Author: Dahlia

Email me at mysilverstreaks@gmail.com or tweet me @mysilverstreaks

CFFC: A Wild Collection

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is all about going wild – err wildlife related. Are you game? Or a sitting duck 😉

Let’s begin with some animal art

ArtSee anything you like? The elephant in the middle seems to be a rip off from the one at the City Palace

Elephant

Elephants were a hot favorite with Maharajas

ElephantsAnd why not? Unmatched in size and strength, they are a symbol of power and invincibility.

ChetakThis is a replica of Chetak the famous horse of Maharana Pratap. Chetak is still revered for his bravery and loyalty towards his master and hence the snout signifying elephant-like strength.

HorseOne of the horses of the current Maharaja in its stable.

Horse2A saddled horse waits for potential riders with his master.

CamelA decked up camel looking for parking space amongst cars

BirdI tried to capture a bird in flight – did you notice the twig in its beak? An architect!

BirdsLook who’s here to catch a flight! How many can you see?

CatKitty ponders on the meaning of life – to descend or not to descend

DogAn adopted stray dog chills out on his brand new bed

SnakeLoved the coils of the snake in this sculpture

ZipLook who’s taking a stroll on the highway. But of course they are blessed with divine protection. One is the vehicle of Yama Lord of Death and the other a favorite of the Lord of the Lords.

SPF: The Conformist

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Photo (c) Mike Vore

The Conformist

Oft on my travels I see

the path diverging into the woods

winding and snaking into nothingness

shielding spooky ghosts and fanged monsters

concealing priceless pearls and gems

 

Oft on my travels I see

the path diverging into the woods

whispering gripping gut wrenching

enchanting irresistible

alluring tales

 

Oft on my travels I see

the path diverging into the woods

wondrously I probe the unknown darkness

until the known Devil leads me

back to the well trodden path

***

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

Is it a story, does it fit the challenge – I am hoping you can clear that up. Thanks for visiting.

A Salute to the Wall

In times where it is commonplace to talk of bringing down walls here is one Wall that we could do with more of. If you are a cricket buff or from India you would know of whom I am talking about – Rahul Dravid a cricketer par excellence.

Rahul in his heydays was known as the Wall for his stolid reliability and patience to spend hours and hours at the crease despite all odds. Although he has his own self-deprecating theories about why he was named so.

He retired from cricket in 2012 and could have easily been a wall and rested on his laurels. But the Wall is just a sobriquet. He’s a doer. Given the opportunity he accepted the coaching the Indian Under-19 cricket team.

And worked his magic.

They won the 2018 ICC World Cup early this month. Celebrations, jubilation, accolades and cash prizes rained down. The BCCI announced cash rewards for the coach (Rs 50 lakh), team members (Rs 30 lakh) and coaching staff (Rs 20 lakh).

The Wall took objection to this announcement.

Why the discrepancy? He expressed his displeasure.

Excuse us but how much more money do you want?

No! Why should I get so much more than the rest of the staff?

What?! Err…that’s the norm. In any case, they can’t be given as much as you.

FINE. Then I’ll take less and we’ll share it equally.

The BCCI had little choice but to bow down to this hitherto unheard of stance.

To reiterate, as it is difficult to believe that some one would actually do such a thing in today’s time and era of each one for himself, Rahul Dravid took a Rs 25-lakh (or nearly a $ 40,000) pay cut just to ensure parity in incentive to all support staff. Now every member of the coaching staff including Dravid will get Rs 25 lakhs

Rahul Dravid has shown that the shelf life of a sportsperson maybe short but a gentleman lives forever.

May his tribe grow and prosper.

***

This is my submission for the monthly We Are the World Blogfest which seeks to promote positive news.

Do share your views, opinions, suggestions and positive news.

Wishing you all a wonderful colorful and joyous Holi and a super weekend.

 

CB&W: Structured

The theme for this week’s Black and White Photo Challenge is Structure. And as usual Cee gives us license and freedom to enjoy – who can resist that right?

TempleKalika Mata Temple an 8th-century temple at Chittorgarh Rajasthan India. The upper parts of the structure are more recent.

VijayVijaya Stambh is an imposing victory monument built in 1448 AD. Constructed of red sandstone and white marble, Vijay Stambh is nine storeys tall with a height of 37.19 meters and a base height of 3.0 meters. Another version and other details are in an earlier post.

CafeThe inner structure of a modern day cafe

Bike

Couldnt resist a quick covert snap of the innards of this bike. Not only had I never seen the inside of a bike from such close quarters but the man (whose hands are visible) was/is a fascinating character. Apparently some part for the bike wasn’t available (or too expensive) and he was trying to get it repaired through some jugaad tactics. And Steve Woz says “where’s the creativity?” Possibly he is not familiar with the Indian jugaad :- a flexible approach to problem-solving that uses limited resources in an innovative way.

LeafAnd now time for my latest craze – the teak leaf. It’s massive with such well defined structure don’t you think?

MicroHowzz that for intricate structure?

