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Books: Be a loyal and true friend forever

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books

Books stand as a beacon of education, embodying a wealth of knowledge. They are not just sources of information; they are a conduit to pleasure, enlightenment, and companionship. This might sound surprising, but books can indeed become our most steadfast friends, always true and loyal.

The Role of Books in Our Lives

  1. Constant Companionship and Guidance: Much like how we turn to friends for advice and support, books are always there for us. Whenever confusion clouds our minds or curiosity sparks, books are our go-to resource. They offer solutions and stand by us, unwavering in their support. Unlike human friends who may falter, books are a constant, reliable presence.
  2. Diversity and Personal Connection: Books come in an array of sizes and cover a multitude of topics. This diversity ensures that everyone can find a book that resonates with their interests and needs.
  3. Mentors and Advisors: Books are more than just passive sources of information; they actively guide us. They expand our minds, develop our thoughts, and offer new perspectives.
  4. Solace and Entertainment: In moments of loneliness, books provide companionship. They serve as an engaging form of entertainment when boredom strikes and offer solace and advice in times of need.
  5. Dispellers of Ignorance: Books play a pivotal role in enlightening us, driving away the darkness of ignorance. They broaden our horizons and deepen our understanding of the world.
  6. Unconditional Support: Books are unique in their lack of demands or complaints. They offer knowledge selflessly, asking nothing in return.
  7. Pathway to Success: Books represent the journey towards success. They are treasure troves of knowledge, guiding us on the path to personal and professional growth.
  8. True Friendship: A book is a friend that understands the essence of true friendship. It remains by your side through thick and thin, never abandoning you regardless of the circumstances.

Conclusion

In a world where human connections can be fleeting, books offer a reliable and enriching form of companionship. They are not just inanimate objects but friends that grow with us, teach us, and share in our journey through life. So, if you find yourself without human companions, remember that books are waiting to fill that void. They promise a long-term relationship filled with knowledge, growth, and enjoyment. Embrace the world of books; let them become your lifelong friends.

The Dream Trespasser

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street lights at night wallpaper

The mysterious night witnesses his pain

As his wings of dreams burned him up!

The streetlights glows brighter and brighter,

As his phoenix desire failed him again!

And the desires, which bloomed him every morning ,

Dimmed and faded with reality!

His hopes strangled in a whirlpool of complexities

The same streets!

The same dreams!

The same trespasser !

Yet, not the same stoppage again!!

 And,

The shattered heart pieces struggled to meet

The secrets of the dark still haunting those left voids

The same survivor

The same fighter

The same lover

Yet! not the same battlefield again!!

Those broken promises

Those unsolved questions

Those mime acts

And alas!!

His broken wings

Left the struggler behind

Left the fighter behind

Left the dream trespasser behind.

Get ready to learn life – Hostel lessons

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hostel life

 

Out of all the reasons to travel, ‘College away from home’ is one of the best goals in a student life. It is a ‘learn it the hard way’ experience where you understand yourself, defy your fears, gain confidence and enjoy independence. It is essential that one should consider hostel life at least once in his/her life; ideally for college as there is a certain amount of maturity for the age. After moving from a well pampered Indian family it would seem like a high dose of responsibility; No more bed coffees, no more pressed clothes in shelf and nobody to find the pair of your lonely sock. Living all by yourself for the first time would definitely be hard, even scary. But in the end, you just don’t find knowledge, adventure or freedom, more than anything, you find YOU.

Make new connections

Get ready to learn life - Hostel lessons

Campus life is a wonderful platform that brings similar minds from diverse demographic and cultural backgrounds under one roof. Learn to socialize and adapt yourselves to a new lifestyle. Make more friends with the natives irrespective of their age. Take guidance to know nearby localities’ required for daily needs. If you are an introvert who has trouble with making a conversation, Smile and greet. It is good to make new connections and maintain a healthy relationship.

Unique culture, food, and language

Be a part of the local festivals and celebrations. Hear the stories behind them and the reason why they are celebrated. You will be amazed by the richness each culture holds.Try the local cuisines. Food is always an essence of every ethnicity. It truly represents the nature of the people living in that area. Also be ready to learn the regional language and pump up some confidence to be bold enough to speak it out. People enjoy hearing someone try to speak their native language. It’s alright to make mistakes. Just dare to try it out. Never let fear hold you back.

