Friday, June 26, 2015

Andhra Pradesh memories..........

The massive Godavari, the second largest river of India after the Ganges. The river originating from Nashik, Maharashtra flows through Andhra Pradesh to join the Bay of Bengal. This picture was captured from the moving Coromandel Express, on my way to a conference in Vijayawada. It was a foggy, chilly morning of Late December. Notwithstanding the harsh conditions, these daring fishermen are engaged in fishing for their livelihood.

These miles and miles of palm groves dotting the Costal plains of Andhra Pradesh stood parallel to the route of train, I was traveling. As I leaned against the door to absorb the fertile, lush landscape view, these magnificent palmyra palms (Borassus flabellifer) seemed to be racing with the train. Their abundance in thousands furnished testimony to their special place in the daily life of the local inhabitants.

These charred date palms in coastal Andhra Pradesh have been struck by lightning. The strength of the strokes can be well imagined from this dismal picture of four burnt palms in a  row. Recently, I learned that the study of lightning is called fulminology.


A buffalo chomping on the grass, while a pair of cattle egret and a common myna scanning its hairy torso and limbs for any hidden ticks, for a sumptuous lunch. This heart-warming picture depicting commensalism was snapped two years ago in a small town Guntur..I had been to that city all the way from the North-Eastern city Guwahati, to attend a conference in Acharya Nagarjuna University.

Few years ago, I had visited Hyderabad, for a conference...
This trip had offered me with some opportunity to see some landmarks of this city..

Ramoji film city.....

Replica of Eiffel tower..

Hussain sagar lake....

The Buddha statue.....

Unfortunately, I don't remember this historical structure...

Barren land, so characteristic of the city...

People@North East India.......

A daily market in Guwahati city. It's an ideal place to purchase freshly harvested veggies from the vendors, unlike the cold storage preserved, stale stuffs. Added advantage is that if you are good at bargaining, you can lower the price. Though haggling is not my cup of tea, its a visual treat for me to roam in the market and enjoy the refreshing veggie piles.

A poor woman selling roasted maize in Pan Bazaar, a bustling market in the heart of Guwahati city to earn a living. It fills my heart with tenderness to see the woman struggling to burn the charcoals on the iron tray, inhaling the copious carbon monoxide fumes. I always make it a point to buy one or two of these delicious, salt, chilli powder and lemon juice smeared corns wrapped in a paper. Occasionally, a packet of freshly packed popcorn too. On cloudy, rainy, wintry evenings, these sweet-smelling roasted corn on the cobs were the most desired snacks for me.

A street seller in a bustling street of Kolkata displaying his array knick-knak merchandise. Though the well-heeled lot are not expected to show any interest for these cheap, fake ornaments, the poor people are enticed.

Punjab memories.........

Punjab soil is very fertile with high agricultural productivity due to the alluvial plains and extensive irrigation facilities. 
Sutlej river...

A glimpse at this dark, nutrient rich, well-ploughed fields and you can gauge why it yields bumper crops.
It is a field in Phagwara, near the historic Grand Trunk Road..

I used to work in  a popular University there...and often visited these fields..it was harvest time in late October...

The corns were growing...

Mustards had started to bloom, but not in their peak yet...

It was peak harvest season. The farmers were busy cutting  and threshing the crops. They were kind enough to allow us to sit on the bales, pose on the tractors and hold the crops. Though we had our own field in the village and i had seen the whole process of seeds being sown to harvested, year after year, staying away almost a decade for higher study had blurred the memories. It was refreshing to relive the past.

The farmers were busy threshing the paddy crop...


The sugarcane were ready for harvesting..the farmer was kind enough to allow us cut few stems and relish..


Enjoying the fruit of labour...

Puppet show..once, it used to be a popular form of entertainment...now its on the verge of extinction....
I saw this art while visiting Haveli in Jalandhar...the iconic food and culture haven..

I had got this opportunity to visit Amritsar, the historical border city...........
Here, at the world famous shrine Golden Temple.......

The Gurudwara....




Then I visited Jaliwanawala Bagh...the massacre site of  congregated freedom fighters..
The well, where many victims had jumped in order to escape the firing still stands there..
The building walls are perforated with bullets... 

Met these kids from near-by school...

Lovely Professional University...where I started my job life..as an Assistant Professor.. having a Popsicle on my way back from duty....

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Heartwarming pictures...

Well, these are some of the heart-warming pictures I captured during my India visit last year..
One of our calf playing with my nephew..

My husband feeding the calf with lentil crepes..

Now, here the two kids are gelling well, unlike the first one..

Again , husband is feeding the stray dogs with leftover flat breads..

Memories from Sikkim..........

Those who have visited the NorthEast region of India must be knowing how beautiful it is...
I got to live in Guwahati for 3 years ...from 2007 to 2010...as I pursued my PhD from IIT Guwahati...
And  during this time, I visited many places in Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Darjeeling etc....
Here I am posting some pictures from my trip to  the tiny but beautiful Sikkim.........

Do Drul Chorten. The biggest and the most famous Buddhist stupa ...stupas are mound-like structures housing religious relics. The unique architecture consisted of a  whitewashed foundation, a whitewashed cylinder, couple of rings and a gold-gilded steeple. Each part has its religious significance.There are quite a large number of these structures throughout Sikkim. Devotees and pilgrims throng  to pay homage at this sacred stupa.

This stunning Buddha statue in Samdruptse, near Namchi  is that of Guru Padmasambhava or Guru Rimpoche, the patron saint of Sikkim. From the hill top, where this colossal statue (135 feet) is installed, we had a breathtaking view of the Mt. Kanchandzonga.

