This Prism !

CADAMBA TREE IN OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD - STORY OF RESILIENCE , REJUVENETION

2021-07-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

Blossom in 'Shravan',1428/2021

Last year , cyclone Amphan damaged the trees of Parnasree - the south-west neighbourhood of Kolkata where we live - very badly. A large nos of trees, young and old, were uprooted, and those which withstood the gusts , were severely mauled.

Bent & broken . Gusts pulled the left & right-side branches apart !

The creeper hangs on !!- Amphan, 2020

One of this second lot was the full-grown Cadamba tree that stands 100+ meters south of our balcony. Its branches were broken , some deep brown dead leaves were hanging dead, rest scattered on the ground. The day I took the photograph - perhaps twelve days after the cyclone - people have removed most of the dead branches/leaves and piled them away [ view the next photograph ], yet some were still hanging in position, as telltale sign of the devastation . Noticeable is the resolute creeper clinging on to the tree ! It withstood the rampage !!

But, that was Summer , 2020. During the following months, the Cadamba tree garnished itself with rich green leaves. The haggard ravaged look of My/June, 2020 is now gone , a distant memory. Flowers blossomed in early 'Aasharh' month . Fresh blossom in early- 'Shravan' has appeared now, declaring its rejuvenation being complete.

Young green cover -2021

'NIGHT WATCH' BY REMBRANDT

2018-05-21T00:36:00.000-07:00

' The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq
and Willem van Ruytenburch '

Visitors' movement in the hall where 'Night Watch' is displayed.

When we planned to visit families in Helsinki and Houston in 2017, I selected Amsterdam as the Airport to disembark in Europe not only for its connectivity, but also for a visit to Rijks and Van Gogh Museums as well as a boat-ride in its canals.

View of a bridge across a canal :

Photo taken during our boat-ride in Amsterdam.

Rijks Museum allows photography without flash, hence we could bring camera-load of memories . This time, I decided that I shall take snaps of parts the large paintings displayed so that I can study the details later on a computer screen. To get an opportunity to click a straight photo , without watchers' heads obstructing the view, was never easy. Not having enough elbow-room, in some cases, caused framing of selected portions improper.

The full picture from as close a position as possible.

The lighting very aesthetically accentuates the painter's highlighting.

'Night Watch' was painted in 1642 AD by Rembrandt . The painting was commissioned by the Klovenier company under the command of Frans Banning Cocq and used to be displayed at Kloveniersdoelen [ ' musketeers' shooting range' ] till 1715 AD. In 1715 AD, it was shifted to the Amsterdam Town Hall when its all four sides were trimmed. Its current size is 11.91 ft X 14.34 ft .

Captain Frans Banning Cocq , dressed in black, with a red sash, and his lieutenant

Willem van Ruytenburch, dressed in yellow, with a white sash.

Rembrandt's painting stand out for two reasons : perception of movement of the group and effective use of light & shade. it is stated that for quite a long time, the painting had a coat of dark varnish, giving a wrong impression that Rembrandt painted a night scene, hence the name 'The Night Watch'.

Who is the 'mystery' girl in this painting ?

There are paragraphs written about the mystery girl in this painting, highlighted by sunlight and shade. She holds a dead chicken in her hand, representing a defeated adversary. Does she have any resemblance with Rembrandt's wife whom he lost before he started the painting ? There are more symbols associated with her depiction. Interested reader may pl refer to : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_Watch.

GLIMPSES OF LJUBLJANA ATTRACTION - VISIT 2017 - I

2018-02-23T23:12:00.004-08:00

MORE PHOTOS OF LJUBLJANA ATTRACTIONS - I

Making notes from Travel Brochure of Ljubljana.

Travel literature on Ljubljana projects its old town, castle and contributions of architect Joze Plecnik as the major points of attraction. There are numerous tours across the Old Town throughout the day, offering several options of interest areas.

When it drizzles, umbrella are out but 'walk' is on.....:
Ardent Tourists at Mestni trg - Town Hall and Fountain of ThreeCarniolan Rivers.

One option among such tours - both walking and riding on bicycles - showcase 'Plecnik's Ljubljana'.The most famous among his contributions is the Tri-Bridge across the rivulet Ljubljanica. There was a wooden bridge here in the 13th century. Later , in 19th century, Ljubljana had a 'stone arch bridge'. Plecnik added two pedestrian bridges here to avoid congestion during 1930s. In 2007, it became a part of the pedestrian zone.

Tri-bridge illuminated.

Open Market Building - also Plecnik's design - on photo's left.

Another famous design of Plecnik is National & University Library. I, however, did not find it eye-catching. Regret that I missed out clicking photo/s of this building when I was walking in the pedestrian zone to click whatever attracted my attention . In its neighbourhood, at Kongresni trg square, the two buildings which attracted my notice were University of Ljubljana and Ursuline Monastery.

The University of Ljubljana, with 63000 enrolled students, is one largest university of Europe. I found the facade of the University beautiful.Earlier, it was a provincial Mansion. The building was re-built in 1902 AD after a devastating earthquake in 1895 AD. Since 1919 AD, this building housed the University. The building was designed by architect Jan Hrasky and later revised by Josef Hudetz.The building has four different facades, two main and two side ones , designed in the style of German Renaissance with neo-Gothic elements.

Front facade of the University building.

The facades are decorated with 14 medallions
depicting the coats of arms of Carolinian towns.

Ursuline Monastery and Church of the Holy Trinity, according to the Guide book of Slovenian Tourist Information,can be considered as 'the most beautiful and extra-ordinary example of Baroque architecture in Ljubljana'. The church was built during 1718-26 AD according to design of Carlo Martinuzzi. The entrance staircase in the front is also designed by Plecnik in 1930.

Holy Trinity Column.
Ursuline Monastery in the background.

In front of the Church, stands the Holy Trinity Column, erected in 1693 AD as gratitude of the city having been spared from an epidemic of plague. What we see in the photo is replica of the original, presumably created by Francesco Robba , while the original is preserved in the City Museum.

Butcher's Bridge,love 'pad-locks' and serpent.

Closer view : 'Love' Locks

The riverside has been looked after very well the Town Admin as well as the citizen.Very admirable is the display of urban aesthetics ! The Open Market , designed by Plecnik, looks wonderful when illuminated. The Butchers' bridge is remarkable too - with its railings fitted with 'love' padlocks and sculptures around and semi-transparent footpath. Adam , Eve and Serpent's photos are here.

Adam and Eve

I end with two photos of interesting objects :

First one of the several bronze sculptures along Petkovoskovo nabrezje.

Second one is a relief of the face of Julija Primic,the lady love of poet France Preseren, mounted across Presernov trg square.

VISIT TO LJUBLJANA - 2017

2017-12-09T07:19:00.000-08:00

PRESERNOV TRG SQUARE &
'OLD TOWN', LJUBLJANA

Francisian Church of Annunciation across Tri-bridge.

The most notable buildings of Ljubljana are either in Presernov trg Square or clustered in the Old Town which covers Mestni trg, Stari trg, Gorjni trg Square and Levstikov trg. Tourist Brochure of Ljubljana has given a reasonably detailed guide of what we should watch in particular. We, however, did not go much by the 'book' within the O/Town. We walked around for several hours in these areas at our convenience -easy we were conveniently housed in a Homestay in Stari trg.