New responsibilities

Exposure to cooking, washing your own clothes and vessels are insightful moments when you praise your mother in your head with all your heart. You eventually learn to be a ‘Do it yourself’ person. You understand the value of money every time you burn a hole in your pocket and wait until next month for your parents to pay you again. Keeping your belongings safe is also an art that one learns in a hard way. Every hostelite has had the experience of being locked out of your own room at least once. In the due course, you also become skilled at organizing and managing your things.

Breath of independence

With no one to monitor, hostel life gives you the feel of ultimate freedom. Enjoy the independence but use it well. Don’t forget that you have been given this independence because you are being trusted. Avoid misusing it. It calls for great self-control in doing what you think is right. Trust your instincts and never give heed to peer pressure.

Travel a lot

Beyond the academic walls is a new city waiting to be explored. Know your environment. Never hesitate to travel with new people and discover new places. Dare to pack up and look for adventure. Most campuses have clubs or groups that travel to the nearby site. Maintain a travelogue- it makes a wonderful memory for every place you visited. Make the best out of the time available and make every weekend count.

Manage time effectively

Get ready to learn life - Hostel lessons

There sure was a time when your mom would wake you with a hot cup of coffee or would beat you out of bed when you are running late. Expect no such pampering in a hostel. If you plan to be on time better hear your own alarm and wake up before your roommate occupies the shower.  There is no fixed routine beyond college hours in the campus. It is up to you to organize, plan and decide on how to go about your day. Most professors love to scroll through the index and say “I’m sure you can read this yourself”. Having a personal timetable would help reduce stress during exam season as well as give enough time to explore extra curriculars.

Maintain your personal space

Though friends become family in a new land try to maintain a certain distance. It is true there isn’t much formality amongst yourselves. But it is best to avoid having any embarrassing moment in the future. Know that too much of anything is bad and learn to be selfish at times. Never lend anything that you can’t afford to lose, even if it is one of your close friends. Talk clearly with your friends and roommate about certain things that annoy you or interfere in your personal space. Be sure to reciprocate the same.

Learn to learn

Ultimately, you have traveled all the distance to expand your knowledge in a certain field. Do justice to it. Have the curiosity to know and question everything. Use the library and discuss subject matters with your fellow mates. Talk to the professors in case you have difficulties coping with the subject or language. They would definitely be willing to help you overcome them. More than WHAT to learn, HOW to learn is the life skill that institutions teach you. Formulate what type of learning suits you and work your magic.

 

Explore the dangerous Tourist places in India

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jodhpur thar desert

India is home to diverse cultures, languages and experiences. Thus, you are sure to feel this thrill of diversity while visiting this amazing country.  Some places in India offer a spinal chill to everyone. Exploring those destinations is not a cake walk but nothing stops adventurers from enjoying the tough beauty. Adventure lovers are always ready to explore the dangerous, unusual and less explored.

Here are 5 of the most dangerous places in India. All of them are present naturally since time immemorial.

Dras:

drasDras is the world’s second coldest habitable area. Dras is a town in J&K, it is one of the place which was attacked during kargil war. It is known as a high militancy area. It is also called “The Gateway to Ladakh”. The average low temperature in coldest months is noted -15°C and lowest 22°C. Heavy snowfall makes it very hard for travelers and how we can forget about the militancy, an added threat. Summer season starts from June to September, while, winters start from mid-October to mid-May.

Chambal:

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How can one avoid talking about chambal when discussing dangerous areas of India. Chambal is home to various most lethal bandit and dakoos. Chambal is well known for outlaws along with huge river and several caves. This valley is full of  thrill and mystery.

Bastar:

This eternally beautiful district of chattisgarh has breathtaking sceneries of beautiful forests and rivers. The greenery of Bastar is an amazing treat to the eyes. But, It is a common site for naxals. Frequent Naxal attacks are not a surprise here.

Thar Desert:

This enormous desert can make you speechless. Sand is the only thing you will see as far as the eyes can lead you. But, there are several venomous creature beneath the golden sand, black cobra being one of them. Black cobra is not the only one there, wild cats, sand boa and many others are always there to welcome you.

