Soulie Saturday #7: Thoughts so far... and Sharing our #Soulie Moments!

The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.

- Dorothea Lange.

Today is the 7th chapter in the book of #Soulie, a page I have been publishing every Saturday since the past seven weeks and I thought it is a good time to collect all the posts that bloggers have shared with My Yatra Diary...  for the project ever since.

Before moving further, let me just give a small brief if you are wondering what this #Soulie is all about: it is a word / hashtag I had coined spontaneously while analysing my love affair with my camera during my yatras (read – Is the Camera a Tool or a Barrier While Travelling?) which later gave birth to this idea, Soulie Saturday.

I have already written about my idea of a selfie before, here it is again - I am not your (typical) selfie person, I am much more comfortable behind the camera rather than in front of it. You will hardly find any pictures of mine, let alone on this blog, with me also. Travel blogging and writing, in this manner, thus allows me the luxury of not being seen and yet… being seen through what I write. My words here are my Self(ie) you see! and this I wouldn’t want to trade for anything just yet, for my own sanity sake.

Okay, if not #selfie then what?

#Soulie.

Blogging at My Yatra Diary... is truly wonderful but many a times during my travels, I tend to get so immersed in capturing a picture, sharing and putting them up on the blog / social media that it leaves my mom wondering:

Arti, if you are so busy taking photographs,

what will you actually see?

And though I simply shrug her mindful observation off most of the time, it's not until I sit down, write and put things in perspective that the reality seeps in and I cannot help getting enveloped in a sense of gratitude towards her.

What will you actually see?

Here is my answer #Soulie. With it, I am trying to push myself to actually see – to be more aware, to sit down with moments caught, meet them and feel them… not as a priced possession to flaunt away but as a treasured experience to keep safe within the confines of my heart… an experience of all those moments that are no longer alive and yet very much throbbing somewhere inside, an experience of all those moments that were once rushing in a flicker of seconds, today freezed and calling out, asking me, teasing…

So here we are Arti …

tell us, what is it that you can see in us,

what is it in us that your eyes can touch,

now that we are gone and all that is left is this piece of us.

See, see again and see hard – touch something, anything and breathe life in us!

Thank you to everyone who has showed an interest in this endeavour and supported the idea of using the camera in a more mindful way, My Yatra Diary… hopes to see your touching creations in her little corner soon.

For now, let’s see what some wonderful people have shared as part of the #Soulie project through their inspiring work on Instagram, twitter and blog:

POOJA BHATT @chillkaroyaar

An enthusiastic girl full of life, Pooja Bhatt’s passion for photography is electric! What touched me was her forwardness to #Soulie inspite of her craze for selfies – speaks volumes about her keen dynamism.

Here are two pictures from her… first one is that of a child who is teaching us all about facing everything in life - with a wide smile. And second is from the lap of Mother Nature. Both the subjects close to my heart, the series couldn’t have got a better start.

If you have Maa by your Side...you don't need to give a Damn about the Rest of the World 🤗 Sorry, was so busy in the Cousins Shaadi preparations could not Post any Pic but this Pic takes me back in February when I visited a Jaggery Making workshop where I found Raj - this Cutie Pie whose Mom and Parents work in the Scorching 40 degree Temperature 🤒 with a Big Bhatta Totally Sweaty and Super Warm Place! When a saw this Kid Smile - I started believing in the Magician called God ✨ When you can't even manage Standing in the Barbeque Weather : Raj manages to Smile ☀️😁 #officialhumansofgujarat #ip_smile

A post shared by Pooja Bhatt (@chillkaroyaar) on May 14, 2017 at 11:57am PDT

Good Morning have A Visitor today 🙌🏻🌿 My Mom has a Special Seating Arrangements to feed the Mornings Foodies 😁 Those foodies happen to be Beautiful Different types Chirping Sparrows and Squirrels 💕 Today we had this Special Guest : Oriental Magpie Robin ✨ My Morning always arrives with these Cute little fighting singing and hopping beauties 😁 May this Day be Super For all of Us 🌅 Happy Tuesday!

