The good old days = Golden days

The pandemic was almost control in Bangalore city, until the lock-downs were relaxed. Now the situation looks grim with nearly 2k infections reporting everyday. The number is exponentially increasing. The pandemic is not allowing us to freely travel around us even if it is nearby. Hopefully, life will get on track. These are some musings from my old travel book which I feel now are the good old days of freedom wandering which I feel are synonymous to golden days relative to current situation. I feel everyone has such golden stories to narrate in this time of confinement. Lets pray the God to have a solution to soon to jailbreak from the pandemic horror.

Those shiny ad-hoc sunsets on the way back home from office. Even small things were a rejoice. Now the Work From Home style is making such simple sunsets elusive.

The Rachenahalli sunset is something best I have witnessed in Bangalore till date. Despite being just 2kms from house, the pandemic is not allowing us to visit this natural location amidst the concrete jungle.

The weekly visit to Shiva temple. I miss the lord every Saturday. Lets pray Lord Shiva to heal the pandemic soon and guide people to prosperity.

Not to miss the mighty Shiva Linga at Kotilinga. A place filled with energy of Shiva and divinity. Let's pray the ever meditating lord to erase fear of pandemic and restore peace in humanity.

The visit to Lepakshi is frequently being remembered. The gathering for photo-shoot is now a distant dream. We yearn for such free flowing crowd yet again to regain without fear.

The flamboyant Kudremukh ghats from the National Highway looks majestic during monsoon. The path during monsoon is crowded with plush vegetation and clouds than the motors or people. This year's monsoon also looks locked down. The rains are not impressive yet. Probably they are too feeling the heat of corona or they too cursing the greed of human civilization? The corona mayhem for sure has dwarfed the bleak monsoon rains till now.

I am too indifferent to outside situation. My only visit for photography is apartment terrace. It has been nearly 6 months since I traveled and photographed wholeheartedly. Every where there is fear of getting infecting. The current situation mandates us to stay at home and stay patient for situation to improve. At the same time, ruminating at the bygone era, I always felt to grab opportunity whenever it comes. Otherwise the global disaster will trap you in repent which may last long.

Hopefully, a time will dawn again to drive for this amount of distance or even more. The longest I had in my lifetime. I miss them too.

These are some memories from Banavasi and Ottinene sunset points. What a timeless drive it was! I enjoyed the nature and divine destinations like never before

Despite the lamenting thoughts, there is something hidden message embedded by god. We have learnt enormous lessons during pandemic to be humble, to be simple and to be frugal. Reduce our expectations and live within means. I have been reminiscing the travel days where we had umpteen joy with family while exploring new places. While locked inside a room, repeatedly striking the home office, I started pondering on the contemporary situation which seems to be beyond control of human race.

To conclude, these are the species not affected by pandemic and probably the most happiest after persistent pestering of humans on them. The picture of these guys retiring for the day was caught during our casual visit to apartment terrace.

Let us also respect the living existence of such species on earth and understand that they too have right to survive here.

Evening Wonders

30 July 2020

This is what I love about monsoon season a lot. An evening clear sky can instantly morph into stormy dark night. This is what entices me gazing at skies of monsoon season. Especially where the monsoonal activity is intense like the coastal regions of Karnataka, such a phenomenon is delightful amidst the muggy weather. As I mentioned in previous post, the break monsoon period is still not broken in coast. Consequently, the interiors are enjoying continued rains. Today also we witnessed dark clouds barging from due south west triggering hopes of rains. But that did not happen. It seemed as if the storm was stuck in distant horizon and the clouds did not budge to move further :-D. The storm looked to have poured at a distant place and we had to contend with just cool winds. Nevertheless, I had opportunity to capture those tantalizing  dark clouds which looked unbothered and stubborn.

Here are the pictures shot from apartment overlook

Such a phenomenon looks phenomenal in coastal areas where the dark clouds storm into the mainland from Arabian sea and result in sudden downpour. 

