Marigolds from my mom’s garden 🙂 Marigold are believed to symbolize purity, divinity, and the connection between life and death. Marigold is the most commonly offered flower in several religious ceremonies. But did you know that it’s Lord Ganesha’s favorite flower? Well I didnt. Apparently this is an edible plant with medicinal properties. I remember once as a child I had cut myself and it was pouring blood (in my memory at least) and mom just crushed some marigold leaves and instantly it stopped bleeding.
That’s it from me, for now. Wishing everyone a Happy Dhanteras!
Posting this for Bushboy’s photo challenge. Post the last photo on your SD card or last photo on your phone for the 30th October or whenever your last photo was taken. No explanations are needed just the photo will do. Despite good intentions I couldnt resist jabbering and attempted a haiku as well. Something to kickstart November. This is also for Cee’s FOTD challenge.
bee sips
from the orange hibiscus
does it sting?
If you are here, do say a word or two – just a hello will do 🙂
PS: For those who may have visited my earlier post – CMMC: Photos with a P please note that this is a different hibiscus 🙂 She is blooming gorgeous blooms. Touch wood!!!!
Hello hope this week has been treating you well. It’s time for Eugi’s Moonwashed Weekly Prompt challenge. The prompt is Either Or. It can be any variation of the prompt or the image (below).
Once Upon a Time
A world of trees Green, brown and orange Reaching up to wave at blue Skies smudged with white Tall grasses twinkle With drops of dew Shielding centipedes, mites, Leeches, frogs to name a few
Already dark and time for The football match Up on the roof The rats and squirrels Having a field day While in the kitchen Mom plays hockey with a rat or is it a shrew?
Dad practiced duelling snakes while Mom had her dessert under the Watchful eye of a King cobra Bees and wasps swirled bestowing the gift of a plump arm or a misshapen face just like rashes from insects and cacti
Exams denounced Packed off to picnics Streams swirled around our legs All through the night Those dratted parrots pecked at mangoes and summer vacations with afternoon shifts to shoo parrots
Swinging high and higher Climbing guava trees taking home Red bites that turned yellow and black Bleeding gashes wrapped in Crushed marigold leaves For a stye in the eye Seven strokes of mango leaf stem Did the trick
The nearest town of one shop A couple of miles away Never did we ever cross a street Nor venture to shop or crave to eat No TV, no phone no internet All I missed were books Other than those I had Read a gazillion times
Would I go back? Why when the path is ahead Cocooned in the warm clasp of Unfearful memories Bouncing through Life’s myriad adventures Much like the fools that rush in But that is another story…
The photo reminded me of my childhood home (except it wasnt that orange!) and couldn’t help penning a few lines – not quite sure if you can call it a poem. But if you managed to come this far thank you for sticking it out till the end of what is quite a faithful account of my idyllic childhood.
PS: I was unable to format the poem into paragraphs and hence I took the help of colors. Apologies if it is looking weird.
PPS: It was looking even more weird with the alternating colors so used this format (Pullquote). At least the paragraphs are clearly demarcated. Do let me know if you have any suggestions for formats to use. Thank you.
Hello everyone! After a hectic and enjoyable Durga Puja I am excited to participate in Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge (CMMC), the topic is October Alphabet with “P” anywhere in the word.
Let me see what I can find 🙂
Hibiscus in a flower Pot. Isn’t she gorgeous? The festival honoring and celebrating Goddess Durga known as Durga Puja just got over on Tuesday and of course that is the theme for my post this week but I couldnt resist sharing this beauty which a favorite of Goddess Kali (another form of Goddess Durga) as well. I have discussed about Durga Puja in a couple of my earlier posts but in case you missed it and want to know more, click here
This is the making of the Puja Pandal (a temporary home for Goddess Durga and her children). It is fascinating to see how an empty field is turned into a re-creation of a famous temple (in this case) using nothing but piles of poles, canvas and glue. And all this for just 5 days after which it is dismantaled and put away for until the next occasion with a fresh design. One of the workers was going about with the ‘hyphen’ of the “co-operative”. Possibly there was divided opinion about its inclusion! Incidentally, this is the same pandal that the US ambassador Eric Garcetti visited. You can see the video here. Just a heads up, that though the video is about 3 minutes long, you can get away with watching about half of it as it is repetitive.
This is another Puja Pandal complete with the Goddess Durga’s idol installed and is another piece of art that will be immersed in water after 5 days of worship. We were lucky to be able to get a glimpse before the madness began.
Just a glimpse of the crowd at the Puja Pandal before the festival had begun!
While most Durga Puja are a community event, She is also worshipped individually by people at their home. This year, I was lucky enough to be able to visit one such Puja. I am sharing a small translation of the Sanskrit mantra which I hope and pray Mother Goddess is kind enough to bless us all with. If you are interested, you can read about the full chant here.