City Walk on a Sunday morning : Scene in 'Old Town' .

I found the 'Old Town' area remarkably and noticeably clean. Hordes of people would walk around, tourists among them often accompanied by local guides, moving in groups. Roadside restaurants bustled with customers in the evenings. Yet,the cobbled roads stayed clean and unlittered except for a few cigarette buts noticeable towards the end of the evening.

In the 'Old Town' side, we [ Ruby,Surath and I ] have photographed buildings which caught our fancy, not necessarily what are mentioned in the Travel Brochure. In fact, at least two buildings recommended in the brochure in context with the areas we went around caught just our passing attention.More on this later.

I tried to capture photos of domes and steeples on old buildings, building lining along curves of cobbled streets and .... designs of windows/doors. [Through 2018, I intend to pick out at least 25/30 'windows' from the photos I have taken during the two trips in Europe and the USA in 2015 and 2017 . This, however, can happen when I would be back to my desk in Kolkata and have cleared a large part of my pending work. ] Our efforts were somewhat affected by bad weather of 10/09/17 morning and cloudy sky we faced throughout our stay.

Bronze Scale Model of Ljubljana.2.2M X 2.2M.in size. Installed in Preseren square.

Gifted by city's Urban Planning Institute in 1991 AD.

Ljubljana's bridges,like other old cities of Europe,offer interesting sights. Tri-Bridge , built in 19th century with extension designed by the revered architect Joze Plecnik in 1930s and Dragon Bridge (1901 AD) , designed by Giorgio Zaninovich of Viennese company Pittel and Brausewetter are two most well-known bridges across the river Ljubljanica in this area of tourist attraction - Preseren trg Square , Tri-bridge and Town Hall being by-and-large in the same line . More on Tri-bridge and Town Hall in a subsequent post.

Dragons adorn both the ends of this iconic bridge of Ljubljana . Built during Austro-Hungarian rule of Slovenia, 'dragon' reminds people of the legend of Jason and his Argonauts setting their feet here and killing a dragon when attacked.

Mentionable here is that according to local legends, whenever a virgin crosses Dragon bridge, dragons wag their tails.Thus,this bridge has acquired a nickname : 'the mother-in-law'.

Presernov trg Square is named after France Preseren ( 1800 - 1849 AD). He is a much revered poet of Slovenia. His poem - A Toast ( Zdravijica) - has been adopted as Slovenia's national anthem. His poems has been translated into English, French, German, Spanish,Italian, Hungarian, Russian, Slovak, Ukrainian, Belorussian ,Bengali as well as to all the languages of former Yugoslavia. In 2013 AD, a complete collection of his poems, titled 'Poezije' was translated in French.The city paid its tribute to him through this monument :

Preseren Monument, designed by Ivan Zajek, unveiled in 1905 AD.

Muse hails above the statue of Preseren clutching his Poem's collection.

Around his statue, stand several iconic buildings of Ljubljana .The most majestic among the same is Franciscan Church of the Annunciation. Its red colour is symbolic of Franciscan monastic colour.

Couple of notes in this context : Firstly, in the front facade , we find a statue of Madonna with Child - ' Our Lady of Loretto'.It has been made of beaten copper by Matej Schreiner. But, the plan was drawn by another artist while the faces and hands were executed by yet another artist ( source - Wikipedia). The statue replaced an older wooden statue of ' Black Madonna'. Secondly, many of the original frescoes inside the Church were ruined during the earth quake of 1895 AD. Fresh frescoes were painted by Slovene impressionist painter Matej Stemen in 1936 AD.

The Franciscan Church of the Annunciation, viewed from Tri-Bridge.

Built between 1646 & 1660 AD , replacing an older building.

Front facade built in Baroque style in 1703 - 1706 AD. Redesigned in 19th century.

As I have mentioned earlier, staying in the 'Old Town' gave us a lot of advantage in terms of sight-seeing. The ambience was - we enjoyed the it a lot ! Apart cleanliness, a very noticeable feature here was deployment of electric vehicles in the 'No-Automobile' zone which transport people from one point in this zone to another.We had a ride in this car for a round in the 'Old Town',starting from from Tri-bridge to Kongresni trg through Hribarjevo nabrezje through footpaths of neighbouring city road to Preseren trg to the station for Funicular ride to Castle.

Our Homestay @ 15 Stari trg.

Our Homestay was at 15 Stari trg , close to the Schweiger House @ no 11a , which is adorned with buildings which date back from Baroque period. Located between 11 and 15, its number should have been 13, but, '11a' was, very understandingly, allotted to it. The balustrade is supported on the shoulder of a man who puts his finger on his lips, requesting the passers-by to be silent . [Schweiger is a German word which means a silent man.]

Schweiger House.

A closer view of the man with his finger on his lips and a bust of Lily Novy.

On commission from Franz Karl Schweiger von Lerchenfeld, it was rebuilt from an older house to a design by the architect Candido Zulliani between 1748 and 1749. Schweiger House is considered to be his most important surviving work.The silent man motif also appears on the Schweiger family's coat of arms attached to the facade just below the roofing. Next to the entrance, there is a portrait statue of one of the building's later owners, the poetess Lily Novy, sculpted by Lujo Vodopivec in 1985.

Cathedral's Dome and Bell Towers in view.

Robba's Fountain's replica in foreground.

Most attractive sights in this side of the river Ljublajanica, in my opinion, are Francesco Robba's Fountain of Carniolan Rivers' replica and Town Hall in Mestni trg and Saint Nicholas Cathedral, a little ahead,on Dolnicarjeva ulica.Photography is a delight in this area both during daytime and evening.

Cathedral's side door -

with 20th Century Bishops depicted on it.

Seminary Palace & Library - a building next to the Cathedral.

The Cathedral, as we find it today, has replaced a three-nave Romanesque church dating back to 1262 AD. In 1700 AD, a Baroque hall Church was designed.Following year, a Jesuit architect Andrea Pozzo designed it as a Basilica and complemented it with a Dome .He did not supervise the construction. Builders added to the design two belfries, resembling Salzburg cathedral. The construction was completed by 1706 AD.The exterior and interior have long history , depicted in detail in Wikipedia. We, however, viewed this Cathedral from outside only. I did not find The Pieta on the facade very impressive, but,liked the side door with 20th Century Bishops depicted on it .

I initially thought that all three of us have missed out two prominent buildings , namely , Souvan House , located at 24 Mestni trg, opposite to Town hall and Drofenig House , an Art Nouvaeu building, with prefabricated black marble facade. Fortunately, we have two photos, one taken in the morning and the other in the night, though not very good front views.

Drofenig House' black facade is very prominent in both the photos.

Souvan house on its left.

[ Photo on RH by RC]

The Souvan House or the Hohn House is the tallest building in Town Square.Originally built in the late 17th Century, it was renovated in the early 19th Century.The plan was by Francesco Coconi.Its facade is decorated with motifs from trade,art and agriculture - one of the highest quality example of Bidermeir period architecture in Ljubljana - work by traveling sculptor Martin Kirshner. The present day Drofenig House replaced a medieval 'tri-axial building'. Reconstructed in early 20th Century, it was designed to be a building for commercial use . It still continues to be the same.

Rain-soaked Sunday morning @ Mestni/Stari trg -

tourists' colourfull umbrellas add colour to the dull weather.

