Photographica

Andaman & Nicobar

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 04:41:00 +0000

Went out for a long trip with family last month to Andaman s after a long long time . The islands out there are simply amazing, abundant with corals and crystal clear waters. Took this shot while on our way to Elephanta beach, Havelock Island from a speedboat.

There were a few uprooted trees @ the beach (as a result of tsunami!). This one provided a perfect frame to click through. The combination of white sand and deep hues of the sea served the right color composition.

Pretty uncommon scene for the mainland beaches of the Indian peninsula but quite common in these islands. Had only seen a swimming pool with such clear water prior to this! Took this shot @ Radhanagar beach, Havelock Island

The color of the water had just left me spellbound! My D5000 was already on fire!

Pahadi collection

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:28:00 +0000

This series comprises of snaps taken during my last year`s trip(2009) to Uttrakhand and few other places.

Spotted this old man @ Kushalnagar near Madikeri(Coorg) while shopping in the Tibetan market. He was gazing with amazement at me while I was trying to capture his face on my cam.

I came across this 'saadhu' while I was rushing downhill after visiting the holy shrine of Kedarnath. He posed immediately even before I could get my camera into position. But later, I realized his kindly gesture demanded some kind of donation! As he started cursing me when I continued my journey downhill after clicking his picture!

These porters earn their livelihood only during the summer season when the roads are cleared for the devotees to visit the holy shrine of 'Hemkund Sahib' situated at a height of 14000 ft. This one like many others had stopped to take rest at the summit. His eyes spoke more than I could even think of! Gazing at the white peaks with a worried and weary look while the freezing Himalayan wind blew across his face.

I still don`t know what this man was up to, sitting under a tree near a temple in Joshimath. He somehow caught my attention and I also did n `t hesitate to capture this moment in my camera.

Smoking along with a group of females there was an unusual kind of expression at her face, something portraying a deep sense of satisfaction. However, I was not concerned much about it at that point of time while I was on my clicking spree!

Figure it out

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 15:25:00 +0000

Finally the rains have taken a break after three months! The blue skies littered with pieces of clouds all around provide perfect backdrop for shooting a landscape. This weekend I took off with my bike and cam to explore new places around the city. Bordered by the Arabian sea on one side and surrounded by western ghats on the other ends, places to explore are infinite. However this time I landed somewhere in the hills between the airport and Mangalore petrochemical refinery(have planned my future weekends also to explore this area). Clicked few interesting pattern of leaves while beating around the bush :P.

Silicon Carnation

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:00:00 +0000

It was another casual weekend and rain Gods had no plans to stop!

Once again I was trapped at home wondering over what to click this time. Once more it was "luck by chance". My friend had just received these lovely carnations from his someone(special) and coincidentally I also had bought a few packets of silica gel the same evening to stuff into the glass bowl lying empty on my table.

It was again a result of wild imagination and I started clicking random shots, placing the hydrated silica gel balls on the carnations in different positions. The "usb" light came in handy to focus the much needed "directional" light.

Smoky friday

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:13:00 +0000

It was a usual rainy weekend and had nothing special planned, rains were there to spoil any well crafted plan.

Others were busy with there usual weekend smoking business in the corner of a room. I just started clicking random pics and slowly the pics became more and more interesting. Used a table lamp to back lit the smoke and landed with a handful of pics!

Negi lighting the custom made cigar.

Apprentice Supriyo following his master.

Wooden Crocodile ?

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:17:00 +0000

Took this shot of sleeping crocodile long ago at Mysore zoo. At first sight seems to be wooden carvings! Still tough to guess!

Baby's Surprise

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 12:37:00 +0000

I snapped this baby's expression about a year ago while waiting at the railway crossing near Lucknow.
The lens zooming in and out of my P80 caught the baby's attention which I was obviously trying to avoid, but that instead provided me with a splendid shot!!

After a while, the baby was back to normal and started playing around. This time the baby's action caught my action and neither did I delay in capturing the moment!!

