Photo Essays by Rajender Krishan
ISBN-13 : 978-1947403147 ASIN: B08SMN4QNV
Paperback | Kindle Ebook

Photo Essays by Rajender Krishan is a unique book which is a feast for the eyes. The beautiful, colorful pictures are complemented with enticing and informative write up. It is truly entertaining book for young and old alike, specially these days as the present generation has become more image centric and less word centric with the advent of smart cellular phone with camera and social media apps like Twitter.

The pictures constituting the subject matter were shot by author himself from the year 2000 onwards. As the author shares in the introduction that the photos communicated and inspired him, and so he has penned an eloquent cum informative narratives to match the pictures. The overall impression of the amalgamation of the images with words is the lyrical rendition to a keen observation of the details. In other words the text is verbal recording of the scenes and sights in the accompanying images. There are total 55 subjects covered in the book covering areas of nature, sculpture, architecture, spiritual journey, birds etc.

The author starts his journey with an ode to lotus by sharing that it is only plant to fruit and flower simultaneously. Besides this, there are numerous essays on flowers which are testimonial of author’s love for nature and beauty. The next subject is Unisphere located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The stunning pictures with a detailed write up, includes a pithy observation as “Don’t locals generally pay less attention to the monuments that are easily accessible”. How true these words which reminds me of old Indian saying “Ghar ki murgi dal barabar”. Same way the image captioned Dilemma captured an artist’s presentation of today’s man – in quandary and turmoil. Because of Covid-19 in the year 2020, we all have experienced this emotion first hand and in others with our own eyes. The book would have been incomplete without the coverage on Statue of Liberty, but author has 2 stunning pictures and has also covered the sculptures of the famous people in that complex.

The elaborate write-up coupled with the stunning pictures covering details of murals capture the grandiose Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. There is a similar in-depth coverage of Washington Square in New York, complete with close up of murals. The essay ‘Nature’s Fury’ is a beautiful capture of devastation that can be unleashed in a matter of seconds. According to author the monster storm in NY areas on September 18,2010 lasted for about 2 minutes, yet it uprooted 1500 trees including knocking out power to 20,000 homes. The pictures really capture the ferocity and intensity which words cannot capture. The saying that “A picture is worth a thousand words” really can be appreciated honestly when looking at them in the book. Only word to come out of the mouth is ‘wow’.

The essay titled ‘A Storyteller Tree’ is a splendid capture of the marvel of nature’s working, where from one trunk two stems branch out, one shooting upwards in white flowers while the other shorter stem has loaded red flowers. The strange and enchanting phenomenon is really worth noticing and admiring.

The essays on Saratoga Springs, Lake George, Niagara Falls, A Day at the Lake, Revisiting the Lake, and Scenic Landscapes are a homage of a nature lover’s awe complementing the spectacular beauty captured by the lens of the author.

The essay titled ‘Golden Temple’ provides the spiritual connection. The beautiful pictures capture the serenity of the shrine. The pictures of author’s family members reflect the feel of blessing being relished by them. The brief history about the origin of the shrine adds the connection for those who may not be familiar about it. The collage of pictures on the book cover, shares the glimpses of places dear to the author’s heart. The book can inspire the readers to the significance of meticulous journal keeping while visiting places and observing nature which can then be later transformed into a memoir or a travelogue book. The individual experiences are unique and if not captured at that moment can never be recaptured.