Ten stunning images that bring home the unmatched beauty of Kanan Devan Hills

Tea is never merely just a cup of hot beverage. Rather, each sip brings you memories of a journey from pristine hill country to the comfort of your home. It is the delicate mix of rich earth, gentle sunshine, pure waters and the cleanest air that flows into each bud and leaf that is harvested, packed and delivered to you by the finest tea makers.

This journey, of the essential energies of nature guided by the hands of man and women into every handful of tea, is what the Kanan Devan Photography Escapade 3 highlights, capturing slices of meaning from the life of tea.

In the final episode of the Photography Escapade, 10 photographers reach the end of their visual journey as they find the final talisman of water amid the nurturing, life-giving richness of the lush river systems of the Kanan Devan Hills at Mattupetty and Gundumalley.

At the culmination of their experience, these intrepid artists gather together a collection of images that reveal the beauty and grace that makes each special cup of tea. Here are the visual milestones of that journey.

Image: Anand/ Kanan Devan Photography Escapade 3

All life at the Kanan Devan Hills starts with sunshine. It is the quickening heat of the sun that awakens life and carpets the hills with green.

Image: Anand/ Kanan Devan Photography Escapade 3

The slopes of the High Ranges bring a balance between the humid warmth characteristic of Kerala’s tropical weather with the much-needed moderation of higher altitudes.

Image: Kanan Devan Photography Escapade 3

The gently rolling slopes of the Kanan Devan Hills provide the ideal landscape for acres of tea crops to receive their share of gentle sunlight.

Image: Hardik Gaurav / Kanan Devan Photography Escapade 3

In this exquisite picture by Hardik, it is the rich, nutritious soil that feeds and nurtures tea crops that stands highlighted. The exact composition of the rich, light soil of the hills is one of the key factors that give each tea its distinctive flavour. 

Image: Agni Soonu / Kanan Devan Photography Escapade 3

Here, Agni Soonu captures the beauty of tea plantations. Carefully contoured to the lay of the land to get the maximum yield out of a varied terrain, tea plantations offer a meandering journey that offers new experiences at every turn. 

Image: Kanan Devan Photography Escapade 3

Image: Bhavna / Kanan Devan Photography Escapade 3

Water is the essence of any agricultural region, but more so for tea plantations. Tea is a crop that requires a constant and plentiful supply of water. As its very name suggests, Munnar sits at the confluence of three rivers, providing the abundant waters that tea requires for its growth.

Image: Kurian Mathew / Kanan Devan Photography Escapade 3

The plentiful waters of the Kanan Devan Hills sustain not only the region’s thriving carpets of tea, but also the unique shola grasslands that maintain the region’s fragile ecosystem.

Image: Rahul / Kanan Devan Photography Escapade 3

Image: Kanan Devan Photography Escapade 3

Every refreshing cup of tea is a play of different forces, a dance of light and darkness, warmth and coolness, moisture and dryness. The wafting breezes of the Kanan Devan Hills play their part in bringing this balance between the sun and carpets of mist that kiss the hilltops.  

All journeys eventually reach their ends. And when one takes the form of a competition, there are those who emerge in top. Watch the final episode of Kanan Devan Photography Escapade to find out who won.

But beyond the individual victories and prizes, the Photography Escapade 3 gave audiences and viewers alike a one-of-its kind journey through the exquisite world in which tea is grown and produced. From the pure, pristine and delicate beauty of the Kanan Devan Hills to a close-up look at the passion and care that suffuses community life here, this four-part series brought home the richness and grace that is captured in every cup of Tata Tea Kanan Devan.

You can watch the first three episodes of Kanan Devan Photography Escapade 3 here. 

This article was produced by The News Minute branded content team in association with Tata Tea Kanan Devan.