Look into his eyes was captivating! Took this shot a couple of weeks ago at Valliyaparamba backwaters, Kerala. I was not sure of what the kid was looking at, but surely contributed towards an interesting composition!

Sunset at Ullal beach

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:38:00 +0000

I have been visiting this beach for quite a long time now and the wave formations here always excited me.
Most of the times I did n `t have my camera with me, so was planning since long to capture the waves at this beach. This evening seemed to be the perfect time, grabbed my cam and tripod and headed straightaway for Ullal beach. The sun had already set by the time I reached over there and rains came splashing down as I started unfolding up my equipment. Another day wasted- I thought but soon the rains disappeared and left behind the skies wet in golden. Not another second to waste and my D5000 was already into action!

Bhupendra

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Fri, 21 May 2010 20:36:00 +0000

I just went crazy last night at the thought of that hadn`t clicked any pics

for a long time. It was time to bring out my cam but @ midnight had nothing to shoot.

So I simply started clicking pics of my friend, one after the other we came up with new ideas. We kept clicking for almost an hour and processed the pics the following day. These are some of the pics that I finally settled down with.

That piece of chain came in handy to be used as a prop which was lying at one corner of the room for quite a long time.

Air Combat

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 08:55:00 +0000

Yoga@the Peak

Have been clicking such pics for quite a time now, thought of completing a series comprising of such pics.

Have no definite name for such pics, but surely they all fall in the same category..;)

and will also gave me a good reason to put my new Dslr to some good use

Me and my friend Kunal were experimenting with our SLRz on the way to Ooty, trying to come up with something new and this is what we came up with.

All pics have been taken in single shot mode(no burst modes used!).

The pics below were shot at a village(SubannaKuppi) near Mysore on the Bangalore highway.

This was our second visit to the same place, may be will visit again as am simply falling in love with that place!

Kunal and Zorri in action!!

Landscaping Nilgiris

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 08:40:00 +0000

Writing after quite a long time as training @ Infosys doesn`t permit much.

Have loads of pics to upload of all the weekend trips have made from mysore!

Well captured few nice landscape shots at Ooty. One can realize the beauty of the Nilgiris only after visiting this picturesque place.

This lake on the way to Ooty left me spellbound!

We spent a couple of hours besides this lake clicking pictures.

Puppy delight

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:02:00 +0000

Tired after crying for more than an hour, snowy finally rested in between the pots in the garden.

Again so sad....Why did you tie me up??

Death of a snake

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:25:00 +0000

I couldn't help much rather than just witness this sad ending. This 6 feet long slimy reptile entered the garage today morning chasing a frog and fell prey to the most brutal creature on the planet. Though it was non poisonous one, but that can't stop humans from killing innocent creatures

Puppy mania

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:57:00 +0000

Puppy bath

Aaao twist karen!!!

Pup relaxing after a long chase...

Where Am I??

Tug of War

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 02:34:00 +0000

My sis decorated these pups on their completion of one month, but these playful creatures instead started pulling and teasing each other with these ribbons tied across their neck.

oooucchhh.. don't pull my ears!!

C'mon you lazy piece of meat..wake up!!

Puppy Ghost

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:46:00 +0000

My sister brought home this puppy while she had gone walking last Sunday morning, it was lost & crying in the middle of the street. It didn't hesitate being lifted up and started playing around merrily as it reached home.

Had breakfast..played around...now time to sleep!! This puppy caught everyone's attention at home though it was sent away the next afternoon.

The other two newborns, completing one month two days ago.

Hot shoe!!

Butterfly Effect

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:47:00 +0000

Yesterday a butterfly
Came floating gently through the sky.
He soared up through the atmosphere
Then drifted close enough to hear.

I said, "I'd love to fly with you
And sail around the way you do.
It looks like it would be such fun
To fly up toward the summer sun.

But I have not your graceful charm.
I haven't wings, just these two arms.
I've been designed to walk around.
My human feet must touch the ground.

