the Bliss in Nature....

2009-12-14T23:43:00.003+05:30

"Sorry, Gotta Rush"....REALLY ??

makes one gasp at the sheer incredulity of it - who's running? the observer? the observed? which frame of reference does one consider here?...do i run 'cos the world around is doing so? or atleast appears to be doing so? why, even the stoic, ever-balanced, accomodative Mr.Tree is yielding here....almost dragged headlong into the Storm of "the progressive path"!!!

2008-10-14T00:51:00.007+05:30

....catching up to the Snail's pace....

'twas one of those unearthly morning hours when a couple of friends and self stumbled across this weary chap returning from a hard-day-in-the-office....i say 'stumbled'..well, we had almost crushed the poor chap beneath our confident (i daresay self-assured) tread!

so what about this snail -the epitome of 'laziness' ?...and what about the legendary "snail's pace"? Apparently the typical speed of an adult Helix lucorum is (a very much law-abiding figure of) One mm/sec !!!

Remarkably enough, He leaves very noticeable footprints every few steps as if trying to justify his 'pace'...as if saying that

- "look here, i got no race to run, no deadlines to meet, no chaps to measure up against...i sure got the luckiest job in this entire 'road' you know - To live every single step completely...thats it, to know the road thoroughly for that step for that stretch of time (call it seconds/minutes/hours whatever!)....the best part is am so forgetful - once i've taken "my time" over that step, i actually manage to forget it..to just let it go...and move on ! And somehow (i dunno how, its amazing really) i end up leaving a mark, a distinct impression on the road.."

hmmm...Laziness eh?

Guess its about time we think about catching up with the snail's pace!!!

2008-09-06T02:31:00.021+05:30

Order in Chaos? or Chaos in Order ?

time and again, this space has referred to the incorrigible 'mad painter' and His outrageous canvasses! ....the canvas under scrutiny this time, forcing a sharpish downward tilt to the good 'ol cerebellum.
Located, very modestly i might add, on the periphery of a lonely pit (at the backyard of our ancestral house in Mangalore, if you must know!), the above leaf seems to have been a makeshift towel for a riotous holi-player...a flood of gulal which eventually 'pinked' its way to the numerous veins and branches of this hapless victim !!! Chaos then, eventually leading to some order ?

So many "leaf-towels" ??? with the very same singular fish-bone design? this second snap then outrightly dismisses the above balderdash...surely there is an 'organized riot' going on here....tonnes of patience and painstaking efforts can only sketch such a kaleidoscope-of-one-solitary-colour and then "copy-paste' it on multiple canvasses !!!

so who creates orderly chaos ?

..a serene Master?....

or (and the cerebellum vigorously nods its approval here) a mad painter ?....

2008-05-19T01:00:00.009+05:30

Once-in-a-Blue-Moon !!!

.....captured behind the window grill - a serene midnight blue Moon surrounded by an anxious retinue of loyal clouds!

Watch the 'clumps of cotton' striving to shield their unruffled leader!

So who calls the shots here? the 'leader' or the 'followers' ??

Take out the Moon and there wouldn't be any light to guide the mercenary clouds....But what if you just vapourize the Clouds like a "Messiah"? hmm..then how would the solitary Moon boss around? and most crucially - sans Clouds, i wouldn't have photographed these snaps in the first place!!!

the eve of the Full Moon....basking in the reflected glory of that hide-n-seek veteran -the Sun !!!

2008-02-22T23:47:00.007+05:30

"One day the Sun admitted, I am just a shadow!
i wish i could show you the infinite transcendence
that has cast my brilliant image!
i wish i could show you
when you are lonely or in darkness,
the astonishing light of your own being" !!!
----Hafiz

2008-01-03T00:57:00.000+05:30

the Abode of the Gods..

the window of Airbus flight Guwahati-Mumbai on Jan 1,2008
nothing out of the ordinary, what?...well, look at this close-up shot now..