To that Goddess Who in All Beings is Abiding in the Form of Peace, Salutations to Her, Salutations to Her, Salutations to Her, Salutations again and again.
Hello and welcome to Dawn’s Festival of Leaves challenge. Anything to do with trees, as you perhaps may know by now, I simply cannot resist 🙂
Let’s see what I can find, this week:
This was in the cacti section. I had never seen leaves of this color before. Have you?
“They tell you to turn into a new leaf and then complain about your faded colour.” – Nitya Prakash
I would have never thought a combination of pink and green would look good but they gel well don’t they?
“Let your life lightly dance on the edges of time like dew on the tip of a leaf.” – Rabindranath Tagore
There are even brown leaves – who would have thought!
“Art is the flower. Life the green leaf.”- Charles Rennie MacKintosh
with red stems! These are really eye-catching aren’t they. Not quite sure what they are called. Do you know?
“Open the bloom of your heart and become a gift of beauty to the world.”– Bryant McGill
Monstrous leaves, aren’t they? Dont miss the bright yellow stems, almost as if they are mocking the traditional plants 😀
“Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.” – Luther Burbank
Don’t they look like flowers? The purple leaves were actually bluish in color, when seen with the naked eye. Their shape is also so unique.
“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”– Frances Hodgson Burnett
Brown pink and green! I can’t help but wonder how they manage photosynthesis and why the need for such colorful leaves. I did a little bit of research, and as I remembered (ahem) only the green part can do photosynthesis. The tiny green porton is enough for its sustenance. But what about the other leaves and the bare trees? Apparently sunlight penetrates the thin outer bark it can be enough for photosynthesis. You can read more here. I am not very convinced, but perhaps you can tell me more 🙂
“Life is a party; dress like it, dance like it, and make every moment count.” Audrey Hepburn
I found these leaves to be very interesting. It wasnt very clear if it was a creeper or part of the tree
“Why not show off if you’ve got something to show?” J Jones
Well, what do you think? Can you make out?
“It is better to aim high and miss than to aim low and hit.” Les Brown
And this is the showstopper. I couldn’t take a pic initially, then I waited to click it on the return journey. Isn’t it precious? Just like life.
Hello, here’s my attempt at XingfuMama’s Pull Up a Seat Photo Challenge. This challenge is about a seat, a place to perch. This might be a chair, a bench, a wall, a pew…maybe even a log or a rock. These spots can be artfully designed, quirky or very plain, sometimes they have a view, sometimes you meet someone else who needs a rest.
So, without any further ado, if you are comfortably seated, off we go:
The chairs, I presume were once upon a time a bright orange to match the flowers but under the scorching sun faded to a pale pink. Or perhaps, they turned pale with envy…
The envious man grows lean at the success of his neighbor. Horace
Recently I had the opportunity to watch a live Kathakali performance. This is a traditional dance form originating probably in Kerala in Southern India. It is a “story game” genre of art, usually drawn from folk stories, religious texts and Hindu epics. It is characterised by the elaborately colourful make-up and costumes and performed traditionally only by males. You can read more about it here.
I was seated in the front row and the ‘lady’ on the left performed a sequence (while seated on the stool) wherein ‘she’ put a baby to sleep. Once, the imaginary baby was asleep, ‘she’ tiptoed away only to stop and request me, with only ‘her’ eyes expressions, and gestures to keep an eye on the baby. I played along and raised a hand to ‘assure’ her but ‘she’ instantly stopped and ‘asked’ 4 kids! I shook my head, and raised one finger. She then proceed to ask if they were married, or studying or working. It was amazing!
At the Kochi harbor, while on a morning walk, we spotted these birds, perched at a vantage point waiting for breakfast to be delivered.
This one is in a hurry, probably late for work 😀 This was taken while on a boat ride on the river Periyaar.
This picture was taken by the kind boatman as we weren’t allowed to move about on the boat. They don’t seem to be in any hurry. In fact, they seem ready for bed after a satisfying meal 😀
We were waiting for the boat, I wonder what they were waiting for – breakfast in someone’s pocket perhaps?
That’s it from me. I hope I didnt break any rules. Which one did you like the best?
Hello and good day to you. Today I am participating in Eugi’s Moonwashed Weekly Prompt. The prompt is Magical Village. It can be any variation of the prompt or the image (below).
The photo is rather magical and made me throw caution to the wind and attempt a free verse. Actually, I am not even sure, if that’s what it is – anyway, here goes.
The World of Trees
Fireflies line the path
Magical village
Hiding in plain sight
A lush rustling village
No wants and little needs
Strife there was none.
Oblivious of taunts, curses
and betrayals
Partners for life with
ample space for young’uns
Once they grew roots
they too stayed put.
