www.themonsoonride.com is finally LIVE !!!!!

So, finally after weeks of discussions, labour and hardwork, our new website www.themonsoonride.com is live.

Now every information related to the event will be there on the website.

We are thankful to our website partners Innovative Web Technologies Pvt Ltd. and their team for working so hard for it.

Keep Checking this space and don't forget to visit www.themonsoonride.com .

Regards,
Team Western Motorsports.

Photography for Western Motorsports

As every time we say that we believe in giving chance to new comers so one day we thought why not give a chance to budding photographers to showcase their talent through our event. So then n there as always on phone the foundation of this photography competition which recently got over on 15th March 2010 was laid.

Within half n hour , a writeup was prepared , terms and conditions for the entries were discussed between me, Anukraman Sir and Anirban Sir and the competition was on air with me as its coordinator and the best part in which we at Western Motorsports are really good without thinking about its consequences. Just floated the competition and started waiting for the responses.
The time frame for entry submission was kept near about 2 months and we were hoping around 20-25 entries in this course of time and thought if we received these much entries our event is a hit.

And we started doing the most important part of our event that is Promoting it. Facebook , Orkut , mails, messages were all over the net. I would like to thank the team of motoroids.com, Mumbai weekend shoots , Delhi Bloggers and some other groups which helped us in promoting it.

I still remember when me and Anirban Sir were chatting on gtalk on the very last day of submission at around 11:15 P.M,we received around 15-18 entries within those 45 minutes as the competition was supposed to end exactly at 0000 Hrs and both of us were like "w00t???,what the hell is happening???"

At exact 0000 Hrs , I started counting the final entries and was overwhelmed to see such response from all the photographers from all over the country.From extreme north zones of India to down south , even we received one entry from a person living in Sweden and is going to come to India at the time of JK-Tyre The Monsoon Ride-2010.

We received around 78 entries out of which only 67 were accepted as rest of the entries were not in accordance with prerequisites of the event.I really feel bad for all those people who couldn't make it this time but there is always a next time and I hope you'll read all the terms and conditions carefully whenever you plan to participate in an event like ours.

Now as I told you earlier we never think about consequences , judging these entries is one hell of a task as we have to choose the best,have to stick to two main things which we have asked for in photographs i.e composition and timing. Our judges are gonna have a tough time for sure.

I want to congratulate all the photographers whose entries have been accepted and would like to wish them all the best for the results which will be out soon.Keep checking your mail inbox , our website and the facebook event page for more updates regarding this event and we promise you it will an experience of a lifetime and we'll try to give you a platform so that you can proceed and leave your mark in this field.

Till then , Keep Clicking.
Yatin Gupta

Photography for Western Motorsports

Looking for photographers for our events

Western Motorsports has always believed in giving a chance to new people either in sport or other things related to our events.Might be a good news for budding photographers as we are looking for somefor our future events mainly JK Tyre The Monsoon Ride - 2010 to be held in July 2010.

We need 10 photographers to cover this event and they'll be provided with accomodation,food,and comfortable travelling expenses to Jaipur and back.Transport throughout the event will be given by us only.

As photography is all about right timing and composition which is all we want , You need to send us your 10 best pictures having good composition and perfect timing as well.

You can mail in your pictures at
photogs.wm@gmail.com

Please write your Name,E-mail ID and Contact number in mail and your name and contact number on each and every pic which you send to us.

Currently you need to send low resolution pics(preferably 800 x 600 px ) so thats easier for you to send.Please note that EXIF info should be preserved in the photographs i.e pictures must be original & copyright violations if any will be the applicants problem.

We will shortlist some people and will reply them via mail or call.

The deadline for sending in your mails is 15th March 2010.

Some Important Points :-
1.The pics which you'll be sending us won't be used anywhere.
2.The event's duration will be 3 days for which you'll be shooting and it will be on a weekend.
3.The kind of shots we are expecting can be seen at www.westernmotorsports.in
4.Information about copyrights and payments will be told to all the shortlisted candidates.