And how about this one ??? At 700km/hr (plane's ground speed), this has gotta be one of my fastest snaps out there !
Yup, these are the mystical Himalayan ranges adorning the lands of Tibet here....standing tall and proud above all the clouds...above the earth...above everything this pair of eyes could comprehend ! Surely, the very Gods would dwell here in peace..comfortably settled in their pristine white palaces...

a sepentine white carpet beckons me to join them for a cup of tea...just then a cursory glance at the navigation display shows the outside air temperature at a staggering -44 degrees...yup, the heavens are there for my taking if i can but bear a "l'il cold" ..Dare i leave the comfortable warmth of this familiar bird? dare i extend the wings of my own solo flight and simply go for it ?

OK..am staying back....that cute air-hostess just gave me a dazzling smile :D

2007-12-04T01:32:00.000+05:30

Exquisite Grace.......

And she's big-time into dancing - synchronised ballet dancing !!!

2007-12-04T00:48:00.000+05:30

a tender moment...
a mother in silent, blissful conversation with her child....
Really didnt want to interrupt them but my l'il bro (always the more enterprising chap) got excited, literally snatched the camera from me and began clicking away...until She noticed and understandably took an aggressive stance the very next moment, assuring us in no uncertain terms of the dire consequences that would necessarily follow unless we retreated immediately...and needless to add, we complied !!!
In both cases, observe her complete absorption in her actions...she could turn on & off, at will...the nurturer and the protector..donning the two roles effortlessly and seamlessly....the nature of maternal instinct !!!
a scary moment.........

2007-10-22T13:46:00.000+05:30

So Many Avatars...But Who Are You ??

Water, Water Everywhere...but whats her true nature?
I say 'her' - She creates life, nurtures it, sustains it like a Mother would ; but then again, She also destroys her own creations from time to time for no apparent rhyme or reason !!! Not the 'job definition'of a rational person by any stretch of the imagination :)
So what is her real identity? her real form?
Tried capturing Water..yup,plain simple water on a recent ferry trip!

See the pattern of waves in the wake of the ferry's motion..a calm, unruffled surface disturbed dramatically...each wave with a life of her own, merrily dancing and like a domino effect encouraging the next wave to follow suit...but as events unfolded-lasting only for a few moments...she soon restores herself to status quo with a minimum of fuss and the same deceptive serene countenance plays on its face !!!

Fast-forward a few hours later, on the return journey the same water body now reflects the city lights at a distance...like a clear mirror, the water itself doesn't 'add value' to reflection, just throws back what is thrown on it ! Just a mute witness to the world outside....

Caught these "little drops of joy" from the upper echelons of an artificial fountain ! Seem to have a life of their own, right? Dynamic, ambitious, enterprising,energising..the adjectives flow thick & fast...

So Who is She? What is Her nature ?

Am none the wiser but perhaps this little train of thought brings about the most intriguing question of all - what is our real nature? that of the inner self ??? Surely there is but one face, one soul behind the countless masks that we wear so conveniently..

2007-08-20T17:01:00.000+05:30

Contd.....

Gutsy winds accompany the ferocious onslaught of the marauding clouds, completely blotting out the landscape...(the missile-like raindrops forcing my camera to beat a hasty retreat from the vantage-point)
Unbelievably,the entire episode lasted a little over 10 minutes and just when you think the curtains should be down on this brutally one-sided battle, a new visitor dramatically arrives on the scene -- a blue lightshaft slowly but surely ploughs its way through the dark forces and begins sketching a new world order !!!

2007-08-20T00:01:00.000+05:30

Clouds' Day Out !!!

Its that time of the year again, when the Clouds shed the neatly pressed starch-white uniforms and don their Sunday-best dark suits ---literally shaking off the fluffy,cute 'cotton'ish images to those of mean monsters gobbling up anyone in their wake!

Captured these snaps off my window-sill on an overcast Sunday afternoon...simply thrilling to observe the sheer pace at which these chaps were reinforcing their 'troops' and in no time, flexing their biceps across the entire canvas....................................Contd.

2007-07-29T01:15:00.000+05:30

" Shock & Awe"

Got this one off a running train somewhere near Orissa ages back...'twas pitch dark with an overcast sky outside & it took me scores of failures (blank snaps) before i actually caught this flash, a momentary spark that brilliantly lights up an otherwise morbid canvas for a solitary moment!

Looks like a Child up there is just learning his first alphabet - he merrily scribbles across the blank (sky) slate quite illegibly, suddenly feels something's not right & almost instantly rubs the slate clean...looks behind his shoulder mischievously, checks if the coast is clear...his big, round eyes dancing in sheer delight, he again has a go at the slate !!!

