CURRENT MISSION

To keep discovering people, places, and my relationship with those people and places.

ABOUT ME

"When confronted with a question, Mahesh will never provide a direct answer that could otherwise be found on wikipedia. Given two or more options, Mahesh will always pick the one that is more challenging and takes humanity forward, in his own considered opinion."

For more about me: http://thecontrarian.in/about/

PHILOSOPHY

Oh, don't get me started...

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I love hosting people but I'm selective. I ask myself: Is this person going to expand my appreciation of the world? I don't like freeloaders who treat me as cheap accommodation. In particular, photographers will find my home in Bangalore to be a safe and intellectually satisfying haven.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Have couchsurfed in several countries in Europe since 2009, became a big fan of it, and now I'm redoubling my efforts to give back to the community by being a responsible host. I was travelling for most of 2011, and so I'm looking forward to get back as a CS host starting in mid-2012.

Interests

Photography and politics. Damn, I'm sure I'm forgetting 98 other things...

• photography
• running
• politics
• traveling

Music, Movies, and Books

I told you not to get me started!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Getting out of the Subway... and seeing Times Square for the very first time!

Co-piloting a plane and, seconds before landing, seeing the runway of Cardiff airport appear in the distance.

The unique blue-ness of the sky during a solar eclipse witnessed from 41,000 feet above sea level. The utter futility of words and images stands confirmed.

Teach, Learn, Share

Photography is one of the most misunderstood practices in the world. I run workshops that inspire people to look at photography as a personal, subjective medium of expression rather than a set of esoteric rules to be mastered.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Cambodia, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Hungary, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Yemen

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, France, India, Kuwait, United Kingdom, United States

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