TERRA COTTA OF 'RARH' BENGAL - FROM MY TRAVEL DIARY - IX

2017-03-05T22:32:00.000-08:00

GAUR- PANDUA-BARONAGAR -SRIBATI

When I re-visited my Blog written after a trip to the above places in 2012, I noticed several photos are just not opening.I worked for an hour trying to re-insert the photos which were part of the blog. Yet , it was found corrupted. Hence, I have re-produced that blog under a fresh title.

A friend of mine requested me to post 15 best photographs from the ones we have taken during our trip to 'Rarh' Bengal in flickr/kodak/picassa. It is a difficult choice to make.Besides, I am slow about editing and often I work with writing blogs as a target.

Anyway, as I was progressing with listing and PSing the photos, I picked up a few from our albums for sharing the same with my friends and relatives.I started with a mosque , which I thought is the best among the Muslim terra cotta architecture we saw.

Among the work in Muslim terra cotta architecture of medieval Bengal at Gaur , I have selected two as the most representative ones :

Lottan Masjid. 1475 AD ( 500+ years old !)

Built @ the behest of a courtesan.

Attributed to Sultan Yusuf Shah.

Slope of the roof domes,extension on the far end and terra cotta motifs very impressive.

( Photo by RC )

Pillars & Arch in a monument under restoration @ Gaur.

( In absence of notice from ASI , no details were available.)

Grand view of such displays, when all the coloured tiles were intact

can be imagined by the viewers.

Terra cotta decoration on Western wall @ Adina Masjid built by

Sultan Sikandar Shah between 1364-74 AD,

supposedly the largest in Asia.

Simply majestic !

The history of construction of this huge Masjid stares at your eyes as you come across scores of Hindu deities abounding the structure ! But, this subject can be basis of another blog. Here we celebrate the great work of the artisans of the medieval Bengal who contributed to aesthetics of our architecture.

No caption needed .

From one of the pillars of the gate to the Nave.

Terra cotta and other temples of Baronagar were overwhelming .'Char Bangla' - the complex with four temples - demonstrate the height of aesthetics this region reached during tenure of Rani Bhavani.These temples are maintained by ASI. Gangeswar temple, a little away from the Ganges is a small 'JorBangla' temple with intricate details. This one is maintained by CAST. Besides these five, which are well-known , there are a few dilapidated temples which have remarkable stucco work.

LH - Krsna kills Kansaraj as Balaram looks on & cheers. RH - Krsna kills the 'mahut' of Kubalayapeerh while Balaram tackes the elephant. Later, Krsna would kill the elephant.

Baronagar. 1755 AD . ( Photo by RC)

Ravan had a special place in the heart of the person/s who decided on depiction of Ramayana scenes in Charbangla and Gangeswar temples. Those who are interested in more on this aspect may pl open : http://www.flickr.com/photos/maulindu/4054539545/in/set-72157622562648829/. View this Ravan, placed separately, armed and dressed regally.

Those at Sribati can be called cute. I must add that villagers of Sribati were very bitter about indifference of Govt regd. support to the maintenance efforts . They do not get even 1 rupee for removal of growth after every monsoon. These temples have panels with lots of stories to tell . Let us try to contribute to the preservation of these temples .

This panel, placed centrally above one of the arches of octagonal panel, has no figure of mythology !

The eternal battle between Shakti & Asura.

TERRA COTTA TEMPLES OF BENGAL - VIII

2017-03-04T23:46:00.000-08:00

RECALLING OUR VISIT TO SRIBATI

The ' Three Temples' - Trimandir - of Shiva.

Among all the terra cotta temples we have visited , the three Shiva temples of Sribati hold a special place in my heart. When we visited Sribati in February of 2010, these three temples were managed without Government aid. The villagers we talked to did regret this indifference , yet were proud that they kept the site clean, arranged for a floodlight - view it atop the Panchratna temple @ the centre - to protect the cluster against vandalism.

The Octagonal Temple on our right.

Inset - Insignia of Lion ( ?) - reminded me of Yali of South India !

'MrityuLata', 'Triumvirate' and other gods , KrsnaLeela, a study of head-gears and dresses. Wonderful vegetal art too.

The site has been maintained carefully for years. I have seen in a photograph taken by Amitabha Gupta during his September,2014 visit , the site was clean as ever. The stack of hay on the left side of the photo taken by me was no longer there.

মানভঞ্জন - Husband coaxing wife . A bedroom scene.

( Drama -1)

Drama between an European woman and

a reluctant Indian male while his wife dozes off.

(Drama -2)

Beauties and the Saint

(Drama -3)

These temples were built by Chandras , a family of traders, during nineteenth century. Tucked away from a main road by at least 15/20 minutes drive , a slightly arduous journey to Sribati - these temples would reward travelers handsomely who visit temples for aesthetics and photography.

Kartikeya in battlefield with Asura-s.

The artists and artisans who worked over here have packed the walls with scenes from Epic and Purana, social scenes full of drama , 'MrityuLata', art of grotesque, armed men, figures with different types of head gears and superior vegetal and ornamental motifs . A visit here is a photographer's delight . Unfortunately, we had less than two hours of afternoon sun. Several portions of the octagonal 'Deul' on our right-hand was somewhat dark . During 2010, we did not possess a DSLR either. Serious photographers should have at least three hours for photography & noting.

'Mrityulata' and vegetal/ornamental art.

Chains of human faces, figures and art of Grotesque.

Special mention need be mentioned of social scenes and art of grotesque. These are what elevate this cluster from many 'Me-Too' wall-reliefs of terra cotta temples.

I share here a few samples of the wide variety of art displayed on the wall-reliefs. Surely, visitors to my page will enjoy the same. For those who want to visit Sribati, a few note on logistics :

By train, reach Katwa. Stay in a hotel, if traveling in the evening. Next morning, travel to Kurchi More by bus & change to reach Sribati Singhi More.
By car from Kolkata, follow the route to Katwa till Kurchi More. Take a turn towards Sribati. Stay watchful about bumps.

As she peeps out of the window !

USING REFLECTION IN PUJA PANDAL (2016) DECORATION

2016-11-03T04:59:00.002-07:00

33 Pally Sarbajanin -

Inverted umbrella made out of rear-view mirrors.

This year ( 2016 ) , I have come across two Puja pandals with remarkable and very aesthetic use of mirrors to decorate the interior of the pandals.

The first one I would mention is a very well-known Durga Puja of this year - ' 33 Pally Sarbajanin '. Over-all planning here is by Shibshankar Das . He has used Ambassador cars and its parts to decorate the pandal - demonstrating the height Kolkata's installation art reaches during Durga Puja.At the entrance , he has installed an 'inverted umbrella'-shaped canopy decorated with 500+ rear view mirrors on the pathway that leads to the pandal.

33 Pally Sarbajanin -

A closer view of the above.

Inside the pandal, he created two giant 'haat-paakhaa' ( hand held fan) on each side of the podium the idols are placed. The surfaces of the 'fans' have quadrants of .mirror, reflecting the idols . Here is one comment - I could not find out the position from where I could see reflection of Devi's face .

33 Pally Sarbajanin -

Reflection of the idols on quadrants of mirrors.

Kali Puja at Parnasree is a big event. Surya Sangha started very early with their pandal construction and decoration. Huge chandelier was installed inside with lots and lots of mirrors on the inside walls. Very impressive decoration as the mirrors framing added to the effect created.