2007-07-21T00:17:00.000+05:30

"The Invisible Hand"

i do not claim to know the 'father-son' duo (Adam Smith-Economics) very intimately,but i do say this with conviction - there's a mad painter at work here..just swishing a delicate brush carelessly across the mute canvas..unperturbed of 'market' forces, clicking tongues & wagging fingers. It is madness, plain madness at display here...yet simply Delightful!

2007-07-03T21:21:00.000+05:30

The Mist Continues......

(missed out posting these ones..Sikkim again :)

2007-06-22T23:17:00.000+05:30

Mesmerizing........ For once, i shut up & let the pictures do the talking :)
(pics shot on our way downhill from NathuLaPass,Sikkim towards Chango Lake)

ok, i give up...here i go blabbering again ----

Imagine Time itself stopping its mundane tick-tock, rubbing its eyes again & again in utter disbelief and spontaneously taking an unofficial break to actually witness Nature.....all her elements seemed to have reciprocated and colluded to dish out these visual gems...patiently 'posing', after all they have all the 'time' in the world !!!

2007-06-22T21:56:00.000+05:30

"Chinese Nature ?"
'course She pays little heed to man-made boundaries...but when i say 'ChineseNature', well this is quite literally a glimpse of her manifestation in China..to be precise, on the Chinese side of NathuLa Pass at the Sikkim Border....at 14,500ft She expectedly does throw some tantrums...our group was greeted with a barricade of clouds & fog as soon as we set foot at the Indian Army outpost..thankfully, She relented soon enough and we had our fill of her play!

A lone Chinese soldier patrolling the area....friendly chap, he even posed for photos with us....ofcourse both parties' on either side of the barbed wire!!! Hats Off to the Indian Soldiers there, smiling amidst all the tough conditions and Her unpredictable often volatile mood-shifts !!! (the Pass is actually open to visitors only for 2-3 months in the year...She likes her solitude, you see ;))

2007-05-27T01:18:00.000+05:30

Skyscapes 2
Contd from the previous post....the last pic is one of my favourites - the sun has all but called it quits for the day, yet in a defiant mood it lights up the immediate clouds above it in varied hues of gold & pink to show who's the boss !

2007-05-27T00:55:00.000+05:30

Skyscapes 1

these ones came off a moving train somewhere in Central India.....

2007-05-27T00:21:00.000+05:30

Going, Going...GONE !!!

Dusk scenes captured from the land of raw passion, West Bengal....

2007-05-22T01:05:00.000+05:30

the most poignant exhibit displayed at Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens,Mysore...literally translated from kannada, the pachyderm makes a strong statement -

"We can survive without You,

But can You survive without Us ?"

2007-05-22T00:58:00.000+05:30

Yawn! Am so Booooooooooored...........

"Me too", says this Otter

2007-05-22T00:23:00.000+05:30

The Tough One!

Solid,dependable, formidable.....running out-of adjectives here but this Rhino exudes an air of absolute command & poise over any situation...much like my mom i thought..we even tried to get the two of 'em to pose together citing the various similarities...really racked our brains to think of any differences between the two personalities until my brother quipped- you wouldn't find a rhino patiently trying out scores of mysore silk sarees :)...at that, we got an icy glare from her otherwise warm eyes....why, even the rhino came charging towards us !

2007-05-21T23:48:00.000+05:30

The Chimpsons

Poor chaps seemed really bored (who wouldnt be if caged up round the clock)...they did get excited & showed first signs of life when a chopper flew overhead..the younger one actually came running towards the crowd & from nowhere delivered an underarm stone at 100kmph narrowly missing one of the bystanders!!!

2007-05-10T21:50:00.000+05:30

Captured these colourful chaps at Mysore Zoo....the male peacock strutting around..saw the old adage 'proud as a peacock' unfold right then 'n there:)....the female peahen on the other side of the fence despearately seeking his attention...finally she spreads her wings literally and a lively dance commences (er..i had heard its the other way 'round...that the male shakes a leg or two, rather feather or two so as to woo the female!) Anyways, the end result - she gets not one, but two suitors (see last pic !!!)