Chalchitra Expedition '09

The Chalchitra Expedition’09 was organized by Bring Your Own Film Festival (BYOFF) in collaboration with The Tourism Welfare Society of Rajasthan (TWSR) and Western Motorsports (WM). BYOFF was conceived as an independent platform for film-makers five years ago and has been held on the beaches of Puri since then. This year, BYOFF had put together a last minute team of film-makers and film students for an expedition through Rajasthan, coupled with a workshop for the students on documentary film-making. The film-makers were to interact with the students, guiding and giving them the impetus to create films heralding their own unique styles and perspectives. The resultant documentaries are to be show-cased at the next edition of BYOFF.

TWSR and WM provided logistical support to the expedition tapping the expertise in their respective fields of concern. While WM promotes adventure tourism in Rajasthan by combining motorsports events with historical destinations, TWSR aims to redefine tourism in Rajasthan by opening up new destinations and incorporating global best practices in the Indian tourism industry.

Rediscover Rajasthan. As I read the byline of TWSR an involuntary smirk came on my face. Having travelled through Rajasthan on some occasions before, it seemed like another attempt to catch the unwitting traveler’s imagination. Certain images immediately came to mind: desolate highways leading from one tourist paradise to another, imposing forts and embellished havellis, decorated camels, women clad in colorful ethnic dresses; and all the tourist kitsch that has become typical of Rajasthan.

Yet, as an aspiring film-maker myself, the expedition sounded alluring with its promise of close interaction with former and current students of India’s oldest film institute FTII Pune along with a handful of other independent film-makers. The possibility of observing how the visually rich landscapes would be perceived by diverse sensibilities was always interesting to learn and hone one’s own skills.

The expedition kicked off on a sleepy early morning from Jal Mahal, Jaipur. A sense of over-riding enthusiasm lingered heavily in the air as all of the participants wanted to make the most of a land and culture new to them. Mapping the vibrant colors, music, dance and song, the living traditions of Rajasthan, was a challenge cinematically and aesthetically.

After the ceremonial photo-ops and fanfare at Jal Mahal the expedition proceeded to the quintessential Jaipur attractions: Amber Palace and Jantar Mantar. As the evening settled in, the motley crew hustled back to the Pink City Restaurant, a hotel run by TWSR. Rajasthani folk dancers performed later, culminating the first leg of the 10 day expedition.
Early next morning we left for Bikaner, home of the famous Junagadh Fort. Several pleasant surprises came our way during the day: indicators of how the expedition would shape up ahead. Instead of the long, lonesome, often cold and impersonal highways we took the bumpy, narrow but welcoming country roads that led through dusty, unwary and unsuspecting villages. The locals in Rajasthan are a friendly lot, and we fielded their curiosity readily. The highlight of the drive came around noon, when we crossed the 2nd highest peak of the Aravalis. The loops leading to it are a strange sight in this otherwise lucid landscape. The peak is also home to a 1000 year old temple known as Harshnath. A row of windmills scattered around the top perfect the setting and add to the prominence the hill rightly deserves.

These intriguing roads have been unearthened by WM in their long grilling recces across Rajasthan for the motor rallies they organize. As a young energetic outfit, they are on a constant lookout for landscapes that captivate and yet are challenging for the participants. By the time we reached Shekawati, home to the famous painted havellis, the sun had cast its shadow on the land. Hurrying through a couple of havellis we saw glimpses of the painstaking details and designs that had made the embellishments famous worldwide. The darkness made filming/photographing rather cumbersome and unfruitful, and we decided to continue our journey to Bikaner. But we had seen enough to know that this district warrants for a timely and researched visit in the future.

