The Dusty Mic Chronicles

We depend on machines, and have depended on machines for a long time now. Right from college when we started using basic calculators to today's world where we allow algorithms to run our lives, we ar…

A quote attributed to George Eastman. "Light makes photography. Embrace it. Admire it. Love it. And, above all, know it. Know light for all that you are worth and then you will know the key to photog…

In this episode- I missed last week - is based on a quotation attributed to William Faulkner, Now, more than any time in recent memory, is there an urgent need for people to stand up against injustic…

I am struggling with Sebastiao Selgado's quotation, yet remain convinced there is much truth in what he says. Then, I also reference John Donne's poem, 'For whom the bells toll." Too often, we forget…

Too often, we allow the labels we assign to people to blind us. We see them as Hindus, Brahmins, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, brown, white, yellow, black, and even orange. It is time …

This is the third, and final episode based on the talks of Rajneesh. In this brief talk, I expand on Baba Bulleh Shah's sentence - understand yourself, my beloved. If you understand yourself, you may…

I have based this talk on Osho's hour-long talk on creativity. While I recall little of the original talk, a few fascinating snippets have stayed buried in my brain, waiting for me to dredge them up …

In this short podcast, I talk about an hour-long lecture I listened to many years back. This was a lecture by Bhagwan Rajneesh, before he called himself Osho. He opined that 'saints' get so bored cha…

In this podcast episode I talk about Jean Renoir, and how all technical refinements discourage him. How many of you have heard of 'Wabi-Sabi,' the Japanese concept that seeks beauty in slight imperfe…

We are cutting down trees, poisoning rivers, and the soil. We wish to mine and treat the earth as a resource. Apart from the changing nature of photography, we must ask if we are digging our own grav…

In this podcast episode I ask you to question yourself, and ask yourself how you define the word, 'gross.'

Hello everyone! My name is Rajiv Chopra and I definitely hope that my microphone is recording. It is recording. I haven't done a podcast on Substack for a very long time. I would say it's been over a…

No words.

Songs of the New Day.

"Sunrise, and the new day's breaking through

The morning of another day without you."

These are the opening lyrics of a song by Uriah Heep. While the song is excellent, I consider…

Vrindavan is a strange town.

Like most towns, Vrindavan is strange and has its own contradictions. Yet, because of the Yamuna River, its deep links with mythology, its temples, and stories of the endu…

Our Brief Trip to Govardhan & Gokul

Our trip to Gokul and Govardhan was brief. You might say we made a lightning trip to the villages. Some refer to the two places as towns, but they are not much more…

The Three Musketeers travel to a riverside

One day, the three of us traveled to a riverside. Memory can play tricks on us. I remember the discussion about the place, its proximity to the state border,…

A new adventure one year after Nandi Hills.

On the anniversary of our small adventure at the Nandi Hills, the five of us embarked on one more adventure. Our classmates, impressed by our maiden venture…

My start on the street

When I started photography on the street, I hid behind poles, traffic lights and anything I found. If nothing was available, I leaned against a wall, zoomed in close and pressed…