'Surya Sangha , Parnasree -

The Dark Goddess and Illumination around Her .

DURGA PUJA ,2016 : PART 1

2016-10-31T11:32:00.000-07:00

'Tridhara' -

Huge heads of buffaloes , scores of plaques with African motifs decorate the huge pandal.

After spending a quiet Durga Puja in Helsinki during 2015 , I was looking forward to the grand show of Durga Puja in Kolkata in 2016. Puja pandal decoration was completed by Triteeya/Chaturthi and pandal-hopping started with big enthusiasm. We went out before sun-rise on the mornings of Panchami and Shashthi too. On mid-day of Saptami, we covered the local pandals of Parnasree. That was the time when Anjali was being offered to Devi almost in all the pandals we covered.On the mornings of Nabami and Ekadashi, we went out again with our cameras. Very rewarding experience indeed.

'66 Pally' -

Devi's idol,the pandal and the decoration around remind the viewer

to the charm of old Kolkata !

TV shows, however, were mostly disappointing. These shows covered mostly the crowd thronging the pandals and boasting members of the organisers' committees. But, the cameras hardly covered the decoration, the lighting or the idols . Probably, the organisers do not want the TV viewers see the many details on TV screen. They are happy only when more and more people queue up through l-o-n-g corridors shaped by thousands of bamboo poles leading the 'Entry' gates.If viewers get satisfying details in TV , why will they come to the pandals in hordes ?

Deshapriya Park -

Much-hyped ' Durga with Thousand hands' &

a glimpse of the idol that was 'worshiped' according to rituals through an opening on the high pedestal of the former.

We went pandal-hopping either early morning or mid-morning, time slots not-so-popular . Yet, peaceful viewing and photography were quite difficult . Besides the crowd, we faced problem of lighting too. For example at Tridhara, lighting of the alcove housing Devi's idol was switched off in the early morning. As a result, hardly any details were visible. It necessitated a lot of efforts to extract presentable photographs from the raw shots.

'Badamtala Ashadh Sangh' -

Excellent decoration with broken bricks and terra cotta images . Disappointing layout since the Devi's idol is placed at a distance , chairs etc were scattered in front of Her pedestal , creating an unkempt look .

'Badamtala Ashadh Sangh' -

Impact/appeal of the huge inverted lotus marred by

the thick cable running across.

In fact, some of the pandals we visited were not designed to cater to serious viewers. It seems to thrive on ' More are the nos of viewers, happier are the sponsors' principle. I found excellent 'art'work marred by bad lighting , un-organised placement of furniture , large distance between viewer's space and where the idols are positioned. In several cases, tip of Devi's crowns were not visible, the sides of 'Ganesha' and 'Kartick' poorly illuminated.

'Ballygunge Cultural' -

The 'Asura' here looks strong - most of Kolkata's idol-makers seems to have no idea what the appearance of 'Mahishasura' should be.

He threw the gods out of heaven &

it took the power and weapons of ten of them to defeat him.

But, these aberrations are 0.1% of the whole show. The artistic value of the installations and efforts were simply astounding.

'Parnasree Club' -

After 'Astami' Puja.

'TENTACLES OF VEGETATION'

2016-05-26T22:08:00.001-07:00

Till the other day, I used to walk in quite fast pace. Then, my left leg decided not to co-operate with me. I was compelled to stay put in Kolkata during 2013 . My visit to Rajasthan/Delhi in November, 2014 was two years after my Bangalore/Mysore visit in 2012.It was only the 2nd half of my 2015 visit to NJ/Helsinki when I started regaining my confidence. that too quite slowly.

Puistola, Helsinki is a typical Finnish suburb - a lot of greenery , undulated topography surrounding the houses, schools and other urban amenities. I have taken lots of photographs of nature , colourful during the Fall and then bare & dry as the winter approached. A few berries, both black and red took on the weather with all the resilience they had. Otherwise, bare branches, dull- yellow dying leaves littered on the forest ground was a common scene.

I took photos to familiarise myself with my new Nikon camera and explore the surroundings as I have never seen anything like this earlier, not even at Banbury. And .... to insert a few pauses during the walk to catch my breath.

While editing the photos after six months or more during this hot summer night in May'20 Kolkata, this photo of dead branches ( tree trunk on viewer's right not in the photo ) attracted my notice. Just like tentacles. I photoshopped and arrived at the B&W version which is at the top of the post. No one 'liked' the photo which I posted in my flickr.com page. Nor in FB, anyone noticed it but for my wife and a friend/poet. But, I believe this is a strong composition - not by me, just another 'one' of nature.

the original photo, before photoshop is here. Just count the numbers of branches creeping inside this photo's 'frame' !! They almost seem to be of an animal, not of vegetation.

PORTRAYALS ON NATURE'S CANVAS

2016-01-02T09:00:00.002-08:00

SCRAPBOOK of HELSINKI VISIT_2015

Colour of sunset against a deep blue sky

Scandinavia's nature is a photographer's delight. During my short visit in June,15, I found Helsinki green. Lingering day - light seeping through curtains even @ 2 am. The second round - September to November - was more interesting as I witnessed the change of season. Bright blue sky, orange sunset, colours of autumn and then ground frost on brown trees......

Colour of 'Autumn'.

Trees which have shed all the leaves have another kind of appeal. In a photo, it looks like a painting with Chinese ink. My bro-in-law suggested - if I would lie down on the ground and take photos of a cluster of trees , the puddle-like sky seen through the cluster. Well, I did not go that 'far' , but, clicked several photos with camera-lens pointing up , while I stood at the bottom of the bare branches. On the flip-side, when I returned home, I found my hair and jacket have collected good nos of insects.

And... this one is almost monochrome.

As if painted by Chinese ink !

I took scores of photos of berries - both black and red - on near-barren branches . And... of white and yellow mushrooms which grew on a stack of cut-off trunks of birch trees.

REFLECTIONS & SHADOWS - SOME MORE PHOTOS FROM SCANDINAVIA

2015-11-07T10:12:00.000-08:00

Thin crowd in Helsinki streets is one reason that makes outdoor photography in Helsinki simple. On a bright day , while strolling along Mannerheimintie and around Kanavakatu , I captured several interesting shots on glass facades of imposing buildings. Sunlight made taking photos of North-South roads difficult as shadow of one row of buildings dictated the quality of the capture.

Reflection of steeple of National Museum of Finland

on the glass exterior of 'Music Center ', Helsinki.

Sun-light & shadow spoilsport !

Tram-route 4, as it turns off Kanavakatu.

Shadows bring another kind of rewarding photo opportunity too. I found two interesting shadows of Uspenski Cathedral's Cupola on a neighbouring building. And......several shapes of shadows on other buildings.

The prized photo-capture of reflection among the ones I have collected is that of the tower of National Museum of Helsinki upon the black glass panes of a mini-van parked in Lippuautomatti parking lot, just off the Mannerheimintie . Reflection of a tree and its branches makes the image more captivating !

TREES WITH COPPER-COLOUR LEAVES

2015-11-04T05:33:00.000-08:00

From our house to the neighbouring horse firm.

Half the trees are bare in October,15.

