On my flight to Varanasi a few weeks back, I luckily stumbled upon one of most interesting conversations I have had this entire year so far. What started as a mere enquiry about the empty seat on the transit bus turned into a talk on art, culture, language and everything there is in between. Before I go any further, time to introduce you all to Robert van Koesveld.
After working for more than three decades as a psychotherapist, he turned to photography and with such results! A look at his pictures and you will know what I mean. Having worked on several projects across the world, his photographs (at least to the writer in me) seem to tell tales so intricate and beautiful that you can just keep gazing at them for hours. See for yourself.
It’s his photograph from a beach in Antarctica where penguins are lined up, waiting for the courage to catch food for their babies while risking the sea leopards. I am pretty sure there is a Disney story about parents in this picture!
Being on a journey across India, he had stories about bakers in Leh- Ladakh who wake up before dawn and who told him how they don’t have women in their profession because of the required physical strength. Later, he met a female baker in Ladakh itself! His travel experiences were so diverse that I cannot possibly sum it up in a single blog post. Ranging from Literary Pub Crawls in Dublin to his work with Aborigines in Australia, his passion for art is contagious, to say the least.
He also has two published photo books, titled Geiko and Maiko of Kyoto and Bhutan Heartland. I am no photographer but you bet there’s a review in waiting once I get my hands on these books. I cannot pass a chance to learn of the travels that resulted in such breathtaking snapshots:
Towards the end of the flight, I asked him: What is the one thing you learnt about people during your long career as a psychotherapist? He replied:
Whenever an adult came in, I could eventually see that they have survived something. Kids are still figuring things out but adults, they are all survivors of something or the other.
Such a simple thought and yet it is my favorite takeaway from our conversation. In the tradition of our times, I clicked a selfie to prove to myself that I did not just dream up all this stuff 😀
Here’s a tweaked Animal Farm quote miles apart from the book’s original premise, that can sum things up here for me: All flights are equal, but some flights are more equal than others. Hope you all enjoy his art just as much as I did.
Here’s his Instagram handle: Robert van Koesveld Photography
Copyright © Neha Sharma
Photo courtesy Robert van Koesveld
September 10, 2018 at 4:48 pm
What a wonderful meeting. Plane trips can be so boring but this one was as full as a trip around the world. Geiko and Maiko of Kyoto looks a particularly fascinating book.
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September 10, 2018 at 4:50 pm
I agree. I am waiting for my copy. It really was a lovely meeting, just like you said: ‘this one was as full as a trip round the world’ 🙂
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September 10, 2018 at 4:51 pm
My god those pics are beyond my wildest dreams.. The insights he shines on that single reply paints a whole personality about him. I’m so glad you wrote about your experience .
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September 10, 2018 at 5:08 pm
Thank you! It was indeed a wonderful conversation. So glad you liked it 🙂
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September 10, 2018 at 5:53 pm
Those pictures are real!!! Lucky you 🙂
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September 10, 2018 at 6:20 pm
Thank you, Parikhit! It was pure luck 🙂
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September 10, 2018 at 6:22 pm
This is a wonderful little snippet of life. Wonderful photos, likewise.
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September 10, 2018 at 6:40 pm
Thank you 🙂
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September 10, 2018 at 7:08 pm
Great meeting, amazing pictures. Must be a great rendezvous for you to be meeting such an interesting person 🙂
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September 10, 2018 at 7:34 pm
It sure was, Tanya! Thanks for reading 🙂
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September 10, 2018 at 7:36 pm
My pleasure 🙂
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September 10, 2018 at 7:36 pm
🙂
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September 10, 2018 at 8:25 pm
These pictures are really too good and giving coolness to the eyes. And you have penned your travel experience very nicely.
