3 Days as a Foriegn Model in Kerala

Another day, another destination. This week it was Kerala — the famed land of meeshas (moustaches) and mundus (man skirts). I’d been persuaded to participate in a travel photo shoot for Mahindra. Me moonlighting as a model does happen from time to time. Modeling has never been a career I’ve felt inspired to activity pursue though. It’s something to do with me having more appreciation for my brains than my beauty!

The setting was the peaceful and picturesque Vembanad House, enviably located right on the banks of Vembanad Lake near Alleppey.

The photographer was R Prasanna, a very talented self taught guy from Chennai, who’s worked in the industry for over seven years. Only six months after completing his MBA, he abandoned corporate life to pursue his passion for photography. I greatly admire him for this, as it’s not easy to go against the pervasive pressure of society’s expectations in India.

I anticipated some relaxation time, as the shoot was scheduled for only two out of the three days I would be there. However, as soon as I arrived, the photographer pounced. He then proceeded, in his relentless quest for good lighting, to set the pace for the next few days. We worked until it was dark at night, then dragged ourselves out of bed at 5 a.m. to catch the first light of the day.

The photographer also coerced me into more poses in more locations than necessary. My appreciation for his creativity and pursuit of perfection saw me giving into most of his requests. Not to mention, he had the ability to make me look incredibly good. He also had a great sense of humour and constantly made me laugh.

I spent much more time than I would’ve liked in a wet and dirty canoe, dodged the monsoon rain, and bared the stench of fish and hoards of onlookers in a local market. I even milked a cow (something I’m familiar with after growing up in the country). But, I drew the line in being covered in oil for a mock ayurvedic treatment.

There was lots of fun in between. We got to cruise around in a traditional style Kerala houseboat, and were fed an endless supply of delicious Kerala cuisine. I also got to dress up in a sari. Life is grand! (Although I’m exhausted).

Here are some photos from the trip.

Misty monsoon morning.

Night fishing.

Early morning cooking by the lake.

Fresh lobster lunch.

Everyone move out of the way! Surrounded by mundu wearing men.

Relaxing on a house boat.

Kerala style house boat, cruising the lake.

Paddy fields.

Such a beautiful sari.

Related Posts:

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2. India Photo: You Know It’s Hot in Kerala When….
3. 10 Days Remaining Until Our Wedding
4. At Last I Have My Wedding Dress
5. Funny Photo: The Modern Mallu Man from Kerala
6. The Captivating Sights of Udaipur Rajasthan
7. A Tale of an Indian’s Culture Shock Abroad
8. Celebrating Dussehra with the Family

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Tagged as: snapshots of Kerala