October 2016 – Stories and more

Just 4 Fun # 11

img-20161029-wa0030 — Created, designed, decorated and copyrighted by our own Mymind – Bravo! 🙂

Hope you had a grand Diwali weekend. If you would like to know/see how the world celebrated Diwali click here and here

And for those who are regretting the unavoidable calorie overdose:

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And in keeping with the above topic, here are some random food facts (the more digestible ones!)

The fear of cooking is known as Mageirocophobia and is a recognized phobia. Maybe it’s time I told my family 😉
Every time you lick a stamp, you consume 1/10 of a calorie.
The fear of vegetables is called Lachanophobia.
Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.
Ortharexia Nervosa is an eating disorder where the sufferer is obsessed with eating healthy food.
Carrots have zero fat content.
Sugar is the only taste that humans are born craving.

I am off to buy some carrots whilst chomping on some of the leftover delicious sweets 😉 😀

A/N. Over the week, we tend to get a lot of jokes and life philosophies as shares. Some are too good to pass up. Here I share those that appealed to me or tickled my funny bone. Hope you like them too. Please note none of this is stuff is mine – I am just keeping the fun going!

If you too have something worth sharing do leave your link in the comment box or create a pingback to this post.

Wishing all brothers and sisters a loving and harmonious Bhai Duj – may you continue to share and care, laugh and drive each other crazy, but most importantly always be there, now and always 🙂

Have a great week ahead and don’t forget to have some fun too.

Junk Art

Transmogrify is the theme for the Daily Posts Weekly Photo Challenge. As a fan of Calvin, I am familiar with the term, although I must confess I didn’t know the exact meaning. Do you? Transmogrify means “to change in appearance or form, especially strangely or grotesquely; transform.”

Interestingly, have just the right bunch of pictures for this challenge! In fact you could almost say the challenge was transmogrified to suit my priceless collection 😀

The entire credit for this unique garden goes to Nek Chand an ordinary transport official in Chandigarh, India, who saw beauty in junk.

In the early 1960’s, Nek Chand cleared a patch of jungle and began sculpting figures discarded material he found at hand. Nek Chand built up the mass with a cement and sand mix before adding a final coating of smoothly burnished pure cement combined with waste materials such as broken glass, bangles, crockery, mosaic and iron-foundry slag.

Nek Chand’s creativity blossomed and he went on to make hundreds of sculptures set in a series of interlinking courtyards, working secretly at night for fear of being discovered by the authorities. He succeeded in hiding his art for 18 years. And this is the bit that fascinates me the most – he worked alone at night after a hard day’s work just to satisfy his own passion for creativity. That for me at least is the highest and purest form of art there could be.

When his work was discovered, the authorities were in a quandary. But though it was illegal, even the red-tape and rule bound bureaucracy couldn’t deny the unique creative talent of Nek Chand. He was given a salary, more space and workforce to assist him in expanding his vision, which now spreads over 25 acres. Today, there are several thousand sculptures set in large mosaic courtyards linked by walled paths and deep gorges. Nek Chand’s creation also combines huge buildings with a series of interlinking waterfalls. The Rock Garden is now acknowledged as one of the modern wonders of the world.

I bring you a few pictures from this one of a kind Rock Garden.

view — Made from broken plates, cups and tiles

drink — Care for a ~~glass~~ cup of wine?

Married Indian women, especially in North India are expected to wear colored glass bangles and the more the merrier. And of course they break. Nek Chand collected these and recycled them in his own way. Have a look.

Dolls created from broken pieces of colored glass bangles. Quite a gorgeous skirt isn’t it?

bangle1 — Broken a dinner set? No problem. Makes him a convenient stool. Speaking of which don’t miss the plumbing decor 😉

20161021_125157 — Peacocks made of broken glass bangles

bangle2 — Off with the skirts and on with the trousers

Don’t miss the knobbly knees or her pedestal

For your sake, I hope you liked these transmogrifications for I have lots more and will be sure to display them at the earliest opportunity 😉 😀

Thanks for dropping by – please don’t hesitate to leave a note 🙂

Wishing you all a very Happy Diwali once again 🙂

APWC: One

Finally I had the opportunity to visit the Sri Harmindar Sahib more popularly known as the Golden Temple at Amritsar, Punjab, India. This temple is the holiest Gurdwaras (door to the Guru) of Sikhism. The temple houses the Adi Granth the holy scripture of the Sikhs. Sikhs believe in the concept of Ek Onkar or One God and the doors of their temples are open to men and women of all religions. In fact, the Muslim Sufi saint, Hazrat Mian Mir, laid the foundation stone of the temple.