2007-05-10T21:37:00.000+05:30

Just in case you are wondering whats all this about...well, am just back from a rollercoaster trip to some amazing parts of Southern India and my feelings mirror those of this mechanical contraption at Visveswaraya Museum,Bangalore...madly excited 'n eager for more action...read the above posts to know why :)

2007-04-12T01:06:00.000+05:30

Even This Shall Pass Away ?

Was in the midst of an after-lunch stroll when i first set eyes upon this winged gentleman standing quietly on one of those open stairs that you find commonly these days at the most uncommon of places. Resplendent in aquagreen 'clothes', he stared out with beady, unmoving eyes and seemed to be meditating on...whatever dragon-flies meditate on normally! The sunlight, filtering through the dense treecover decided to make its presence known just then and made a grand entry on the stage,casting a solitary ray on our saintly friend here....... Ah! the sparkling colours that emanated from him..silvers,blues,greens,greys all jostled for my attention....picture-perfect scene, except that i didn't have my trusted digicam to capture this!
On an impulse, thought of brushing him away to the nearby bushes....how could he be so relaxed and unconcerned with all the chaos around ? Dunno why but i didnt and left him to his contemplations, striding on & feeling glad to be a normal human being- confused and worried, carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders as usual !!!
Couple of hours later, i happened to pass through the same stair and casually glanced there....got rooted to the spot - only a skeleton was left, the eyes still stared but no flesh, no wings, no colours, just some thin sticks for arms,legs.....the saint had shed his mortal remains in the exact position i had last seen him in....probably was dead for ages!
Something seemed to close in on me...where did all the colours go ? why did they have to go?
come to think of it, did any of those colours belong to the dragon-fly in the first place?
Nature (or sunlight as you would have it) had laid out such a magnificent spectacle just some time back,on a lifeless creation ?
Closer inspection revealed a whole battalion of those tireless workers - Ants...bustling about, tearing down this now-hollow structure and earning their honest bread. Nature bringing down yet another one of its denizens to dust but in the process nurturing several more!
Even This Shall Pass Away ?

2007-04-01T23:19:00.000+05:30

The Eraser At Work !!!

Thought i'll catch a dawn-break...the harsh black night handing over the baton to a nervous but visibly excited blue morning at the crack of dawn!

So it all started at 4.30am, when the rainy August night found me searching for suitable vantage points here on the outskirts of Shatrunjaya Temple, Pune....wasn't till 5.30 that i got 'the break' and got these hues of blues..see a Krishna-Blue somewhere?

Yup, the Eraser here in His element rubbing the blackboard so randomly yet smoothly , you'll be forgiven for thinking you're back in class, fervently wishing the Math teacher would not rub the board so quickly, to slow down this one time and be more comprehensible :)

2007-03-16T23:51:00.000+05:30

The Parrot-Hole !

Just seen a green bird whiz past a couple of trees, rushing towards a smallish hole smack in the center of an impossibly proud tree...she has actually dashed headlong into the hole.. Surely she's knocked out senseless inside the hollow...but no! she has just reappeared - sticks out a shapely green head from the hole....a serene countenance with red eyes topping a bright-red beak(so bright a red, you think the painter has overdone Himself there!) half-amused and half-exasperated at my wide-eyed expression...shan't be surprised if she rolls her eyes over to say 'as if....'
And then it dawned on me(always takes some time, but i do get there eventually) - i see a parrot in a parrot-hole...no, not in the cage of a 'pet-lover' drawing fake peals of laughter imitating fake voices, but out here in the wild..in her home...dwelling in her very own self...no inhibitions whatsover...she is actually FREE !!!
So thats how it feels like....to be free ?
But at what price ? thats suicidal, isn't it?
.....Hurtling fearlessly into the unknown...
After all, how far does the hole extend ?...the questions seem innumerable and come gushing forth, not one after another but in a torrent driven by the mad current of inquiry!
Hold your breath,friend!... you'll get your answers, but you gotta try...give it your best shot and dash headlong !!!
Why....Whats in it for Me, you say ?
Well, for starters, see our good friend up there at the parrot-hole ?
She now looks from Within at the world Outside!

