To Infinity And Beyond

Bhimbetka

2012-01-18T15:20:00.001+05:30

If one has to witness the earliest traces of mankind in India, one should visit the Bhimbetka rock shelters (UNESCO World Heritage Site) near Bhopal (M.P) . Nestled in the majestic Vindhya ranges these rock shelters have witnessed changing cultural life form on the Indian subcontinent.

These rock shelters contain paintings and sketches which are dated to the lower paleolithic age (15,000yrs ago). More surprising is the fact that most of these paintings are coloured. (mainly red and white) . The colours used were mostly made by combining manganese, hematite, soft red stone and wooden charcoal, animal fats and leave extracts were also used. The paintings depict the day to day life of the cave dwellers, hunting expeditions, war scenes, cultural gatherings, animals of various kinds, ritual symbols etc.

Excavations in and around these rock shelters has helped the historians to study in detail on the lives of the first humans in India and the progress they made as generations passed on, by adapting to various environments around them. It is equally surprising that this shelters have been well preserved (perhaps due to their remoteness) and are on display to the current generation. Bhimbetka rock shelters provide an excellent opprurtunity to look in to the window of history and retrace the first steps of mankind in India. Dont miss the oppurtunity if you happen to pass by.

Rajgad

2012-01-10T18:20:00.000+05:30

The year 2012 starts with a trek to the most famous of forts in Maharashtra, The Rajgad (king of forts). Rajgad remained the capital of the Maratha's for 25 years, after which it was later shifted to the Raigad fort.

It was a memorable trek in the company of dear friends. We camped there for a night, enjoying the cool weather, clear skies and maggi ! After witnessing a splendid sunrise in the morning we toured the rest of the fort and returned to the base village around late afternoon.

What is next in the list guys??

Ellora

2012-01-04T14:36:00.003+05:30

The world heritage site of Ellora near the city of Aurangabad is known for its magnificient caves carved by Hindu, Budhists and Jain followers during the 5-7th century AD. It is also known for the largest monolithic temple in the world- The Kailasa Temple which is carved out of a single rock!

Ever since they were build these 34 caves at Ellora have been a symbol of India's rich culture and heritage.

The Kailasa Temple

Wish you all a very Happy New Year !! Stay tuned for more this year !

Odissi by Anu Narayan

2011-10-27T09:05:00.003+05:30

Odissi is one of the eight classical dance forms of India. According to the archaeological evidences found it is the oldest surviving dance forms. It originates from the state of Orissa and like most other classical dance forms it was performed in temples as a religious offering to God.

The photos below are from a recent Odissi dance recital I attended.The artist - Mrs Anu Narayan is a noted exponent of Odissi. She is a disciple of Smt. Debi Basu (senior disciple of Padma Vibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra). She is a graded artiste of Doordarshan , Mumbai and an empanelled artiste with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

This dance performance was held as part of the "Horizon Series" by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Symbiosis Internantional Cultural Centre.

Pavna Lake

2011-10-11T00:31:00.001+05:30

Pavna Lake is formed by a dam built across the river Pavna near Lonavala. Its approximately 60 kms from Pune. Its surrounded by beautiful hills of the Sahyadri range. Around the lake you can also spot three forts -Tungi, Lohagad, and Tikona.

Here are a few photos from a very short trip.

Lotus

Sonaki

Lotus

Tikona Fort

On the way to Pavna Lake

Pavna Lake Backwater

The Aquarians

2011-09-29T21:05:00.000+05:30

Meet the residents of Sambhaji garden aquarium in Pune. Visited them last sunday, they live in small water homes and their colony consists of around 15 such homes. The colony is small but is nice, clean and cozy. I must add that they are extremely playful and friendly, enjoyed a lot in their company and also did some portrait photography , sharing some photos (with permission ofcourse!)

Koi Carps

Redparrot Cichlids

Red Oranda Goldfish

Redcap Goldfish

Sevarum

Painted Giant Gaurmi

Redshock Flowerhorn

Tangarin

Silver Shark

Molly

Shabhukin Goldfish

Miami Cichlids

Kaas

2011-09-25T14:57:00.002+05:30

Photos from this year's visit to Kaas. A very sensitive ecosystem located close to the city of Satara, Maharashtra.