Then magically he spoke to me
and told me what his wish would be.

He said, "What I'd love most to do
Is walk upon God's Earth with you,
To squish it's mud between my toes
Or touch my finger to my nose.

I'd love just once to walk around
With human feet to touch the ground,
But I have not two legs that swing,
I haven't arms, just these two wings."

And so we went our separate ways
In wonder and surprise.
For we'd both seen God's precious gifts
Through someone else's eyes.

The last, the very last,
So richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow.
Perhaps if the sun's tears would sing against a white stone...
Such, such a yellow
Is carried lightly way up high
It went away I' m sure because it wished to
kiss the world goodbye.
For seven weeks I've lived in here,
Penned up inside this ghetto
but I have found my people here
The dandelions call to me
And the white chestnut candles in the court.
Only I never saw another butterfly.
That butterfly was the last one,
Butterflies don't live in here,
In the ghetto.

Dear butterfly,
Majestic monarch of the sky,
holder of universal secrets and reasons why,
color my canvas, touch my heart before I die,
to live in joy, teach me how never to say good-bye.

As you flutter by, you hear me sigh,
things missed because I forgot to try,
on your serene beauty I can rely,
oh what celestial magic you do supply.

Once you did struggle to be free,
you turned your life around to show me,
amazing my angel how you heard my plea,
you've cocooned my mind so I can see.

Lets fly together both as one,
and sore beyond time, once upon,
our silken wings God has spun,
Souls entwined, our infinite journey has just begun.

Happiness Within

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 11:56:00 +0000

At farmhouse I asked this little boy to do something interesting and this was what all he got.

I was on my way back from Bangalore to Delhi in the month of august, when the fear of swine flu had just gripped the whole country. With the precautionary mask on my face had nothing more worthwhile to do than using my cam. Started with the countryside landscape outside the moving train but was soon bored off, interestingly this small boy, who was witnessing all my photographic activities came to me asked to shoot him! After a few shots he threw himself at the door of the boogie, half hanging in air, though was terrified a bit but still excited. The expression on his face was a mixture of both!

The boy bewildered, puzzling over those incense sticks as my grandma offers her morning prayers to the Sun.

Garden venturer

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 04:08:00 +0000

Broken jhula(swing) lying unattended at a corner of my garden

Thats little bonsai, one of those many out of my mom`s collection

Small yet old, thats what attracts me towards these exotic bonsaiz

Abstract photography tips

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:01:00 +0000

Abstract photography has both confused and delighted photographers almost since the invention of the camera. Abstract whether in art or photography form, can be very personal. We are all

familiar with Pollock, Kandinsky and Picasso, great 20th century artists that painted based on their environment and live experiences. Like them or not, they were great painters that had portrayed great visual content in abstract form.

Choosing a subject of abstract form can be very challenging. However, abstract photography can be very fulfilling, in that, it opens the mind to a brand new visual experience, one that stimulates the imagination beyond the normality of perspective.

Abstract photography is a field that leaves many puzzled as to what exactly it includes. The definition varies so much by photographer and gallery, it seems like there is no common ground whatsoever. However, there are a few commonalities and motifs in abstract photography that will help clarify the field somewhat, even if there is no explicit, all-encompassing rule that all abstract photographs follow.

Abstract Photographers Have More Fun

It is from this point of view that we can now turn to look at the work of abstract photographers. For beginning photographers, especially, making abstract pictures is easy and fun. Anything can be used in the service of abstract photographers - literally. Let fly open the kitchen cupboard doors or wander your backyard during a snowstorm for inspiration. The results, whether in focus or blurred, will be abstract photographs as long as they do not depict or represent what we know as reality. The picture may remind the viewer of reality in some way, but that would be beside the point.

Abstract painters drip and pour paint; drag rags or brushes across canvas; or draw shapes with exaggerated precision and no obvious meaning. They build up paint or other material to create the painting. Abstract photographers begin with an object in reality and reduce, enlarge upon, or blur it beyond recognition.