2007-03-10T17:48:00.000+05:30

# this is the concluding part of a short story ;
do refer to Parts I & II below for the entire 'hair-raising' tale of the 'hare droppings' #

Epilogue

"Ah jus' knew eet..free air! Ah owe 'ye one Guv'nor"

And at the Next Door : A new resident - The California White

Guess i have jumped the whole warship here ;)
Well, to cut a short story still shorter - the NewZealand White had to be rushed to a vet after suffering from..what else?...Over-eating !!! And thats where he confessed & the Case was Solved !

2007-03-07T23:44:00.000+05:30

Part II
At the next door :
"Chomp, chomp....Look at my pure-white coat...think a NewZealand White can commit such a heinous crime? ...What? the black-tinged ears? 'tis your Indian Summer that has singed my lovely ears...now let me have my grub in peace...chomp,chomp!!!

Phew! So, who's the guilty party here? Your guess is as good as mine !
All said and done, i might have to drop "the Case of the scandalous Droppings" !!!

2007-03-07T23:11:00.000+05:30

Part I

"It Wasn't Me"

This poor chap (more commonly referred to as the Russian Chinchilla - a domestic rabbit breed) seems to plead his case quite indignantly !!!
"Aye Guv'nor, ah tell 'ye...'ye hass peeked up da rong fella...'twas dat daft NewZealand White 'xt door hoo meshed yer floor wid dese droppins', Ah Not da one 'ye lookin' fer !"
Unfortunately, the prominent reflection of the cage-bars across his (innocent?) features effectively brand him guilty ........To Be Contd.

2007-02-26T01:11:00.000+05:30

"Splendid Chappie, what ?"

With his head held high & errect, he had absolutely no qualms in maintaining his poise underneath a furious Sun ; he looked around (rather imperiously,i might add) his vicinity for ages and finally had a thoughtful morsel! Give him a fork & knife, i say, and voila! you have a preux chevalier lunching outside your window! Alone yet completely at peace with itself!

2007-01-27T19:54:00.000+05:30

Enlightened Birds...........

Slight wobble in the camera position(err..thanks to the persistent mosquitoes) was enough to bring about this - see how the distorted city lights actually enliven a colourful sunset with shining 'birds'..looks like they're all determined to catch the elusive Sun which seems just a few wingspans away at the horizon !!!

2006-12-27T12:38:00.000+05:30

Hands of Nature
Sounds far-fetched, i know....but then, these're my Grandma's hands sorting out some herbal plants with infinite care & patience...with slow but deliberate movements, these hands danced joyously...dont ask me to which laya or taal !!! Think its the sheer love for the task at hand that brings out such mudras and creates a masterpiece of a symphony: silent yet eloquent !!!

2006-10-05T18:58:00.000+05:30

Contd. ......After-sunset !!!

2006-10-05T18:29:00.000+05:30

Sunset by the Countryside !!!
Pics shot from the terrace of our house at rural M'lore ! See the towering coconut trees calmly surveying its surroundings even as the canvas around them changes dramatically and assumes menacing proportions with dark grey clouds (once again!) in the horizon....Contd.

2006-10-05T16:32:00.000+05:30

Sunset by the Beach !!!
this is at Kaup Beach, M'lore-also called as Kaup Lighthouse...and these pics were taken at the vantage point of lighthouse tower (at the very top of course !) ...i set seige there right from 4.30 in the hot afternoon waiting, almost willing the impish 'lady' to get a move on and rest for the day ;) ... but the 'hottie' took its own sweet time & finally called it a day at 6pm in the evening ! At the horizon, i waited with bated breath and then the anti-climax: out-of-nowhere, this train of dense clouds appeared( i swear, it was a mere wisp a few mins back) literally playing the bodyguard and shielding the last private sunny moments from any spying eyes !!! (guess u can readily imagine the scene - an angry old father defiantly crossing his arms and challenging me to steal one more glance at his lovely girl, my beloved...sigh!)

2006-10-04T12:56:00.000+05:30

Only one regret.......none of the pics could really capture those big limpid liquid-black half-popped out Eyes !!! guess the natural camera flash kept reflecting and gave me shockingly white, even ocean-blue coloured eyes !..this is the closest i could get to one of Amba's more sensitive expressions (where she's not giving me the 'eye') !!!

