Month: March 2017

CB&W: Cees and Dees

Hello peepols howz life? Ready for some more black and white stuff? Cee’s challenge this week is C and D. Had a bit of a struggle this week, already took the airplane, the bus and the boat and walked it as well.

Hmm, now what?

CycleEco friendly stuff! What are you waiting for? Grab yours and off we go…

A cloudy dayA cloudy day but dont worry I wont let you get wet 😉

DesignerFirst a visit to a designer garden

CamelA double hump backed camel

CarrotsA carrot in each hand 😀

Castle

Ready to ditch the cycle and explore a castle? No? Yeah well me neither 😉

ChandelierWonder how chandeliers look when lit up?

Chandelier copyWell what do you think?

ChairsChairs in this stunning chapel look inviting don’t they?

CoconutHeeheehehawwhaaw

😉 😀

Thanks for joining in  – have a great weekend.

PS Do you think I put in too many photos?

SPF: Taking a Stand

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Photo (c) Dawn M. Miller

Taking a Stand

 Words 199

She woke with a jerk.

3.42 a.m.

Heart thudding, she slipped into the spare room to double check everything.

Done.

There was time to share one last cup of tea.

Her heart faltered as she looked around the kitchen.

Could she?

Should she?

What about him?

“What’s going on?”

“I am moving out.”

He laughed. “Who’d want a useless old hag?”

“I’ll manage.”

“How? You are too old for the brothel.” He sneered.

“Thank you for making it easier to leave.”

“Selfish to the core. What about the children?”

“They will understand. I hope.”

“After wrecking my life, you’re going to suck their blood?”

“I am going to live alone.”

“What about money? Going to beg?”

“I have a job.”

“Job! What can you do? Except spend money?”

“I am a chef for a home catering service.”

“A cook! Women of this house don’t to do menial jobs.”

“Outside the house you mean?”

“You’ll earn peanuts.”

“Enough for my needs.”

“What about your responsibilities, your vows?”

“Are they just mine?”

“What if I allow you to work?”

“Allow?”

“Let…”

“Let?”

“What could you possibly hope to gain? What don’t you have?”

“Respect.” She shut the door on his face.

***

Written for the Sunday Photo Fiction – a story in 200 words or less. Thanks to Alistair for hosting the challenge and Dawn for the photo prompt. To read the other stories inspired by this prompt click here.

 

 

 

CFFC: Uplifting Scenes

Here’s a selection of uplifting images for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge on Looking Up at Things.

buddhaA late night visit to the Hussain Sagar, Hyderabad. And a boat ride to have a closer look at the world’s tallest monolith statue of Gautam Buddha.

sunriseAn early morning visit to the beach to witness the sunrise. The fishing boat was an added bonus.

mangoOn a visit to the temple, I found a mango tree in full blossom promising to make the heat worth it. But is it summer already?

I looked up to catch a glimpse of the blue skies, the swirling clouds…

20170218_121437…and the magnificent Gopuram an ornate monumental tower at the entrance of a temple.  Gopurams are particularly common in Southern India. A temple often has more than one gopuram and these gateways are a prominent feature of a temple and usually overshadows the inner sanctuary which is obscured from view by the gopuram’s colossal size. Gopurams are exquisitely decorated with sculpture and carvings. These have a  variety of themes that are mostly based on Hindu mythology, centering around the presiding deity of that temple.

gopuramWe are at the temple complex of Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva also known as the Lord of Dance. Chidambaram is the birthplace of the sculpture and bronze image representation of Lord Shiva as the cosmic dancer, a Tamilian concept and has since become a symbol of Hinduism.

