National Geographic Live: Coral, Fire and Ice with photographer David Doubilet

               It has been my practice since a long time to download photos from the Nat Geo website to adorn my desktop or screen saver. And even though I make it a point to read about the whereabouts of the picture taken, seldom have I taken the time or effort to actually read about the photographer. And hence, I was wonderfully surprised that some photos that I already had seen earlier, like these-

                                       - had been shot by this very renowned Nat Geo photographer, David Doubilet.

          And the surprise turned into awe because National Geogeographic Live came to Singapore with a series called "Coral, Fire and Ice" with photographer David Doubilet and the event was held in my university, NTU. 

           Simply put, it was an honor to just be sharing space with this legendary figure who, according to me, is much more that a mere photographer. An adventurer, philosopher, ecologist, eco-preservationist, raconteur of tales, a man deeply in love with nature and it's beauty and a torch bearer of his generation that is slowly witnessing the deterioration of nature's bountiful beauty and purity- he's all that and more.

           Here are some of his other pictures that he spoke about in yesterday's talk, and that stand as testimony to his undaunted passion to reach the farthest corners and deepest trenches of the earth in his quest for beauty and sublimity.

 Hawkbill sea turtle

  Rain forested volcanoes

Clown fish in anemone

                                   Baby harp seal

Harp seal on ice, Madeleine Islands

River bushmen, Botswana

                              Yongala shipwreck

           And, to end it, the mother of all pictures. His ultimate quest for the perfect coral reef culminated in this sheltered coral garden in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea. What more can a man ask after he's seen such tranquil and sublime beauty on Earth?

His speech too was like him- humble, humane and brilliant! I recorded the last section of his talk, which sort of summarized the essence of his life's work.

Thank you David, for being what you are and the legacy that you've left behind.

Solo in Stockholm

                          I clearly remember those dreamy days of my childhood when I first discovered wanderlust. Not the actual experience, I must state, but the mere yearning to be a traveler. Book in hand, a strong notion of the places that I wanted to visit, I was literally transported to those far off places I read about. My family never encouraged me to travel, so I was all the more determined that one day....one day when I'm old enough, rich enough, I would travel. Travel like crazy...

Once in Singapore, I traveled to a lot of S E Asian countries. They were vibrant, exotic and great places of culture. But for some reason, whereas the rest of the world was on my list of travel, chiefly Japan, Korea, New Zealand and Canada, it was Europe that was my dream destination. Somehow, the allure of Europe only grew with age, so much so that when I was finally chosen by the Nobel Forum, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden,  to attend the  Nobel Conference on Biofilm formation (Aug 2013) for a poster presentation,there was no end to my jubilation.

As the trip was fully funded by my University, I did not really have to worry about not getting a visa. But had it been a normal touristy visit, the regulations were too stringent for the average Indian traveler. I remember the quiet happiness that pervaded me when I finally got back my passport with the Shengen Visa sticker stamped on it. I wanted to celebrate this moment, and I had lunch alone in Thai Express in the mall that housed the Danish Embassy that processed my visa.

The only off side of the trip  was that I was travelling alone all the way. It was a 17h journey, with a stopover at Bangkok for a couple of hours. And I would be staying alone as well, as I was the only one in my lab who was chosen for this conference. In a way, underlying the joy of finally getting to travel to Europe was the nagging feeling that for the very first time in my life, I would be on my own. I was thrilled, terrified and excited, all at the same time!

During the long flight, I watched all the Harry Potter movies, but at the same time, I kept a track of my flight trajectory....and it was a surreal time as my flight flew over India, then Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Russia and finally landed at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport in the wee hours of the morning.

I was overcome by severe exhaustion and jet lag, but since I had only the first day free, I decided to make the best of it. I had already bought tickets for a city tour by bus and by boat, and so I checked into my hotel at Solna Central, and immediately took off for my trip.

Here's a view of the city of Stockholm:

Next, the tour group was shifted to a boat through which we took a ride along  Lake Maralem that eventually meets the Baltic Sea.

It was a fun trip, but as soon as I reached the hotel, I dozed off like a log. The next 3 days were conference days held in the Nobel Forum,Karolinska Institutet.

The last day of the conference ended with a reception at the City Hall (Stadshuset) of Stockholm which is the same place where the Nobel Prize banquet is held. There was good food, good wine and plenty of good company.

On the final day, I decided to take a trip to the old quarter of Stockholm, called "Gamla Stan" or the " Town between the bridges" as it was called until 1980. It's a beautiful corner of the city, complete with cobbled stones and alleyways, and I had the opportunity to click a few very good images.