Almost 3 years ago, I had taken a decision of discontinuing my Masters' in Embedded Systems and opt for a career in the kitchen. At the time, I did not think of the ramifications this decision will ensue. Some of the fibers holding together my already tenuous relationship with my parents snapped, it also hampered some of my friendships as I had much lesser time to spend time with them. To make matters worse, I also realised that I am suffering from anxiety issues. Maybe, those issues were always there lying dormant under all my jokes and humour, and the stress of leaving a safe and secure career option catalysed the eruption of these issues. But thankfully, I am stubborn enough to hold steadfast and gave it my all. Of course, there were some people who were instrumental in me staying sane and being steadfast, and nothing I do will ever be enough to repay them for their constant, unbridled support. Also, as time spent and I got more acquainted with the stress of the kitchen life, I started finding it quite therapeutic. It made me understand the importance of time and also provided me with the understanding of what and whom I love spending time with. 

Here comes in Photography. These past three years have also been instrumental in me growing as a photographer. Due to the paucity of time I had to spare for travelling far and wide, I delved into exploring my immediate surroundings with more thought and patience. This helped me find scenes and motives that I would have normally ignored with my previous mindset. And then an idea blossomed in the recesses of my mind - to work on a collection of images all taken within an area of 3 kms around my workplace. Of course, I was lucky that the restaurant was located in the countryside of Saarland and while cycling there everyday, I started witnessing how some otherwise nondescript scenes transform into idyllic vistas over the duration of seasons and months. Meeting these compositions everyday also made me privy to the subtleties of light and weather conditions and how they subtly trigger the evolution of these idyllic vistas into photographic gems, that I was more than happy to shoot and document. 

So before I continue droning on about how photographically beautiful this 30 odd square kilometre area is and find myself dangerously close to a loss of words, I would ardentrequest you to spend some time "Following my Heart's Desire".