Sunday, December 16, 2012

Cow & cattle


The cow isn't just another toy ornamenting living space. It is an animal that is worshipped by The Hindus. But then in Chennai we see them in hordes straying into the high street in front our apartments complex. The owners let the animals loose after milking them in the morning.  The cattle roam the streets through the day and return home to their owners, by sundown. The YouTube shows the cattle making their way back home 


My post for Camera Critters    
   

Ferry ride - The Thames, London


My wife took this shot on a ferry ride on Thames during our visit to London during Olympics 2012
My post for Scenic Sunday

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Kerala backwaters

Seawater flows in from the beach into this shallow patch during high tide. Rows of  waterfront coconut get a glimpse of  themselves reflected in the backwaters  that is close to the Kannur beach, Kerala.
My post for Weekend Reflections

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Flowers Day


Picked out these photos from my Mysore album for inclusion in Luiz's meme - Today's Flowers. Location - Crawford Hall, Mysore, which houses  Mysore University Vice-Chancellor's office.
My post for Today's Flowers.

Friday, August 10, 2012

London 2012:Earl of Sandwich

Took this shot from a London red bus during a sight-seeing tour; found the name of the shop rather unusual and amusing. Googled  it to discover that the brand has a history dating back to 1762. I didn't know the humble sandwich we all rely on for a quick bite was the invention of an Earl, who, besides being the First Sea Lord, was a dedicated gambler.
So preoccupied was John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich, with his game of cards that he found little time for food. .That was when he hit upon the idea of putting a slice of meat between two slices of bread.
This became his staple food; and it was good and came in handy. He could hold his cards in one hand, and the piece of meat between bread slices in the other. It became such a hit that it was named after the Peerage. Earl of Sandwich (restaurant franchise) was founded by the current Earl of Sandwich in 2004.
My entry for Signs, Signs
Related posts: London 2012: Revisiting after 45 yrs.
Long Walk to the Venue


Tuesday, August 7, 2012

London 2012: Liverpool St


Doing London from the top deck of  a red bus I took these photos after a drizzle as we passed through Liverpool St. The bus was headed to London Bridge.
Posted for Drive By Photography.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

T - statement

Advertiser,  perhaps, wants us focused on the message,  not the model. Worry,  and restlessness I have, in my DNA. As for feeling 'content' , I could do with some, now and then.
My post for Signs, Signs

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

On the beach

Sunday afternoon on Kovalam beach, Chennai.
My post for OutdoorWednesday

T for thatched roof

Thatched roof provides shelter to fishermen working,  or just lounging, on the beach under mid-day sun. When temperature gets close to 100 F (which is normal in Chennai nowadays), it can get unbearably hot on the waterfront at Kovalam,  a fishermen's hamlet.
My post for ABC Wednesday

Monday, May 28, 2012

Mysore moments

It wasn't easy to get the four of them together to pose, when I wanted to capture the moment when grandsons Sidharth and Nikhil visited their  cousins - Samarth and Diya - in Mysore a couple of years back.
My post for Blue Monday

Lighting the lamps

Oil-fired earthen lamps are lit and placed on our door front on a festive occasion.
My post for Mellow Yellow

Wall paintings

These street-side paintings, representing someone's time, effort and talent, go widely unnoticed. Such is life in our city of Chennai, where no one seems to have time to pause and watch.
My post for Sundays in My City

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Labour saving device

Roadside trees in Mysore watered without human labour. An open tap at one end waters the row of trees down the road.
My post for Weekend Reflections

Friday, May 25, 2012

Cows on our street

Cows let loose by owners to fend for themselves feed on roadside grass patch and edible garbage and stray out into our street, posing a traffic hazard for passing vehicles on OMR, Chennai. Road. Accident in which speeding buses knock out a passing cow is not uncommon.
My post for Challenge Walk in the Street.

Skywatch: crow on a wire

A lone crow hanging out on an overhead telephone line. Took this photo on a cloudy day close to our apartment complex on OMR, Chennai.
My post for SkyWatch.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Real estate on OMR

Advertising a residential community coming up on OMR, a fast growing stretch in Chennai. At the last count, about 50 apartments complex projects are said to be in varied stages of construction. Real estate development brings with it plans for malls, fast-food chains, and budget hotels. OMR is a pay-for-use road, with traffic clogs, and too many red signals to warrant the Rs.35 freeway toll fee.
My post for Signs, Signs

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

S for Swim pool

Life in our apartments complex in OMR, Chennai, allows for family time at the clubhouse pool even on weekday mornings. It is summer break for the children, but father has a full day's work ahead at office. Such enviable work-life balance is hard to get in most places.
My post for ABC Wednesday

Monday, May 21, 2012

Wayside stall

Fried-in-oil eats, exposed to dust raised by passing vehicles,  may well be tasty. But then, not all of us as given to eating out,  not this style. This tea and pakora stall on roadside at Burliyar, a Nilgiris hillside hamlet, caters to bus passengers. Buses on Mettupalayam-Coonoor-Ooty route halt at Burliyar, where Tamil Nadu state transport employees union runs a co-op canteen close to the bus stand. This stall,  closer to public conveniences,  relies on bus passengers spilling over from the co-op canteen.
My post for Mellow Yellow Monday

It's cool at the pool

Normal daytime temperature in Chennai nowadays touches 110. Rahul, a schoolboy from Gurgaon, who has come to spend the summer break with  grandparents at Mantri's, takes to our clubhouse pool.
My post for Blue Monday

Not a pretty sight

Took these shots in Mysore, on our morning walk.
For Camera Critters

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Ghani Khan's farm

A three-in-one shot showing  paddy, cane and mango growing in a farm near Mysore belonging to Ghani Khan. One of his forefather who served in Tipu Sultan's army got this land as Sultan's gift. The mango tree in the picture, says the farm owner, dates back to Tipu's days. The farm he inherited has scores of varied varieties of mango.
A post for Scenic Sunday

Sniffer dogs

Neighbourhood dogs sniff around for food outside our apartments complex. We can see they are wasting time scavenging, while the yellow trays hold milk packets left by the delivery delivery boy.. Which, I suppose, is what sorts out dogs from men. Dogs don't steal.
Post for SOOC

Saturday, May 19, 2012

At our clubhouse pool

During our morning walk around our apartments complex in Chennai  I happened by the clubhouse pool when I spotted this guy in the pool. Dhayavant,  nearly 2,  swims as if he has the run of the pool.
My post for Weekend Reflections