Campus Love (Duke University)

I love visiting campuses. It is perhaps a reflection of who I am- an academic at the core. Perhaps it is also a function of where I come from- a city and a university that although rich in history and culture, could hardly boast of sprawling campuses with the kind of ambience many US campuses provide as a learning environment. The only campus I have found remotely interesting (architecture-wise) was the College Street campus of Calcutta University.

When I moved to the US, I was awed at the sheer beauty of the campuses. One could literally spend days walking around or read books sprawled on the grass. University of Washington, my alma mater, will always remain one of my favorites, with the direct view of Mount Rainier from the Red Square. My love for photographing campuses is only seconded by my love for libraries. Needless to say, whenever I visit a new place, I make sure I take a walk by the campus and get some pictures as well. UW, UVA, Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Duke, I have been fortunate to see it all, and walk the same paths that great visionaries have walked before.

Someday, I hope to photo shoot some of the renowned and beautiful campuses in India if I get a chance. Some names that I can think of right away are IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Lucknow, and St. Xavier’s College, Bombay. Any other suggestions?

This picture was taken on a cloudy morning in March at Duke University. I was on a work-related trip to the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill region (also known as the Research Triangle) in North Carolina. I had half a day off, and decided to spend it walking around the Duke campus. The spring flowers were beginning to bloom, and there were tulips everywhere. It was beautiful. Had the clouds not shrouded the sky, I would have had better pictures.

Do visit the Sarah P. Duke Gardens if you happen to be in the area. The sheer beauty of it makes me wish I can make another trip soon.

DC