Monsoon Magic: Ganpatipule/Marleshwar

2011-08-23T18:11:00.053+05:30

A weekend wet monsoon road trip to Konkan. Places include Varandha ghat, Chiplun, Ganpatipule, Ratnadurg (Ratnagiri) and Marleshwar.

Monsoon Magic: Amboli

2011-08-16T00:53:00.039+05:30

Nestled in the laps of the mighty Sahyadri, there is a tiny village called Amboli. Truly a heaven on earth, Amboli village is in the Junnar taluka of Pune district. It is the base of the Durg-Dhakoba forts and the Darya Ghat. I visited this place as part of the mega monsoon shoot of the Photographers@Pune. The photos will give the rest of the description of the beauty of the place.

Expressions

2011-08-15T01:39:00.004+05:30

I thought of doing this experiment of bringing together as many human expressions as possible in a single photo. I was waiting for the right person or rather a face on whom I would do my experiment. The person had to be talented enough to enact all the expressions in a single sitting and also be patient enough to do the retakes and adjustments for that perfect photo. I thank my dear friend Priyanka for bailing me out on this and volunteer for the job. Here I present to you the photographs of various expressions of a human face.

It is rightly said that the eyes speaks it all. Our eyes play an important role in our expressions, which can be noticed in each of the expressions below. A famous American linguistic Ralph Waldo Emerson once said

" An eye can threaten like a loaded and levelled gun, or it can insult like hissing or kicking; or, in its altered mood, by beams of kindness, it can make the heart dance for joy.... One of the most wonderful things in nature is a glance of the eye; it transcends speech; it is the bodily symbol of identity. "

Monsoon Magic: Purandar

2011-07-16T12:43:00.002+05:30

Monsoon Magic reaches Purandar. It was a very short trip lasting only about an hour. It was all foggy and cloudy so managed to capture only a few shots. Hope you like them.

Monsoon Magic: Visapur Fort

2011-06-30T00:34:00.005+05:30

Monsoon magic is back. This time it was a trek to the Visapur Fort near Lonavala. It is 3400 feet above MSL. The twin forts of Lohagad and Visapur were build to keep a watch on the ancient trade route on the Bor ghat. The view from the fort was spectacular and the weather added to the beauty of the place.

It all started with a cup of coffee...

And some garam vada pav!!

Twin forts of Lohagad(right) and Visapur (left)

Visapur Fort

More trips coming soon !!

Monsoon Magic: Panshet

2011-06-18T00:19:00.017+05:30

The Monsoon is here finally.. He will be our guest for a good 3-4 months now. Therefore its time for long rides, hiking high, eating garam bhaji-pakoda and drinking cutting chai.. In short its fun time.. And the fun begins with a visit to the famed Panshet dam and its surrounding.

The Panshet lake formed by construction of dam on the river Ambi provides water for drinking and irrigation to the Pune city and surrrounding areas. The area around the dam is also a picnic spot for the scenic drive it offers (specially in the monsoons) and for the water sports facility in the lake.

Enjoy the pictures taken during a recent trip. More on the Monsoon Magic series to follow...

Hope you liked the pictures.. Your comments are valuable and encouraging for me...

Tour de Paris

2011-05-28T22:08:00.028+05:30

Last week I did many things for the first time in my life. Flying in a plane and visiting a foreign country were two prominent amongst them. Thanks to an academic visit I got a chance to see a place which I always dreamed of going. The place popularly known as the most romantic city in the world, the city of lights and also the birthplace of photography. Ladies and Gentlemen I present you Paris through my lens.

The trip was Paris was for a week which included the travel time. I was particularly excited to travel by air so that I can enjoy the view and click some aerial shots. I was particularly thrilled to see the skyline of Mumbai and Dubai, the change of colour of water of the Arabian sea when mumbai approaches (from sky blue to muddy brown!!), small green islands on the blue carpet of the sea, planes flying past you at the altitude of 40,000 ft, the snow mountains below and not to mention the clouds that the plane tears through.

The Eiffel Tower

Probably the most iconic monument of Paris is the Eiffel tower build by Gustave Eiffel in 1889. The 324 m tall iron tower was build as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair. The view from the top of the tower gives a 360 degree panoramic view of the beautiful Paris city.

The Notre Dame Cathedral

The Notre Dame Cathedral build in the mid 14th century is the church that is the official chair of the Archbishop of Paris. It is considered as the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in France and Europe.