The chill of the night at Bikaner caught some of us off guard, sending us scurrying for shawls and jackets. The next morning we headed for Junagadh fort, turning over another page in the annals of history. The fort and palace are set in huge grounds overlooking the administrative area of the city. The museum inside is very comprehensive in chronicling the history of the city and its fort, and is definitely worth a dekho. Our next stop was another out of the ordinary and interesting destination: a camel breeding farm and research centre, one of the biggest of its kind in India. There we had the rare privilege of watching the likes of Mr. Bikaner, Miss Jaisalmer et al, chewing cud peacefully, satisfaction brimming large on their faces.

The following day’s drive to Jaisalmer was easily the most rewarding and riveting. Shortly after we left, we had brief photo-ops with scores of Rajasthani women clad in traditional colorful clothes putting in their hours of work for NAREGA.

Lunch time saw us arrive at Kolayat, a small bustling town in the middle of the desert. But what makes this otherwise ubiquitous town unique is a lake blooming with lotuses in the heart of the desert! One could take a shikara ride or share the religious fervor of the numerous babas/sadhus lingering around the edges of the lake. The small eatery which housed our hungry lot also surprised us with its well managed response to our unannounced visit, without compromising on the quality or the taste of its offerings. The small town of Kolayat gave us several deep and fond impressions.

The journey ahead got more interesting as we raced, albeit in futility, to meet the sunset at a huge permanent dune. What had set our pulses racing were the sights on both sides of the road: a lush green landscape fuelled by the Indira Gandhi Canal on one and huge sand dunes on the other. Perched on a suitable summit, the views are nothing short of striking; both for the stark contrast they offer and the sheer volume of landscape they engulf in their reach. Being in the constant company of Dr. Mahaveer Singh Nathawat (President of TWSR) and Mr. Anukraman Singh Rathore (President of WM) , illumined me in no ends on the travails and tribulations of Rajasthan. Seemingly trivial to a casual tourist, the incisive information they share fills the nooks with sympathetic details and make travelling a much more inclusive and immersive experience. Women shoveling sand in a daunting landscape, a surreal boat ride and the visually dramatic drive; the day seemed to hold too much at times and we carried on, our spirits rising to a higher crescendo with each experience.

The next couple of days were spent in Jaisalmer, the city which for me perhaps epitomizes Rajasthan the most. The Jaisalmer fort is one of the few living forts still and is also known rightly as Sonar Qilla or The Golden Fortress. It houses a couple of museums, ancient Jain Temples, havellis and entrepreneurial city people. The narrow winding cobbled streets from the erstwhile ruler’s era seem to be burdened with an enormous sense of history and the friendly tourist shops dotting them make walks immensely rewarding. We also did the customary visits to the larger and more famous havellis inside the Jaisalmer city and the camel walk in the dunes of Sam.

Outside the city limits lies a village in ruins, the ghost town of Khaba. According to legend, it was abandoned in one night, as thousand fled to escape the wrath of the ‘evil’ Pradhanmantri of Jaisalmer Saalam Singh Oswal. The ruins run for a mile or two and the numerous windmills strewn in the backdrop add to the eeriness and give weight to the numerous creepy stories floating around.

The last leg of the expedition saw us making our longest single day haul yet, pushing from Jaisalmer to Pushkar. Enroute we stopped at the village of Khichan, which has been in the news of late for being the favored place of resting and feeding of the migratory Demoiselle Cranes. The breeding grounds of these birds are the plains and steppes of Eurasia and Mongolia, and many perish on the long arduous haul due to fatigue, hunger and attacks by predators. Here they are revered by the villagers for their vegetarian eating habits and for the practice of monogamy. Conversations with the local inhabitants gave us interesting clues about the recent migratory trends. From a handful of birds visiting the village some years back, it has now become a full blown migration with close to 10,000 birds resting in winters. The efforts of the villagers have not been in vain and now the Government of Rajasthan has taken note in view of the international fame the village has attained of late.

Racing ahead, we caught the world famous Pushkar Camel Fair a couple of days before its culmination. The low attendance of the cattle this year caught me with surprise and disappointment. The primary reasons attributed to it were our late timing (the best cattle gets traded in the initial days) and if you would believe it, recession! The villagers complained of the low prices most of them had been offered this year being hardly enough to cover their costs of travelling back home. There was much hum-ho at the festival with many cultural, religious and tourist activities being staged at different parts of the site.

