Capturing cultures
Varun Suresh explores the sights and sounds of different cultures, armed with nothing but a camera as he goes off the grid during his travels.
Like every other middle class household, Varun Suresh’s family did not let him touch the camera as ‘it was not a toy to play with’. So the youngster’s first tryst with photography happened through a first-generation camera mobile phone, which took pictures in the size of a thumbnail. The passion for capturing faces and memories grew while clicking photos of his friends and weddings of people he knew. All this resulted in him doing a degree in photography at London — and in that one year away from India, Varun realised that the scene in India had completely changed.
It’s been a great six years since then for the shutterbug, who is now a well-known wedding photographer, and indulges in some fantastic travel escapades whenever he has time. Though he’s been on several memorable trips around India and overseas, a recent one that Varun is excited about is a movie-inspired European odyssey. “I strongly believe that travel is the best investment one can make. So I make it a point to make sure I take some time off work to travel. That was how my Europe trip happened. Europe felt like a big deal, because we still think of it as a luxury,” Varun says.
Varun made the brave decision of going off-grid throughout his travels — ensuring he didn’t carry a phone, use physical maps, or ask locals for directions/suggestions. “I did not have a plan — I just went towards the city, started walking, and if I saw anything interesting, walked in that direction. It was the experience of a lifetime.”
On his many trips, Varun tussled with a common dilemma — be a photographer or a tourist? “I had to tell myself that it was alright if I didn’t get a good photo but at the end of the day, when I look at some of the photos which weren’t great, I remind myself that the trip was worthwhile.”
He concludes by saying that making a trip alone is the best way to experience some true-blue wanderlust. “Travelling solo means getting to interact with our surroundings a lot more than you would with company. Moreover, you are free to do whatever you want!”