The Louvre Museum

It is the amongst the finest and largest museums in the world. The museum of Lourve is housed in the Lourve palace which was a fortress build in the late 12th century by the French King Philip II. The famous Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci considered as the most famous painting in the world is exhibited here.

The Sacre Coeur

The Basalica of Sacre Coeur is a huge church build on a small hill in the art district of Paris known as the Monmarte. It provides splendid views of the city below.

The Monmarte

Known as the art district of Paris, this is the place where many painters and sculptors had their studios. Many popular faces in the art field like Salvador Dali, Amedeo Modigilani, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gough and many others worked here.

I am grateful to the Institut d' Astrophysique, Paris and specially to Prof. Vincent Guillet for this oppurtunity through which I have gained a lot of experience. Hope you guys like the pictures.

au revoir

Bharatnatyam

2011-05-08T03:12:00.008+05:30

Bharatnatyam is one of the five classical dances in India originating from the southernmost state of India, Tamil Nadu. Bharat Natyam is considered as the fire dance. The element it depicts is fire. The other dance forms depict the other four elements, Odisi (water), Kathakali (sky), Mohiniattam (air), and Kuchipudi (earth).

Now practiced all over India specially in South India, it is now the national dance of India. It is accompanied by the classical Carnatic music.

Bharatnatyam comprises of Bhava (Expresion) , Raga (Music), Tala (Rhythm) and Natyam (Classical Indian Music Theatre). Originally Bharatnatyam was performed in temples by Devidasi's ( Women in temples devoted to service to God). It was also the dance of the celestial dancers- the apsara's.

I got a chance to attend a Bharatnatyam recital by Mrs Arundhati Patwardhan, a well known Bharatnatyam dancer performing since 17 years. She is the disciple and daughter of renowed Bharatnatyam exponent Dr Sucheta Chapekar.

Click on individual images to see an enlarge view. A must for the collages.

Rajmachi

2011-04-29T02:06:00.013+05:30

In the rugged mountains of Sahyadris lies the fort of Rajmachi built by Maratha King Shivaji in the 17th century. It was built to overlook the Bor ghat which connects Pune and Mumbai The Bor ghat was an important trade route in the past.

Rajmachi is situated around 15 kms from the city of Lonavala. The place can be reached both by vehicle and foot. Its a very challenging road if you go by a car or a bike. Full of steep gradients, sharp turns, stones and deep valley on one side.

The road goes through thick forests, mountainous terrain and a beautiful lake. In the rainy season the place is full of waterfall and small rivulets. Moreover one of the them is one of the most famous waterfalls of the Sahyadris, which is also seen from the railway line on the Khandala ghat. These all were ofcourse not there when we went, but in the rains surely it will be splendid sight!

I visited this place along with my photography group the Photographers@Pune (P@P). We reached Rajmachi in the evening and camped there for the night, returning home the next morning.

This is one place I am surely gonna give a second visit , booked for the monsoons!!

Kutoohal: Science camp for kids

2011-04-18T14:59:00.027+05:30

A lack of quality education is the root cause of several major social issues globally, particularly in developing countries like India. I feel strongly that good quality education should be accessible to every child irrespective of their social backgrounds. The same opinion is shared by my friends and as a small contribution towards addressing education inequity, we conducted a science camp for rural kids in the village of Siddhatek, (Dist: Pune). The following article gives the detail of our first camp. It is written by one of my dear friend Indrajeet who was also part of the team which conducted the workshop.

The idea of conducting a science camp for children in Siddhtek, a scenic village on the bank of the river Bhima, had formulated some time ago in our good friend Nalini Gurav’s mind. Being a localite, she was really distressed by the unevenness of the resources available for urban and rural students and the adverse effect that dogmatic, conservative, religious atmosphere of Siddhtek was having on the scientific temperament of children and adults alike. This is not surprising given that the place hosts one of the Ashtavinayakas, a holy place for all the devotees of Lord Ganesha. Having studied science in Pune, Nalini could not help but put finger on the stark differences between the ways science is taught in Siddhtek and Pune. Having previously participated in science camp for children few years ago, she knew how such camps can change a student’s perception of doing science and thus she decided to do the same thing in Siddhtek. We were glad to hear her proposal and agreed at once to come.

