Crows

Crows, Worli Seaface, Mumbai

Aligned, Cacaphonus, Scavengers,Omnious, Survivors.

Sunshine

Extended Stay Americas, Norwalk, CT

 

Morning sunshine...

Rushing through my window...

Waking me up from a deep slumber...

Wishing me a very lazy Good morning!!!

The moon

Clicked almost 2 years back in the shivering evening cold of the Ladakhi mountains. Its my agenda to go back there again. Once is simply not enough. Time and again, I keep going back there...in my mind. 

Well, we had this picture enlarged, printed and framed. But it was framed upside down and well - we realized it only 2 weeks later when a friend point it out :-). Well, it is difficult to make out - I think. Until, you look at it more closely and see the tall grass on the bottom left hand side. 

But yes, looking at the moon, in the shivering evening cold, was a very soothing effect. A paradox in itself. 

Flower plant

I have been a very successful plant killer...:-)yes -I have managed to kill a lot many plants either by watering too much or a wrong positioning in the sun or simply by sheer negligence.

But this plant beats me hands down. It grows and it grows and it flowers a lot which gives me immense happiness. Unfortunately, I do not know the name of this plant. Do you?

P.S. an updated pic. Apparently the one put before was not clear enough.

Patterns

Two weekends ago, now that sounds like "many many moons ago"!!!! :-), again - to begin again, two weekends go, Munish and me landed at Nagaon Beach, Alibaug. Alibaug is a very popular weekend getaway. Nagaon - a not so popular beach town near Alibaug and hence we had a great time... The weekend was spent in utter laziness with almost nothing to do :-). The resort we had put up at was full of coconut and palm trees, along with chikoos and mangoes, a small pool, table tennis, carrom board, a wonderful hammock..where we spent my afternoons snoozing away under the coconut tree and wonderful wonderful food. :-) To sum it all, it was short and sweet.

We would walk on the beach for hours...noticing the small crabs, the sea shells...trying to stay put in the shore...carving a small hole for themselves just so that they do not get carried away by the waves...the reflection of the trees, of us...on the watery beach... the sweet salty air...and the wonderful fried fish cooked by the village lady...the feeling yet lingers.

We tried capturing some of the patterns ..on the beach..patterns made by the sea and the sand and the sea - shells!!!

Rain rain go away...

Image: http://www.google.com/

Not being the adventurous sorts to venture out in the rain, I was mostly under self imposed "house arrest" this weekend. Having ample time to think over things I started to wonder that how perspectives change. As children, monsoons were welcomed with dance in the rain, a paper boat in the puddle near by and juicy mangoes. I remember spending hours near the window,... brooding....at the view outside...notice small things...about how the street dog is getting wet, how the cows are huddled up and sitting under the tree...about how motorists in all their rain gear would drive carefully on the road splashing puddle water ...about how the cars would just do the same without bothering much. I remember watching other children too...in their umbrella and raincoats, floating the paper boats in the puddle...

After the initial euphoria, that is getting drenched in the first monsoon showers, most of the time was spent indoors. Had to make do with my younger brother as a 'play' companion. As children, we particularly didn't get along and almost most of the times, either one of us would go complaining to our parents about how the other one was cheating or disturbing or just being. I don't particularly like this season. For one, my birthday falls in this season and well, my name reflects the same too. As a kid, my birthday was always a damp affair...thanks to the rains which decide to arrive at precisely the same time, my friends were to come over. My mom would be very skeptical of the number of kids which would turn up. My friends from school almost never turned up if they didn't live near by. It was probably too much of a hassle for the parents. Well-my friends from the colony did turn up but they were few in number. We would play a lot of 'child'ish games but with an eye on the weather outside. All the delicious food which my mother would have prepared was not entirely consumed simply because of the lesser number of arrivals.

Today, when I look out of the window or stand in my balcony, I recall my childhood and the various memories associated with it. I think of all those non happening birthdays :-(. Even in college, it was the same. It was a bit of pain to celebrate my birthday because everyone would be loaded with their raincoats, umbrellas and definitely not their best dressed (you dont want to splash rain water on your good clothes - do you?). Both of our birthdays, Munish's and mine, fall in this wet season...and really, I am not too happy about that. Although, Munish is all very excited and happy with the onset of rains. Somehow, I cannot bring myself to share his enthusiasm as I forsee the wet, dark and cloudy months of water pouring all over forcing us to stay inside.

Monsoon ke side effects!!!!

Mumbai has a love - hate relationship with Monsoons!!!! Mumbaikars... - well most of the them....wait for this season..... the sea has a different colour, a different feel.... the breeze is oh so wonderful... the hot makai and tapri ka chai...an umbrella which threatens to fly away with the wind.... and the noise of the pitter - patter....:-) makes you want to cuddle up with a good book, sitting near the window... as you watch the world go by....hmmmm.....

