Visual Rhapsody

2012-01-14T23:03:00.000+05:30

Automobile

2011-12-19T13:47:00.001+05:30

Shanghai Nights

2011-12-12T22:14:00.001+05:30

Shanghai Skyline

Meeting of old and new Shanghai

Feuersee, Stuttgart

2011-11-01T15:31:00.000+05:30

The Sphinx

2011-08-06T20:47:00.002+05:30

A typical Egyptian Sphinx with a human head. @ Louvre museum, Paris.

The Snail

2011-07-30T16:42:00.002+05:30

The Gondola - Venice

2011-07-22T22:28:00.001+05:30

The Girl at Eiffel

2011-07-15T21:49:00.002+05:30

Halebidu

2011-04-30T20:46:00.002+05:30

A squirrel having a snack on a hot afternoon while sitting in the cool shadows of the temple at Halebidu.

Playtime

2011-03-27T21:26:00.002+05:30

Two kids mostly brothers, enjoying themselves at the Kanava reservoir on Mysore Road.

View from the window 2 - The Dragonfly

2011-03-19T13:03:00.001+05:30

View from the window 1 - The skies

2011-03-13T22:40:00.003+05:30

Hampi

2011-02-19T10:58:00.003+05:30

A view of Hampi town from top of Matanga Hill. The gopuram of Virupaksha temple towers over the ruins of the historic city.

An afternoon break

2011-01-30T20:34:00.001+05:30

An afternoon break for the young monks at the Namdroling monastery at Kushalnagar.

A Prayer

2011-01-19T22:17:00.002+05:30

A prayer is blown across the world from these Buddhist prayer flags, Blue (symbolizing sky/space), White (symbolizing air/wind), Red (symbolizing fire), Green (symbolizing water) and Yellow (symbolizing earth).

Coffee in Coorg

2010-12-14T22:06:00.003+05:30

Coffee berries ...

Coffee blossoms ...

Camoflague

2010-12-04T21:30:00.002+05:30

A camoflagued sand crab.

Buddha

2010-11-27T11:15:00.000+05:30

The peaceful statue of Buddha at Namdorling Monastery.

Sparrows

2010-11-21T16:07:00.001+05:30

Sparrows pecking at the grains in Namdroling Monastery in Kushalnagar, Coorg.

Birds in flight

2010-11-10T22:15:00.002+05:30

Star Fish

2010-11-06T20:48:00.002+05:30

Gopuram

2010-10-24T09:44:00.002+05:30

Gopurams of the Virupaksha temple in Hampi.

Let there be light

2010-10-03T18:15:00.002+05:30

`Tamso Ma Jyotirgamaya' (Lead me from darkness unto light)

FIsherman @ work

2010-09-30T20:37:00.000+05:30

A fisherman @ work near Kanva Reservoir

Bubbles

2010-08-23T22:49:00.002+05:30

Kids love soap bubbles ...

and so do adults :)

Lalbagh Flower Show

2010-08-18T18:53:00.004+05:30

Every year on the occasion of republic day and independence day of India a flower show is arranged at Lalbagh in Bangalore. With a brand new DSLR at hand, this opportunity was not to be missed. :) .... here are first few pics from my new Canon 1000D.

A Gate to nowhere! !

2010-07-11T22:54:00.002+05:30

This snap is taken near the Srirangapattana fort walls. The roots of this banyan tree almost made a gateway in midst of nowhere and leading to nowhere ! !

Insect World

2010-07-08T21:13:00.005+05:30

2010-04-10T10:35:00.001+05:30

Trumpeteer of Hampi

2009-09-20T23:03:00.002+05:30

This weekend i had gone to Hampi, the ruins of the capital of the medival empire of Vijaynagar. There at the temple of Virupaksha i met this man blowing the typical Indian horn shaped trumpet (tutari, as we call it in Marathi). The sound of the trumpet as the first thing of your trip surely makes you feel happy and eager about the the things to follow.

Jai Hind ! ! !

2009-08-15T15:35:00.003+05:30

India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters.

I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage.