Gurez valley:

DSCF811The beauty of this valley will surely leave you in awe. It is located below the Line of Control, 120 km from Srinagar in J&K. It is also known as Gurais. Many dangerous avalanches are common here. Avalanches are not the only thing you need to be careful of. Due to its close proximity to the LOC, stray landmines are a common sight in Gurez valley.

So, prep yourself well before heading to these adventurous and dangerous sites. Travel safe!

Arunachalam Muruganantham: A Revolutionary

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Arunachalam

Imagine a man coming from a South Indian BPL family, having studied till the ninth standard creatingarunachalam-muruganantham-time-100-feat a business by producing affordable disposable sanitary products all because he wanted to create the perfect sanitary napkin for his wife, whose practice of using old rags and newspapers during her menstrual cycle was unhygienic and which would seriously impact her health in the long run.

Women’s health is an extremely important topic which must be made aware and publicly promoted particularly in the rural areas of India. Women coming from poor backgrounds usually do not have the option of choosing sanitary napkins over old rags, particularly due to financial problems. This is the same reason why babies in villages do not wear diapers and it is because the family simply cannot afford them. The Coimbatore-born not only provided women across India access to these sanitary napkins at a much lower rate, but also gave jobs to many women in need of them.

Realization and discovery

From this video, it is clear that he was shocked on finding out that his wife had to make a decision every month between household supplies or her “monthly supplies” because the latter were produced by large multinational corporations and would require a large chunk of money from her savings for her to be able to afford them. This stuck with her husband, and

inindiaschoolgirlsmakingtheirownpadshe decided to inspect a sanitary pad to find out what exactly they were made from and why they cost as much as they do. He was astounded by the fact that a product that required something as ordinary as cotton as the main ingredient to make could be sold for such high figures. He then realized that these high selling prices were because the manufacturing units required to produce sanitary napkins were imported and extremely expensive. This is when he decided to try and see if he could make these sanitary napkins at a lower cost than those of the multinational corporations and on the way, he devised a low cost machine which would help thousands of women in the years to come.

The journey of sanitation

When Arunachalam Muruganantham started out on his journey to create the perfect sanitary napkin, he asked his wife and sisters to try out his experimental products but they were not ready to do so, due t140307121213_arunachalam_muruganantham_con_maquina_464x261_bbc_nocredito the taboo of discussing menstruation, which is still prevalent in most of the rural areas in India. He also tried to approach women from medical colleges but they too, refused. However, this did not deter Mr. Muruganantham and so, he tried his own product on himself by attaching a pouch of liquid and connecting the tubes from the liquid to his underpants to check his product. Initial failure of his design led to years of research and finally, he created his own machine tool in which any rural woman could create world class sanitary napkins by just being provided the raw materials required.

Hardships faced

The road to success was not filled with roses for this man. When his wife initially found out about her husband’s idea, she did not support him. As his went deeper and deeper with his experiments, the rumors within the village also grew. Friends started avoiding him and he was isolated even by his wife, who got fed up and left him 18 months after he started his research on sanitary pads for which, ironically, his wife was his main motivation. Superstitious villagers thought that a demon had possessed him and he was to be “healed” by a local soothsayer.

But this did not deter Arunachalam Muruganantham’s spirit. His determination and courage to follow his goal to better the lives of millions of women in rural India remained afloat and he tried and tried until he eventually succeeded and the rest, as we know, is history.

Recognition

Recognized as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World 2014 and awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2016, Mr Muruganantham has a dream to provide women all over the world access to hygiene and make public health a global concern. But above all this, he is a great human being to have actually looked into the burdens of the Indian woman and developed a product which has helped rural India strive towards a better tomorrow.

Have a look at the video below to truly gain some motivation and inspiration to never stop believing in yourself and having faith in what you know to be right.

The Name of Thrones : You Either Win or You Lose

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Game of Thrones Logo e

With the finale of season 6 of Game Of Thrones wrapped up and the 7th season coming after another long wait of 12 months, we must keep ourselves engrossed in some fan fiction and logical deductions to help ourselves pass the time and know who wins the Iron Throne.

