Ten Years of Nothingness

Observing anniversaries is often a way to mark the passage of time, celebrate small achievements, and reflect on the journey. It can also be an exercise in self-absorbed narcissism. ☺ Be that as it may, I'd like to observe a minor milestone in my creative and online life. Earlier this year, Shunya completed its 10th anniversary. I created this website in 2000 to share my travel photos from around the world—photos that were fading away in cardboard boxes—and to learn web publishing. It was to serve as my web address, and perhaps become a quiet record of a personal history. ("Shunya" means the number "zero" as well as "void" or "nothingness" in Buddhist philosophy.)

The site has since evolved much and now includes prose by me and others, photo essays, and videos. A big expansion came when I took a two-year break (2004-06) to visit 100+ destinations in 20+ Indian states. As a result, nearly half of the ~15K photos on Shunya are from India, the rest from ~50 other countries. In the last two years I've added a host of essays to it, including ones I've written for 3 Quarks Daily as well as by others on this group blog. I've even made new friends through Shunya, found long lost ones, and received many notes of appreciation.

Encouraged by the inquiries I got out of the electronic blue, I also began licensing my photos based on the buyer's means and ends. Over a hundred organizations, including 15 museums, 25 academies, and 35 publishers have since licensed photos from Shunya. I've given away quite a few for free, especially to progressive non-profits, students, and starving artists. They have inspired paintings (samples below) and adorned calendars, posters, music CD jackets, slideshows, brochures, ads, postcards, websites, and book and magazine covers.

 
(Artists: Mukta Sareen, Trevor Guitar, Neelam Solanki (3-4), and Cristina Goia.)

Google Analytics reports that Shunya got 3+ million page views in the past year. Each month over 100K people—45K+ from India, 25K+ from the U.S.—stop by at least once. According to Alexa, ~15 out of every million people on the Internet visit Shunya (15 ppm, as I like to think). In 2005, I put ads on the site, which has since paid for at least one vacation abroad each year for me and my partner. Not bad for what is still a labor of love and lunacy (fortunately, I have a day job ☺). Shunya will continue to evolve, but it has already been a very gratifying journey that has helped me grow as a person, writer, and travel photographer. Thank you for your interest, friends and visitors!

(Shunya home pages from 2000, 2004, 2007, and 2010, respectively.)

Comments

[Shreyasi]

Hi Namit,

Congratulations !!! I haven't been that active lately but hope to catch up soon. I got hooked to 'Shunya' since June 2000 I believe. Since that time it has become an intregal part of my life sustaining me thru various highs and lows of my life, across different continents :)

I can only say that your site has helped me grow as a person and inspired me to explore other frontiers of life. For all those times I would like to thank you.

[Louise]

One of the Web's most beautiful sites, with informed history, politics and lots of other topics that stateside people wouldn't know without it.

[astrokid]

Congrats Namit. Keep going.
It only took me 10 years to discover your website, since you created it ;-) But I enjoy going through your past writings, and learning from them.

[Kalyan]

Namit,

This is the time a silent reader of this website, like me, cannot leave this site without wishing you congratulations!! I am a physicist by profession and have been living in the US for past several years now. Over the years this site has given me several moments of pure joy that one gets when one sees things anew or learn about a new thing or two, be it culture, arts or history! So, be proud of what you have created and keep going!

[Namit]

Wow, thank you all for your kind words. I feel energized! It's particularly good to hear from the "silent readers". :)

[Arvind]

Hi,
i stumbled on "Shunya" today while searching information related to my research.
Thankyou for the valuable information about Lost Cities.
Its a great resource for working on India.

[Ali]

I wish I could tell you how I meandered onto your website, but the chain is far too long for me to (retroactively) analyse. It has been an eye-opener (figuratively and literally!). I have a lot of catch-up reading to do now! It is good to know there are people out there, meaning you (Namit), Usha and vp who are fighting the good fight! Congratulations!

[rednaxelar]

Congratulations, bro!

[Arun Gupta]

Namit,
I have reached this fresh stream of eternal thought....looks like I will be spending sometime here.....please continue to gather more .....