Abstract photography is not just about shooting the image in its entirety. The perception of abstract photography has intrinsic values. The photographer not only concentrates on lines, forms and textures, but the compatibility of colours along with composition to achieve a great image. Abstract photography is the abstraction of part of an image that makes up the whole image. You remove all aspects of the image to reveal its artistic value.

It is amazing what you can find to photograph in an abstract way. Look around your home, your food cupboard, your fruit bowl and jewellery, all these make an ideal subject and will challenge your creativeness. Most abstract photography requires close focus to do it any justice. For example; you can use a 110mm macro lens that allows you to be 2cm away from your subject or, any short lens that allows you to focus in closely.

To make your subject even more interesting, try spraying water on it or vary your lighting with various filters. This will not just enhance the image, but will transform it into something captivating and intriguing to the viewer. When editing your image in Photoshop, de-saturating the image to black and white and then adding little colour brings out key aspects of the image.

Water droplets can be photographed in many intresting ways.I shot these droplets on a rainy day.

In essence, abstract photography is not a true reflection of the natural world. This is the beauty of it. It concentrates on a certain characteristic of the subject in an aesthetic way, and so the abstraction of a particular image becomes art. It draws you in and challenges you, it can move you, and it compels you to ask questions. It can be minimal, busy, colourful, dark and mysterious. You do not have to be a professional photographer to produce good abstract photography, nevertheless having some knowledge of the equipment and a good visual awareness will make this a fun thing to do whether for a hobby or professional pursuits.

Subject & Composition

The most common reaction to abstract photographer is probably an incredulous, curious,

What is that? Many abstract photos have no clear or discernible subject, while others try and make the subject appear like an entirely unlike object.

Most abstract photographers focus on the everyday objects around them, familiar things that they show us through their third eye to be less familiar than we like to think, turning sunny suburban sidewalks into dark noir landscapes, grass into exact geometric designs. Our daily life is transformed from something we are entirely used to something we are not entirely at home with.

Many abstract photographs are minimalistic, isolating a subject. Roadways are obscured beneath the snow with nothing but vague shadows to show the way, or a single droplet is left in crisp focus against a soft blur of the background. Simplicity of composition is another common trait of abstract photographs—through utter chaos of form is almost as common. The busy meanderings of twisted spider webs leave our eyes confused without a single place to rest upon, just as the dusty mess of an abandoned house or the fallen leaves of dozens of trees mixed together.

Intresting colors can be added to the photo during post-processing and refining the image

Color

Especial attention to color is paid by abstract photographers. Many seek color harmonies, focusing on the symphony of similar colors in the highlights and lowlights of hair, or

rust stains on old cold iron.

Others still seek to point out the exact same hue of entirely unlike objects. A bright green grasshopper may be juxtaposed next to someone's eyes, or a wedding ring next to a doorknob. Still others try to show complete contrast. The use of color filters is a very common technique. Rainbows may be splayed across otherwise color-drained photographs of cities, or the undercanopy of a forest turned to a distinctly underwater shade of aquamarine. Similarly, color isolation is another technique often utilized. A girl in a bright red dress in a blurry black & white city, a single leaf on a tree remaining green. Of course, there are countless other color techniques and effects pioneered by abstract photographers, many of which have since moved into other fields of photography.

Texture

Another factor that many abstract photos have in common is close attention to texture. Repeating patterns are a favorite of many abstract photographers, from the repetition of black umbrellas in a rainy city to dozens of converging parallel lines looking down a road into the distance with its sidewalks and powerlines. A common extension of this is a single, conspicuous break in the pattern, a blank spot in a line of plates, or an unusual gap between a crowd of people walking down a sidewalk.Just as common is the complete lack of pattern, utter chaos, from the clutter on the bedroom floor to the random placement of bathroom stall graffiti. Texture filters, from dust speckles to exaggerated noise to drip patterns are often utilized, either applied in a digital image editing program or on-site with pieces of glass or plastic placed in front of the lens.