After a memorable, Swades-like journey, we reached Siddhtek on Friday (15th) and were glad to pump some fresh air into our dust-ridden lungs and to enjoy the peaceful sunset, unimpeded and unstained by skyscrapers and traffic. After having delicious home-made food at Nalihi’s place, we sat down and prepared for talks and other activities that we had decided to conduct the next day. Our team included: Nalini, Mukul, Sandesh, Anagha, Harshada, Madhuri, Ashwini, Archana, Vijay, Abhilash, and I.

The camp started the next day (16th) at 10am. The camp was named Kutoohal, meaning curiosity in Marathi. And that’s what we hoped to do: to make them curious about science, about nature, about how things work. So I started the day with a short talk on what is science and how and why we need to do it. There were around 100 to 120 students from classes ranging from 4^th to 10^th, a daunting diversity of age-groups! Next Mukul explained history of earth with his newfound confidence in Marathi! We had got a projector and prepared power point presentations full of pictures and animations, which made it easy for us to maintain their attention, a difficult thing to do really. Next, Anagha conducted crafts session, in which she taught students to prepare different types of artefacts from paper. There wasn’t a single student who did not participate in the activity! Those who had trouble doing it were helped out by all other didis!

After this, students were given a lunch break and told to reassemble at 3pm and we were astounded by their punctuality. The number did not wane, in fact, it increased, which showed how excited they were of the whole thing. We started the afternoon session with quiz, asking questions that they would usually not encounter in their class-rooms or exams. We were really impressed by some of the students. Every kid tried his/her best to answer question, given that the prize for right answer was a pack of cream biscuits! After quiz, Harshada explained a bit about computers and what can we use them for. Next I talked about the diversity amongst living things and was really amazed that they had heard about animals like Dodo and Komodo dragons, maybe Discovery or Nat Geo-effect. With this ended the afternoon session.

The evening session was targeted at adults, though kids were there too. It started at 6pm with Sandesh’s beautiful talk on how big the universe is. Kids to their parents everybody saw in amazement as he moved from one slide to the next taking them virtually through the astronomical tour. With that done, I gave a talk on how astrology is not a science, but a pure hokum. I am not sure if they were convinced, but I surely made them suspicious about it. A ppt in Marathi surely helped with presentation.

Last activity and piece de resistance was sky-watching. Though it was a bit cloudy, we did manage to have a good look at moon. Everyone really enjoyed it and kept asking questions, which showed how much they wanted to know about astronomy. We had a 4-year old who literally saw moon more than 20 times and still wanted more!

I, on behalf of the rest of the team, would really like to thank Nalini and her entire family who worked so hard to make our stay comfortable and gave us an opportunity to do something good. We are surely going to remember this day for a very long time. With this experience in hand, we would like to conduct such science camps in remote villages of Maharashtra in future.

On behalf of the entire team I would like to express special thanks to Mr Sameer Onkar, V.G.Bhide Science Center, University of Pune for providing us the projector and Miss Kalyani Date, Department of Physics, University of Pune for the telescope.

Readers are requested to please provide your valuable comments and suggestions, to help us improve the quality of the program in the future.

Bhuleshwar

2011-04-04T01:03:00.021+05:30

If you are fond of hills, wish to enjoy a peaceful evening, watch the sun go down the horizon and most importantly if you are in Pune, then Bhuleshwar is the place to be. Situated atop a hill Bhuleshwar is an ancient temple built in the 13th Century build by Chola rulers. It is a beautiful temple with sculptures of deities carved out of stone.

The place has a mythological importance and there is an interesting story behind its name. It is believed that it was here at Bhuleshwar , Lord Shiva (after a fight with Devi Parvati) sat for meditation. To convince Lord Shiva to return to their heavenly adobe "Kailash" , Parvati seduced ("bhul" in marathi) Shiva and they re-united, hence the name "Bhuleshwar".

The Painted Stork

2011-04-01T20:53:00.009+05:30

The Painted Stork is a large bird of the Stork family. It is found in wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia, south of Himalaya. They nest in large numbers along with other waterbirds like cormorants and egrets. The nest is a large stick platform with a shallow central depression lined with stems and leaves of water weeds. It is built in trees standing in or near water. These birds are not migratory but travel short distances for food and water.

I got a chance to visit a large colony of Painted Storks during a recent trip to Bhigwan. The village of Bhigwan is situated on the banks of Bhima river and is popular amongst birds. This place is famous for Flamingos which migrate here from Siberia and other regions during the winter season. We could not spot the flamingos but did have a wonderful time spotting other birds specially the colony of Painted Stork.

