Month: November 2024

Book Reviews

“Shanti” by Arun Patel

You, like me, would associate every place you have been to with some sights and sounds. I am back in Bengaluru enjoying the lovely weather we are blessed to have. Being fond of nature, I admire the trees and greenery near where we live. I find this relaxing especially with birds chirping in the trees and shrubs. ” If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere” said Vincent van Gogh!

We recently visited the United States. In this trip we had the pleasure of spending a few days at The Sea Ranch, in Northern California. The waves of the Pacific Ocean pounding the beaches, coves and craggy cliffs is a sight to behold.

At The Sea Ranch, we were delighted to meet with Arun Patel, the renowned photographer. To know more about his brilliant work do check out his website : Arun Patel Studio . You can also follow him on Instagram.

When we met at the Sea Ranch Lodge, we heard first hand from him about his passion for photography. He described how he took to this highly interesting and challenging field. I can only imagine and admire the immense patience he must have while photographing.

His book, “Shanti” (which comes from a Sanskrit word for Peace, Calm, and Quiet) is a collector’s item for sure. The layout of the book is striking. There is little or no text. The pictures, printed on high quality paper, are crisp, clear, and speak for themselves. You can interpret them in your own way. Frankly, you lose all sense of time as you admire each of the pictures in the book.

All the pictures in ” Shanti” have one thing in common. They were shot by Arun in and around The Sea Ranch. They portray the many different aspects of this lovely place. The pictures range from the redwoods on the hills to the waters of the Pacific Coast. Some pictures have stayed in my mind. The mist swirling midst the tall redwood trees. The rays of sunshine illuminating a path in the woods. The cascade of spray as the waves meet the rocks on the coast. The weather beaten rocks themselves that have been through many a storm.

Interestingly, Arun shoots all his pictures in black and white. This choice stands out in today’s world. You will find most pictures are in colour perhaps thanks to modern technology.

The beautiful photographs in “Shanti” reminded me of this famous quote by Andri Magdalena Cauldwell. ” To see in colour is a delight for the eye, but to see in black and white is a delight for the soul. “

More power to you, Arun! I look forward with great interest to your future works.

Life In The City, My Take

Exploring San Francisco in a Waymo Driverless Car

Perhaps in 2019, while walking in San Francisco’s Mission District, a white coloured car with some gizmo rotating on its roof caught my attention! I hadn’t seen anything like that before. I was told it was one of those experimental driver less cars! The stuff on the roof were sensors, cameras, and God knows what which enabled the car navigate busy city roads without a human being at the driving wheel!

Cut to October 2024. We were back in San Francisco and were eagerly waiting to take our first ride in a Waymo- a self-driving/driverless car service, which is become increasingly popular by the day. These cars are now called autonomous vehicles or robotaxis. It was very simple really. I downloaded the Waymo App, created an account and was ready to go!

Shobana and I decided to visit Cole Valley for old times sake. Using the App, we hailed a Waymo for a ride from the Luma Hotel where we were staying. The Waymo pulled up to exactly where we stood. The App had advised me to pull the door twice. Once to unlock the door and the second to open the door. As we settled ourselves comfortably in the spacious back seat of the all electric Jaguar IPACE, we couldn’t help marvelling that there was no one in the driver’s seat to take us to our destination! Our thoughts were interrupted by an announcement reminding us to fasten our seat belts! We did that- and we were off.

Our ride took about 24 minutes and covered 4.5 miles in San Francisco traffic. Never once did we feel nervous. Not even when our Waymo halted at the top of a steep slope when the lights changed to red. When the lights changed the wheel spun and we were off again taking a perfect turn.

There was light music playing in the background. We could have changed the music and chosen something else but we were much too busy enjoying the ride. To our delight at a traffic signal, we stopped and another Waymo pulled up beside us!! It was mind boggling for us to see our Waymo speed up when required, slow down when appropriate, stop where and when required- all without a driver!!

I have written about our personal experience of the ride. For those who want more in depth information of how it works, please do check out The Waymo Driver in their website.

Soon after, we reached our destination at exactly the time projected at the start of our drive! Congratulations to the folks at Waymo! This was a memorable experience for us. Our Waymo ride was way more comfortable and exciting than we expected!