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:
- India Photo – Sunrise at Glenora Homestay in Wayanad, Kerala
- 5 Days on an Advertising Shoot in Uttarakhand
- India Photo: You Know It’s Hot in Kerala When….
- 10 Days Remaining Until Our Wedding
- At Last I Have My Wedding Dress
- Funny Photo: The Modern Mallu Man from Kerala
- The Results of my Recent Travels
- The Captivating Sights of Udaipur Rajasthan
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...
{ 71 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow….Now Sharell is a Supermodel
Brilliant pics too.
i wanna see the entire set of pictures……how?where?
i just wonder how ur CV will look like if u make one.
Ha, now you sound like the photographer!
Just for you Ronny…these are all my personal pics. If I keep harassing him, hopefully the photographer will send me the professional ones.
Nice pics, scenery as well as Supermodel !
So, did you not fess up that to the folks at Mahindra that you are actually not much of a foreigner any more
?
Oh they know! My status seems to be legendary. They just wanted me for my white skin.
Thats great Sharell and thanks for sharing them.
Awesome.
Kerala is giving Sharell competition in terms of beauty.
Hi Sharell…Hey u like being called a indian now..now ur a truly indian lady…
For sure!
The photographer even noticed my toe rings from Orissa and commented “hey are you married? To an Indian guy?”.
That’s good…..well proud to be indian..
U rock Sharell..never have worked with a Supermodel before..ur the first [:)]
You look gorgeous Sharell !
I just came across ur website and I’m already addicted.
I visited Kerala (Trivandrum) few years ago. Its a beautiful place. Have you tried their banana chips ? They are soo yummmmmmy
That last photo of you sitting down in that beatiful sari! Which by the way great photos. I hope to see the professonal ones. What is that bench that you are sitting on. The swing bench. I notice them a lot in bollywood film and would like one in my house once we build one.
I’m a professional photographer…does this mean you’ll model for me when I get into Mumbai? Actually, I should hook you up with my partner, Ramit, in Delhi.
You are a beautiful model, Sharell. You should take more gigs…you have a very easy grace about you. Thanks for sharing those. And I am so jealous…my trip to Kerala was canceled and I will now be in Rajistan and Agra until the wedding at the end of the month. I would have much preferred to be in Goa or Kerala until I was needed in Surat.
Actually, would you like to do a portfolio? Its a serious offer
Welcome back Sharell….
I don’t need to ask how was your trip….your post, snaps and comments of your readers are self explanatory.
But honestly, you got real luck, to see people and places and be the part of one of the most diverse and complicated societies of world…
Way to go….
Sharell WTG! You are true beauty love the photos glad you had great time!
i like the typical mallu pic on that old jhulla!
Hey people, I have a question. What is the attitude of the south Indians towards the northerners now? I’ve noticed they used to be pretty rotten towards the northerners especially punjabis. Do they still have that attitude? Has it changed anyhow? Sharell wouldn’t know and I doubt she’ll be able to notice it too. Maybe anyone of us who’s been to Kerala or thereabouts before? On a more persoanl front, I wouldn’t want to take a vacation in Kerala ever. And after watching the movie Kaminey, Mumbai is off the list too.
Laureen how did you know I like taking pictures? You could try to come to Delhi too from Agra if you have the time…
Ramit…I am actually going to be in Delhi first week of November for a wedding. The wedding is in Gujarat and reception in Delhi a few days later. Although, my plans fell thru for Goa and Kerala from Oct 20 – 30 so now I am trying to put togther new plans. I may end up in Delhi earlier…I have to go sari and lehenga shopping.
And BTW, are you SURE I don’t know you? lol.
Ramit, aren’t people from Kerala prejudice against anyone who doesn’t speak Malayalam?
When I was in Karnataka a while back, the family I was staying with told me that north Indians still had a bad attitude towards them (south Indians). So it goes both ways? But yes, by knowledge is limited.
Reenu, thanks so much for the offer of putting together a portfolio, but I wouldn’t know what to do with it if I had one! I’m still not very sure of myself as a model. I don’t really have the right attitude (I need to get over the superficiality of it), and my poses are limited to smiling! Even the photographer said I should take up modeling, but I don’t know about the industry. I’m one of these sensitive types, and I hear such horrible stories!
Christina, those swing benches are called jhullas and are very traditional. Many houses have them inside. Even small apartments here in Mumbai often have swings in them!
Missmasala, yes, banana chips are yummy!
Wow, great pics! Of both Kerala and you (when you are looking so glamorous in Indian gear it is reallly hard to imagine you as a government accountant lol – which I am…) Looove your blog by the way, have read every single entry ever now (go on, quiz me
)…great writing style and even gramatically correct which is just astounding (yes, I do know grammar, just don’t use it as I need my own Cathy-ised grammar to fully express myself…).
Ramit, from a few people I know, a lot of Mallu and Marathis too are prejudiced towards northerners (ranging from gently cautioning me about their evil to outright refusal to deal). And then people I know from Kolkata say that Mallu are evil and northerners are dumb but harmless. Quite funny really, in every place we seem to need to dislike or make fun of at least one other group (like in Australia we have Tasmanians or New Zealanders).
