The mere mention of jackfruit stirs fond childhood memories of Goan summers. The baby jackfruit meant breakfast to us brats unshackled from the tyranny of the school year. You slit the fruit open with your hands, scooped up the fleshy nuggets and then spat out the seed.

The Konkani word for jackfruit is the same as the Sanskrit panas. In Goa, two varieties obtain, differing in the nature of the flesh: the pulpy rasaal, and the firmer, crispier kaapo. The fruit is abundant along India’s Konkan and Malabar coasts. Look up the Wiki link above for details.

A more generous fruit would be hard to cite. The flesh is eaten as is, or used as the main ingredient in several traditional preparations. The chewy saatth, prepared by grinding and flattening the pulp and then drying it in the sun, is much relished in Goa and other south Indian states. The roasted seed is a wholesome snack and jackfruit chips make for irresistible nibbles. To cap it all, the neighbourhood cow is ever grateful for the skin tossed her way.

Jackfruit mountain near Thrissur, Kerala
5D, 24-105L

Low hanging fruit - Mayem, Goa
5D, 24-105L

Jackfruit tree at Nunem, Goa
5D, 24-105L

A recent column by Rajeev Srinivasan brought back memories of my photo expedition through coastal Kerala during the 2007 monsoon season. As we neared the settlement of Payyoli, on a lark I decided to call on P.T. Usha, the local heroine and the greatest athlete India has produced in recent memory. [Memo to Indians: Give your bozo worship of sissy boy Sachin Tendulkar a rest.]

Just as I got to her door, it swung open and there was Usha herself, lamp in hand, immersed in the rhythm of her daily evening pooja. There was no time to adjust my camera settings much less think of compositional nuance if I was going to capture the spontaneity of the moment. I quickly dialed in a high ISO number and took the shot in fading light. It remains one of my prized photos.

P.T. Usha lights a lamp at her doorstep in Payyoli, Kerala
5D, 70-200L f/2.8 IS

Usha and her husband were warm and welcoming, and a quick portrait session followed. I prefer to shoot portraits in natural light, but it was dark outside and the dim interior lighting didn’t help either. Direct flash had to be deployed which meant it would reflect off Usha’s skin. Well, we photographers learn to quickly accept the cards we are dealt. Although I have tried to mitigate the harsh footprint left by the flash in post-processing, the end product is not entirely to my satisfaction.

P.T. Usha
5D, 135L

Romance flowers undeterred by an approaching southwest monsoon storm in Kozhikode (aka Calicut) on the Malabar coast of northern Kerala.

In Calicut, Kerala
5D, 70-200L f/2.8 IS

Monsoon storm brewing in Calicut, Kerala
5D, 70-200L f/2.8 IS

Colourful stucco artwork depicting scenes from the Ramayana lines the walls of the Anjaneya temple inside the massive Bekal fort in the Kasargod district of Kerala.

Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana at Anjaneya temple in Bekal, Kerala
5D, 24-105L

Flying over the state of Kerala in southern India, the visitor is struck by what seems to be an endless panoply of palm fronds blanketing the land. This dense spread of the coconut tree has come to represent Kerala’s topographic signature. It serves as our motif in the sequence of photographs below. Here in the groves, the implements and the rhythm of everyday Keralan life are disclosed. The monsoon rains lend to the scene their deep water-soaked colours.

Backwaters at Alappuzha, Kerala
5D, EF 70-200 f/2.8 L IS

Vishnu temple in Achan Thuruthu, Kerala
5D, EF 70-200 f/2.8 L IS

Life in the Valiyaparamba backwaters, Kerala
5D, EF 24-105L