Finally I broke the barrier this time . Procrastination, laziness , laid back are words when actually gets into action the results are catastrophic and thats exactly what has happened with me whenever I have planned to go out for shooting during Eid festival .
A true cosmopolitan city like kolkata always embraces and rises up to the occasion of any religious festival and EID is no different . The festival starts a month back and the build up to the D day celebration is with buying new clothes and food items . Places in Kolkata like New Market , Chitpur , Kihidderpore are filled with roadside makeshift shops selling these items and for a photographer this is exciting enough to roam and explore further .
A late night decision to shoot , some frantic calls to fellow photographer friends and finally a post in facebook on which my dear friend and partner for most of the photowalks in kolkata, Proshanto responds backand we are on . But twists and turns are normal in my life and with a series of events keeping us awake till midnight, also confirmed that I will have to drop my father in law to the airport early morning next day .
Any photoshoot for a photographer involves a drill beforehand in preparedness and religiously I went through all of them . Battery charged Check . Memory Card Check . Protective gears Check . Rain Protection check . Lenses check .
Considering this was an outdoor shoot with whimsical sky above minimalist was the call of the day – Less gear , higher mobility to move around .
Shooting for Eid means one needs to know exactly when the prayers will be done or else the photographic moments will be missed and the prayers happen as per schedule so knowing the schedule is necessary . The coordination started once I dropped my father in law to the airport and by the time I reached ,the prayers at Nakhoda Masjid the 90 years old principal mosque of Kolkata was already over .
With this we were only left with the option visiting Red road one of the oldest road in Kolkata where the mass prayer happens as organized by the state government .
In awe of the situation and surroundings with so many devotees around thankfully the presence of bevy of photographers saved my day .Here are glimpses of what I could capture .. Next year I will do a series .. Let me know how you liked it