A day of tranquil

Reading a blog on Panchapalli & Bettumugilalam followed by a discussion with my friend, made us want to travel and see both the places. Decided to start on a Saturday morning by 6 a.m. We were fashionably late in starting  and decided to take the Hosur Road - Attilbele.

A huge banyan tree on the road to DenkaniKottai, lured us for a stop by 8.30 a.m. Its time for breakfast and what an audience we had. Domestic and Jungle crows were all around hoping for a bite, and my friend was busy in identifying the birds on the tree and their calls. The one I remember him mentioning here clearly was spotting a Hornbill.

From there the trip to Denkanikottai was uneventful, though we were a bit worried looking at all the dry water bodies on the way. At Denkanikottai, we stopped asked for the directions, as the trust on the directions in our hand was a bit low. We saw a one way board on the road we were supposed to take, instead of asking, we followed our heart and happily went on a 20K trip in a different direction. There was hardly any traffic road and we did not cross 30Km speed. We spotted a whole series of birds on the way, The birds, I remember from this stretch are red whiskered bulbul, red vented bulbul, black shouldered eagle, Blue Jay, white breasted kingfisher, pipit, pond heron apart from the egret family. It took a driving of about 20Km, before realisation dawned that we were on a wrong course. Looking sheepish, we decided to take the same path by which we came and ended up in Denkankottai. Checking with a couple of people made us realise that the road, where we saw the one-way board, is a two way road.

So we start on the road, no further than 200 mts we find the arch mentioned by every one, and take a left. Down 10km on the road, we see a huge tree with small white flowers, and lots of black & Blue shapes on them. When the car came close the blues and blacks turned into an army of butterflies, which started hovering around the tree. Needless to stay, that the car was parked aside, and I got enchanted by the butterflies.  It looked something straight out of a Disney movie. Got to know that what we are seeing are blue tiger and common crow. After watching the butterflies for long, we continued on our way to Panchapalli. Though we were expecting less water, what finally was there was an extremely dried up hardly a couple of pails of water. Considering there was nothing much we could do there, we decided to continue on the road, till we reach the mountains visible in the horizon.

Bettumugilalam is what was the next destination. The drive was lovely through a forest, and a huge man made lake on the Elephant migration path was the only place worth  stopping and watching. A place according to me is one where one can sit with a book and spend a whole day, or just watch the kingfishers. An extremely tranquil place, which is being invaded big way.  The journey to Bettamugilalam is where the comment . the journey is worth the time but not the destination is extremely apt.

Chitrasanthe 2013

Chitra Santhe Mascot

An annual event in Bangalore, Chitrasanthe literally means “Art Bazaar”. 10 years since its inception, Chitrasanthe has been going strong. Kumarakrupa road turned into an art street and this year has about 1200 stalls across the country, with the artists selling /talking about their art work. Name the kind of painting it was there, be it abstract, tribal, madhubani, tanjore, rajasthani miniature, embossed, renaissance period, mixed medium, patachitra, batik .. the list is endless. It’s not just the paintings but there were stalls for sculptures, terracotta , fabric painted dress materials and a few photographs. There were so many different ways to represent the same. The artists vision and view on how they look at various aspects and bring them to life is an experience for everyone. The place vibes with enthusiasm and passion. If it needs to be described in a 2 to 3 words they would be “a riot of colour and creativity”.





The state dance forms were showcased and there was an impromptu participation by the volunteers in the event adding to the spirit of the event.

Nirbhaya has inspired a couple of artists. One is a mixed medium painting and a clay model in the making.

  

Some images from Chitrasanthe

Pictures on display

 

Camel out of waster material

A friend @ work

Banbury Cross

Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady upon a white horse,
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
She shall have music where-ever she goes

The nursery rhyme is interesting, as is the lady in the sculpture at the Banbury Cross. Understand the sculpture near the cross is a depiction of the rhyme. The origins of lady are shrouded in mystery, and there are so many versions regarding the same.

Saw the lady while driving through Banbury, a quick stop and few snaps. The moment flew, but not the lady. The rhyme and the lady lingered in my mind. Theoretically speaking it talks about the wealth the lady possessed and her strength in handling a spirited horse. However, if happiness forms the rings on her fingers, and the cock horse is symbolic for the lady's spirit and the tinkling bells become an eternal music, which flows with her?

Roots

Roots...

Alex Haley wove a beautiful tapestry spanning a period of about 200 years starting from 1750 to about 1970. A historical novel, where in a person goes in search of his roots, heritage covering seven generations and across different continents. The book signifies many things for many people, though by and large it is considered to be a history on the New world. The strongest impression left of it is the main characters pride in self, in his culture, the urge for freedom and the indomitable Spirit. This pride, urge for freedom and spirit is passed across generations. Woven across this is the change in cultures, traditions, and the political landscape. The story starts in Gambia, Africa, and takes a major turn in Annapolis or Napolis where the slave trading has happened.