The Golden Temple runs the world’s largest soup kitchen (langar) and reportedly feeds anywhere from 1,00,000 to 3,00,000 people for free each day, regardless of caste, creed, gender or background. Importantly, volunteers from the community (kar sevaks) run the langar (and build Gurdwaras). The langar serves to uphold the principle of equality between all people regardless of religion, caste, color, creed, age, gender, or social status. In addition to the ideals of equality, the tradition of langar expresses the ethics of sharing, community, inclusiveness, and oneness of all humankind.

A visit to the Golden Temple is a must for all Sikhs in their lifetime. I would go so far as to say it is a must for everyone.

This a view of the Golden Temple at night

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And during the day.

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I cannot quite decide which view I like better. Can you?

Posted for Nancy’s theme of One for her A Photo A Week Challenge

Thank you for visiting – have a great weekend.

I would also like to wish everyone a very happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous Diwali.

SPF: Nowhere

178-10-october-23rd-2016

Nowhere

Words 200

My dearest Son, it is strange writing to you. Since the telephone, I lost the habit. But when you first went abroad, I would write long letters; so would you.

When Lata got a phone connection I was happier than she. Hearing you say Mother after months gave me as much joy as it did the first time. After we got our own phone, I would sit for hours beside it, willing it to ring. And then came the Skype calls, where I could hear and see you. But the best was of course when you came home, sat beside me, relishing and demanding hot crispy parathas.

But then your workload increased. Your father left us. You (and even I) thought I would be happier here. But everything is so strange and different here. And you are always so busy. Looking out from the top floor, I feel like Trishanku – neither here nor there.

I wouldn’t have bothered you, but Lata’s nephew is going home. Maybe I could accompany him?

Waiting for your letter although it would be nice to hear your voice.

Perhaps even see you.

My room is down the corridor, last room on the right.

***

A/N: Trishanku is a character from Hindu mythology. Trishanku has come to denote a middle ground or limbo between one’s goals or desires and one’s current state or possessions. In brief, the story goes like this – Trishanku wished to ascend the heavens in his mortal body. One sage (who was keen to show off his powers) agreed to help him and would have succeeded but for the intervention of the heavenly gods who convinced him to desist breaking laws of nature. But to keep his word, the sage created an alternate heaven where Trishanku hangs upside down so that he may not ever usurp the power of the real king of the heaven Indradev. Thus Trishanku who is suspended in his own heaven as a compromise between earth that he belonged to and the heaven that he sought. Trishanku corresponds to the constellation of Crux or the Southern Cross. For a more detailed version of the story click here.

Written for the Sunday Photo Fiction – a story in 200 words or less. For other stories on this prompt click here

I wonder if the parallel between the mother and Trishanku is clear? Do let me know. Thanks!

For readers of Moonshine, here's Chapter 95 and Calvin and Hobbes

CB&W: Nature Clicks

Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge this week is All About Nature. Of course my all time favorites – trees – will feature in this post but I do hope I can surprise (if not impress) you with my other clicks 😉 😀

tree2 — I have no words for this one – just goosebumps!

Managed to capture a dragonfly (?). Not very well for it was too high for me.

It was way past midnight when these two locked horns. I hurriedly clicked a snap and went my way. Unfortunately I didnt get the desired click. I came back about 15 minutes later and they obligingly posed once again.

Thanks for visiting. Do let me know what you thought of the pics 🙂

For readers of Moonshine, here's Chapter 94 and Calvin and Hobbes having a deep philosophical discussion :D

Light and Water

The Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge theme is Shine. Here’s my collection of light shining on water, mostly sunsets around the country 🙂

Radhanagar Beach, Havelock Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands

While it readies for a new beginning elsewhere

sunrise — Sunrise at Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu.

A very good morning to all of you 🙂

A/N Moonshine will be up a little later in the day.

A Wannabe

Written for the Friday Fictioneers – a story in 100 words or less. Thanks to Rochelle for hosting this marvelous challenge and Claire Fuller for the photo prompt. Click here for more stories on this prompt.