During October,15, we were blessed with beautiful sunshine for a large nos of days. It was one such bright day - 3rd Friday of October, when we went for a walk in the neighbourhood of Puistola , Helsinki . We went from our house to the near-by horse-stable through a path strewn with leaves , shed by the shrubs and trees through this path runs. We walked into the cluster of houses in the neighbouring area. And... then we came out on E75 , strolled on the foot-path for a whole before we returned home. During this leg of our walk, we noticed a few trees - not many though - whose leaves were wearing a copper-like colour. Bright mid-day sun made these trees stand apart from the ones whose leaves have turned yellow or deep orange. Unfortunately, I was not carrying my camera and missed the opportunity of clicking.

Copper-coloured leaves.

Lack of sun-light affected brightness !

After 3 days, I went out with my camera, tracing the same route, capturing the photos of neighbourhood in general , colourful trees and shrubs as well as the bare ones. But, the sky was mostly covered with cloud . Occasionally, sun-rays pierced the cloud , offering little photo opportunities.

Sun less noon !

During this walk, I discovered a tree with copper-colour leaves in the compound of a house in a by-lane of my route. Fortunately, a gentleman was coming out as I posed with my camera from the road outside. With his permission, I went inside the compound, took several photos of the leaves adorning its branches . When I walked out, I noticed : this gentleman was talking to his neighbour as she was preparing to out in her car and watching my movement !

With thanks to the 'unknown' gentleman.

Combines a bare tree and that with copper-co;our leaves.

My eyes and camera looked for the trees with copper-colour leaves. Yet, other scenes also crept in.

TREE OF LIFE -2

2015-10-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

WINTER'S BARE TREES

another winter's come, the trees lay bare,
mere skeletons, stiff standing, 'pon the ground,
like you, protruding from the mind, no sound,
a quiet remnant, gone, but always there,

the trees wait patiently for that one day,
when life returns to every waiting thing,
I, too, await the Day of mankind's Spring,
when you'll return from where you've gone away.

Sourced from : 'Hello Poetry ', written by Christos Rigakos

WALKING FROM CAFE CAROUSL TO HEGILA BRIGITTAS PARK , HELSINKI

2015-10-23T14:39:00.001-07:00

..............................ENJOYING THE AUTUMN SUN

Spire pierces the deep blue sky of Helsinki,

as the Eiranranta neighbourhood's red roofs

are bathed in orange light of setting sun.

A friend of mine, who was in Helsinki for a long time, advised me to take a stroll on the sea-side around Cafe Carousel.On a sunlit afternoon in October,2015 , we spent hours walking between these two points and taking photographs. I had visited Scandinavia earlier during 1980s/90s several times when I was working with Flakt India. During every visit , I used to be impressed by beauty of Scandinavia's nature . This year, now in Finland, I got the opportunity of viewing this 'beauty' from so many angles ! Her seaside, her deep-blue sky , the colour of sunset on light white cloud, her lakes,morning light adorning tree-tops with yellow leaves.

Adam ,Eve,the Apple and ......

instead of Eden, Gulf of Finland.

Here are some of the photographs I have taken during my walk on the sea-front and the beautiful residential area parallel to this walk, along the street Eiranranta.

Cafe Carousel to Hegila Brigittas Park in Google Map

Sailors' delight, viewers' envy !

Cafe Carousel has quite a warm ambiance , with several large glass-panes opening on the sea. We were fortunate to get one free during Sunday lunch-time. Self-service set-up. Average plus quality. Pizza pieces and salads appeared to the least inviting. Western sensibility often does not approve of candid photography in such places where people can be in intimate postures. So, no photo of the interior was taken by me. Ruby is undauntable.... she clicked a couple of photos.

Sun slowly disappearing behind Hernesaari

After the lunch, as we progressed slowly from this Cafe to the Park, we saw numerous boats sailing in the deep blue sea, Helsinki -to- Stockholm ferry leaving Market Square, sun slowly disappearing behind Hernesaari, orange sunlight lending every object a surreal glow . Finally, people in bubbles plying foot-ball in the ground adjacent to Cafe Carousel.

Bubble football match - courtesy Surath Chatterji

TREE OF LIFE - 1

2015-10-16T13:45:00.000-07:00

STAYING ALIVE ......

You can't kill me

You can't kill what you do not see

Oh how you've tried

To blow my brains out with bigotry

Chopped off my wings

So I couldn't fly free

And dared me to be me

.......................................

And all the other brothers

Who were sacrificed for the price

Of our freedom

And for love of living

And dancing on clouds sipping sunrays through a straw

We live in awe of ourselves

You can't kill me

You can't kill what you do not see.

- Abiodun Oyewole

TWO ASPECTS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

2015-10-15T01:27:00.001-07:00

CAPTURING 'PEOPLE' IN INDIA/3rd WORLD COUNTRIES & WESTERN WORLD

This blog is going to be different from my usual ones as I try to put across a point about which there can be arguments.The subject of discussion is : A photographer need take permission of his/her subject before clicking.

The answer is : YES, Specially before capturing private moments. But, otherwise, if a part of a street scene ? Secondly, should a photographer ask target/s pose and show-case the same as the as candid photo/s ?

This is a law in many Western countries regarding the 1st point. I have glanced through some of the discussions in the Internet - mostly questions & answers - regarding this topic. Also, some street photographs - old and new . I conclude : this is a norm which is highly 'respected' when in , say, France or UK.Volume of candid photographs is , therefore, shrinking.

When tourists and photographers from Western world visit India, how they conduct themselves ? Do they obtain permission of the beggars, old people in the streets,so-called 'sadhus' in popular temples and other places of worship ?

My observation - based on several incidents in Hampi,Karnataka, Konark, Orissa and Udaipur , Rajasthan - is that this is often done. Yet, there is a big 'BUT'!!

Young boys and girls, appearing to be from families of lower income group are offered toffees or cheap pens, beggars and 'sadhus' are given tenner to pose for photos. This conscious behaviour of photographers from the Western hemisphere has changed the habit of good no of Indians living in places of tourist attractions. I have been repeatedly pestered for pens and/or small gifts , even if I am not interested in clicking his/her photo and I hardly look like a Westerner.In fact, I rarely took photos of passers-bys' faces , whether in Cities, Towns,temples or other places of tourist attractions ! ( Only now I am changing my habit) .

I believe, this process of obtaining concurrence by INFLUENCING the subject/s is not at all commendable.I kept some photos and mental notes of incidents to write down my feelings , to which my friends may OR may not agree.

The above brings into light two sides of this 'concurrence before click' arrangement:

Overdone in streets of Western hemisphere ? Pl view the photographs below. Not only VM - who is much older than the current generation - but others have projected shadows in staircases, feet below knees, faces obscured by opaque glass-pane in their portfolio. Very often, the spontaneity is just not there.Instead, we find conscious posing as seen the TL's photo here.
Photos taken in 3rd World that often portraits,poverty,misery,mal-nutrition and chaos.

A photo from Vivian Maier Collection

A photo from Thomas Leuthard Collection

Photo taken during my Konrk ( Orissa) visit in 2012.

NOTE :This boy pestered me nos of times for money in exchange of taking his photograph I was NOT interested in.He walked parallel to me just to annoy !!

I eventually clicked his photo & made a mental note for use in a Blog on this subject.

A photo of a Somalian in distress , picked up from Internet.

Was concurrence taken ?

Photo taken during my Hampi visit in 2011.

