ramya's photo journal

Tag: lotus

  • The Unbearable Lightness


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    Where there’s light, there’s also darkness, and together they weave a beautiful world for us to exist. As we waddle along, we realise that the light is  beautiful because of the darkness and vice versa. No ? 

  • One monsoon to another

    "I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way — things I had no words for."  

    ~ Georgia O Keeffe
     
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    Anuradhapura, Sri lanka, Dec 2010

    My obsession with the water lily family has taken on new heights after a recent trip to Sri lanka. From being Buddha's chosen flower to adorning the sacred ponds, the members of this gorgeous flower family are so much a part of this beautiful isle and its culture.
    I found these purple water lilies, bejeweled by raindrops, outside a monastery and the vendor happily offered me one of these beauties who quietly journeyed along in a little water bottle until our last day in SL. This particular species also rightly happens to be the emerald isle's national flower. Needless to say, my Sri lankan journey was inspiring and very refreshing. I wanted to post a small series from the pleasantly rain soaked trip but looks like that will have to happen in parts, so please stay tuned. For now, I've picked something that embodies a feeling that has come back with me in my heart.

     

  • Risen

    “For anyone, man or woman, who has faith in me, I, the Lotus Born, have never departed — I sleep on their threshold.” 

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    the padma clutch, a rachana reddy creation
    The lotus rises through the murky waters of ponds and lakes yet,when it blooms, it floats upon the surface, its petals shining and untainted by the mud from which it emerged. In the scriptural language and sacred poetry of Hinduism and Buddhism, the lotus perfectly embodies the soul, rising up through the murkiness of worldly experience until it reaches the surface of the spiritual realm and blooms, vibrant and pure, free from all taint and attachment.
    — o —

    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