Meditations of another kind on Manoj's "Ripples of a fall"

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Meditations of another kind on Manoj's "Ripples of a fall"

Postby nirlep » Sat Jan 21, 2012 9:30 am

Meditations of another kind
On the image “Ripples of a fall” by Manoj Vallati
Image of the month at CNP, December 2011

Ripples of a fall.jpg
"Ripples of a fall" by Manoj Vallati
Ripples of a fall.jpg (30.54 KiB) Viewed 7706 times


There are some images which take us beyond our sense of comprehension. It’s difficult to find a key to these images. At CNP, Image of the month for December (image by Manoj Vallati) “Ripples of a fall” fits into this category. A leaf fell. Water quivered sending out “Ripples of a fall”. The ripples did not die out in the cartesian space of the frame. They went far beyond the immediate becoming a metaphor in the mind of the photographer.
In a life lived by rote autumn is like any other day. Leaves fall without being seen, heard or felt. This one fell in full sight of a photographer. Lightness fell into stillness. Ripples emanated from the epicenter. The leaf not yet drowned; half afloat, half submerged, this was a quintessential fall moment. The shot has been taken from an angle in which the leaf looks disoriented. Like it has given in to the moment and surrendered to a greater will.
It follows from Manoj’s thoughts “during shooting I saw this scene where in the leaves were dropping off the trees intermittently, the serene lake was getting disturbed subtly by the falling leaves leaves. The moment was beautiful for me when the ripples were born and gradually disappear... The ripples in the photo are created by a leaf that fell a sec prior taking the shot.. The shadow portion is of the colors of the foilage and the highlights is that of the sky..” . Further “The ripples to me symbolize the subtle transition of the leaf as it enters a new dimension of life - death, symbolized by the highlights-- from darkness to light...” Manoj adds. The latter thought imbues his aesthetic intention with a life-quality and changes the picture into visual representation of his thought process. Pondering over his thoughts about death being a new dimension of life, tThe word death… started to ring bells and in a quick mental recall brought Pramod Viswanath’s image “Death…” before me for a quick juxtaposition. There were two different deaths here; one by Manoj; a dimension of life, and the other by Pramod, death as death, a finality from where there’s no return. It is interesting to see the visual treatments in both the cases. Use of elements in Pramod’s depiction is spot on. It is hard, it is impervious, and it is grey from which all tones of life have been sapped. Here's Pramod image.

Death.jpg
"Death..." by Pramod Viswanath
Death.jpg (35.29 KiB) Viewed 7706 times


On the other hand Manoj has captured a mystic view of death. Life is seen as a transience and death a passage into a world of light. His choice of elements to depict his thoughts is tremendous. Leaf, ripples, water, shades of black and white, everything goes with the theme of transience. Everything is light and passing; liquid. For a thought of this finesse the choice of background shade was very important. It should’ve had (and it does) two contending attributes of space. One proportionate to the size of leaf to depict that the event took place On it, the other large enough to show that everything happens in it. The former is available through the shadow part where we see the action happening on the surface. Moving upwards in the frame, in words of Manoj “from darkness to light” we get into the highlights part. This part is very important since it is here that the image would find required ground for its philosophical intent. It is meant to supply the cosmos for the event and lead viewer’s eye into the infinite. The gradation of tones from the lower to the upper part leads us into the journey quite well. A bit more whiteness in the top half would open up the frame and create space for mind’s eye to move from “the darkness to light”.

Thanks Manoj! For seeing the infinite in a moment so transient.

Nirlep Singh
Last edited by nirlep on Sat Jan 21, 2012 3:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Meditations of another kind on Manoj's "Ripples of a fal

Postby Ganesh H Shankar » Sat Jan 21, 2012 11:01 am

In a life lived by rote autumn is like any other day. Leaves fall without being seen, heard or felt..Lightness fell into stillness.

Very touching and philosophical. You gave another dimension to the image - or probably that was what Manoj meant..Nice reading here Nirlep. Thanks to you both !

