The beach was a lot dirtier than I expected it to be. My family would frequent this beach when I was younger and we’d collect hermit crabs and empty shells (I know, it’s not the smartest thing to do, but I didn’t know any better. So get off my back). But I didn’t see any hermits there that day. No hint of any of them.

Years ago, this place was the place for a budget beach holiday. We’d rent a bungalow, eat some battered shrimps, burn some mosquito coils, play with some stray puppies and catch a few jellyfish. But this time when I returned with a bunch of friends, freaks and friends, the bungalow seemed smaller. And the ping-pong table that I used to race hermits on became a proper ping-pong table. Except that I can’t play proper (or just don’t talk to me when I'm playing).

So here are some photos from the beach.

This is Dinesh, a kid I befriended at the beach. He was really shy when I pointed the camera at his face. So I lied to him. When he thought I was done shooting his back, he’d turn to face me and I’d press my shutter down. Eventually he found out and ran away from the camera. But he loved seeing himself in the camera and insisted I show it to him again and again. He kept asking me why I wanted his photo. But I see myself in him. We have much in common.

I will upload more photos when I get the Holga shots developed.