NOTE :On the LH side of the road leading to Hampi, we stopped to click details of a parked chariot. This group kept on pestering me for taking their photos & rewards like pens or chocolates.. I clicked this photo without any 'rewards' and they went away happy after seeing their faces on Camera's screen.

I shall end by requesting friends from Western World visiting India - and other 3rd World countries - not to 'influence' people, at least the young boys and girls for posing for photographs which are posted boastfully in their Social Circle pages.

FALLAKULLAN KOTIELAINTILA

2015-09-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

ANIMAL FARM WE VISITED ON 20/09/2015

View from the car-park.

The main building is at a small elevation.

A nice spot to visit , very close to where we were staying - i.e. Puistola. It was 20/09/15 - afternoon of a bright Sunday Reached in 5 minutes by car. Passed by Malmi Airport where many families gathered, very likely, to watch some show as we noted cars parked around the Airport's entry.

Another view of the Main Building.

A sprawling farm it is - just on the outskirt of Helsinki, off Malminkaari . We reached there nearly at the time of closing. We found horses and cows grazing outside in areas earmarked and separately fenced off. A near-by lane ran towards a big Flat-complex on rear side of the Farm - presumably the people around just strolled from there only with their kids just to enjoy the sun and facilities.

Horses and a pony graze in the area earmarked for them

Among the facilities, remarkable are a wooden horse for the children to climb, a long-bodied wooden dashound to sit down upon , log benches & tables for having coffee & snacks.The penns are open to visitors on Sundays.

We found horses,cows,pigs,goats,lambs, ducks and hens ,rabbit (!) . The pig sty is very clean - little odour . Over-all standard of neatness is amazing. Typically Scandinavian. Young girls were in-charge of managing the animals, probably a good part of house-keeping too.

This horse is fond of human contact !

On a dashound bench !

we took several photos sitting on this dashound -shaped bench . But, it was quite a popular spot. Though we were at this Farm quite late and stayed behind after the establishment closed, we had to wait quite a good amount of time for our turn. Among the persons who used this 'seat' for photography,two old ladies were oblivious to expectation of others. I sat there and called out my wife in Bengali to take my photograph, with the intention of disturbing the ladies- but without any success.

Our family photos are for restricted circulation - thus, stopping here without sharing some of the fun-moments we had at this spot.

EVERYDAY VIEW OF NEW YORK , TWEAKED.....

2015-08-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

ASPIRATION

Morning sky @ Hackensack,

juxtaposed with scenes from New York.

Time to say 'good-bye' to the current phase of our stay in the USA. Our stays here have so far been underlined by serious events. When we reached here in 2010, soon after our elder son's marriage, father of our daughter-in-law expired. This time - it was just the opposite - we were here to witness arrival of our grand-daughter. A girl for the 1st time in our family's lineage after two generations.

IN THE SHADOWS

(Street scene ,Broadway)

We were mostly indoors during the first part of our stay. Going out was either for shopping or to hospital. During the later phase of our stay, went around to various locations for photography, the last one being a night through streets and avenues of New York. Here is a collection of my photos tweaked by Photoshop.

TOWARDS THE LAST LAP

(Street scene ,Broadway)

It is difficult to photograph street scenes in night. From moving cars, hindered by traffic ahead. And... without tripod. And... when one section of the frame is very bright, the other is not. Another problem I faced was garbage on footpath and vehicles for their removal parked here & there.

CITY REFLECTS....

View across Hudson river ,from North Bergen

MONOCHROME SKY , GREEN EARTH ........

2015-08-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

@ POCONO STATE PARK, PENNSYLVANIA

Earth covered with green grass, wild flowers blooming.

Sky covered with slate-coloured cloud.

This park on top of Camelback Mountain, Pennsylvania is at about 1980 ft height. The view reminded me of Mahabaleshwar, though the height of this hill resort of India is more than twice that of Camelback mountain.

Sun-set's splendour we missed.

An orange glow lit up the gap between the mountain range and cloud.

The observation point offers nearly 300 degree view, with Rim road, clearing at the top,walk-arounds. The observation point is a good picnic spot too, which benches and tables placed facing both the visible ranges of hills on western and eastern sides.

View of mountain ranges, winding road at a distance and

a few glimpse of the Water Park among the trees near by

This 'Mountain Back' is about 1 hour 45 minutes drive from our residence @ Hackensack - 82 miles or 145 Km. We drove along I-80, sometimes quite free, clogged with traffic occasionally. Crossed Delaware water gap - difficult to photograph while the car was speeding .The road up the hill was winding, as expected. We had little traffic during our climb up. There were traces of rain during the evening and many car owners started descending one after the other.

Cars descending the winding path

as the evening cloud threatens shower.

An arch-shaped cross-over seen from I-80,

captured @ 65 mph (and PSed !).

OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD @ HACKENSACK ( NJ )

2015-08-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

Sun rises above eastern horizon while neighbourhood at Passaic Street sleeps

View of south east horizon

View from our balcony here is awesome . Specially, when the sun rises in the morning. Again when the sun is near the western horizon , a part of Hackensack is sunlit, yet in the distant south-western horizon, the tall and very tall buildings are under part shadow, part lit-up.

A closer view of our neighbourhood.

Greenery spreads till the horizon.

Our block has Prospect Avenue in its front -cannot be viewed from our balcony. What we find is a slice of Passaic Street and nice cottages along its eastern edge. Then lot of greenery till the eastern horizon. Not many buildings can be viewed surpassing the green canopy of trees.

For a few minutes every clear evening, buildings acquire a blazing tint

The western horizon is blocked by the neighbouring buildings. The south-western horizon has a completely different 'personality. Trees, buildings, cars running along Expressway 80 ( connects Hackensack to George Washington Bridge ) . Still further away are the sky-scrappers of Manhattan. Different at different hours of the day. Different under different conditions of the sky.

Manhattan as the sky pours over.

Neighbouring buildings in RH side block the Western sky

Lighted buildings in the south western horizon

on a clear evening/night is a view beyond description.

( Courtesy - Ruby Chatterji)

This sky-line looks so wonderful at night. Can be hardly captured in my DSLR camera, as we do not have a tripod here.Miss a binocular very much.

Rain-soaked neighbourhood.Bad photograph- re-touched

Wonderful was the day (11th August) when it rained since morning.The sky was covered with thick cloud. Manhattan often invisible. The very 1st few photos were spoiled because I messed up the 'Focus'( AF) setting .

Neighbourhood under canopy of cloud.

A CAR-RIDE THROUGH HELSINKI

2015-07-24T09:23:00.001-07:00

A GLIMPSE OF A SCANDINAVIAN CAPITAL - HELSINKI

Dome of Helsinki cathedral, designed by a German Architect, Carl Ludviq Engel.

Opened in 1852 AD.

Belongs to Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral of the Diocese of Helsinki.

A family situation took my wife, Ruby Chatterji, and me to Helsinki in April,2015. We stayed in a sunlit suburb of Helsinki . Bright , long days welcomed us . The neighbourhood was having small and large living quarters, roads and footpaths nearly empty. Trees green with young leaves. Lots and lots of flowers - so very different from a typical Kolkata neighbourhood.

Memory of Finland's past .

Kept at Helsinki's South harbour area

During the only weekend we had, when the sun was in the Western part of the horizon, we were taken around for a couple of hours, which include a stop at a strolling area around back-water of the sea. We visited Helsinki Cathedral and the drove past Kauppatori - the market was closed at that hour, Central Business district neighbouring Rauttatientori ( railway Station) etc.