Well, it is just how some characters are named. Their name complements their personality and future too. I am sure, George R.R Martin would not whimsically name the characters, rather he has carefully chosen all their names.

  1. Varys

‘Varius’ means versatile in the Roman Language. And since the pronunciation of the two match, it’s not very hard to decipher the code. Also Varys is true to his name, with him disguising himself as whatever he wants to be, being the master of whispers, having the ability and power to control and push forward anyone or pull down he wants, and currently travelling at a super fast speed.

varys-master-of-whispers-varys-37758013-1500-844

  1. Arya

The name is taken from the Sanskrit language. It is typically a boy’s name, meaning honorable or noble. The name fits the youngest Stark daughter perfectly.

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  1. Aemon

Aemon means hidden in ancient Egypt. He was essentially hidden to the world as a Targeryan when he lived his days at the Night’s Watch and refused the crown. An addition would be, that he is blind.

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  1. Sansa

The girl had been the sweetest of all. Her name suggests the same, it stands for charm and praise in Sanskrit. The girl was charming and naive to everything but she deserves praise for feeding her husband to the hounds.

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  1. Cersei

Cersei is a variation of ‘Circe’, the mythological minor Greek goddess or enchantress who fed men wine and then turned them into swine. She killed her husband and was forced to live in solitude. Sounds a lot like our Cersei Lannister who also causes the killing of King Robert by making him drink too much wine with the help of her agent Lancel Lannister.

lena-headey-actresses-game-of-thrones-tv-series-hbo-cersei-lannister

  1. Tyrion

Tyrion is long speculated as being the third head of the dragon. His own father said, that he was not his son just before dying. His name means King, which we would all look forward in the future. What would be better than Tyrion sitting on the Iron Throne? The smartest and the most caring of them all. He is a boon to Westeros.

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  1. Bran

Bran means ‘raven’ in Gaelic. It is amazing that G.R.R.M would choose so, because of his relationship with the three eyed raven. In the sixth season, he becomes the three-eyed-raven himself. His powers show that he can influence the time and can cause the tide to turn in his side. He is by far the strongest character in terms of power and magic on the show due to his gifted abilities.

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G.R.R.M is an amazing writer. Just the names of the characters give away so many things we keep pondering over.

All the more reasons to love Game of Thrones!

Top 4 ways to be productive on the internet

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productivity tools
picture courtesy: 2dmarketing.info

If you had two choices on how to spend the next half an hour on the Internet- one being to recheck your newsfeed and see if there are any recent stories and the other being getting a chance to increase your knowledge by a substantial amount, what would you choose?

For the majority of us, time on the Internet is usually wasted and we end up being unproductive and feel

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ing guilty on how time- the most valuable resource there is – has gone by, never again to return.

For the science and tech lovers out there, the Internet is an immensely helpful tool to learn about the world around them and how they can positively affect the society and its surroundings with this knowledge. It is a means to catch up with the modern era and its every advancing technology. All questions starting with what, why and how can be answered inside this beautiful interconnection of networks.

Here are 4 ways to effectively spend time on the Internet and gain the best out of the limitless reach of the Internet:

  • TED  : It’s YouTube channel has more than 5 million subscribers and all due to good cause. It is an extensive library for resources and a gateway to the portal of knowledge. Watch some videos yourself to  gain some interesting insight on the world around us.

 

  •  Ted-Ex : An extension of Ted-Ed, Ted-Ex are events wherein speakers are invited to talk on topics ranging from technology to love. Speakers usually relate their own life experiences and give advice on how to keep progressing in life and not to back down. You can watch videos on Youtube and a chance to attend one such event must not be missed.

 

  • Khan Academy : Learn from a variety of topics ranging from Geometry to Computer Programming. Watch videos on the website and learn about a topic you had always been interested in. There is also an app to encourage gaining knowledge on the go!

 

  • Code Academy: This website is essentially a beginner’s guide to coding. Start from scratch and build up your basics to finally start coding in the language you always desired. They have a wide variety of courses, starting form Ruby on Rails to C++ to Python.

 

The Internet is a resource that has infinite benefits and it is high time that we started acknowledging this and gaining the most out of the best that it has to offer.