The day the group split for their respective destinations we had an informal discussion wherein all the members shared what the expedition had entailed for them. The frequent sessions of interaction as planned earlier could not happen due to paucity of time mostly. This sole session did come too late but was not too little for sure. Numbers and pleasantries were exchanged thereafter.

Proceeding back to Jaipur as the expedition drew to a close, my face was split open in a wide unabashed grin. How the cynical smirk at the start, slowly transformed itself into an easy recognition of the richness of the vivid landscape eluded me myself.

Atharva Gupta

Chalchitra Expedition '09

Privet or Asalom Aleykum (Russian and Tajik greetings)!

I am Sharofat from Tajikistan pursuing Film Direction course at Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. I recently participated in Chalchitra Expedition ’09, organized by Western Motorsports, Tourist Welfare Society Rajasthan and BYOFF, Puri in collaboration, as a part of our workshop. It was first time that FTII workshop was organized travelling across cities in Rajasthan.

The Expedition started from Jaipur and covered Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Pushkar; ended at Pushkar with Pushkar Fair.

Firstly, thanks a lot to the organizers of the expedition and creators of such a beautiful program with medieval Rajput forts where voices and footstep of their inhabitants can still be heard, lots of folk dances with ringing ghunghrus and flowing ghaghras, camel rides on the sand dunes in peach sunset light, small havelies that became a bridge between past and present and the golden town Jaisalmer, that looks like an arabian fairy-tale with all these shining panels on the walls, which are put by sellers...
Rajasthan amused me by wildly colorful dresses and craft-making. Only after visiting Rajasthan I can perceive an idea of such a colorful world: People living in desert compensate the flatness of landscape by wearing red, pink, yellow, orange, green clothes and even their houses are very colorfully painted and decorated.

To me Rajasthan seemed to be frozen, I could meet people from the historic times in the preserved frescoes on the walls of the palaces or havelies. And then ‘meet’ them alive right around the corner. The famous style of moustache, the big eyes, the transparent veil covered women and their costumes… are really fascinating.

Right before the expedition I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to find right communication with local environment, which I had to document as a part of our documentary workshop. And what a surprise and pity was when people started to accept me only as a tourist, and demonstrate only "formal" touristic side of themselves, which they show to thousands like me coming to their places to discover exotics (but I was just a student of FTII...).
For instance, at the Pink City Restaurant in Jaipur, where we were hosted, we met a guy who was preparing Rajasthani puppet show. We got interested in the performance and we approached him. Befriended, he showed us the puppets, taught how to handle them and let us perform for a while. From being spectators we were at backstage performing. It was an awesome experience. I remember this incident because there was something which didn’t happened to me later in whole trip. Inspite of my previous expectations about communications with local people, I felt that I couldn’t enter the space behind that colorful touristic curtain and become "one of them" (like it happened with puppet’s show), but had to remain as a viewer.

Certainly, there was a great job done by organizers of the event, chalking out the beautiful route of the expedition and schedule, taking care of lodging and food, but the problem seemed to be that this expedition wasn’t designed for the documentary workshop of the film-students and their requirements. Firstly, due to very tight schedule (of course, organizers tried to show participants as much of Rajasthan as possible and that’s their ‘plus’). But for us, in my opinion, it was too much of information, you even didn’t know to what object to give prerogative to be shot. Also the saturation of impressions provoked tiredness… Cause of a tightly planned schedule most of the time we couldn’t stop wherever we wanted to shoot something on the way from one place to another. It would create unnecessary delay and shifting of all the plans. And of course it would be impossible for the workshop to have a separate program than the main one.
Anyway, if you didn’t try you wouldn’t have an experience which would be helpful in future, but definitely it was a lesson how to manage in unknown location you see for a first time and shoot in rolling rhythm.

Sharofat

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