Subjectivity

As this article has demonstrated, there is tremendous variety in the field of abstract photography. What determines a good abstract photo is similarly varied, determined

entirely by the user. What may deeply please one person may attract no interest whatsoever from another—sometimes for exactly the same reason. Indeed, much of the appeal in abstract photography is the incredible amount of interpretation left up to the viewer.

Nor is it impossible for an amateur to get involved in abstract photography: because of its incredible variety, personal style and the subjective experience reigns. Some find this distasteful, others liberating; just another subjectivity. Abstract photography, because of the sheer amount of imagination and creativity involved in the process, also serves as an excellent exercise for photographers of other fields to help improve their craft in general, building skills in attention

to detail, color and texture, and stretch the boundaries of their own personal style with experimentation. It's a wonderful type of photography to explore—try it for yourself.

Snail leaves a trail

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 18:10:00 +0000

That slimy creature was destroying my mom`s plants from within, eating up their roots.The gardener picked it up on his spade and brought it straight away to me.

Photographing this sticky creature on the ground would have been difficult, so I dropped it on "Sunday Times" and strted clicking.

It slipped of the paper again and again but I somehow managed to keep the folded newspaper beneath it steady with one hand whereas focussing the camera with the other.

Took around 50-60 snaps only to land with a handful of properly focussed pictures during post-processing.

It was very irritating and difficult to lock focus on this continuously moving creature, but then only hardwork pays off!!

Snail moving up & down as I continue rolling the newspaper

Slimy snail looking for alternative route..

The snail he lives in his hard round house,
In the orchard, under the tree:
Says he, "I have but a single room;
But it's large enough for me."

The snail in his little house doth dwell
All the week from end to end,
You're at home, Master Snail; that's all very well.
But you never receive a friend.

The snail pushes through a green
night, for the grass is heavy
with water and meets over
the bright path he makes, where rain
has darkened the earth's dark. He
moves in a wood of desire,

pale antlers barely stirring
as he hunts. I cannot tell
what power is at work, drenched there
with purpose, knowing nothing.
What is a snail's fury? All
I think is that if later

I parted the blades above
the tunnel and saw the thin
trail of broken white across
litter, I would never have
imagined the slow passion
to that deliberate progress.

Landscape photography tips

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:15:00 +0000

A landscape is a section or portion of scenery as seen from a single viewpoint.

Scenery is the subject of a landscape image. Typically, people and animals are

not shown in a landscape, unless they are relatively small in the image and have

been included in the composition to show scale. Some photographers argue that the

sea coast, the city and man-made structures in general should not be included in a

landscape, and images that do contain them are more accurately called seascapes

or cityscapes. From a purist perspective, they are probably correct, since a landscape

is a picture of the land and its aggregate natural features. However, if natural scenery

dominates an image, it can probably be accurately termed a landscape, even though

there may be a farmhouse in the distance, a city skyline on the horizon or a road or

path in the foreground.

The term “Urban Landscape” describes photographs of the city taken in the manner of a

landscape, using buildings and other man-made features as graphical elements of composition that are treated in the same way the photographer would treat mountains and trees.

STYLES OF LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

Three styles of landscape photography are recognized - representational, impressionistic and abstract. The representational style is also known as the straight or straight descriptive style.

REPRESENTATIONAL

This style results in pictures that show scenery at its most natural and realistic, with no visual manipulation or artifice. It is a straightforward style - what you see is what you get. Successful images in the representational style are not simple snapshots. Although the photographer adds no props or other components to a scene and does not try to “bend” reality, great attention is paid to composition and detail. Light, timing and the weather are critical elements.

IMPRESSIONISTIC

The impressionistic landscape photographer employs photographic techniques that result in images that have vague or elusive qualities. They are less tangible and more unreal, while still retaining their values that make them landscape pictures. The viewer is given the impression of a landscape rather than the clear reality of one.