The shrine is the only Shiva temple to have its main deity represented in this human form, as the Supreme Being who performs all cosmic activities. The consort deity here is Sivakami Amman (Mother Goddess and female energy). Two other forms of Lord Shiva are represented as a crystallized lingam (the most common representation of Lord Shiva in temples), and as the ether space classical element, represented with empty space and a garland of fifty one hanging golden bilva leaves.

fullsizerender1A replica bronze statue of Lord Shiva as Nataraja performing the Ananda Tandava (“Dance of Delight”). Lord Shiva is dancing on the demon Apasmara who represents ignorance and mental/neurological disorders.

wallThe sculptures on the walls of the Chidambaram temple inspired the postures of Bharatanatyam, a major genre of Indian classical dance.

bullsAs Lord Shiva is the presiding deity in this temple, figures of Nandi the Bull are everywhere. Nandi is Lord Shiva’s ardent devotee and vehicle. He glares down at us for daring to disturb his Master’s peace.

Perhaps it is time for me to take your leave – thank you for your company. Please do let me know you were here 🙂

Celebrating Woman Power

I have traveled a lot in North India and the one thing that strikes me while passing through small towns and villages is the absence of women on the streets. A few girls maybe seen here and there in groups either on the way or back from school. But mostly it is as if they don’t exist. In bigger cities, they are visible on the streets they are largely absent as a community working class.

On my recent visit to the South I was exhilarated to see women everywhere. At the hotel reception, as waitresses, guards, vendors etc. This particular stall caught my eye:

Nuts.jpgA mound of delicious tender coconuts for the thirsty walker. A common sight now in the North as well. But what I hadn’t seen was a woman wielding the scythe and that too with such ease and expertise.

ScytheI finally managed to get her to look up, if not at the camera

SmileThe little boy on his own trip is just an added bonus 😀

IMG-20170220-WA0001

A bunch of flowers for all you wonderful people out there. No, not in celebration of Women’s Day for I plan to celebrate when there is no need for a Women’s Day.

Have a great day and make my day – leave me a note, a hello, a smiley 🙂

Yoohoo readers Moonshine!   I am back with Chapter 120

 

WPC: While I was Walking

Would you like to take a walk with me? Come along then, the weather is just perfect!

lodhiWould you like a stroll through the woods?

machanOr perhaps by the mighty Ganges?

fortBut to get the real feel, let’s walk the streets

Dogs.jpgAnd it wasn’t even Sunday 😀

tanker2Tree on a water tanker, albeit a broken down one. Growing on just air and water. Amazing where a tree can grow right?

tanker1I had to come back for a second closer look. Almost fooled us (and you) there 😉

truckOMG I wonder if the workers are expected to walk up the  ramp? I hope not…

the-road-takenThis one is rather special for it is one the rare photographs my son has deigned to share with us (after being prompted of course) on his first trip alone to an unfamiliar city.

I don’t usually link to multiple challenges but I am rather tired after all that walking 😉 So I am linking to Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge The Road Taken and Cee’s Which Way Challenge. And since all good things come in threes – Becca’s Sunday Trees – 277.

Appreciate your company on this stroll around the country – hope you aren’t too tired to leave me a note 😉

APWC: Window Views

The theme for this week’s photo challenge hosted by Nancy is View From My Front Porch. Now I don’t have a front porch but I do have a window from which I have clicked many an interesting view. Some I have shared before (like here and here) but I still have some in my kitty. So here goes:

windowA budding Virat Kohli or is it Sehwag or perhaps who knows Sachin?

blueMy favorite pickup tractor 🙂 Not a repeat telecast but a fresh angle.

blue2And as  treat I sneaked downstairs to grab a full view -cool isnt it? Or have I lost my marbles – again?

grandpaThis one I have to admit but I couldn’t resist – poor grandpa was quite putty (just like I am) in the little one’s dramatics 😀

kitchen

I can see a splash of red blooms from my kitchen window. I especially sneaked down for a full view – just for you 😉

Hope you liked – have a cool and fun weekend.