And I have a suspicion that Laureen’s Kerala dreams may come true…I am Kerala dreaming again…:D
Oh, and Sharell, if you do want to take up modelling, I have a few Mumbai contacts who may be useful – don’t know them well but could at least put you in touch – from a stylist/designer to casting.
Hi Cathy! My gosh, reading the whole blog must’ve kept you busy! I am a bit of a grammar queen! I’ll even admit to feeling tense when I come across bad grammar. I’m definitely not perfect though. One reader did correct my use of who’s and whose.
I feel disbelief too just thinking about my old job …so many shades of blue, black, and brown suits! And pin stripes, and white shirts. So boring. (I tried to look the part). 
Wow, the universe seems determined to push me into modelling with all these offers of assistance. If someone asks me to do a shoot, I’d probably agree to it but the thought of going around trying to get work based solely on how I look isn’t too appealing. And at the moment, my excuse is I’m too busy with other work (the truth!). I may have to give it some further thought though…
Oh, it did (but then, being in government I have a lot of free time…). I am totally with you on the grammar and spelling (despite appearances…I am a big fan of the …)and remember pretty much every error I see (and yes, it is still disturbing me to know that in at least two of the policy documents in my workplace there is use of the wrong compliment/complement and principal/principle)…with my pet hate being superfluous apostrophes (or apostrophe’s lol). And hmm I think your wardrobe was probably more dictated by being a Melbournite rather than accountant…in my younger years I had a few red suits, cobalt blue, burgundy…and some reasonably ‘crazy’ work shirts from Monsoon. Lol at trying to look the part…and I think you will need to post some photos of you in boringwear for our amusement.
Worth thinking about…I can understand those feelings though…but you never know…sometimes you just end up falling into something (especially when the whole world is conspiring
). But hmm now I am thinking…what if modelling took time away from writing the blog?! :O Yeah, modelling baaad, stick with writing 
Oh, the apostrophe’s are my pet hate too!!! Nothing more annoying.
Now, thinking back to my younger days, I had a red suit too!! And a cream coloured one. What was I thinking!!
I seem to recall the red one didn’t get worn very often.
That’s the thing, modelling would take away time from my writing, which is my priority. I’m so flat out as it is, with two websites and a book proposal on the go (as well as multiple offers to write for other websites)!
Oh Laureen, I can help you with the lehenga and the saree shopping. Let me know. Well, you might know me. Don’t know. I’m confused. Lol.
Don’t mean to offend anyone here, but a lot of people from down south who end up working in Delhi are pretty hostile towards the northerners. I don’t know why. I thought we were one country, but then I guess each country has a few problems like that. It’s really hard to accomplish any work with them around. Things go much faster if all the staff in let’s say a bank are all either northerners or from south. If there’s a mix, then God bless you. I’ve had some hands on experience with the bank issue so mentioned it over here.
Sharell, we would like to look at your boringwear outfits.
I’m sure Ronny and PGB would for sure. 
Oooh feels good to know that some people think northerners are dumb but harmless. That’s funny. I’m imagining myself dumb and harmless now.
I will have to dig around for some old boring wear photos when I’m back in Oz next.
Hey sharell,
You really inspire me to travel.
Don’t know what more to say..
God bless..
Haha Cathy…however do you put up with me? I can barely type
Ramit, oh thank you for your offer…I am a bit stressed about getting outfits for the wedding. If I were going to Delhi first I would def ring you for help. My schedule has me landing in Mumbai on Oct 20 then heading out of Mumbai on the 22nd to who knows where at this moment…it will either be Rajistan/Agra or Kerala …then to Surat by Oct 30 for the wedding festivities…then the train with the family to Delhi for the wedding reception on Nov 5. So, by the time I make it to Delhi, I will be just shopping for art and casual clothing. I would rather buy my wedding stuff in Delhi but it looks like it will have to be Mumbai on the first 2 days.
And, I joked asking I if knew you because the groom-to-be and my wedding photography partner is named Ramit as well… and he is from Delhi. But its been established that you are not the same Ramit because my dear friend Apoorv asked if you knew Puneet.
Sharell…you must let my partner Ramit do some shots of you…he is amazing. Our Ramit here may be too, but I havent seen his work.
One more thing Ramit, my very best friend in the world is from Kerala and he is NOT prejudice at all. He even dated a …gasp…Punjabi girl. Heck, he even went out with me a few times, lol (thats a teasing gasp, btw)
It is just a whole other mindset, the ‘they are from there so they are bad’…so beyond logic…and proven when one of my most prejudiced friends got angry at me being friends with a Punjabi…he used the point of ‘well there is a Punjabi girl in my class and she asked me out but I said no because she is Punjabi’…and I asked him ‘would you have gone out with her based on looks, manner, intelligence, character if she was from elsewhere’…and of course he said yes…thus proving that he was an idiot, as (duh!) if she was good, then surely that disproves his universally applied bias. Having a funny thought of Ramit trying to look dumb but harmless. Can only picture a Homer Simpson type character
And ah Sharell, there is no need to wait until you are back here…I am sure someone would be happy to search for and scan the most entertaining ones. I know I still cringe when I see my ’suit photo’ from interview photos in 1992…
And yes Laureen, afraid I do register every typo of that sort lol but of course your personal charm and angelicness and all far outweighs.