2006-10-04T12:14:00.000+05:30

TurnCoat !!!! ;-))

Just one day old, but look at her brand-new coat! i like the pic where Momma is genuinely puzzled at this dolt who keeps flashing lights at her new-born & herself! then again, she might be glaring..dunno..these folks don't even frown...nor a crease on their colossal foreheads !!!

2006-10-02T14:32:00.000+05:30

Just then, my aunt decided to take matters in her hand and held the calf to Sonu's udder...and then 'twas magic...the calf was motivated to stand on its own legs and excitedly had its first nourishment...the first 2 pics taken abt 3 hrs later- the dark browned beauty was changing colours literally...look at her new coat...i was given the privilege of naming her...born on the 2nd day of Navratri, i thought Amba was apt...and that was it !

2006-10-02T13:53:00.000+05:30

These folks took up most of the memory space(deservingly so!)...starting frm the bottom pic-Sonu(Mom) has just delivered a healthy calf..pic taken abt 5 mins after she(did i mention its a girl?) 'formally' came into existence...Momma began earnestly licking her, giving natural warmth and marking her as her own! The knock-kneed calf tried desperately getting up, with mom continuously prodding her...but she kept stumbling & finally just gave up, facing the other side(first pic!)...Sonu, patient as ever, kept up her efforts!

2006-10-02T00:16:00.000+05:30

This delightful chap was a thorough gentleman..the only subject who was totally unruffled with the digicam flashes...he actually posed for a good 10-15 mins...ain't he photogenic ?

2006-10-01T23:59:00.000+05:30

Lets see what you can make of this ?

2006-10-01T23:32:00.000+05:30

Bole toh apun ka favourite fool !!!
Wide variety of butterflies, but were a trifle shy !!

2006-10-01T20:24:00.000+05:30

Lets begin with a snapshot of the some of the mind-boggling varieties of flora (all in the courtyard) there! Dunno all (ok, none) of the names!!...some fascinating facets of other flowers....like there is one which blooms every evening only for a few hours...then the the legendary brahma-kamal (still a nascent plant there), which as the name suggests is the lotus-seat of Lord Brahma....quite rare...so invariably makes it to the local papers, when one blooms in the district !

2006-09-28T21:11:00.000+05:30

Sun's just abt set on an exciting 'n immensely rejuvenating 7-day trip at my ancestral home in rural M'lore!...'twas eventful all right....saw nature at her very best (uh, am always saying that!), witnessed some amazing sunsets, captured the first few moments of some new lives unfolding - Sonu brought out Amba and the Russian Chinchilla quite unexpectedly popped out four brand new 'uns...'Course u don't know what am gibbering abt !!!!....well, the former refers to the revered ('n quintessential) house-cow which gave birth to a bewitchingly beautiful calf and the latter to a Rabbit breed which delivered a spanking new litter of l'il ones on the penultimate day of my stay there (talk abt good timing!)
Still sorting out all the pics...for the time-being, chk out the good 'ol sun-set from the top of the solitary light-house tower at Kaup Beach,M'lore (er...with my silhouette thrown in for good measure ;-))

2006-09-19T22:07:00.000+05:30

M'lored !!!!

Yup, me off to Mangalore(my 'native place' or namma ooru,as we say in my lingo!)....the land of coconuts,neer dosas and.....hang on, the rest can wait until am back next week!
WATCH this space !!!

2006-09-12T21:18:00.000+05:30

Dark Clouds cover the canvas, blocking out the last vestiges of a glorious sunset & wipe the slate clean..........Even This Shall Pass Away!

2006-09-12T20:22:00.000+05:30

Even the pallid Mithi river(yup! the same waste water body that engulfed suburban bombay last year) glows a serene golden, basking in the sunset!

2006-09-12T11:58:00.000+05:30

hmm...how many shades here ? see if u can find that 'merawala
pink/purple'

2006-09-12T11:43:00.000+05:30

Thot i'll start off with a post-sunset view of the passionate Mumbai skyline!........its fascinating to watch the play of Clouds and their myriad colours (none of 'em their own!)...Clouds just reflect wotever's happening around 'em(now am not getting philosophical here, but isn't this terrific- to be in equilibrium at all times, just 'reflect' wotever comes at u, whoever throws it at u!) ...in this case, the dark orange glow of the dipping Sun!