ABSTRACT

This style - Abstract - could also probably be referred to as the graphic style, since the components of scenery are treated by the photographer as graphic elements, arranged for their compositional values. Natural elements may be rendered as unrecognizable or almost so. Shape and form take priority. Elements may be juxtapositioned for comparison or contrast, isolated by extreme close-up, reduced to silhouettes by severe underexposure, and so on. Design is more

important than recognizable representation.

In the landscape taken above(on the way to Hemkund Sahib, Uttrakhand), the blossom has been used in the foreground giving the landscape a distintive look

QUICK HINTS FOR EFFECTIVE LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

These quick tips are not essential to every landscape picture you take, but bearing them in mind and applying them judiciously will improve your picture-taking. A foreground object will help to frame the scene and add a look of three-dimensionality. Frame the scene so that it contains a center of interest - an object that draws the viewer's eye into the picture.Placing the center of interest off-center, in accordance with the Rule of Thirds, will create a harmonious composition.Placing the horizon a third of the way down from the top or bottom of the frame is usually much better than having it in the middle of the scene. Scale can often be important to the understanding of a landscape, and can be achieved by including an object of a known size in the scene. People, animals or other recognizable objects that would naturally belong in the scene are suitable for showing scale. The quality of lighting is perhaps the most influential attribute of a successful landscape. Waiting for interesting lighting that is moody, dramatic or diffused usually pays off in a memorable photograph. Ensure that your camera's flash is turned off when shooting landscapes, unless you require it to brighten a foreground object. Flash in a dusty, misty or foggy

scene may cause flare by reflecting off the droplets of moisture or dust particles. Use a tripod to ensure sharpness, especially in low-light conditions. In very low light, be sure to select a fast film speed or a high digital camera's ISO setting that will permit proper exposure and good depth of field. Watch for unsightly or unnatural elements such as overhead wires, hydrants, poles

and garbage cans, especially in the foreground. If you cannot easily move them, reposition yourself to a camera angle that eliminates them from the frame. Don't let the weather stop you from capturing an attractive landscape. Rain can add a degree of softness and peacefulness to a scene. On an overcast day, be sure your scene has an area of color in it to counteract the overall dull lighting.

Keep the rules of composition in mind when framing a scene. Lines, in particular, can be a strong factor in making an interesting landscape. Landscape photography is often more horizontal than it is vertical, presenting the opportunity to shoot a panorama. If you are faced with a wide vista and your camera has a panorama mode, this is the time to select it. Cropping afterwards can achieve a similar purpose.

When the wind is blowing or water is moving - waves, waterfalls, a tumbling brook - capturing that movement by using a slow shutter speed to create blur can add great interest to a landscape. When selecting a slow shutter speed, be sure you retain proper exposure by also appropriately adjusting your camera's aperture. Many cameras will do this automatically for you in Shutter Priority mode.

Dew Drops

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:02:00 +0000

Our love is like this porcelain rose   Fragile, yet unable to be broken.  This rose, like our love,  Will never die.   The dew kissed petals represent  The tears we've cried.  It often says the words of affection  That sometimes go unspoken.   Please do not leave our love on the shelf,  With me, you do not have to be afraid to be yourself.   As our life together begins,  I want you to hold the porcelain rose close to your heart.  And remember our love is too strong to be torn apart.

Dew drops on rose petal

Water drop clinging by the leaf of a tiny twig, used red playcard as backdrop

You have
an ornate look
as you sleep on velvets
of crimson red
demure, a heavenly drop
of liquid crystal
staid and neatly poised
on a blooming rose petal

Awakened
by morning sunshine
the bead of glass comes alive
vibrant like a well cut diamond
exquisite and ethereal
your delicate fragility translucent
that I want to reach out
and touch...
the spectral colors of a rainbow
that you freely reflect

But as day grows
I watch your splendor diminish
colors disperse,
your existence permeate
in to thin air, you then vanish
like a scrawl on placid water
leaving no mark, nor splatter

Gone yet again...
dew drop of a different dawn
when silent nights condense
will you return once again
to bless my garden, my lawn?

