Childhood Memories

As a kid I always painted a house by the river, a boat parked near by, smoke coming out of the chimney, green grass, blue sky.... in all, a simple life as perceived by an innocent mind.... here it was, right in front of me... Shreveport, LA - the red river banks

Full Moon - Walter de la Mare

"It was the lovely moon's, for when 
He raised his dreamy head, 
Her surge of silver filled the pane 
And streamed across his bed."

Several memories.... train tracks...

Sneak Peek - Heaven's Green Room :)

A local artist working in his studio.... all those statues are various hindu Gods and Goddesses... they will be colored and sent over to various temples where people will be waiting for their arrival ....

Love .. Then and Now...

Old School Romance ... "How you doin? ;) "

Love Aaj Kal...... 

The Royal Court - outer premise

colors of faith

One of my favorite fruit ....Guava

Fresh from the orchard, being sold on a bicycle...

Random thoughts ...

I feel everything has a character... like the wood used to build that ladder... it was a tree once, who knows where it blossomed.... and then one day, it became wood, a building block.... and then it was joined with others... and here it lies on my terrace.... seasoned with time ... satisfied as it played a significant role in building the very home which is mine...

The Wall

"...gaye saawan mein ye deewarein seeli nahin thi

na jaane kyun is dafa inmein seelan aa gayi hai, daraarein pad gayi hain..."

-Gulzar, 'Raincoat'

And I send my wish your way dear God....

and I close my eyes and pray.... you will hear me out...

Haridwar, 26th january, 2011.... a beautiful evening with my parents

Seasons come and seasons go... but I stand the test of time

Built in 1700 AD, this is one of the towers at the Darbar(Royal Court) of Shri Guru Ram Rai in Dehradun, Uttaranchal

One fine morning.... they both meet

Perfect morning...  just the right amount of sun ....and moon :) ... 

It's like one of those bonus days for the sun... he had not thought he would get to see the beautiful moon..

 Every evening he waits for her for long but goes back home disappointed... and then when it grows dark, she feels it's safe to step out to meet him... He is long gone..

 Just when it is time for him to start a day, it's time for her to go back home.... 

but this morning... he came in a little early and she decided to stay back for a little while more... and they smile at each other.... 

Incredible India - The enlightened one

His preachings live on.... Prince Siddhartha....at the Tibetan Mindrolling Monastery, Dehradun - this place depicts Siddhartha's journey from the royal palace where he was born to becoming the divine Gautam Buddha. His sermons have influenced several modern history leaders like Gandhi and Martin Luther King jr.

Incredible India - Our streets

A wind chime handmade by local artisans, on the streets of Haridwar.... this is the form of Sun as depicted in traditional north indian mythology. ... This piece with its defect around the lip caught my attention as it looked so human :) ....

Incredible India - a spiritual journey...

Haridwar, after the evening Ganga aarti - an evening prayer... this should be a part of your bucket list... one of its kind feeling

Incredible India - He watches over....

A larger than life statue of Lord Shiva, over the holy river Ganga (also known as Ganges). According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva adorns the holy Ganga on his head and Bhagirath brought her to this earth. This photo was taken on January 26th, 2011 at Haridwar - a city which holds prime importance for hindus. Ganga originates in Gaumukh (cow's mouth), which is a glacier in the Himalayan mountain ranges and a part of the state of Uttaranchal. The river enters UP(Uttar Pradesh) from hereafter. There are several tributaries and distributaries of this river in its journey from its origin until it meets the Bay of Bengal.

Incredible India - A warm winter evening

On a winter evening, a groundnut vendor on the streets of Dehradun, keeps himself warm with his little handy fireplace and also uses the same to roast the groundnuts before handing it over to his customers... when I clicked this picture, he was humming a folk song. I asked him how does he find his job and his instant response was that he loves it... I was so glad to have come across him that evening and to have had that conversation with him. There was immense positive energy around him.

Incredible India - Winters and groundnuts

It's such a unique relation of groundnuts and winters.... India has several seasonal foods; Though times have changed now and you do get everything round the year but there is a different charm of waiting for a food and a season... Groundnuts used to be associated with winters as the 'taaseer'(nature) of this food is to increase the heat within your system.... These are sold at the streets with a mint and coriander salsa  - extremely affordable and a natural snack without any preservatives :) 

Incredible India - Room on the roof

I was in 6th standard when I read this first novel which was a textbook called 'Room on the Roof', written by Ruskin Bond, who lives in Mussoorie. I always visualized it to be this room from where I have taken this picture and this was exactly the view described in the book... The several layers of mountains that you see is the part of the great Himalayan range which are glowing with the morning sunshine. 

And then there was light...

One of my very first clicks in the monochrome mode. Sun just gave a glimpse and hid again... as if someone opened the curtain to look over a busy street and make sure all's well out there ... Sun briefly looked at the earth and then carried on with it's day :)