 

 

 

The Window

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window view
Picture Courtesy: pixabay.com

There’s a stain on the window,

It blurs my view,

And darkens the world outside,

The view is bleak,

The streets are sleek,

And the resemblance is striking.

 

There’s a stain on the window,

It stops my thoughts,

It restricts my love,

Is the wind blowing?

Is it not?

There’s confusion inside,

And the resemblance is striking.

 

The resemblance is striking,

To my heart,

My brain,my mind,my soul,

There’s a stain,

A stain so large,

That the world seems small,

And dark and bleak.

 

There’s a stain on the window,

And then the sun rises,

It blinds my eyes,

Blinds my eyes by its magnificence and grace,

It’s light so powerful,

I feel cleansed.

 

 

The sun shines and I close my eyes,

I open them after a while,

And lo!

The stain on the window,

It seems to have gone.

 

 

Friendship Unplugged

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Friendship Unplugged

If I say Friends or think about it, some crazy faces comes to my mind, same as you see the faces of your friends right now. This is the magic of friendship. I am a talkative and a fun loving person so I make friends very quickly but still I can count 4 to 5 persons whom I actually called friends. There were such short stories about true friends or true friendship in my nursery and primary school books and I and my classmates are very fond of that stories. It contains faith, honesty, love and such kind of terms. But in the age 6 or 7 I really didn’t know anything about honesty in friendship but I used to say sorry if I ever broke a pencil or ate all the tiffin of any friend and hurt someone unintentionally. The more time passed and I realized the meaning of faith love care trust and honesty, in a word I started realizing friendship. I feel lucky to have such crazy friends who are staying beside me for a long time.amazing-color-crazy-day-fashion-friends-Favim.com-83293

 But now a days every little things are changing very soon and the same goes for friendship. We are counting friends in Facebook’s friends list. Which is nothing but a contact list termed as Friends List. Virtual friends become reality for the youth and maximum people who are on social sites. Chatting in facebook, whatsapp and many more social networking sites. It  make only chatting not conversations. It is a familiar scene that 5 friends are sitting together and dozens of eyes are in their smartphones and may be they are talking to each other or may be some other persons or may be checking their facebook timeline or uploading photos.  The life of friendship and loud sounds of cheering and joys are missing. I also miss my old friends’ days when we seat together and had a long conversations including various subjects even sometime we talked just nonsense but we did it face to face. The biggest drawback of social sites is that they don’t even learn how to interact a friend face to face.friends-lights-party-Favim.com-310547

I miss my past days of friendship and fond of observing teens. But unfortunately every time I get mechanical vibes. They all talk about facebook pages, updates, likes comments whatsapp jokes and so on. I feel restless and pained that the most beautiful time of one’s life teens are wasting only about discussing facebook and clicking selfies. No, surely I am not against facebook or any social sites, I am also a regular user but all I am trying to say that friendship only happens heart to heart, facing success and failure together, making fun of each other, discussing and sharing personal issues and having faith that a friend will have the solution of your problem definitely. You don’t need a queue of friends but have at least one true and caring friend who can share your life just like you do. kids-group-on-phones (1)

Besides that negative part of social sites they have many characteristics to create friend and having fun. A shy introvert person who has no friends in real life can have many friends in facebook or whatsapp. Virtually one can be exactly who they want to be. Social Networking Sites are the easiest way to keep in touch with those countless people whom we didn’t able to keep in touch because of our busy lives. May be there are 1000+ facebook friends but real friends are only a few with whom we chat the most. Even now friendship is depending on likes and comments, friendship can be easily broken only by just clicking unfriend or block button. I personally differ in many views of my closest friends, starts fighting firstly in conversation then hand to hand and finally meet up with a warm big hug. The ‘emotional touch’ is never replaced by the internet chat. tumblr_ktvnvgagao1qzaab4o1_500_largeFace to face smile is more important than a virtual sticker. We are very busy to cope up with the speed of our lives and hangout together and have a glass of mango juice or some snacks in a bowl or just a bowl of noodles enjoying quality times in a friend’s house or even in roads—everything is minimized now a days. Whenever we used to talk face to face we shared many unsaid words through expressions and touch. But in virtually I can just be updated by their schedule but not their emotion. You may call a friend rather than a chat and look how he or she flies to you. I am waiting for the day when my friends can meet again, sing together, laugh together even cry together and turn a normal place in a vibrant energetic one with our joys, this vibe cannot be experienced by the timeline photos, Instagram upload or in a whatsapp group. There is no option to ‘left’ the group and ‘thinking’ before typing and ‘block’ a friend. You have to sort it out face to face and I am confident that you will make a bunch of your people called true friends in this process. My friends are my family and missing those moments whenever I got ill, feel pained, frustrated and hopeless some of my friends come to me and create an atmosphere where I feel relief again by their words or some extra-ordinary magic which can offer only by the true friends. Finally I realize that there is still hope and they scream in frustration to make me smile and say  ‘you are hopeless’ and laugh out loud. Friendship is putting someone first and likes, comments are not worth than friendship.