Momo or vegetable stuffed dumpling, is a delicacy very popular in North Eastern states of India. These steamed flour dumplings with vegetable fillings served with chilli sauce are healthy snacks apart from their taste and low price. We had a satisfying luncheon of these Chinese cuisine in a restaurant in Rumtek monastery  .....

This pristine lake cradled in the snow covered mountains, located at an altitude of 12,400ft  is Changu or Tsongmo Lake.. This placid lake is formed by the melting snow of the mountains. It was early January and  substantial part of the water body was frozen. Never in my life before had i seen such a wonderful  lake. But the cold wind  lashing like a whip and bruising our exposed body parts was playing a nuisance. Unaccustomed to such cold, we had a tough time feeling comfortable enough to admire the glassy beauty of the lake. My legs were starting to get numb and face purple. I was looking for a retreat to take refuge from the tyranny of cold. Exhausted and hungry from the involuntary shaking, we were looking for some food. A shop selling hot bowls of noodles seemed the ideal place. Nathu La pass, part of the historical Silk Route was not far from this glacial lake. However, the heavy snow fall and avalanche fear stalled our further high altitude exploration.

This was a hilarious experience...rode a yak..on the shore of the half-frozen lake...At more than 12K feet, it was bone-crunching chill...I remember it was early January..I am smiling for the photo, but my nose had gone purple and wind felt like whiplash..not to tell the mountain sickness..

It was an exciting experience to mount this long-haired mountain bovine at such high elevation. Some group members dared for a yak trek around the frozen lake, but I chickened out, the cold was taking toll of me to enjoy the safari. The yaks were decorated and saddled with vibrant woolens and fabrics to entice the tourists.Yaks, adapted to high altitudes, when domesticated,  provide milk, fiber, meat and transport. Many of these poor mountain people depend on these beasts of burden  for sustenance. It was a pity that these wild animals are in IUCN's vulnerable list.

Any part of India I visit, if get a chance to sport their regional costume, I never skip an opportunity. Perhaps, it is my way of showing admiration for their culture and embracing harmony, apart from it being a pleasant memory for me. Here, I am wearing a traditional dress of Bhutia community.  Bhutia people from Tibetan origin comprise one of the prominent tribe in Sikkim. This resplendent costume is made of two parts, the full-sleeved white silk blouse (honju) and the red colored, loose gown (kushen). The woolen wrap around with linear patterns (Pangden) tied at the waist, a furry cap (shambo) and a fake necklace completes the attire. Never mind the jeans trousers and boots peeping from the tunic:).

A woman vendor selling fresh vegetables in a stall on the bank of Teesta river. The make-shift stall displaying the mountain produce veggies against the backdrop of tree-studded mountains constitute an interesting picture. Magh Sankranti, a prominent Hindu festival in Sikkim was two days away. Spinachs and sweet potatoes are used to prepare delicacies as tradition of the festival. I expect, she did a good business before losing the shop for that day.

Saw  troops of macaques perched on the trees and  road on the bank of Teesta river, on our way to Gangtok ... It was exciting to see them in such abundance. It was fun to watch them groom each other's fur, picking salt beads and popping into their mouth. Female monkeys clutching their babies as they showed their acrobatic skills was amazing. Hope, these monkeys get enough berries to eat, safe habitat to live and are not vulnerable like many other wild denizens.

With a young Buddhist monk in the premise of the Rumtek monastery, the largest in Sikkim...they follow a disciplined, austere, celibate life in pursuit of enlightenment. In this remote and serene Dharma Chakra Centre, these resident trainees are initiated and taught the monastic practices of prayers and rituals. It was a hugely humbling experience to get to interact with these ascetics.

Bamboo and paper crafted foldable fan.  This Oriental work of art is sure to entice any tourist. The beautiful pictures of cherry blossoms and birds depicted on the bright yellow background can accentuate the beauty of any living room wall. I collected this piece of souvenir from Gangtok....

Rolling prayer wheels in Rumtek monastery...

In a souvenir shop of Gangtok...got many of these pretty bamboo folding fans..till date, some of them adorn my parents living room...

Its in Pelling, another town in Sikkim...We stayed a night there to visit the majestic Kanchenjanga mountains..its the house owner's furry pet...


Reminiscing these moments makes me happy and I hope, it will amuse the readers too...so I will post more interesting snapshots and snippets in subsequent posts...
Temi tea garden in Namchi, South Sikkim. This is an organic tea estate producing world class tea and the sole tea field in Sikkim state. During our trip to this mountain state, two years ago,we had visited this scenic estate.  Walking along the narrow paths flanked by the dense but manicured tea thickets, under the clear sunny sky, with a mild nip in the air, was refreshingly delightful. This breathtakingly lovely plantation laid on slopy hills fringed by pines, overlooking the serene Kanchenjunga mountain was truly a cherishable experience. In fact, it was materialization of one of my treasured childhood dream to lose myself in the lush greenery.
About four years, I had visited the foothills of Eastern Himalayas...mostly Sikkim and Darjeeling....
Its at 12,000 feet, near lake Psongo...

It was early January...the whipping cold was tough to bear, but the serenity prevailing around compensated for it..

Don't mistake the distant white blotches for clouds, that's the peaks of Kanchenjunga mountains......

The iconic range from another vantage point........

As the first rays of sun touched the snow-capped peak of the mountain, it turned golden, creating an enchanting panorama.

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