𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 : 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿s

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 : 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀 –
Imagine a football the size of a stadium, and on it, we are moving around like tiny ants. No matter which direction we look, an endless expanse stretches before us. The most incredible part? If we keep walking straight on this spherical mass, we will eventually return to the same spot. But beyond this globe lies the infinite universe—vast, boundless, with countless celestial bodies drifting under the inescapable pull of gravity.
And here we are, in one such extraordinary corner of this diverse planet—Kutch’s Rann in Gujarat—standing ankle-deep in its salty waters, gazing at the third moon chasing Venus across the sky. Of course, we know that no one is really chasing anyone. The moon orbits us, while Venus moves around the Sun.
A few of us, lovers of the sky, stand enchanted in this saline wetland, marveling at the endless wonders of the world. This very land was once submerged under the Arabian Sea, shaped by volcanic activity, home to Jurassic-era tree fossils. Even today, rare wild asses (Equus hemionus khur) roam freely, and with a little patience, one can spot flocks of flamingos. Stay a bit longer, and you might even feel the tremors of an earthquake.
Not far from here, the blackbuck antelope, Asiatic lions of Gir Forest, and the vibrant coral reefs along the coastline coexist with sea turtles, dugongs (sea cows), and playful dolphins. Is this a dream or reality? A modern-day Jurassic landscape, a setting straight out of a Jules Verne novel. Is this planet a living entity or just a lifeless mass of soil? Hard to believe.
No shopping malls, no mobile networks, no honking traffic—at first glance, it seems like there’s nothing here. A vast emptiness. But look closely, and you will find endless wonder. It feels like stepping into an adventure story from our childhood—like those illustrated covers of Shuktara magazine, where Kaushik Das, the hero, ventured into rugged, mesmerizingly beautiful, and almost alien landscapes.
Can an experience truly be shared? I don’t know. But by sheer fortune, I could capture fragments of this celestial landscape from this latitude and longitude, and so, I share it with you. A lone island, the sky above, the setting moon, and Venus—let these images become the spark for our conversations.

Nikon Z6ii + Samyang 135mm f/2 on Benro Tripod

Stacked and Processed in Photoshop