We are thankful to Maruti kaka - a retired forest official for showing us around.

Yakshagana

2011-01-31T18:51:00.040+05:30

My fascination for the various dance forms of India grows as I get a chance to witness some splendid performance of the "Yakshagana" by Shivanand Hegde and his troupe. I even personally met the performers and got to see for myself the preparations behind the stage.

The event was organized by SPIC MACAY- Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth.

Yakshagana is a musical dance-drama performed traditionally in Karnataka. It is believed to have evolved from pre-classical music and theatre during Bhakti movement.

Yaksha-gana literally means the song (gana) of a Yaksha. Yakshas were an exotic tribe mentioned in the Sanskrit literature of ancient India.

A Yakshagana performance usually depicts a story from the Hindu epics and puranas. It consists of a narrator (Baghawatha) who either narrates the story by singing or sings pre-composed dialogs of characters, backed by musicians playing on traditional musical instruments as the actors dance to the music, with actions that portray the story as it is being narrated.

(Info Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakshagana)

The story here as it can be guessed by seeing the above pictures is taken from the epic "Ramayan". It is the story of the abduction of Sita by Ravana, the meeting of Rama and Hanuman and the battle between the two brothers Bali & Sugriva. Though the story was in kannada, the dialogues could be easily translated through the gestures of the actors who performed the musical drama. This is the beauty of Yakshagana.

Behind the Scenes with Yaksh's..

I salute the efforts of the people who keep the tradition and culture of India alive. This blog is a small token of appreciation for my friends THE YAKSH's.

The Secret Lake

2011-01-12T15:29:00.015+05:30

After reading about a "Secret Lake" in a blog by a friend, I decided to give this place a visit and re-discover it by myself. This place as the locals called as "panjhari" is situated in the laps of the sahyadri mountains, near the Tamhini ghat. The lake is surrounded by mighty hills on three sides and a deep valley on the remaining one. Since long I was looking for such a place, here you can experience the joy of being close to the nature, no disturbances whatsoever. There is everything you want water, mountains, valley, forest, grasslands, all in one place.

Experiencing such a wonderful spectacle the words of the poetess Carrie Latet come to my mind:

Watching clouds roll by

on a sunny day

Who needs church?

Nature is divine.

This is my friend Sagar who accompanied me for the drive.

This place is around 80 kms from the city of Pune. We made a biking trip on my Discover 110cc. Posting for the first time me and my companion on the roads.(Thanks Sagar fo the pic)

Diveagar-Harihareshwar-Srivardan

2010-12-26T17:01:00.018+05:30

DIVEAGAR

Blessed with green fields full of coconuts and betelnut, clean and serene sea coast this is a small village in Konkan. It was here at Diveagar a statue of Lord Ganesh weighing 1.325 kgs was accidently found in a field . The beach at Diveagar is one of the cleanest and safest beaches in konkan.

HARIHARESHWAR

Famous for it ancient Shiva temple, this place is popularly known as the "Dakshin Kashi". Apart from the temple and a not so safe beach (due to the violent sea at this part of the coast), Harihareshwar boasts of wonderful rock formations created due to the erosion of the hill adjoining the temple by the mighty waves of the Arabian sea.

SRIVARDAN

Srivardan is famous as the origin place of Peshwa's, under whom the Maratha kingdom reached its pinnacle. The beach here at Srivardan is clean and beautiful.

I visited the places above with my friends and not to mention we enjoyed the trip thoroughly.

Angels with Whiskers

2010-12-18T13:12:00.011+05:30

Cats are the cutest and the most popular pets known to us. They are associated with the humans since 9500 years and prove to be an ideal companion. Cats although being domesticated are known to exhibit their own will and unlike a dog whom "you own", the cats "own you". And it is rightly said that "Dogs come when they're called; cats take a message and get back to you later. "

Cats are ferocious hunters and have well developed senses and organs for hunting. They belong to the Felin family of which tigers, leopards, puma are members. According to an Indian proverb "A cat is a lion in a jungle of small bushes."

People enjoy being with cats as they are extremely playful and relieve stress. American novelist Lillian Braun quotes that "Cats never strike a pose that isn't photogenic."

So enjoy the pictures guys. Clicked it at the University of Pune campus some couple of days back.