Night-blooming jasmine..........

A bud-laden shrub of night-blooming jasmine...

It may not look that enticing during the day....but wait for the evening...and the heady fragrance will saturate the air...

We have one or two in our house...

For me, its ethreal scent, breezy and moon-lit night makes perfect recipe for happiness..

Anyway, for plant enthusiasts, it belongs to the vast Solanaceae family, to which tomato, potato, brinjal, chilli and tobacco belong to........

Water hyacinth threat to fresh water bodies and fields of Assam...

A large number of water bodies in India, in fact reservoirs around the world are under the threat of this invasive weed called water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)....the plants grow fast and choke them..

I have taken this picture, somewhere in Assam...as I was travelling in train across the state..it was monsoon time and the flooded fields were carpeted with these weeds..

Awareness and integrated approaches are needed to protect the shrinking fresh water sources from such pests....

Chambal valley..

It's a picture of Chambal valley, in central India....this barren land with myriad mounds used to be a stronghold of bandits...took the picture from a running train...

Fauna@IITG..............

This cat was not my pet but a resident of the same hostel where I stayed in Guwahati. She was a regular visitor to my room, in the hope of getting some food. I enjoyed feeding her with some of my own snacks. In exchange of the eatables  offered, all I wanted from her was few pictures of her.:)

A murder of crows, dotting the sky. Though the azure, cloud-speckled sky looks beautiful with these birds, the ground below tells an altogether different story. It is the garbage dumping area in the backyard of the hostel,  piled with variety of leftover foods. These hovering scavengers are having a feast!!

Gorgeous bridal sarees........

A saree shop in Ludhiana, a major garments hub in North India. My marriage was few months away and i was selecting some of these trademark Indian garments for the ceremony. It was difficult to select,  left amidst a sea of glittering, sequined, embroidered bridal sarees. Though i knew these expensive clothes will adorn the wardrobe only after the brief use in the rituals,  i was confused, seeking a friend's suggestion.

Monsoon and rain in India.....(I)...

Arrival of monsoon in India is an annual phenomenon of overwhelming importance. It had been years, I make it a point to witness it as the periodic wind sweeps across the parched Indian peninsula, accompanied with rain-gravid, smudgy clouds fast spreading across the sky and rumbling thunders creating a dramatic scenario. 

Dense monsoon clouds descending on my village home in India. The veil of moisture-gravid, nimbus clouds accompanied by roaring winds looks scary, but brings cheer to the parched land, sun-blighted flora and fauna. I enjoy watching the stunning annual phenomenon. And who can deny the fun of drenching in the drizzles after the prolonged summer and getting intoxicated with the vanilla smell of wet earth? I am already feeling nostalgic.

Neighborhood....

The moisture-laden sky..

Its a picture of the monsoon clouds diffusing across North-East India, photographed from the window of the moving Saraighat Express. Not only for the paddy fields, the deciduous forests and grazing cattle, it elates me and imparts respite from the sultry, muggy summer months..I enjoyed staring out of the window, occasionally sticking my hands out to feel the wind and drizzles, photographing the nature in its new incarnation, till darkness makes the vista obscure...

North-East India gets abundant rain...
When I was residing in Guwahati for my studies,  I used to enjoy the monsoon clouds, ample showers, cold winds, swaying branches, myriad bubbles....
Some pictures from archive...

Rourkela memories.........

Among all cities in Odisha....Rourkela holds special place in my heart....

A 75 feet tall, imposing Hanuman statue in the tourist attraction Hanuman Vatika in the steel city....It is believed that this super-powerful, mythological character in Hindu scriptures protects the city from natural calamities. Apart from the immaculate carving and vivid colors, what attracts attention is the huge bee hives hung from the left arm pit and the rear part.:)

Other statues in the complex...

These lovely, flowers with heavenly fragrance are night flowering jasmine (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis), commonly called shefali or Ganga shiuli ... These flowers with white corolla and deep orange pedicel bloom in the night, spread divine, intoxicating aroma and fall by the morning. It is bliss to pick the dew-touched, strewn flowers from the ground.Numerous poems and fictions have been dedicated to this amazing flower. This is my collection of platter-full flowers from my sister's shrub, in an autumn morning....

A herd of buffaloes grazing peacefully in a pasture in Rourkela. Cattle egrets were roaming around with the grazers and picking off the ticks and flies from their furs. A classic picture of 'commensalism' portrayed. It was amusing to watch and listen to the noise of the buffaloes chomping on the green grass. Ability to see such innocent sights more often is what I call happiness.

City cattle ...devouring  on the discarded garlands and flowers used in the Diwali decorations. At least, it is not eating the polythene bags strewn on the roads by reckless people....

An adorable pair of tabby kittens. I saw the duo basking in the morning sun and practicing their acrobatic and arboreal skills on the the drumstick tree. As I paused from my morning walk to have a better look at them, they are eying me suspiciously.