A post shared by Pooja Bhatt (@chillkaroyaar) on Apr 24, 2017 at 8:58pm PDT

SAUMY NAGAYACH @saumynagayach21

Our next blogger is Saumy Nagayach who is equally passionate about all things photography although he calls himself a novice photographer. Whenever you have some time, especially check out the poetry section on his blog, they are straight from the heart... all #Soulie. So here are two pictures from his bag on Instagram – first one that of a beautiful white flower urging us to let it just bloom and the second a silent prayer for more goodness in the world.

Flower to Photographer - Though am not in full bloom but there is still a lot left in me to deliver you my services with. Services like capturing my beauty and gazing me for hours but with a condition that you will not pluck me to decorate your house. #flowers #soulie #botanical #garden #flower #darjeeling #westbengal #westbengaltourism #India #flowerphotography #photographers #photography #travel #blogger #travelingram #instapic #insta_photography #insta_photo #instaflowers #natgeoindia #traveldiaries #indiaview #flowermagic #photographers_of_india #photographersofinstagram #postcard #indiaclicks #indiapictures #india_undiscovered

A post shared by Saumy Nagayach (@saumynagayach21) on Apr 25, 2017 at 9:49pm PDT

Let's prayer today for all the good that is hiding somewhere from the evil roaming around us. Prayers are nothing but a connection that we make from one heart to another. From a mere being to the greatest creator. Let's connect our pure souls to one another and one day, the good will definitely prevail over evil. #prayer #wheels #soulie #monastery #life #spirituality #good #evil #gangtok #sikkimtourism #India #lifephotography #photographers #photography #travel #travelingram #instapic #insta_photography #insta_photo #natgeo #traveldiaries #indiaview #yourshot_india #photographers_of_india #photographersofinstagram #postcard #indiaclicks #indiapictures #india_undiscovered #travelphotography

A post shared by Saumy Nagayach (@saumynagayach21) on May 7, 2017 at 12:38am PDT

VANDITA NIPHADKAR @vanditan

This post wouldn’t be complete without our third blogger Vandita – the only photography enthusiast who jumped in with 'It is worth evaluating!' on twitter the moment she read the post ‘Is the Camera a Tool or a Barrier While Travelling?’ And guess what? True to her word, she did evaluate it! Read all about her experience of the experiment on her blog:

@artisdiary I owe you this experience. #mindfulness #soulie #travelblogger #photographer https://t.co/M8mFvl3J7m

— Vandita Niphadkar (@Vanditan) May 26, 2017

Here is one of my favourite picture, I picked up from her Instagram feed:

May you have a quiet evening filled with peace and serenity. Angels watch over you and divine love is strong. That which created the entire universe holds you close in love. . . . . . . . #travel #travelpics #traveling #travelphotography #travelingram #travelling #traveller #travellife #travelbug #travelblogger #traveladdict #travelphoto #travelgram #incredibleindia #india #nature #likesforlikes #likesforfollow #instagram #instalike #instatravel #instaphoto #instapic #instatraveling #travelbug #traveladdict #sunset #traveltheworld #traveltheworld #canon #photography #photographer #iamtb @lonelyplanetindia @lonelyplanetmagazineindia @lonelyplanetmags @natgeotravellerindia @natgeotravel @cntravellerindia @travelbloggeres @travelchannel @shenaztreasury @travelandlife @bbc_travel

A post shared by Vandita Niphadkar (@vanditan) on Jun 1, 2017 at 8:36am PDT

This is all we have for this Soulie sharing post this time around but don’t forget to join in (on blog or instagram) if you think you have something to share for the series as well. The only requisite I ask is that it should be a moment that touches you in some way so that it is can be felt by other hearts as well. Then use the hashtag #Soulie on Instagram and let me know!