Photo Blog by Rajan Parrikar » Satyam Shivam Sundaram (Truth, Divinity, Beauty)

Photo Blog by Rajan Parrikar bio picture

I was born in the tiny state of Goa on the west coast of India. My photographic interests encompass landscapes, history, culture, religion, portraits, street life, and photojournalism. I have shot extensively in my homeland of Goa, training my lens on the land, its history, and its sui generis socioreligious ethos. My documentation of the despoliation of Goa's environment and heritage has been featured in print publications and on national television in India.

I am a musician as well, with a lifelong association with the musical traditions of India. I live in Mountain View, California, and like to spend extended time in Goa.

Photo credit: Sanjeev Trivedi

Ganesha – God of Knowledge and Wisdom (from HuffPost)

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

I have started blogging at the Huffington Post. My first feature went up today: Ganesha – God of Knowledge and Wisdom.

Category: General, Goa, History, India, Photography, Rajasthan, Religion Tag: Ganapati, Ganesha, Goa, God, Hampi, Hindu, Hinduism, Huffington Post, Kerala, Shiva, Varanasi

by Rajan P. Parrikar

no comments

Palm Fronds and the Church

Monday, March 8, 2010

The 17th C. Church of Nossa Señhora Assunta in the village of Velsão is ensconced in a swath of palm trees. This soothing sight typifies the landscape of coastal Goa. I made several early morning rounds spread over many months to the hillock at Cuelim until I got the lighting just right.

Palm fronds and the Velsão church

Palm fronds and the Velsão church
5D, 300L f/4 IS

Category: Composition, Goa, Landscape, Photography, Places, Religion Tag: 300L f/4 IS, Aerial view, Canon 5D, Church, Coconut trees, Goa village, Palm trees, Velsao

by Rajan P. Parrikar

4 comments

Definition of Heaven

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Fresh Samosas

Fresh Samosas in New Delhi
5D, 24-105L

Pedas in Bikaner, Rajasthan

World-class Pedas in Bikaner, Rajasthan
5D, 24-105L

Category: Culture, Food, Fun, India, Photography, Places, Rajasthan Tag: 24-105L, Canon 5D, Delhi, food, Indian cuisine, Indian food, Peda, Samosa, Savouries, Street Food, Sweets

by Rajan P. Parrikar

8 comments

ArunMarch 6, 2010 - 7:29 am

In the first photograph, I’m wondering how it would be if the gol gappe in the background were also in focus.

The DOF works nicely in the second picture of pedas.

SanjeevMarch 5, 2010 - 2:54 am

Yumm !!!

Rajan P. ParrikarMarch 4, 2010 - 2:58 pm

Ignatius: As you know, most things in India are never uniform across the country; they come in local variations and flavours. The samosas you see in the photograph are Punjabi style. Bengalis, Gujaratis, Maharashtrians, Goans etc all impart their own spin to the art of samosa manufacture. The samosas vary by the type of filling to the thickness of the crust to its overall shape profile.

Ignatius FernandesMarch 4, 2010 - 12:44 pm

The samosas in East Africa and England are triangular in shape.
They are also made with thin pastry.If hey were copied from Indian samosas why are they different?

Rajan P. ParrikarMarch 4, 2010 - 9:48 am

Annesimo: Cafe Central in Panjim has been making world-class samosas for decades now. So no need of migrants for this job.

Floriano: No, you have it wrong. A samosa a day, a peda a day, has the power to dispatch one to heaven by age 40 .

Rani ThompsonMarch 4, 2010 - 8:59 am

Holi ki mithai….wah wah….thank you, thank you……you can make any object look beautiful with your lenses…..deliciously wonderful

floriano loboMarch 4, 2010 - 5:35 am

If those mouth watering SAMOSAS are fried in the all prevalent and the killer ‘hydrogeneted’ oils and those ever so succulent and desirable ‘pedas’ are prepared in the ‘hydrogenated vanaspati’ ghees, then they are hardly the peaceful ‘Heaven’ they are supposed to be but more like the burning ‘Hell’

)

Cheers
floriano
goasuraj

anesimo fernandesMarch 4, 2010 - 3:34 am

Rajan

Mouth watering pictures. Do we have to go Delhi or Rajastan to taste them or our Ghati immigrants in Goa make them!

Anesimo

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