What a contrasting sky between south west and north west.

Such a delightful scene is complementary if these can be viewed with natural foreground. Unfortunately, the current situation does not allow us to wander. In such cases, we should be contended with whatever beauty we can behold.
That's what the pandemic has taught so far, to be humble, to be frugal (not only in spending but everything)

Monsoon Diary 2020 - The landing day

I returned to Bangalore in May but never returned to native further. That literally annoyed me since I could not enjoy the monsoon shows due to pandemic. On 16th September 2020, I had to embark on emergency visit to my village. Although it was not joyous journey, the monsoon charm after landing in coastal Karnataka slowly rejuvenated my soul and pulled out my photo gears. I made full use of mobile camera, DSLR camera and especially 70-300 tele lens. There was ample time to grab our flora and fauna. It rained tremendously too flooding throughout Udupi district.

I have documented those moments in series named "Monsoon diaries 2020". I hope to document every monsoon season in similar way if my luck obeys. Enjoy this multipart series. The blog series primarily be flooded with pictures and tiny texts. Hope this model still maintains balance with readers :-). Lets begin.

The most in-demand ayurvedic medicine is virgin turmeric. My in-laws have planted many of them. They prepare virgin turmeric powder which is deemed to be excellent source of killing virus.

The paddy fields with monsoon clouds. The monsoon is not yet lost momentum. We still have 2 months to cut the paddy so rains are necessary still.

The in-laws cultivated extensively the domestic ladies finger. It costs Rs.80-100 per kg in market. Considering the price, this farming is quite profitable.

The output is used only for daily consumption. It saves our pocket and simultaneously if health permits, provides healthy pass time during retirement life!

When skies open up, the wet weather on human body is back. Either human body is wet due to sweat or earth is wet due to monsoon rains. The weather is extremely contrast to the below cooler picture

After brief enjoyment, I had to hurry to Udupi. The town was extremely humid than village. Some interesting rains were on cards. It rains like cloudburst when humidity surpasses unbearable volume.

To be continued..

There is joy even during fall

This is the picture of sunset in Marvanthe beach. How fabulous it is. It is not the magic of the picture but magic of nature. It creates such a splendid scene in such a way that anyone can take beautiful snap. That's how beautiful nature is! Even during fall of Sun, it fills our soul with mesmerizing moments and thus increasing our joy.

There are moments in your life when you fall to the abyss. Your loved ones betray you, your close relations terminate, the near-dear ones bring eternal pain. You are in biggest fall of your life. This is the time when you feel like surpassing the human boundary. Despite the torment, never ending ordeals, the moment mandates you to ponder deep. You need to talk to conscience since nobody is there to support. It is the time when you realize that there is something beyond the human race. The Lord has not created the earth just for humans. The earth is complex chain of ecosystem where even a tiny organism is precious. The difficult times are fall in your life. They teach precious lessons in life which God wants us to comprehend and digest despite being painful. He teaches you how ignorant were we. He asks us to make friends with other species which are also children of Lord. The tough situations makes you understand that there is joy even beyond human race. There is ecstasy in those sunrise & sunset, the sounds of rain, the melody of birds, the unselfish wild, the benevolent trees and why not the lovely you! This fall will enable you to explore beyond the life, beyond the limited life and most importantly beyond human race. God wants you connect with those worlds which are also his creation. God wants you to fill yourself with joy by making us understand  Let us spend time to explore those creations which we were ignoring till date and find joy when painful moments befall us. It is best time find new companion in life and understand the wonderful complex creativity of almighty. Its time to find new ways of celebrating life rather than pondering on past. That's new way of celebrating with something beyond your life. Remember to learn the lessons but not mourn the past.

 

Let us understand the intricacies of nature and appreciate the lord who created it. 

And finally, time heals everything. But it does not mean to keep quiet, rather move on. Don't let fall befall tragedy on you!