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Sometime switch off your laptop and keep aside your smartphones and be alone with your thoughts, friends, may be you discover something new in your loved ones. Only they have the power to influence in your lives positively. Walk along even like a penniless popper; it will be more refreshing than spending a lump-sum bucks in a restaurant or in a shopping mall or pub. Don’t let your near ones feel alone maintaining superficial contacts, dedicate some times to   cultivate a deeper real-life relationships. Parents, grand-parents, teachers, unknown persons and even a smaller one can be your friend, cherish your life with them because ultimate happiness gives you the ultimate quality of life. Whenever feel low make some conversations with them or make at least a video call. Technologies are very important part of us but don’t be a slave to that. Use it, control it and make everyday a Friendship Day.

10 Instagram profiles you’ve got to follow if you’re a PhotoBuff.

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“There’s a frame ready to be captured everywhere.

You only have to figure it out, and present it

In a way it wants you to.”

Photography is not always about clicking anything around and trying all the filters available. Sometimes it requires a great deal to produce a single masterpiece from scratch. Everyone can become a great photographer, only if they want to. So here’s a list of profiles on Instagram that are ready to inspire you, teach you, make you believe that the world is more beautiful than we view it!

Magnum Photos is a cooperative group owned by its photographer-members around the world. According to co-founder Henri Cartier-Bresson, “Magnum is a community of thought, a shared human quality, a curiosity about what is going on in the world, a respect for what is going on and a desire to transcribe it visually.” Each of the photographs is gripping, always ready to inspire.

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“We are a group of contributing National Geographic Magazine Photographers, committed to telling the world’s stories through photographs”, that is how they describe themselves. They have a diverse collection of photographs ranging from monochrome portraits to aesthetic landscapes.

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  • thebrenizers

After seeing his photographs, you will not be much surprised to know that this wedding-photography genius has a photography effect named after him – ‘the Brenizer Effect’. His works make him a dream photographer for many to-be-married couples around the world.

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  • muradosmann

Many have the dream of taking his wife around the world, but not the way this man does. His series “Follow Me To” is what makes him different from other travel photographers. Good detailing, beautiful locations, gorgeous make ups, all in one frame!

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  • coryrichards

A National Geographic photographer and film maker, Cory Richards is sure to impress you with his jaw dropping photographs. His work on the Everest is simply breath-taking and one of a kind.

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If you like adventure photography, then he is the man you’re looking for. Be it underwater photographs or skydiving videos, his skills with the wide-angle frames are undoubtedly good.

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Steve Mccurry, one of the world’s most reputed photographers has an Instagram profile too. His compositions are always a marvel to watch. His work “spans conflicts, cultures, ancient traditions and contemporary culture alike – yet retains the human element”.

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Want to enjoy some Indian stuff? Then here it is. Auditya Venkatesh, a traveller and a photographer gives you a charismatic view of the country. His works take you through a wide range of places and people. Keep an eye for the excellent minimalism in his photographs.

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  • natgeo

Love, inspiration, idol, teacher for millions of budding photographers in the world, NatGeo has always left a mark in the world of photography. Even in its Instagram profile, it leaves no stone unturned to make you fall in love with their photographs.

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Instagram itself has a profile that features various works on different themes they put up every week, each of them being highly creative and ready to attract your attention. Check ‘em out if you want to have a leap of creativity too!

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” Happy Photography! “