My 1503-Day Journey on Instagram
For a change, I share a post that is about a unique journey – my journey on Instagram. I share it on the occasion of crossing 1500 days of daily posts on the medium. Instagram is a platform that facilitates a connection with people who see the world in interesting ways. So, it is an ideal platform to showcase work. Over the years, the platform has evolved. It has become a veritable menu of places to see as you finalise your itinerary. And I decided to further bolster this menu.
The Journey Begins
I joined Instagram on 12th May 2014. For the first year, I was fumbling my way through the medium and was erratic in posting. It was on 30th May 2015 that I began posting an image a day. I started by posting multiple series on destinations. The first such series was about New York City and I ran it for 19 days. What followed was Ladakh (24 days), London (18 days), Delhi (22 days), Paris (20 days), Dal Lake Srinagar (20 days), and Moscow (15 days).
Then came my first B&W series – Mahabalipuram. It ran for 17 days. The artistry in stone carvings did shine through in B&W. Auschwitz (24 days) followed. It was, by far, the most poignant destination I had shared until then. The horrible tale of the Holocaust comes alive in the series. I shared it as a homage to the victims who met their fate in Auschwitz.
More destinations
A slew of destinations followed. Iceland (22 days), Rajasthan (31 days), Krakow (34 days), Tuscaloosa Alabama (30 days), Real Rajasthan (19 days), Cyprus (27 days), and Prague (31 days). I broke the pattern by bringing out a series titled ‘T for Tiger’ after Prague. This ran for 34 days and showcased the power and grace of this magnificent animal.
Destinations resumed, and many more followed. Helsinki (32 days), Kumaon (33 days), Czech Republic (34 days), Vienna (26 days), Central India (28 days), and Israel (45 days). And then, I chanced to travel to Prayagraj (Allahabad) for Kumbh. So I dedicated the next 24 days to this largest gathering of humanity!
After Odisha (34 days), Nepal (24 days), Varanasi (26 days), Budapest (25 days), Sabah Borneo (11 days), Gaziantep Turkey (19 days), Istanbul (27 days), Sri Lanka (25 days), Arunachal (19 days), Ibiza (42 days), and Valencia (49 days) came something different – Travel Expressions!
Travel Expressions and Beyond
This has been my longest concluded series until now. The series started on 20th January 2020 and concluded on 21st January 2021 and ran for a marathon 368-days. It was about showcasing the culture, conventions, and people from across the globe. This was a first for me as I seldom posted people’s pictures on my Instagram prior to running this series. It straddled geographies, emotions, rituals, faiths, and events. Posting images as part of Travel Expressions and writing captions for them gave me a deeper understanding of the people of different regions. While it may have given joy to the viewers, it gave me tremendous satisfaction.
On 21st January 2021, I kicked off another year-long series. I have visited 100+ UNESCO sites. And this series – A Year of UNESCO – showcases the world heritage captured through my camera lens. On average, I am showcasing most sites in 3-4 images. Till today, I have already posted 171 UNESCO site images.
This Instagram journey has been long, yet rewarding. You may already be riding along with me, but if you are not, do join in. My handle on Instagram is @travelure. Follow me for an image-a-day treat as I continue to take you through countless UNESCO sites in days to come. Also, if you have a question or a comment, do share it. All such words from you will go a long way in encouraging me.
Pin this unique journey!