I shall always strive to be worthy of it.

I shall love my parents, teachers and all elders, respect, and treat everyone with courtesy.

To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion.

In their well being and prosperity alone, lies my happiness.

JAI HIND

I remember reciting this pledge daily when we were in school. Today after almost 10 years out of school i wonder if this has any effect on the minds of the kids or they just say it out of compusion ... without understanding the meaning. Or is it with the hope that at least a few of them would remember the pledge long after leaving the school and try to follow it?

Bangalore Palace

2009-07-19T19:06:00.004+05:30

Tipu's Palace

Lawns and the Stone walls of the Fort

Very few people know that right in the centre of Bangalore city there is 16 century fort. Last weekend we had been to see it ... though not very big it gives an idea about the importance of Bangalore as a location of militarliy and strategic importance since those times. During Tipu's times he had built a summer palace inside the wall of this fort (see top pic). Also within the walls are some old temples. Now what remains of the fort is very small portion, with most of it either destroyed or parts being used by the locals to open shops within the thick walls of the fort. Nice placeto spend a n hour or twoon some afternoon with much else to do.

2009-03-08T18:33:00.001+05:30

The Moon

2009-03-08T18:27:00.000+05:30

Sunset

2009-03-08T18:16:00.002+05:30

The Solitary Reaper

2009-01-31T23:53:00.001+05:30

Behold her, single in the field
Yon solitary highland lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
and sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt [chant]
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt,
Among Arabian sands:
A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard
In springtime from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings?--
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
familiar matter of to-day?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That has been or may be again?

Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang
As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work
And o'er the sickle bending;--
I listened, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.

Bangalore through the lens

2008-11-24T21:08:00.003+05:30

The Road Ahead

2008-10-21T22:54:00.002+05:30

The road ahead is as long as we make it. It is up to us to make it worth the trip

Rainbow

2008-10-16T23:12:00.002+05:30

"If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain".

For whom the bell tolls ...

2008-10-13T22:37:00.002+05:30

No man is an island, entire of itself;
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less,
as well as if a promontory were,
as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were;
any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
it tolls for thee.

The Gulls

2008-10-11T20:48:00.003+05:30

Is there a Jonathan Livingston Seagull in this flock? Wanting to break the barriers ... fly higher than anyone ever before? This snap was taken a couple of years ago at Kolthare village in Konkan on a beautiful and calm beach.

Fresh as a Flower ...

2008-10-05T23:03:00.002+05:30

This was one of the very first pics i captured with my digicam. The vinca in our terrace was in full bloom. One of my personal favorites.

Is it Wilson??

2008-10-01T22:51:00.003+05:30

This is my 4 year old niece's ball with a 'pretty face' drawn over it. Reminds me of Wilson, the 'ball- companion' of Tom Hanks from the movie Cast Away. Should ask her sometime what she has named her buddy on the ball.

Elements: Aether / Akash

2008-09-27T16:50:00.002+05:30

The fourth element of nature "Aether" or "Sky". It is believed that all the other elements were created from aether. This snap was taken a long time back during some random outing and beautifully illustrates the different colours of the sky.

Elements: Water / Jal

2008-09-24T22:13:00.002+05:30

The third element of nature "Water". This snap was taken on a recent trip to Mahabaleshwar at Tapola lake. The lake was filled to the brim with more water pouring from the skies.

Elements: Earth / Prithvi

2008-09-23T21:51:00.002+05:30

Here is the second pic of the series, the element being Earth. The gradual evolution of earth can be seen hear in form of the layers formed over the millenniums. This snap was taken somewhere around Mahabaleshwar.

Elements: Fire / Agni

2008-09-22T22:57:00.005+05:30

Got an idea of posting photographs of the elements of nature over next few posts. Here is the first one of those: "Fire". The snap was taken a couple of years ago on a new years eve while getting the barbecue ready.

Miindd iTT ........

2008-09-19T22:55:00.004+05:30

Wow what a moment ... :D This is our office assistants kid who at times comes in our office. "Miindd iTT" is that what she's saying?