[Added Later]

Aha, Pramod's image looked out of context due to eaten up text during the initial post. Now everything fits into its grove !
When I initially saw the Pramod's image I could not connect that with the death due to my own growing context. You now have provided a verbal context around it and another contrasting image
to make me interpret that as death !!
Ganesh H. Shankar
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Re: Meditations of another kind on Manoj's "Ripples of a fal

Postby Manoj » Sat Jan 21, 2012 12:19 pm

Loved reading your thoughts on the image Nirlep. I felt silence while reading this, the same silence in nature, during falling of a leaf or of a rolling mist on a hill...The thoughts complete the picture.

lightness did fell into stillness...

Thank you !
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Re: Meditations of another kind on Manoj's "Ripples of a fal

Postby nirlep » Mon Jan 23, 2012 11:06 am

Thanks Manoj, Ganesh!! for your words.

The picture provided a poetic journey which left me a bit nostalgic at the end. It has happened third time in a row starting with Jayesh's image that my consciousness has been totally seized by one picture for better part of a month. Each picture provides new clues, new learning experience as to how vast is the actual canvas of a 35mm capture.


Thanks once again.
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Re: Meditations of another kind on Manoj's "Ripples of a fal

Postby Sriharsha Ganjam » Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:15 pm

I guess its not fair to just stop at saying WOW after reading your post Nirlep. Your ability to interpret any picture into a poetic blend of emotions is top notch. I have been enlightened a little bit more today and I must thank both you and Manoj and PV for this stimulating journey.

CNP has off late blossomed into not just providing visual treats but also into providing eco spiritual nirvana, and I can say its one of a kind.

Thanks team CNP
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Re: Meditations of another kind on Manoj's "Ripples of a fal

Postby nirlep » Tue Jan 24, 2012 10:30 am

Thanks Hrarsha! and I love that line "eco spiritual nirvana" wow!!

the more one looks at a picture the more it reveals of itself. At first there are only the visual elements followed by intents and inspiration which link a photographer to everything that he or she is. John berger, Rolland barthes, Anand Koomaraswamy, Susan sontag provide such incisive insights into making, manufacturing, and preservation of visuals that it's hard to resist walking alongwith them. And the guys here at CNP keep providing with a lot of stimulus to explore the terra firma of each visual.
Right now I'm camera less as Nirvair has scooted with all my gear and till I get one , seeing pictures is second best thing to clicking them and in each of them I try to find some Nirvana for myself.....
In a study of visual Nirvana the sound "photon" is very close to the universal hymn so don't be surprised if you find me sitting in a nook chanting.."photon....photon......"
:)
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Re: Meditations of another kind on Manoj's "Ripples of a fal

Postby Pramod Viswanath » Tue Jan 24, 2012 8:42 pm

"Right now I'm camera less as Nirvair has scooted with all my gear and till I get one , seeing pictures is second best thing to clicking them and in each of them I try to find some Nirvana for myself....."

Nirlepji, it has literally taken few days for me to think on this topic. I am still recovering from the read. When I read it the first time, I went back to my childhood days. I was 5 years 'old' when I lost my great grandfather. I remember the grief in the family. First death in the family since a long time. I was a small kid and yet I remember myself crying in secrecy. My first witness of death. I still don't understand the concept of death but the memories of that day is so deeply engraved that when I think about it - I still remember every moment of it. The tears that rolled down my dad's cheeks when he heard the news and much more.

Anyways not digressing much, Manoj's image interpreted by you reminds me of Indian mythology and puranas - it seems there lies a river by name vitharana or vytharni between earth and the infernal world. When one dies, it takes 11 days for Lord yama ( that's where various ceremonies comes into picture that is done in the family for 11 days. By offering the food to the soul, it finds energy to carry on the journey with yama till the river vytharni ) to take the soul to the river. It is the place where the soul 'transitions' to the hell / heaven - the same story I have heard from my great grandfather during my days with him. Every time I hear about a death, the river vytharni is what comes to my mind. The soul crossing or not crossing the river depends on ones 'karma'. West believes in 1 life and we believe in life after death - an endless cycle of life and death dependent on one's karma.

The image and the narration now completes the story. Manoj's image reminds of perfectly of that transition from life to life after death and your thoughts and words always acts like a "glue" that is linking the image with the mythology :)

More later.
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