And oh don’t forget to exercise your fingers on the keyboard 😀

 

WPS: The Slave

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To see this image on Google maps, click here

The Slave

 Words 150

The monsoon was impending and the heat sweltering. But that didn’t dampen the festivities. Attracted by the sound of ululation and conch shells, a gaggle of giggling girls rushed in.

Pushing and shoving, they jostled to catch a glimpse of the lucky bride as she entered her new home.

Unknown, grasping hands pulled at the enshrouded bride’s veil trying to see her face. Others reached out to weigh her gold chain.

“At least she can work in the paddy fields.”

“And bear many sons.” They tittered and nudged the groom.

“Come for a swim,” his friends called.

“Leave the poor boy alone. Gone are his carefree days. He’s his queen’s slave.” Raucous laughter resounded.

Sweating, he took off the wilting garland from around his neck. He pulled at his long scarf knotted with the edge of her sari and dumped them in her lap.

He ran to join his friends.

***

This is my entry to the flash fiction challenge What Pegman Saw inspired by any view of a given location on Google maps. The challenge is to write a story in 150 words or less. Thanks to K. Rawson for hosting this challenge. This week’s location is Amazon, Brazil. To read the other stories inspired by this prompt click here

Thanks for reading – dont just think, share your thoughts. Have a super weekend.

CB&W: Alpha and Betas

Hello there, how’s the week been treating you so far? Oh well almost done and time to crash or live it up. Anyhow, I am here to have some fun with Cee’s latest B and W challenge – Letters A and B.

So without much ado – off we go

airportLet’s start at the Airport

busOr would you prefer to take the Bus?

boatHow about a Boat ride? Hmm tired with all that rushing around? Time to go back to our roots.

branchesRather, Branches 😉

bendingWhat do you think of these Branches, Bending over Backwards? A new hairstyle perhaps waiting to take the tree world by storm…

baaaBaaa wahahaaaaa 😀

Okay, okay fine fine, be that way…

building-2A picturesque historical Building.

budweiserThanks for joining me – you can have the Beer, I’ll have the water.

Go on, make my day, say something…

Cheers!

WPC: A Sound Idea

distanceThat’s a long shot of Golconda Fort, near Hyderabad, India.

centreI took the long shot from here. What’s the big deal you ask? Fair enough. But clearly something is afoot as you can make out from the bunch of visitors gathered under the portico. The blue shirted guy in the middle was animatedly translating for his non-English speaking companions the magic of the ordinary looking portico.

If you stand at the center of the portico and clap, you can hear a resonance. And this resonance can be heard at the palace built on the hillock about a kilometer away (the first picture).

Strangely, if you move away from the center of the portico (about seven feet) you cannot hear the resonance. Quite quite magical. And wait there’s more!

fabricThis hall was once the Royal durbar where visitors were brought to meet the royalty – if you look up you can see part of a balcony. That’s where the King sat. A bit too far away for conversation right? Well, the Royalty couldn’t risk mingling with the common crowd so they devised an ingenious method of communication. Clapping? No that was too common and loud.

Standing at the center of the hall, tapping a taut piece of fabric is enough to cause a distinct vibration, a resonance similar to that we noted at the clapping portico.

whisperAnother royal hall fallen upon bad times. But what is intact is the magic. Guards standing at the corners could talk to each other by whispering into the walls. Unlike the other two places, this whisper is not audible at the center. It’s true – we tried it out. No need for telephones, wires or internet 😀

palace

A closer look at the palace – actually the closest I got to it (I wasnt going to climb 360 steps!). Apparently from the palace, experienced clappers communicated orders to soldiers stationed at the perimeter of the fort.

I don’t exactly know how the mechanism works – something to do with a series of arches, each smaller than the preceding one on one side of the portico. Apparently this helps a sound wave generated under the dome of the portico to get compressed and then bounce back amplified enough to reach a distance of more than a kilometer away. Whatever – but it was amazing, scintillating, magical and unmatched.

Game, set and match to the architects don’t you think?

Thanks for visiting do share your thoughts and have a good day.