[ Note - Rautatientori (Rauta = Iron, Tie = Road, Tori = Market/Station. Literal meaning: Iron-Road-Station aka Railway Station )].

A street scene - 13/06/15. Helsinki

A not-so-large Helsinki 'eye'

Remarkable were the cobbled roads and trams. We may visit Helsinki once more during September-October,15 when I plan to enjoy couple of tram rides and at least one ferry ride. I feel attracted by cobbled roads of Europe.The one etched in my memory is a lane with cobbled surface of Geneva and photos of those of Vienna.

Looking forward to a tram-ride along the cobbled roads of Helsinki !

& a walk along this cobbled road.

Here are some photographs Ruby and I took during the car-ride and the stop-over at the water-front. The day was so bright, people enjoying the scenery and the environment - words cannot capture the spirit.

Walk along (back)water-front of Helsinki.
Sibelius Park.

Summer bloom.

Flowers in bushes of neighbourhood of where we stayed in Helsinki.

'OUTDOOR GALLERY' OF PAINTINGS OF SHEKHAWATI REGION OF RAJASTHAN

2015-04-25T00:35:00.000-07:00

FROM MY RAJASTHAN VISIT DIARY - NOVEMBER,2014.

Ladla Street , Manadwa

For a year or so, we were planning a trip to the Shekhawati region - to savour the display of paintings on buildings of this region - under current Jhunjhunu district. Mandawa and Nawalgarh were our choice for visit and photography. In the internet, what I found about Dr Ramnath Poddar Haveli Museum of Nawalgarh impressed me a lot ! It was, however, built in 1920s, therefore, not old enough from my point of view. Later, during the visit, we found Goenka Haveli of Dundlod contain excellent examples of Shekhawati paintings .

Adorned corridor,

Dr Ramnath Poddar Haveli Museum of Nawalgarh

Stylised painting of Krsna, Goenka Haveli, Dundlod.

Owners of the painted buildings were mostly rich traders. 19th and early-20th centuries saw proliferation of this practice numerous examples of which stand out to-day. As the owners have shifted out of Jhunjhunu district, building maintenance has become costlier by-the-day, many of the buildings lost the charming paintings on the external walls. I noticed that some owners raise a portion of the expenditure for maintenance by selling tickets for viewing the courtyards and occasionally, a specially painted room . Example - a room which has paintings done with gold. Owner of one building ( presently called 'Khemani House' - earlier owned by Laxmi Narayan Ladia) at Mandawa allowed us to enter the inner courtyard and photograph the well-maintained paintings - but such welcomes are rare and not expected either ,specially if the 'haveli' is inhabited.

Khemka's Haveli, Mandawa

Initially, I wanted to capture as many scenes from Ramayana , Mahabharata and Bhagavata Purana as possible. When in the location itself, I found many interesting subjects beyond traditional mythological scenes .

Krsna & Radha in kite flying contest !

Dr Ramnath Poddar Haveli Museum of Nawalgarh

The Raghunatha temple in middle of Mandawa town has fine examples of paintings in Shekhawati style. This temple may not be very old , but, a must-visit for those love paintings. Here. I shall add that quite a few hotels here - transformed from old havelis - have decorated both the exterior and the interior with paintings in Shekhawati style , thus adding colour to this town's ambiance.

Vishnu & His Avataras.

Raghunatha temple, Mandawa.

War scene from Ramayana .

Raghunatha temple, Mandawa.

Painting from Hotel Shekhawati , Mandawa.

STUMBLES @ FAMOUS TEMPLE SITES, INDIA.

2014-12-25T11:52:00.000-08:00

AS MURPHY'S LAW CATCHES UP WITH ME .....

Ranganayaki temple @ Belur.

100th photo at this temple complex when

battery of 1000D rang the 1st alarm-bell !

Photography in India's temple sites has so many problems - I recount here some of the problems I have come across personally . Trustees do not allow photography at several temples . Example - Jagganatha temple ,Puri, Lingaraj temple complex,Bhubaneshwar . The idols @ Srinathji temple , Nathadwara and Jagdish temple ,Udaipur are so exquisite ! But, photography is strictly prohibited at Nathdwara . Deity's photograph at Jagdish temple also cannot be clicked. I visited Ranakpur 2nd time after 2009 in November,2014. The core area of Chaturmukha/Adinath temple was out-of-bounds for photographers, thus robbing the photographers from clicking best of the wall-reliefs! Well - the Trustees here has not yet been as restrictive as those of Jain temple of Mount Abu. Such restrictions take away the joy of being among architectural wonder like Chaturmukha/Adinath temple or Lingaraj temple complex,Bhubaneshwar

Rich engraving on pillars - total 1444 nos* -

of Chaturmukha/Adinath temple, Ranakpur.

The double-line chord is there to restrict photographers !

@ Belur, Halebid and Ranakpur , I have faced major glitches To-day, I can look back with some amusement and a lot of regrets. I might have avoided these problems with better planning which have left big gaps in my collection of photographs. It may be interesting to write a few lines on each of the incidents as a part of my travel diary .

Panel of Kedareshwar temple Halebid.

Last shot before battery of 1000D went to sleep !

Batteries of my Canon 1000 D and Ruby's s3is almost simultaneously reached 'zero' level within 10 minutes of our reaching the temple site.Both the cameras faced 'Low Battery' situation with freshly charged ones - indicating drained out batteries s3is needed 4 pencil batteries which could be easily obtained from a local shop just across the temple. But, Canon's LP-E5, that started malfunctioning after only 5000+ shots, continued to trouble me till I could purchase a new battery at Mysore day after next , i.e, after we covered both Belur and Halebid.While at Belur, I managed 370 shots with 3/4 intermediate charging @ slightly far away Hotel room and from the temple-adjacent shop from where I purchased pencil batteries in the morning.

My sincere thanks to this shop-keeper

( Opp. to Belur temple)

@ Halebid, I could manage 150 shots through 3 re-charges. Thank goodness - Canon s3is continued to function smoothly. So, we could leave with photos of all that caught our eyes.

But, at Ranakpur, both in 2009 and 2014, we were not so lucky. We reached Ranakpur after 4pm in 2009. By the time we booked our accommodation , bought tickets and entered the Chaturmukha/ Adinath temple, it was 4.25 pm. We found out, after 5 pm, the authorities do not allow photography inside this temple ! Bad 'cops' were after my camera from 5.05pm - but a good 'cop' allowed me to click a few more photos till it was 5.15pm . Outside , in three other temples, we could continue till sunset, but, I still have regret for not having reached the location by 3 pm ! That was when I thought I should return here to click without tension.

From Chaturmukha/Adinath temple

- image-size only 1.03 MB !

This year in November,2014, we were @ Ranakpur again. Reaching there by 11 am to find we cannot take photographs inside the temple till 12 noon. So, we had an early lunch and covered the smaller temples After completing photography @ Suryanarayan temple, I realised I had an incorrect camera setting.I corrected the same, shot some more photos ,but, during the re-setting, mixed up the sizing. After reaching Jodhpur in the evening, I realised that the photo size selected was 'SMALL' !!

This Bhairava-like deity'photo was taken 1n 2009.

Would have loved to visit him in 2914 too !