The market place near the docks in Annapolis has an interesting eulogy to the enslaved African Kunta Kinte, the author and the book. There is a beautiful line to commemorate: “To commemorate the arrival, in this harbour of Kunta Kinte, immortalizes by Alex Haley in Roots, and all others who came to these shores in bondage and who by their toil, character and ceaseless struggle for freedom have helped to make these United States.” It’s a memorial for not only Kunta Kinte but to the countless people, who came, and whose names and details are lost in the pages of history.

The scene depicting the book-reading.

The story wall, gives a synopsis of what the book stands for with various quotes and in places correlating it with American history. The best I felt I can do is just to give them as they are:

Diversity
Hear me! Though we are different tribes and tongues, remember we are the Same people - African Elder
Americas strength is its diversity. People come here from all over the world, bringing new energy and new dreams. Each person has a story to tell, and every story enriches and invigorates us.

Challenge
Things don't ever get better unless you make them better - Tom Murray
In Roots, Alex Haley reminds us that only through individual efforts will this country racial and ethnic anger, guilt, hatred and fear, and remain a beacon of opportunity and hope for oppressed people around the world.

Love
We must be in this place as one village! – Mandinka Elder
Love ties us to the past, connects us in the present, and links us to the future. It is not enough that we learn to live together. We must learn to respect and love each other.

Forgiveness
When you clench your fist, no one can put anything in your hand, nor can your hand pick up anything – Omoro Kinte
Knowledge of history can be the first step away from anger and bitterness. Truth Leads to understanding. Understanding and forgiveness lead to reconciliation and healing

Family
Your sweet grandma and all of them – they’re up there watching you – Cousin Georgia
Knowing our family is knowing ourselves. Our values and traditions are forged through the struggles, heartache, pain, hopes and dreams of our ancestors.

Faith!
The only thing greater than yourself! – Omoro Kinte
Faith allows us to endure even the most bitter trails and tribulations and empowers to accomplish great things.

Perseverance
We all suffer. If man’s wise, he learns from it – Boteng Bediako (Uncle Pompey)
The strength and perseverance of our ancestors, teach universal lessons including survival through faith, strength through family, and wisdom through forgiveness.

Servitude
Share his pain – Mandinka Elder
Millions of Africans were stolen from their families and forced to endure the horrors of the middle passage and slavery. The new world was built largely on their labor, on the subjugation of Native Americans, and on the indentured servitude of Europeans and Asians.

Heritage
The farthest-back person they ever talked about was a man they called the “African”. – Alex Haley
Alex Haley’s Pulitzer prize-winning book Roots inspires all peoples to embrace their heritage. As we discover our personal history, we realise that all members of the human family share a universal bond

Dedication
You must hear me now with more than your ears! – Omoro Kinte
The story wall is dedicated to those nameless Africans, brought to the new world against their will, who struggled against terrible odds to maintain family, culture, identity and above all, hope.


More details at: http://www.kintehaley.org/memorialelements.html

Dolphin play

Doplhins as I understand are absolutely friendly souls and have a need or craving for attention as much as a human being. These are from a Dolphin show I attended. All I did instead of watching the show is taking pictures of them. These two made the cut and appealed to my eye. Reason well the emotions reflecting on their face. They seemed to be in conversation, sharing a private moment. The captions given reflect the thoughts that crossed my mind when I saw them for the first time.



Well they seemed to be in conversation, and since there are people around apt is "People Not again".



The smile, what could be the cause but for a private joke between the two.
The only additional information I can add is that they belong the variety called as "Bottle Nose Dolphins".

More details at the url:
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/bfg_bottlenose_dolphin.aspx?menuitem=14438

A rainy day

A rainy day, there are so many thoughts that cross ones mind. Depending on the mood and the company the reactions are umpteen. A couple of unguarded moments in rain is what is reflected here. Wonder do I need to thank the umpteen number of movies for this, a thought to be considered for another rainy day or the songs you get to hear.



My lens could not escape the rain drops, and are visible in the picture.



What can i say, but for a line from Carpenters.....

Funny but it seems I always wind up here with you
Nice to know somebody loves me
Funny but it seems that it's the only thing to do
Run and find the one who loves me.

Drops of Water..

Drops of water, arent they a world of their own. The reflections of the surroundings.. the twinkle because of the sun.. everything adds a mystic to them. The 2 snaps here are my initial efforts to capture the world of water drops.

World of mystery



Source of life

Different strokes

Two different sources of light ..reflecting in water.. are a sight to see..
Add to this a rippling effect to the water what can i say but "Different Strokes"

flame work..

The gas flames in a darkness caught the eye and have resulted in this set of photographs with long exposures.

The flame with multiple reflections.. reminds a blue mist..



the blue mist gets inverted in PS and the shades get more earthy hues .. a different perspective of the blue mist..



And the last and according to me the best.. an abstract of with some random movements.. resulting in a smooth flow..

Morning Glory

The short life they have vs. the bright and beautiful colours they come glorifying the start of the day.. an abstract and the complete flower.. using a D70.