I feel joy at the sight of the dewdrops
Shining on the green grass,
Shimmering by the touch of the warm sunrays,
Gazing at the sky and
Settled on the cheerful blooms.

My cheerful childhood glowed
In the sylvan settlement
Capered in the friendly neighborhoods,
Shimmered by the touch of the
Gentle care and affection of the dear ones,
Gazed at the silver streak striking across the sky.

The dewdrops cuddled up by the rising sun,
Those days are in the past,
Alas, I slouch now in my office with walls of sullen gray,
Hope, will be washed by the bright sunrays.

Tortoise

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 04:37:00 +0000

Filthy tortoise living in a pit in my garden.

Turtu was zooming in and out its neck out of its shell as I zoomed in and out my lens..hehe

The Cross, the Cross
Goes deeper in than we know,
Deeper into life;
Right into the marrow
And through the bone.
Along the back of the baby tortoise
The scales are locked in an arch like a bridge,
Scale-lapping, like a lobster's sections
Or a bee's.

Then crossways down his sides
Tiger-stripes and wasp-bands.

Five, and five again, and five again,
And round the edges twenty-five little ones,
The sections of the baby tortoise shell.

Four, and a keystone;
Four, and a keystone;
Four, and a keystone;
Then twenty-four, and a tiny little keystone.

It needed Pythagoras to see life playing with counters on the living back
Of the baby tortoise;
Life establishing the first eternal mathematical tablet,
Not in stone, like the Judean Lord, or bronze, but in life-clouded, life-rosy tortoise shell.

The first little mathematical gentleman
Stepping, wee mite, in his loose trousers
Under all the eternal dome of mathematical law.

Fives, and tens,
Threes and fours and twelves,
All the volte face of decimals,
The whirligig of dozens and the pinnacle of seven.

Turn him on his back,
The kicking little beetle,
And there again, on his shell-tender, earth-touching belly,
The long cleavage of division, upright of the eternal cross
And on either side count five,
On each side, two above, on each side, two below
The dark bar horizontal.

The Cross!
It goes right through him, the sprottling insect,
Through his cross-wise cloven psyche,
Through his five-fold complex-nature.

So turn him over on his toes again;
Four pin-point toes, and a problematical thumb-piece,
Four rowing limbs, and one wedge-balancing head,
Four and one makes five, which is the clue to all mathematics.

The Lord wrote it all down on the little slate
Of the baby tortoise.
Outward and visible indication of the plan within,
The complex, manifold involvednes,s of an individual creature
Plotted out
On this small bird, this rudiment,
This little dome, this pediment
Of all creation,
This slow one.

Within my house of patterned horn
I sleep in such a bed
As men may keep before they're born
And after when they're dead.

Sticks and stones may break their bones,
And words may make them bleed;
There is not one of them who owns
An armour to his need.

Tougher than hide or lozenged bark,
Snow-storm and thunder proof,
And quick with sun, and thick with dark,
Is this my darling roof.

Men's troubled dreams of death and birth
Puls mother-o'-pearl to black;
I bear the rainbow bubble Earth
Square on my scornful back.

Snake in my garden

noreply@blogger.com (Argha Kumar Singh) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 11:55:00 +0000

Blood bath: nearing its end...

The last gasp...

ShhHHHsshHHHH!!!! quiet....That's my closest encounter with a half-alive snake.

The snake was accidently sliced through in between by a grass cutter. Bleeding to death, it was gasping for air vehemently.

Trying to move around in pain, finally it was separated from the rest of its body. Poor snake, may its soul rest in peace.

the snake
slithers around
sneaky
not a sound

creeps upon
his prey
attacks then
runs away

he might be
pretty look at
outside hes a snake
inside hes a rat

beware of him
he bites
and does it within
his rights

the snake
will smother
even kill
his own mother

snakes are
full of greed
upon your soul
he will feed

the snake is
a self-adoring creature
humility
is not a feature

snakes are
everywhere
so
beware