Oops, should not ramble so much on here…
Oh Cathy but you can ramble as much as you want! Sharell’s really sweet about that!
Let’s see now, Homer Simpson eh? Well, I’m bald, and have a round stomach. Does that help the resemblance anyhow?
:;
And thanks Laureen. But I never said everyone is biased. It’s just that most people are silly enough to be biased. Personally I would like to think of India as a whole, but the mindless violence happening all over India makes me think otherwise. And to top it all we have best government (from the bottom) in the entire universe!
Sharell: When will we see the pro pics from the Kerala photoshoot?
Ramit, I didn’t you meant everyone was biased.
I was just throwing my 2 cents in. Hey, I emailed Sharell my email info to give to you…would you contact me? I’m trying to figure out if there is way to work the sari thing. Im nervous I wont have enough time to get it all sorted out….especially since Im arriving at Diwali.
hi sharell…..kerala looks pretty good in the snaps that you took…i am living in trivandrum for a year and havent been to allepy….looks like a awesome place….
you must be pretty fond of kerala ?…you keep coming back….
i have been reading your blog for 5-6 months now…and i must say you have been very consistent…it takes discipline to write regularly…..
Ramit my husband is a Mallu who grew up in Karnataka and went to school in Tamil Nadu. His feeling is that the Northerners don’t like the South Indians (due to the culture, language and skin colour). My husbands best friend was from Delhi, so they all can’t be so bad! I honestly haven’t saw anything negative towards Northern Indians although I do find here (in Canada) my husband is treated differently although our population is 85% Punjabi’s. I guess it depends where your from but working for multi national corp’s in India my husband had to work with everyone and the people he tended to appreciate the most in his work place were the Punjabi’s–they worked longer and harder then any of the others.
you traveled again, why? nevamind.
Thanks Sarah. Well, actually in Punjab they say that Keralites are the most intelligent ones in India. Plus also the most caring ones. All over the world about 90% of all Indian nurses and healthcare workers are Keralites. I’m proud of the fact that the Indian Healthcare workers are considered the best all over. Doesn’t matter to me what state they come from. But no one listens to me anyways hehe. Also, Kerala is the most literate state in India especially in terms of the women.
Hello PGB. Long time no see bhai. Or behan. Actually I don’t know what gender you are. Hehe.
Sure Laureen, I emailed you. Actually my email address is also on my profile page. Hehe. Diwali? You land in India on the day of Diwali? Wow! Amazing! Well when you’re in Delhi, we can shop for the lehenga and the sarees in less than a couple of hours, (the drive to and from NOT included) it’s the blouse that’ll take time to stitch. Go figure! Keep atleast three days for the blouse to stitch. I guess.
So let me get this straight, the groom and the photographer both are named Ramit? Or did I get that wrong? Or are they one and the same person?
Good Morning Sharell.
Hi Ramit, I just emailed you back. I have a severe case of insomnia tonight. Ugh. Actually, I guess I am landing the day after diwali is over. I got my dates for Diwali wrong. And, my photo partner is named Ramit…he is also the groom…and he is from Delhi as well.
whew… I’m going to have start calling him RB to keep you two straight lol.
Oooh!! @ the stories you can tell your grandkids! I iz so jehlus!
Oh Ramit, you all are doomed now…I am a natural rambler…and now will feel freeee to do so! And now I am picturing you as one of my coworkers…who is like an Indian Homer lookswise (but more intelligent thank goodness).
I hope all Americans (yes youuuuu Laureen) are now safely tucked up in bed where they belong.
Awe Cathy…I was up ALLLLLLL freaking night…now its time to head to the train for work…but fear not my Aussie friend, I will have over 30 hours to catch up on sleep while I travel to meet you in Mumbai.
So is your co worker bald too Cathy?
How can you sleep on a plane Laureen? I hate the cramped seats… Call me RG then.
You were…I know that now lol…that is not good…especially with work! Hopefully you will sleep better tonight with our fab new plan (and yes I do realise that it is funny to talk to you on here when I have you every other place
). And um yes, it is very ‘lucky’ that you will have so much time…yuk yuk yuk…I have only done that travel once, when I went to the US…
Ramit, my co worker is bald…little bit of hair left but not much…very Homerish
And don’t be a sook about plane seats…when you are soooo tired from travelling you can sleep (even on Tiger seats which I swear have no padding at all)…I even slept through a takeoff once after a long wait in Singapore for my connecting flight…must admit that I had been awake for 30 hours before that though…
Don’t know why but I can never sleep on a plane. It’s just me I guess. Plus my bad back makes it harder…
My secret to sleeping on a plane is two glasses of red wine.