Every minute of working on this calendar was filled with pure love.
Animals, particularly dogs have played a special role in shaping how I feel about life and for that, I am grateful.
Through this calendar, I hope we can join hands and spread the love.
I have enjoyed creating the images and experimenting through this series. I will post more on this work along with an image in the days to come. But if you happen to be this side of the world, please do drop in for the opening reception. I would be delighted to show you around.The exhibit is on until the 30th Dec in Bangalore in case you want to catch it over the next couple weeks. Hope to see you there !
“For anyone, man or woman, who has faith in me, I, the Lotus Born, have never departed — I sleep on their threshold.”
My sister Rachana, a budding couture fashion accessories designer, adopted the gracious lotus flower as one of her primary inspirations for her debut collection which was recently unveiled. Crafted painstakingly with wood and silk, her designs reveal a quiet Indian elegance beneath the striking colors and clean designs. I had the pleasure to watch her through this journey and also photograph her exquisite creations. On the day of the shoot, were lucky to have some gorgeous light post a north east monsoon shower. To learn more about Rachana and her work, please do stop by at www.rachanareddy.com
Old things and all those that have lived to tell the tale, stand tall and beautiful in my eyes. I have a fascination for them and a reverence that cannot be expressed in words. I was going through my archives and found some such treasures that I had photographed months ago . . On a gorgeous winter’s day last year, when walking about the Tsunami hit shores of a fishing village on the southern most tip of the subcontinent, that I met these wonderful old souls — wrecked fishing boats that have had to endure much in silence over the years. They stood still but I could feel them breathe. And rooted deeply to their land and ocean, the winter skies bathing them in a surreal light, adding to their otherworldliness. Quiet, wise spectators of life as it carries on; past all the things and hardships they have endured.
” Do not speak — unless it improves on the silence. “
~ Buddhist saying
During a quiet road trip recently to Bylakuppe — an exceptionally peacelful Tibetan settlement in the Coorg district, South of India, there seemed to be a myriad of invigorating Reds in the air, water and the earth . . .The deeply reflective quality of the color Red drew me in. The wetness of the Monsoon pronounced it further.
The color red is auspicious in Tibetan culture. It is a sacred color, one of the colors of the five Buddhas and the color of the monk’s garments. It is believed to have protective qualities and is therefore often used to paint sacred buildings. Red, throughout the development of civilization has had connotations with life and things considered sacred in some way.
On a separate note : I find that the colors of a landscape are so much more intense and pure during/before/after the rains. The clouds allow for the clean, even light and the rain water brings so much texture and freshness to everything. I so enjoy photographing in the rain and the Indian monsoon has always been a muse of mine, despite the fact that she’s a paradox–She takes as generously as she gives. Exploring her various facets and studying color have been on my mind lately. I was thinking I’d tie both the explorations together and see what happens. It could potentially grow into a series of sorts . . . I’ll start posting color captures of the monsoon along with some notes, from the places that touch my life, as these wet months go by and in the monsoons to come . . . these posts can be found under the category called Monsoon Colors in this blog. Do stay tuned . . . !
These mountains have a special place in my heart in a nostalgic way and also as a matter of concern as to how best their fragile eco systems and natural beauty can be preserved. We all have places that we love, that soothe our souls and comfort those aching nerves. This place is one such to me. The mountains of the Nilgiris. This is my attempt at bringing the place closer to you all through these personal visual notes I make as I see and feel the place. I hope these notes convey the love, the tenderness and an ethereal quality that exists in the spirit of these hills. And it is a beginning of sorts for me in this endeavor of spreading a message. Please click on the image below to view the complete(continuing) story.
“A lifetime of showers moistens the soul.” ~ Anonymous
Our dogs touch our lives in a way so pure, so absolute … they teach us how to breathe life completely into every precious living moment, how to love unconditionally, they keep us grounded, connect us back to ourselves and they never let us lose faith.They laugh, play, cry and share every little fear, pleasure and pain for nothing but love in return. Their eyes are always full of tender hope, sunshine and a goodness so generous that we can sail through the hardest of days with a smile within when we look into them … They are angels that surround and fill our lives with joy and a forgotten innocence that makes life so much sweeter and this world seem perfect…They come as angels, live in our midst us as angels, and stay that way forever among the stars but in our hearts when they must leave us in the present and crossover to the better place …
” Here was blue, here was yellow, here was green, sky and river, woods and mountains, all beautiful, all mysterious and enchanting, and in the midst of it, he, Siddhartha, the awakened one, on the way to himself. All this, yellow and blue, river and wood, passed for the first time across Siddhartha’s eyes.It was no longer the magic of Mara, it was no more the veil of Maya, it was no longer meaningless… “~ From Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
Poovar estuary, Kerala, India. December 2009.
