured a title of a randonneur!

SOCIAL MEDIA:

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