Some were short, some tall
some colorful, some shy
The naked and the bedecked
together, no bite in their bark
Phoenix rising from the ashes,
They were that magical.
Passing travellers stop by
Catch a break,
have a stretch, grab a bite,
Scratch an itch or build a home
They leave without even
A hug, a pat or a backward glance
Once in a while
When the weather is fine,
a light wind blowing
they nod and
wave to each other
going about their daily chores
Day in and day out, these
voiceless master chefs concoct
magic out of thin air
Some make tea, some coffee
Offering children of their heart
an arm, a leg, their whole being
With no expectations
the tireless village plods on
in pursuit of its
Endless thankless task
-- Feed and sustain
20 quintillion lives and counting
***
Thanks for visiting and your kind comments and suggestions. Have a super weekend.
Note (8/10/23): I changed the title of the poem as I felt that otherwise the poem was very obscure for most readers. Do let me know your thoughts. Thanks
Hello to you 🙂 Venturing into the domain of photography I am participating in XingfuMama’s photo challenge. The challenge is simple: take one photo and get creative with it by processing it three different ways.
Here goes:
This is the original. This was taken last month at Kochi harbor in Kerala, India. It was a cloudy cool morning and it was such a treat to watch her grow bigger and bigger as she floated back home. I took it on my Samsung Z fold 2 phone camera. No particular setting.
Err, I can’t help but also post a haiku, or attempt at one, inspired by this image. Haiku, as you may know, captures one or two moments by using clear and vivid images. A haiku, consisting of a phrase and a fragment, is an unfinished poem – the readers interpret what it means by putting the images together. Do share your thoughts and interpretations 🙂
she returns
after a long journey
sigh
This is the Pen and Wash style availabe in the phone itself.
This is the Watercolor style. Earlier we used to attempt watercolors (not that I ever could!) based on photos and now its the reverse. Fascinating stuff.
For this one, instead of the Styles function, I tried to play around with contrast, exposure, shadow, sharpness etc.
On second thoughts, the version one and two look quite similar, don’t they?
This my submission to Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge on fences of any kind. Initially I thought I wouldn’t be able to participate but now I think I have too many.
Entry for humans beyond the fence is offensive to the law of the land and jungle 😀
“There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.” Will Rogers
You can of course see the fence but it is the gnarly tree that captures one’s attention, isn’t it? Doesn’t she look as if she is involved in some long standing feud with her own self?
“I am a woman in process. I’m just trying like everybody else. I try to take every conflict, every experience, and learn from it. Life is never dull.” Oprah Winfrey
This is another shot another side from the same spot. No sign of conflict here, just peaceful coexistence.
“Coexistence reminds us that together we are stronger.” From the internet
A makeshift fence to demarcate private land cultivating precious spices. Can you guess what the long leafed shrub provides?
“A green pearl on the banks of the river Periyar in the South-west mountains”. Chanakya wrote in his ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, political science, economic policy and military strategy, Arthashashtra. It was written in Sanskrit in the 1st millennium BCE.
The photo is also taken around the same place as mentioned by Chanakya and is considered the Queen of Spices. I presume you must have guessed it by now – yes, it’s the green cardamom.
Here the audience is fenced out as experts demonstrate the ancient martial art, Kalaripayattu. Originating in Kerala, India, it is one of the oldest surviving martial arts in world. Kalaripayattu differs from many other martial arts systems in the world in that weapon based techniques are taught first, and barehanded techniques are taught last. Elements from the yoga tradition as well as finger movements in the nata dances, were incorporated into Kalaripayattu.
It was truly a treat to watch the masters fight with swords with sparks flying. They were so swift in their actions, from the shot it appears as if they are bare-handed when actually they are using swords.
I hope it was worth your time to visit. Do let me know your favorite photo – if any. Bye.
Hello, hope you are having a great day. Today, I am participating in the challenge hosted by XingfuMama which is about Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge – It could be anything: a picture or you can go into detail and tell it as a reflection, story or poem.
So it’s a picture with some detail, processing and a poem 🙂
Recently while on an early morning flight, I was surprised and delighted to see a rainbow that was a circle. Frankly, I had never really thought about it before and always considered the rainbow to be a semi-circle (with a pot of gold at the end) 😀
Apparently, a circular rainbow is a very rare sight, requiring sky conditions to be “just right.” Without any further ado, ta da….
Amazing isn’t it? While this is the original photo, I couldn’t help playing around with the brightness, contrast etc.
Which one do you like better?
Also posting a tanka inspired by this – hope you like
flying high –
the rainbow has no
pot of gold
traveling far and wide I find it
on my couch
Do let me know your thoughts – thanks for visiting and have a super week.
Stories and more 