The Bending Road

2008-09-15T22:28:00.001+05:30

"A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn."

-- Author Unknown

Yummy ...

2008-09-13T22:28:00.003+05:30

I have started to become a bit more experimental in my cooking adventures of late. This picture above is of one such adventure which was very successful. Lightly fried rice with spicy potato cutlets. MMM...... that was Yummy :)

Drops of Life

2008-08-04T12:34:00.003+05:30

Yesterday i had gone to sinhagad along with a friend . The atmosphere was amazing with light showers sprinkling from the sky and cool wind blowing strong. The top was heavily covered with clouds and there was a pleasant chill in the air. Took this snap on our way up ... the rain had stopped and the sparkling drops of water dripping from the plants looked very beautiful.

The Rocks and the Waves

2008-06-02T23:03:00.003+05:30

Last week a couple of my friends and me had been on a short trip to Goa. This snap here, was taken at Anjuna beach. This is the kind of beach i like. rocky and jagged... where you can sit on the rocks (ya even though sometimes they really bite into your butt...:P) and watch the waves breaking against the rocks. hear the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks.
It is interesting to watch the duel between the sea and the rocks. each wave knows that its going to be destroyed as it hits the rocks. still they keep on coming one after another. and the rocks, know that the sea is going to keep it hitting continuously, but still they stand resisting the constant onslaught of the waves. does anyone know who wins this duel? I guess this is something thats never going to end.

Thomas Jefferson has rightly said about this duel between the water and rock: "In matters of style swim with the current and in matters of principles stand like a rock." cheers...

The Harvest

2008-05-04T22:57:00.003+05:30

A good harvest ... this is what we need now. With the world facing an acute food shortage and skyrocketing prices, i post this picture and pray that we will get over this problem as soon as possible.

The Body Outline

2008-05-02T22:39:00.003+05:30

Poor guy ... thats what anyone would think after seeing this image. A body outline of an accident victim drawn by the police. Is that what it is? NO ...

This is work of a creative mind, right in the middle of one of the busiest roads in Pune. For the last week or so this 'work of art' is on display in the Garware Chowk on Karve road. And not just a body outline ... the helmet of the supposed victim is also lying near the body. And this is not the only one .. another of such outline was spotted in some other part of city as well which confirms that this is no real body outline by the police. Somebody out there sure has a weird sense of humor. :P

Thanda Thanda ... Cool Cool

2008-05-01T22:12:00.003+05:30

Wow ... After a hot day there is nothing more refreshing than a glass of cold coffee. Just take some chilled milk add some coffee and sugar ... whisk it up with a blender and there you are, its ready in a minute. Add some ice cubes if you want and sprinkle some drinking chocolate on the top. This one is surely going to satisfy your soul. Cheers ....

Oranges

2008-04-30T23:20:00.002+05:30

Why is an orange orange? Is it that the colour is named after the fruit? Or is it the fruit named after the colour? This seems to be like the chicken and egg story. But orange is not the only fruit which is also a colour. Olive and Peach are two other fruits which are also a colour. One more interesting thing about the word orange is that it is probably the only word in english which does not have an exact rhyming word. Amazing ... you never even think of such things. Language is only as interesting as you can get interested in it.

Books

2008-04-23T17:34:00.002+05:30

This post is coming on the occasion of World Books Day. Well i wont say much on this post (maybe as i have already written a lot on my other blog). Just one quote

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.": Groucho Marx

Brushstrokes

2008-04-21T23:10:00.002+05:30

Few days back while returning home from work, i saw this beautiful 'brushwork' in the sky. With the setting sun giving the clouds a beautiful golden hue, it was looking so beautiful that i had to stop in the middle of the traffic and take a snap. However beautiful things man may make, but it is hard to come anywhere close to the nature.

Leisure

2008-04-01T11:12:00.002+05:30

This snap was taken sometime last monsoon when i had gone on a drive. It always reminds me of a poem which we had in school, "Leisure".