My regret compounded when I realised I completely missed one of the smaller temples - Parsvanath temple - which has exquisite examples of Hindu/Jain Iconography. This was covered no doubt by Ruby, but not 100% .Some of the wall-reliefs I wanted to click were not there !

Ravana emerging from Lanka -

painting @ Raghunatha temple, Mandawa.

Needed heavy dose of PS to bring out clarity.

The last of the glitch was at Mandawa when , for no apparent reason, stitch on left side shoulder of my relatively new shirt, tailored by Raymond's gave away. The stitch was repaired by a tailor opposite to Raghunatha temple.I stayed put in the car as I felt shy about walking around with a camera in a vest. Therefore, Ruby went ahead with her canon s3is - but, later I found , the temple was adorned with excellent paintings of stories from Ramayana & KrsnaLeela, but, lighting was poor. Canon 1000D was indeed needed.

* Note - Reference taken from : https://thatandthisinmumbai.wordpress.com/2013/05/30/the-jain-temples-of-rajasthan/.

WONDERFUL OSIAN - A MEMORABLE VISIT TO THIS TEMPLE VILLAGE

2014-12-01T22:26:00.000-08:00

AESTHETICS OF OSIAN TEMPLES' ART !

View of cluster of temples around SachchyiaMata temple.
History of these temples date back to 8th century AD.

This cluster of temples welcomes visitors to Osian at its entrance.

Idol of Sri Sri SachchiyaMata.
This temple was reconstructed during 12th century AD.

I have read about Osian temples being compared those of Khajuraho. Did not find much details on similarity though. Our November,14 visit to Osian was indeed an eye-opener about the rich temple art here ! Structurally, Khajuraho and Bhubaneswar temples are much bigger - often materials of study for students of Hindu temple architecture. But, wall-reliefs and ornamentation of both Sachchiyamata complex and Jain temples' complexes are aesthetically a class in themselves .The deities and the human figures are built delicately. Faces and physique, postures and expressions, ornaments and clothing, composites and symbols - everything measure upto a very high standard og artistry.

In the three temples @ SachchiyaMata's temple's level, we have three manifestations

of 'Varah Avatar' of Vishnu. Here is one where Vishnu has four hands ,

Bhudevi resting on his left upper arm.

...... and here, subjugation of the 'Nagas'.

Salutation of the 'Nagas' -

inner roof of temple adjacent to that of SachchiyaMata.

The Sachchiyamata complex is built atop a small mound, with stairs running from the street level, with a break in between , where a few other small temples are located. At the top, idol of Sachchiyamata has been placed at the centre of a cluster of temples, with one temple attached with the central one having significant relief work on its roof. Two modest-sized temples are on Sachchiyamata's right and one more on the left . Photographers' delight - somewhat obstructed by deep blue-coloured fabricated barriers .

Art of juxtaposition -

Gods, beauties, sages and composite animals placed side-by-side.

Siva-Shakti Iconography, the traditional rows of animals and imageries of flow of life

have lost sharpness, thus a part of their appeal.

Closer observation will charm the visitors. We find Vishnu, his Avataras, Surya, Indra, beautiful women, sages with strange expressions and mythical animals in combat placed in deep-set alcoves. Each relief has mark of very matured and superior artistry. Faces, hair-style, dresses and poses speak high about the art of Pratihara dynasty. Dr Asha Kalia , more than 30 years ago, wrote a book on Osian art - wish I had access to this book before my visit.

Combat between composites & human beings adorn the east-side wall of

Lakshmi-Narayan temple, on LH of SachchiyaMata temple.

Close-up of 'Slaying of Hiranyakashipu' on the east-side wall of

Lakshmi-Narayan temple, on LH of SachchiyaMata temple.

Two temples @ lower level of SachchiyaMata complex.

Well-known desert beyond green boundary of Osian village in far horizon.

My wife and I have captured in our camera whatever appealed to our eyes aesthetically. For extensive details, please refer to Dr Asha Kalia's pages in the Internet, in case her book is not available in your neighbouring Library.

TRAVEL THROUGH RAJASTHAN - NOVEMBER,2014

2014-11-24T06:10:00.001-08:00

FROM MY TRAVEL DIARY - 1

This map shows the path we covered.

The traditional way of capturing Qutb Minar's photograph.

For a fortnight since 6/11/14, Ruby and I traveled from New Delhi to various places in Rajasthan , driving partly in cars , partly in buses through cities, villages, desert and valleys to visit Mandawa and Nawalgarh in Shekhawati region, Ajmer, Udaipur, Srinathjiu's temple @ Nathdwara, Ranakpur, Osian and .Jodhpur.

View of Fateh sagar from top of Maharana Pratap Memorial , Udaipur.

Full view of the fountain , Fateh sagar, Udaipur.

We visited Qutb Complex and Humayun's Tomb to after decades to savour Muslim architecture, excellent sculptures' Galleries at Ajmer and New Delhi ( National Museum), scores of temples and best of the examples of Shekhawati paintings. And... the architecture of Yashawant Thada, Jodhpur.

Pillars of Hindu temples used widely in Quawaat-ul-Islam Mosque, Qutb Complex, New Delhi.

Varaha Incarnation of Vishnu. 10 -11th Century. DUngarpur,Rajasthan.

Akbari Fort Museum, Ajmer.

There were glitches, time over-run, misses - specially @ Ranakpur , opportunities not utilised as time slipped through a couple of lazy mornings.Worst was the ban on photography in the most important zone of the main temple. There were unexpected rewards too - e.g. Sound&Light show @ Akabari Fort, Ajmer and the three nearly deserted temples @ entrance of Osian village with astounding iconography !

Exterior Wall of Hotel Shekhawati, Mandwa.

View from the entrance of one of the many Havelis we covered
@ Mandawa and near-by areas.

We came across helpful people in buses, trains - the hotel owner @ Mandawa, the guide and some of the Haveli owners @ both Mandawa and Nawalgarh, Shekhawati artist Devnarayanji, Gulabjisa - the young security guard , fashionably dressed in dhoti-kurta - shop-keepers at Udaipur and Ajmer....... Remarkable were the S- and U-curves in the bus-route between Sikar and Ajmer and the reticent car-driver who tool us from Udaipur to Jodhpur via Ranakpur !

View from interior of Jasawant Thada, Jodhpur.

Ruby poses with 'Gulabjisa' , Security Guard-cum-guide of Jaswanat Thada, Jodhpur.

Why people visit monuments - a sizable section visits to absorb details with aid of guides as well as to worship if the monument is a live temple. A miniscule section take photographs for reference and later viewing. Yet, a large section walk in for a stroll and taking their own photographs. With camera-equipped mobile phone in almost every palm, 'phataphat' photo sessions on the court-yards of historical monuments has become very common -- a trend very common in Durga Puja pandals or Millennium Park at the shore of the Ganges !

Ranakpur is proud of this Jain temple,with so well crafted interior & exterior.

One of the four small temples at the entrance of Osian.

It will be my endevour to share a section of the photos and notes with my friends in this page as well as facebook page. I end this blog thanking my friends and relatives whose hospitality enlivened this trip and Ruby who has taken gigabytes of photos to enrich my collection.

A matter of choice - Photographers engaged

in capturing the monument as well as the moment !

( at Qutb Complex)

Silence !

Humayun's Tomb, New Delhi.