Pushan Bhowmick Chawla aka Puxan BC is of Indian origin, but growing up in Basque Country in the south of France where x=sh meant that a lot of people thought his name was spelled Puxan. It stuck as an artist name, and these days Puxan is working in freelance design, travel videos and photography, with a special interest in food (by way of studying economics and international affairs). I’m warning you now, once you start watching his “travel moments” series you might not be able to stop, as they delightfully capture the sense of laid back travel with friends and everyday adventures through the first person lens of GoPro cameras (I totally want one now!) while paired with a great soundtrack. Puxan is also currently finishing up the photography and layout for an Indian cookbook for the French market along with his mother, who offers Indian cooking lessons in Paris. Their goal is to provide healthy, simple and easy recipes to get away from certain French stereotypes about Indian cuisine. Thanks, Puxan! –Anne

home town
Biarritz (Euskadi)

where you live now
Paris, France

One Day On Earth : Paris, France 12.12.12 from Puxan BC. Selected by Vimeo’s One Day On Earth 12.12.12 Project.

last trip taken
My last trip was a month traveling in Europe visiting friends along the way. Using budget airlines and affordable trains and buses, I managed to cover Belfast, Dublin, London, Copenhagen, Lund, Nice, Monaco, Marseille, Berlin, Prague, Munich and end in Provence for a few days of rest.

London, Monaco, Copenhagen

Berlin & Provence

next trip on deck
I am heading home to Bayonne to spend some time with my sister and niece at the end of the month. Great time to enjoy the beach,  escape the city life and hopefully have the time to cross the border to nearby San Sebastien.

one place you would go back to again and again
Auroville, India. Ever since I participated in a Sustainable Development Practicum with the American University of Paris in 2009, I have been spending a few months there every year working with different NGO’s and design studios. It has truly become my second home.

Auroville, India

SALT Children’s Home Fundraiser from Puxan BC

place you’d most likely recommend a friend go visit
Dharamsala, India. Indians and Tibetans (living there in exile since 1959) cohabit at this hill-station at the feet of the mighty Himalayas. A serene and beautiful environment, also great for mountain hikes.

Dharamsala

Himalayas

preferred method of transportation
I like to travel via as many as possible. Buses, trains, rickshaws, motorcycles, biking and walking around is always a great way to discover a new spot! I tend to avoid planes unless I am covering long distances – I usually have a lot of trouble with my big camera carry on bag on domestic flights!

place you’ve never been but dying to go
I cannot wait to head over South America (everywhere really) and Japan as well!

place you’d never go back
The French educational system.

most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less
Finishing Cambodia/Vietnam trip on a boat in Halong Bay, spending the night disconnected from the hectic Vietnamese city life with fresh sea food dinner and a night sky made bright by an innumerable amount of stars.

how do you prepare for a trip?
Minimum planning really. Couple of articles online – I spent most my time prepping the photo gear and then last minute packing. I find it interesting to research the basics and just discover the rest on the go.

how do you record your travels when you’re traveling?
Mostly photos and video – I have recently started to record more ambient sounds (markets etc.) and am taking a closer look at sound healing techniques.

Sound engineering workshop – Auroville, India

what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
Food!

Thai Blue Crab

on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
It’s easy to lose count when shooting with a DSLR but roughly 20-30 shots a day. On longer trips I’ll get away from the cameras once in a while to better immerse myself.

what’s in your “designer travel kit” ?

• DSLR + lenses
• Rode VideoMic Pro + Sound recorder
• iPod
• Laptop for on-the-go edits
• Hard drives (usually 1 Tera)
• GoPro
• Tripod
• Flashlight and swiss knife of course!

I use a Moleskine Taskmaster Diary as a daily calendar – it’s quite big and heavy so I tend to take notes in that these days. If I need a notebook dedicated for travel thoughts & ideas, I tend to buy cheap notebooks locally.

GoPro (Quickly becoming one of my favorite toys)

what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
I try to go through the shots, select the best and post on my phot0blog. Recently, I have been doing more travel videos. On my latest European trip I travelled with only a GoPro and my iPhone (due to budget airlines weight restrictions) which led to a “Travel Moments” video series. On longer trips, I try to edit photos and videos while I’m there to show friends and family but usually come back with a lot of footage to go through – which is perfect when you miss all the traveling.

Travel Moments : Séguret (shot on GoPro) from Puxan BC

favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
I usually bring back wine, spices, tea and maybe a local t-shirt.

LINKS

• Website: puxanbc.com
• Portfolio: pushanbc.com
• Twitter: @puxanbc
• Travel Videos: travelmoments.tumblr.com
• Vimeo: vimeo.com/puxanbc
• Indian cooking lesson in Paris: chalindia.com