Photo Blog by Rajan Parrikar » Monsoon

Monsoon Bliss in Chorão

Rajan P. Parrikar — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 07:43:15 +0000

This is a continuation of the Monsoon in Goa – 2010 Edition theme.

These photographs were shot over two consecutive rain-soaked days in the idyll that is the island of Chorão, also known as Chodna or Chodan. My forbears came from this part of Goa, and were impelled to move out after the sacking of the village and the Hindu temples by the Portuguese in the 16th C.

The final photograph in the series below was taken in the face of an intense rainstorm advancing in my direction. Seconds later I had to dive into my car. These are moments to live for.

St Bartholomew church, Chorão (1569)
5D Mark II, 24-105L

The lone sentinel on a dark monsoon morning
5D Mark II, 70-100L f/2.8 IS II

Nossa Senhora de Saude chapel
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

Mae de Deus church of Pomburpa seen from Chorão
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II

Advancing rainstorm (Pomburpa church is seen to the left)
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Monsoon in Goa, 2010 Edition

Rajan P. Parrikar — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 09:39:37 +0000

Those of us who grew up in and around Panjim took the pleasures wrought by the monsoon for granted. All I had to do was look out of the window and luxuriate in the luscious sight of waterlogged fields and foliage. That Panjim no longer exists, swiftly wrecked by indiscriminate construction. With developers aggressively on the prowl throughout Goa, open spaces are shrinking. And with every passing year, the renewal of the Goan monsoonscape looks more and more tenuous.

Mounted below are the varied moods of the season experienced this past week. Earlier editions of the Goan monsoon may be seen here.

In the village of Talaulim
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Dhargal in north Goa
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Lush Pilerne
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II

Dark morning at the Candolim church
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II

Fishing in Nerul during a rainstorm
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Farmer in Talaulim
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Storm Clouds over Zuari

Rajan P. Parrikar — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:15:33 +0000

Thick monsoon clouds loom over the Zuari river in Goa.

This was an unplanned shot. I was returning to Panjim one evening in Sept 2007 after a long day out. As we approached the bridge the atmospherics suddenly assumed an irresistible mien. I had the Canon TS-E 90mm lens on me and put it to use.

Monsoon clouds over Zuari bridge
5D, TS-E 90

The Approaching Storm

Rajan P. Parrikar — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:02:50 +0000

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

Monsoon Glory – 5

Rajan P. Parrikar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:57:06 +0000

The spirit of rural Goa is instantiated on this ethereal monsoon morning in Canacona in south Goa.

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Near Palolem in Canacona, Goa
5D, 24-105L

Forbidding dark clouds loom over the ‘duckbill spillway’ at the Selaulim dam in Sanguem taluka.

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The 'duckbill spillway' at Selaulim dam, Goa
5D, 24-105L

Monsoon Glory – 4

Rajan P. Parrikar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 07:14:39 +0000

A dense layer of rain-bearing clouds prepares to offload its cargo on a dark, stormy morning. This photograph was taken from a turnout high in the Chorla Ghat area on Goa’s northeastern border.

View from Chorla Ghat, Goa
5D, 24-105L

With the advent of the monsoons, a new cycle of life begins. The erumpent Colocasia plant is everywhere, as is the nutritious red Amaranth – known locally as tambdi bhaji (lit. red vegetable). Cooked with traditional spices and herbs, both are widely consumed in Goan households.

Monsoon foliage
5D, 24-105L

Monsoon Glory – 3

Rajan P. Parrikar — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 05:54:24 +0000

This scene is characteristic of rural Goa during the monsoons. The entire season is a master class in the hues of green.

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Women work the paddy fields in the village of Nerul, Goa
5D, 70-200L f/2.8 IS

Monsoon Glory – 2

Rajan P. Parrikar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:25:43 +0000

Dark monsoon clouds hang low on the Western Ghats overlooking the 12th C Mahadeva (Shiva) temple in the village of Tambdi Surla, Goa. Many great Goan temples were destroyed by the Portuguese but this exquisitely carved gem, set in a remote jungle clearing, escaped unscathed probably because of its isolation. It is today the oldest surviving temple in Goa.

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5D, 24-105L" width="900" height="643" />

Mahadeva Temple in Tambdi Surla, Goa
5D, 24-105L

Monsoon Glory – 1

Rajan P. Parrikar — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:05:31 +0000

The southwest monsoons along India’s Konkan and Malabar coast are now in full flow. Those who live in this region of western India enjoy the verdant lushness that blankets the land at this time of the year. This is wild, opulent green that we are talking about, heightened by the diffuse lighting provided by cloud cover.

In 2007 I had the pleasure of photographing an entire monsoon season in Goa, and a small slice of it in Kerala. This is the first installment of a monsoon-themed sequence. To us Goans, the monsoon is not merely a season. It is a state of mind, a feeling. I shall try to convey that complex of emotions and aesthetic through these photographs.

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Outdoor well in Porvorim, Goa
5D, 70-200L f/2.8 IS