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September 10, 2018 at 8:25 pm
Thanks a lot! These pictures are indeed a delight 🙂
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September 10, 2018 at 8:26 pm
Completely my pleasure ☺️
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September 10, 2018 at 8:28 pm
🙂
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September 10, 2018 at 8:46 pm
Wow amazing pictures
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September 11, 2018 at 7:11 pm
Thank you so much. I loved them too! Do check out his instagram page for more visual treats ❤
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September 10, 2018 at 8:50 pm
What a wonderful story!
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September 10, 2018 at 11:19 pm
Glad you liked it, Abhinav! 🙂
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September 10, 2018 at 9:25 pm
Wow you were so lucky to meet such an amazing man. Loved his photographs too 🌹
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September 10, 2018 at 11:20 pm
I agree with you, both on the luck part and the beauty of his pictures 🙂
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September 10, 2018 at 9:52 pm
Amazingly beautiful pictures.. lucky you!! 😊
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September 10, 2018 at 11:20 pm
Definitely lucky 🙂
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September 11, 2018 at 6:07 am
Beautiful read and you found someone you can remember for a lifetime 😊
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September 11, 2018 at 6:55 pm
Definitely 🙂
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September 12, 2018 at 7:42 am
😊🌸
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September 11, 2018 at 7:32 am
Whenever you can get a takeaway from a meaningful conversation. That means your ears didn’t just hear, but your heart was truly listening! Good for you!!
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September 11, 2018 at 6:55 pm
Thank you for such a lovely comment 🙂
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September 11, 2018 at 11:07 am
These pictures are mesmerizing…!!
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September 11, 2018 at 6:56 pm
They sure are! 🙂
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September 12, 2018 at 3:26 am
Thank you for sharing your story of a chance meeting. What’s as impressive as Robert’s photos and work is your not wasting the opportunity and getting an enriching and rewarding conversation from it all. Something marked down in your memory for sure.
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September 12, 2018 at 5:14 pm
Thank you so much. It was a rewarding experience indeed! 🙂
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September 12, 2018 at 10:46 am
I sometimes wish we did not have so many electronic gadgets to stick our noses in these days. It would be so much easier to meet strangers.
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September 12, 2018 at 5:15 pm
I agree. If only people decide to talk to the person sitting next to them, the world would be a better place! 🙂
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September 12, 2018 at 12:49 pm
Oh, what a lovely post.
Btw, you look beautiful in the picture.
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September 12, 2018 at 5:15 pm
Thank you so much, my dearest Racquel! Your comments always make me smile ❤
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September 12, 2018 at 6:19 pm
How casual encounters can turn into something so amazing is a wonder!
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September 12, 2018 at 6:26 pm
Very well-said, Sana. It really was a chance meeting and it turned out to be beautiful! Thanks for reading 🙂
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September 12, 2018 at 6:37 pm
My pleasure!
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September 12, 2018 at 6:41 pm
❤
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September 12, 2018 at 7:16 pm
The pictures are beyond brilliant. And I think this would by far, be the best kind of flight anyone could ever have.
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September 12, 2018 at 10:04 pm
I agree so much, Moushmi 🙂
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September 14, 2018 at 4:10 pm
Thanks Neha.
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September 16, 2018 at 2:34 pm
You’re welcome, Moushmi! 🙂
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September 12, 2018 at 7:48 pm
WOW !!
Penned well
& Beautiful pictures
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September 12, 2018 at 10:04 pm
Thanks a lot, Akshaya 🙂
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September 13, 2018 at 2:57 pm
lovely and lucky. The snaps are very beautiful
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September 13, 2018 at 4:44 pm
Thank you 🙂
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September 15, 2018 at 11:04 pm
Photos are just wow!!! You are lucky to meet him..
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September 16, 2018 at 2:37 pm
I sure am! Thanks for reading it, Raj 🙂
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September 16, 2018 at 3:49 pm
Hey.!! I have nominated you for Liebster Award.
https://inspirechange27.wordpress.com/2018/09/16/liebster-award/
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September 16, 2018 at 5:15 pm
Thanks a lot! I take this award nomination as a huge compliment 🙂
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November 30, 2018 at 10:12 am
Very beautifully written.
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