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

by William Henry Davies

Stamped

2008-03-31T09:47:00.005+05:30

This weekend while cleaning up my cupboard i found a box in my drawer. A box full of postal stamps. Indian stamps and stamps of various countries. As kids, my friends and i were avid stamp collectors. Pestering anyone and everyone who remotely had a chance to get a mail from any other country. Spending the weekends dipping the envelopes in water to peal off the stamps. Exchanging the duplicate ones and bringing to school any new stamp we laid our hands on to show it to everyone. Squabbling over the "exchange price" of stamps , asking two or more stamps for some really rare duplicate ones. That was all a really long time back. i dont remember making any much of addition to this collection since leaving the school. And i really doubt if there will be here onwards. The internet, email and instant messaging has now made snail mail a thing of past. In coming years these stamps may become a rare commodity, probably seen only with philatelists.

Lines

2008-03-28T10:06:00.005+05:30

Do these lines on palms really mean something? Do these lines tell us our future? What is the purpose of these lines? Do these lines really make us who we are? i don't know... But this add that is aired on the television tells us how all through our lives we are governed by some lines ... but these lines don't make much of a difference, the only lines that matter are the lines that we make. Beautiful ... isn't it?

Lines can keep you in,
lines can keep you out.

Some lines you don't understand.

Some lines you can erase,
some...you can't.

Some lines you wait for.
Some lines make you wait.

Lines can keep you alive.
Lines are with you till the end.

But the only lines that matter,
are the ones you make.

The Flowers

2008-03-27T10:03:00.007+05:30

Yesterday evening i had nothing to do so i decided to drop by and check some books at some roadside bookwallahs around Deccan. I parked my bike and crossed the road using the Garware bridge subway. I still remember ... few years back this subway used to be so very dirty, full of filth n garbage with shady looking characters n beggars all over the place. I used to be scared to go down the dark n dimly lit corridors under the bridge then. Well fortunately things have changed a lot since then. Though the subway has become much cleaner ... got rid of the beggars and all, once you get out of the subway you can still see people selling vegetables, fruits books, CDs n DVDs and other knick knacks right in the middle of the filth. But yesterday just coming up from the subway i was greeted by these fresh flowers and for a change the subways which i used to fear looked very nice and pleasant.

The Last Dance

2008-03-26T10:01:00.005+05:30

This snap is an old one taken at a party ... probably the last party when most of my friends were present. Since then all of us have gone in different directions ... pursuing our dreams. But i am sure none of us will ever forget those days because ...

But when I look back now
That summer seemed to last forever
And if I had the choice
Ya - I'd always wanna be there
Those were the best days of my life

- Summer of '69

Main Amitabh banana chahata hun?

2008-03-25T10:34:00.005+05:30

This snap here was taken on a cool bright December morning when a friend and i had gone for a morning walk. While returning this morning walk was turned to a morning jog by my friend ... and after some time i was trailing behind huffing and puffing. And thats when i saw my shadow on the road ... and i remembered some lines from a song from the movie Golmal (Amol Palekar one) ...

Main Amitabh Ho Gaya ...
Ho Sapane main Dekha Sapana...

Destiny

2008-03-24T10:43:00.001+05:30

DESTINY

Where does this path lead to? Turning and disappearing around the corner ... Isn't this similar to our destiny? We never know where exactly the paths chosen by us will lead us to. It is said that parallel lines meet at infinity. So do these rails also meet somewhere? Aren't these rails like destinies of people with us? There are so many people treading the path along with us ... our paths parallel at times ... at times going away. And some paths that meet ours ... at infinity.

Whats it all about?

2008-03-23T23:16:00.000+05:30

Sometimes a picture says more than a hundred words. Pictures tell a story ... pictures ask a question. Pictures make you think ... pictures make you wonder. On this blog i will be posting pictures of things that catch my eye. Things that we see everyday ... but don't even notice them. Of people that we pass by ... but don't care to give them a second look. Of scenes that leave us spellbound ... and scenes that evoke some emotions.

In short there will be just pictures and more pictures. Would like your comments on them as well as any captions if you can. So keep watching this space for some Visual Rhapsody.