No strA leaf decaying but the structure, unlike for other stuff, is the last to go.

stoolThe neat structure of a handmade woven stool made of reed and rayon strings

RoseI am, in all honesty, not a big fan of roses but this one’s near perfect structure and symmetrical asymmetry was captivating.

So which one is your favorite – or didn’t you like any?

Mexican Sayings – A Reblog

I love quotes and when I stumbled upon this set of inspiring Mexican sayings complete with delightful visuals and asides I couldn’t help sharing it with you.

via 10 Inspiring Mexican Sayings That Will Make You Wiser

Thanks Fabiola 🙂

The Wilful One

For Becca’s Sunday Trees I have one that grabbed my attention from half a mile away with its peculiar wrung-out-towel-like trunk. Have a look to see what I mean.

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Strip me

wring me

but

I swear

I will

find a way

again

and

again.

 

The Song Within

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Photo (c) Marie Gail Stratford

The Song Within

Words 100

She was late. All because of the cook. And so inconsiderate of him to take the car.

The signal turned green and the surging crowd spilled on to the road.

It was just February and already so hot.

Oww her shoes hurt.

Not as much as her piercing barbed comments.

Cursing, she hurried ahead of the riff-raff.

A melodious voice rose above the traffic din. “aaaa~aaaa am the one of happy colors.”

The next winner of Voice India!

She slowed down.

A garish electric blue sweater wearing strange mismatched socks limped past her.

Wait.

Not socks but a prosthetic leg.

***

*Main hoon khush rang Heena – a Hindi movie song.

Written for the Friday Fictioneer – a story in 100 words or less. Thanks to Rochelle for hosting the challenge and Marie Gail Stratford for the photo prompt. To read the other stories inspired by this prompt click here.

Thanks for reading and for sharing your thoughts.

 

CFFC: Bird by Bird

So! Time for Cee’s fun foto challenge – Birds. And way we go.

 

Dove heckleTwo pigeons out for an evening walk

Dove twoA bit of a deep discussion on household matters perhaps? She seems to be giving him the push to do something…

Dove leafHe yields but she doesn’t seem to happy with his choice of bedding for their little one does she?

Carrier pigeonsThere aren’t any birds here but these were the cages for the carrier pigeons who acted as trusted couriers between kings, queens and paramours.

Tile artBirds in the walls of the palace – such long graceful necks don’t you think?

PlaneOh look that’s a bird, no it’s a plane…darn it. But it sure does look like a bird doesn’t it? No? Well, I need to get my eyes tested. 😉

RobinCaught this philosophical and reflective robin on the wall of an ancient temple

Stuffed BAnd this one wears a stuffed glassy expression. Perhaps it spotted his boss while playing hookey 😀

PenguinThere’s Scooby and his toy penguin.

PeacockGorgeous stunning mirror mosaic work popularly known as ‘inlay’ in India most commonly seen in Rajasthan.

Peac2And another one.

GarudaYes that’s a bird – Garuda a divine eagle-like bird and considered to be the king of birds in Hindu (as well as Buddhist and Jain) mythology. In the bird form, Garuda is typically represented with the wings slightly open as if on the verge of flying. In part human-form, like this one, he usually an eagle-like nose, beak or legs, his eyes are open and big, and he may have either two or four hands. He is the vehicle mount (vahana) of the Lord Vishnu. Garuda and serpents (Nag) are half-brothers and yet arch enemies. And both are worshiped with individual dedicated days – Garuda Panchami and Nag Panchami. There’s a very interesting (and a bit complicated not to mention involved) story so perhaps another day another time.

Thanks for visiting – do let me know if you have any favorites.

 

A Tree Story by Theresa

“In the garden of good and evil there grew a tree. It was one of Dahlia’s trees, but it did not know it”. Click to read more: What you see when you are traveling

Thank you Theresa – I really loved the story 🙂

SPF: Forced into the Backseat

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Photo (c) Sascha Darlington

Forced into the Backseat

Words 202

“What the hell Khushi!” Arnav pounced.

“What?” Khushi didn’t look up.

Hissing in frustration, in two quick strides Arnav switched off the television.

Khushi leaned back and popped another chana* in her mouth.

“I don’t get it Khushi.” He thrust a finger into her face. “How can you sit here and watch some stupid soap while Angel cries her heart out?”

Khushi shrugged. “It’s nothing major.”

“You know?” He sat down with a thump.

“She’s heartbroken.” Khushi said in a stage whisper.

“What the…!” Arnav was back on his feet fists clenched. “I’ll kill Shubham.” he ground out.

“Go ahead,” Khushi waved, “but remember your precious Angel won’t thank you for it.”

“How can you be so calm?”

“What else can I do? They are adults. They have to sort it out.” Khushi shot him a darkling look “You also stay out of it.”

“I have to do something!” He paced the floor.

“Go tend your plants.” Khushi went to the kitchen. “Or take up kickboxing.”

“Are you crazy?”

“It’s going to take some time.” She expertly sifted and prepared the batter for the jalebi*. She wrinkled her nose at him. “It’s been 30 years and we still haven’t stopped have we?”

***

*Chana: Roasted Bengal gram

*Jalebi: an irresistible crispy juicy Indian sweet

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