Sajeesh Rajendran

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Tag: Life

Walks of Life…

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Framed in: The picture exudes a serene tranquility. It reminds me that everyone is on a journey toward a final destination—a mysterious yet inevitable one. Life is short, and it’s meant to be enjoyed, but we often lose sight of this simple truth. In our rush to live, we forget to truly live. We find ourselves just rotating the hands of clocks, watching time slip away.

Seeing people crammed in trains and buses, rushing to work early in the morning and returning home late at night, fills me with a sense of sadness. When will we actually take the time to live? I find myself longing to escape to serene landscapes where time slows down, where the morning sun’s rays are cherished, and the magenta hues of twilight bring contentment. A place where we can admire the stars and the moon without hurry.

I sometimes entertain the idea of settling in a quiet village in Kerala, opening a small tea shop, and immersing myself in cinema—reading about it, watching at least two films a day, and even screening them for the villagers. How peaceful that would be! Every time I see this picture, I feel an unparalleled sense of peace and relaxation.

Life should be lived like this—unhurried, free from the constraints of time and the burdens that weigh us down. Not just in the final moments of life, but every day. We need to learn how to live life to its fullest, with deep satisfaction. The pace should be slow—a word that this fast-paced world seems to have forgotten, but one that holds the key to truly enjoying life.

Framed out: Though the picture appears serene and peaceful, the story behind it was anything but! I took this shot at Calangute Beach in Goa using my Nikon FM10 camera, loaded with Fuji 200 film and a Sigma 75-200 lens. The beach was filled with foreign tourists, and I was wandering around, capturing photos with my long lens. However, the man in the picture became suspicious, likely due to the beachgoers I was photographing. I swear my intentions were pure, but he clearly misunderstood!

He came charging toward me, furious, and I could barely make out the words, though I distinctly heard the letter “F” being repeated. He demanded that I hand over the film roll immediately. It was quite an experience! For a moment, I thought I was about to get thrashed by this angry, heavyset British guy.

Fortunately, some other foreigners who had gathered around urged him to calm down and suggested I leave the area at once. Grateful for their intervention, I made a quick escape. It was an intense moment, but looking back, it’s one of those unforgettable, adrenaline-pumping experiences!

Grey Frames: “To be able to look back upon ones life in satisfaction, is to live twice” Kahlil Gibran

Gliding between Life and Death!

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Framed in:  How should we welcome death? It’s a paradoxical question, yet profound. According to Osho, acknowledging that death is inevitable allows us to let life flow naturally. Clinging to life only breeds discontent, leaving us with an unfulfilled feeling that there’s more to accomplish. In this perspective, hope can be seen as a villain, as death cannot be postponed even for a second. So why hesitate to accept it?

“The Last Leaf” by O. Henry once inspired many, but it also brought about strange thoughts. It offers a false promise—nothing in this world is eternal. The same applies to certain relationships. Some may be intense but ultimately unstable, constantly reminding us that they won’t last. Despite this, we often cling to them. The best way to move forward is to let them go. Allow them to drift away and resist the urge to hold on. The emptiness might be painful for a while, but time is the best healer, as the cliché goes.

Let the leaf hanging on the edge of your finger fall. Let it descend and perish, for new leaves will undoubtedly sprout in its place.

Framed out: This picture was taken during one of our practical classes in my second year of undergraduate studies. There was a huge structure made of iron, covered with a white translucent material. At the time, we had no idea what it was for, though I now suspect it was meant for table-top photography. Ironically, it was used for everything except its intended purpose! Creativity was the buzzword back then, and we were constantly trying weird things to prove we could think outside the box. This photo was the result of one such experiment.

I found a banyan tree leaf and asked my friend Gayathri Devi (Gayu) to hold it against the white translucent board with one finger while I positioned a light directly behind it. The result was this picture, which has a mysterious look. It’s another addition to my collection of unconventional photos. I captured it with my Yashica FX3 camera, using an FX7 lens.

Grey Frames: The fear of death follows from the fear of life.  A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.  ~Mark Twain

Beyond Frames :  “Creativity is defeating habit by originality:” (Courtesy: One of the tables in the Transit in Forum Mall in Bangalore and Nitha who showed it to me!). 

Through out… Till the end….

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Framed in :  Life is a constant wait. From the moment we are born, waiting becomes an inseparable part of us. As children, we wait for our mom’s caring hugs and our dad’s sweet pecks. We wait for buses, exam results, and countless other things. When the hormones start to stir and we meet the right person, we wait for them to become a part of our lives. Every wait carries hope.

But there are also waits with no definite hopes, and yet… As my friend once wrote to me, “Ella kaathirippinu pinnilum oru pratheekshayundavum. Pratheekshayillaatha kaathirippinu pakshe oru sukhamund!” (Every wait has hope, but even a wait without hope has its own pleasure!) Certain relationships are like that. Even though the hopes and expectations of being together are faint, the mind still waits, without any hope but with love that persists. Can this love remain eternal even if separation is inevitable? Let’s wait and see.

In essence, what is life? It is nothing but a wait for death from the day we are born. She is also waiting for him, hoping that one day he will come and embrace her.

Framed out : I don’t have an exact date for when this photo was taken, but it was in my second-year classroom, so it must have been around 2004. I remember that day well. We had just returned from a tiring trip and were relaxing in the classroom. Suddenly, I noticed her (my classmate) standing in the doorway, looking as though she was waiting for someone. Her melancholy expression caught my attention. Intrigued, I snapped the photo with my Yashica FX3 without her knowledge. I think she liked the picture!

Grey Frames :  “Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worse kind of suffering.”   Paulo Coelho.

 Beyond Frames : For all those who are waiting for something endlessly.. (I know a quite a few people now!). Keep faith… The hopes will be delivered.. So wait with happiness!!! 

Rough Terrains…

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Framed in: Barren terrains, dried-up bushes, and a gloomy sky—what more could you need to make your day feel like the worst? The sight of the desolate land, filled with thorny, lifeless shrubs, often brings on strange dreams: dreams of getting lost, dreams of getting hurt, dreams of being in a hot frying pan, and more. These eerie, dried-up bushes seem to crack the unexplored sky, leaving the unpainted canvas marred with dark patches and gloomy ashes.

Yet, somewhere in that sky lies hope—the hope for rain to bring new sprouts and buds, the hope for brighter sunshine to restore happiness. Every dark patch in life will eventually give way to a better tomorrow. Wait patiently for the right time to cross the rough terrains.

Framed Out: A casual morning walk with my elder uncle G.K. never seemed to offer much for my camera. It was a gloomy morning, and the light was too dim. My Zenith Camera, a 1960 Russian make, had a slower lens with a maximum aperture of 4, so I knew it wasn’t ideal time for photography. We talked about many things during our walk—poetry, cinema, Osho, and R.K.’s cartoons.

Then, something caught my eye: dried-up bushes hanging on a rough patch against a grey sky. The scene was perfect for my love of silhouettes. I quickly took out my camera, set the shutter speed to 1/30, and supported the camera by holding it tightly against my body. I clicked, hoping for a silhouette. The exposure was just right, and the color was perfect. Despite the gloomy atmosphere, which makes the image look like black and white, it was actually taken in color.

Grey Frames: “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.”        Rabinthranath Tagore