Lightning in Goa, India

Lightning in Goa, India

Photographed on Monday, 25 September 2000

Published in the Herald Newspaper (Sunday Edition)

Goa, 1 October 2000

(Streams of headlights created by passing vehicles

on the road from Mapsa to Calangute are seen on the right of the picture)

It was the time when I was on a 2-month vacation in Goa . It had been a normal day with the usual clouds that seemingly appeared to race through the September skies. Then at dusk there was a sudden calm and the skies darkened rapidly. There was sound of distant thunder and a strong wind blew across the village, accompanied by a light drizzle of rain. I happened to be at home that evening, sitting in the balcao (Port. for balcony) of my house in Canca-Parra, Bardez, Goa, just watching the traffic speeding by.

Inspired by thoughts of the possibility perhaps to photograph lightning, I realized about my chance of capturing it on film in Goa after a long time. So I rushed inside the house to get my camera and tripod. I hastily set it up facing south through the clearing among the trees in the direction of the faint streaks of lightning, that could be seen in the distance, more or less towards the lighthouse at Fort Aguada, Sinquerim.

After setting the aperture on the camera, came the long wait. I was hoping for the lightning to happen while I remained in the safe confines of the first floor balcony of my bedroom protecting both myself and the camera gear, from the wind and lashing rain. I lost a few exposures at first, as nothing exciting happened. I got a few exposures that I thought probably were not satisfactory. So I set the camera on 'B'. took the less cap off and waited again for a while. To my great satisfaction I was finally rewarded - or so I hoped till I got the film developed in Mapusa the next day to know about the final result. And here it is - witness lightning in Goa.