View from my balcony

On the other hand, for lesser mortals, who struggle during the week, there is the other side... there is the crazy monsoon traffic....we hope that "today" we are not late for work...due to the crazy traffic, non complying auto wallahs, the snobbish taxi wallahs and well - the local trains which are forever running later.... we just hope, that we reach to our workplaces....DRY....we just hope, that a car passing by, hopefully, will not splash the mucky roadside puddle water on your clothes.... we just pray that the leather that we carry (shoes / laptop bags / purses / wallets) survives...... hmmmmm.....

Well - monsoons has it side effects.....to begin just listing them would be sooooo unfair..... but then being put under house arrest due to the unpredictable rains is not fair...to the extent that we visited one of our friends uninvited :-P for tea and conversation...:-) We played a lot of games...sudoku, scrabble, pictionary ....had a lovely afternoon nap.... but all this was a bit too much.... even the play station was not spared....I did my n number of household chores....but I just could not concentrate.... I WANTED TO GO OUT.... I needed my SUNSHINE...... :-P and I was feeling awful because I was not getting out..... all this ranting induced me to crib on this space....hmmmm.... and dearies, this is just June....*eyes rolling*... the best is yet to come :-P

Miss my sunshine!!!!

Road Signs

 Interesting Road Signs en route from Srinagar To Ladakh. There were many more of them, but must say that I was very unprepared for the unpredictable humour found on the nook and corner on the roads of Ladakh.

Another one of the interesting road sign we came across en route from Leh to Pangong Tso...:-)

Some more dedicated to Chang - La Pass and ChangLa Baba :-)

 

Ladakh - A trip to remember!!!

@ Dal Lake, Srinagar, Beautiful town set inside a lake.... scenic, calm and peaceful..... boatman singing a Kashmiri song, hot pakoras  and chai.... floating vegetation.....floating shops and eateries.... must come back here again....

 @ en route to Leh via Kargill..... Sparkling tributaries, Mountains..... brown and white.... green and barren... hamlets, towns, museums, people so wonderful....breakfast - bread and chai..... a shepherd, his flock of sheep and goats ....all posing for a perfect score....  Jhelum’s rivulets, sometimes sparkling clean and sometimes muddy brown.... crossing the Rocky Mountains....  admiring their frown....

 

@Sindhu ghat....

@Hemis Festival, Hemis Monastary, Of museums, butter lamp house and prayer rooms....Of Buddha, Buddhists monks and kids.... Of dances, expressions and beats....

 

@Thiksey monastery, Altitude and peace, solitude and wind.....,A vast pan of fields, road and barren beauty.... as far as the eye can see.....

 @Shey Palace, Home to Maitrey Buddha and the wheel of life

 @Stok Museum, A different era, different belief, a     different culture..... What remains are its pieces....a window to the world afar....

@Chang la baba’s temple, the friendly Indian army and a hot cuppa of ginger chai....

A snowball on my co-travellers face, a smile for the camera...

@Pangong Tso

Unbelievably crystal blue.... salty.... clear..... peaceful..... and Brahmi ducks.... so beautiful.....Hot Maggie and chai.... a camera in one hand.... sitting on the edge of the lake....Tired of clicking away!!!!

Brahmi Ducks

@ Rohtang La

A drive into the clouds.... cold and frosty..... a bumpy road.... a hot makai in hand..... driving down to civilization..... away from the magnificence of the Himalayas..... away from the beautiful people and experiences....

Ladakh was a wonderfully enriching experience. I was awed by the magnificience of the Himalayas, its beauty, its culture, its people and its food.... Never felt anything like it... .right from Srinagar to Manali.... the multi colour mountains, the crystal clear tributaries and so much more... The best of this journey was the road....:) which took us through such wonderful terrain of green and barren mountains, arid vegetation, the flowing ice cold water, the ladakhi songs - which we didnt understand but enjoyed every bit of it.... the waving hands of other travellers on the road, acknowledging their presence.... just roaming aimlessly through the streets of Leh, the shop vendors selling their wares, eating momo and aloo ka parathas in the same lane.... walking... talking..... a culmination of cultures - foreign and local..... it was simply amazing.... returning back to Delhi, was a jolt to my senses which had got so familiar with Ladakh. And I know, I will come back again :)

The trip to Ladakh was the most beautiful days spent.... the magnificence of the Himalayas empowers you....the beauty enthralls you..... such much so that when you get back to 'Planet Earth' it feels unreal....