Brave new Mumbai ?

Another wonderful photograph from blogger friend Shail Mohan, from Kerala. Tough exterior perimeter walls, sometimes close to the house, and planned excavations made to allow accumulated rain water to flow. What is a beginning for some is an end for some others, like the ferns; clawing their way through the tunnel, out into the sun....

(photo by Shail Mohan)


Brick and Mortar
walls,
to keep in
with a vengeance
what's yours;
And a few gaps
made on purpose,
to allow
dirty
rain-accumulated
washed stuff
to flow out.

But those
that learn to thrive
amidst no roofs,
exalt in the
warmth of the tunnel,
and
the dampness in the eyes
of the walls;
Together,
they creep,
stepping over
remnants of branches,
and obstinate rocks.

They have met such types before.
Inching ahead
they emerge
the mother branch
shielding the others
from the sun.

Another monsoon,
another tunnel,
another roof,
another smile.

Why do I think
this is the story of Mumbai?

Swaying to the flute and concrete....

This is something I see frequently : the balustrade erected on the lake side on the banks of the slowly vanishing, fast polluting Powai lake, to define a new pedestrian pathway.

Some walk, some see art in the way the rays of the sun interact with the concrete efforts.

The light works wonders , and gives ideas. Don't know what the engineers thought they were building, but.........


(photo by Kavi Arasu)
These are
Gopis,
swaying in beat,
balancing on their
heads,
the milk and dahi
meant for the
God with the flute.....

Back on earth,
the only things
these structures
balance
is a load of humanity,
leaning
and watching
the fast disappearing lake.......

Petals and lights

Today is a new moon day in Divali. My friend Nupur has been creating Rangolis at home everyday for Divali. One such created with Marigold, and Shevanti flower petals, and possibly dark red rose petals. All glowing together in the light of some wonderful oil lamps.

An appreciation, and some thoughts. In Marathi. And then in English....

(photo and original art by Nupur Phatak )
झेंडू राव
आणि शेवंती वहिनींची गडबड ,
गडद लाल गुलाबाची
जुन्या पाकळ्या
झटकून टाकायची धावपळ,
...कुणा एका पंगतीत
ताटा भोवतालच्या रांगोळीत
बसण्याची शर्यत ....

आयुष्यात ते सगळे
कुठे कुठे पोचतात ....
चोर नेत्याच्या गळ्यात,
सोनियाच्या सिक्युरिटीच्या हातात ,
कोणा वधुवरांच्या शेजारच्या सोफ्यावर ,
मायावती च्या रुपयाच्या हरा शेजारी,
आणि
कधी कधी
गणपती बाप्पाच्या गळ्यात,
श्रीकृष्णाच्या मुरलीला गुरफटून,
सरस्वती -लक्ष्मी च्या पायाशी...

आज काहीतरी वेगळा आहे ;
स्वतःचे तुकडे तुकडे होणार आहेत,
पण
सुंदर पणत्यांच्या सोबतीने ,
एका मोठ्या फुलाच्या आकारात
दिवाळीच्या अमावास्येत
ते सर्व
सगळीकडे
प्रकाशाचा सडा पाडणार आहेत ....

Marigold Sir,
and Shevanti Maam,
bustling around,
giving
disapproving nods
to Madame Rose,
trying to
shrug off
her dark red petals,
Maybe
they are to be
the decoration around
someones plate
at a sit down dinner......

You never know
where these folks reach....
As a garland
around a
corrupt neck,
or
in the hands
of Sonia's security;
casually flung
on a sofa
next to the bride and groom
at their reception,
or even,
peeking from under the
heavy currency Garlands
adorning Mayawati....

And then,
also
adorning Ganpati Bappa,
maybe entangled
around Lord Krishna's flute,
and lying in
obeisance
at the feet
of the
Goddesses Saraswati and Lakshmi...

But
life will change today....
They will all be
torn to pieces,
and arranged together ,
to make
another huge flower,
creating
a design along with
the beautiful lamps,
all sprinkling
luck and light
eveywhere,
on this Divali new moon day....


.

Gift in an Envelope

My friend Sylvia Kirkwood, posts her Weekend Reflections . For more earthly material ones, see here.

Talking about Gift envelopes, a traditional invitation in Marathi follows.

(photo by Sylvia Kirkwood)


And how
wonderful
is this gift
to us !

Ocean bays,
calm waters,
green banks,
and mountains
rising to applaud,
the opera
in the skies.




And
bearing
tidings of a new day,
this gift envelope
licked shut
by a warm sun
melting
the adhesive
in the midst of clouds.....


श्रीकृपेने
आमची कन्या चि. सौ . का. पृथ्वी ,
हिचा विवाह
चि. आकाश
यांच्यासह
पहाटे ५ :३० वा.
योजिला आहे .
कार्य सिद्धीस नेण्यास
वरुणराज, मेघराज,
वसुंधरा, हिरवाईदेवी ,
पर्वतराव
व समुद्र प्रसाद समर्थ आहेत...
भास्कर पंतांकडून हे पाकीट
(जरा मध्ये चिटकवून )
सप्रेम भेट !



.

Dark and light philosophy

My friend , Sylvia, has a wonderful photoblog, and this was a comment on some great photos of shadows , which were part of her Shadow Shot series....


The Sun
shooting
its warmth
meets someone
but is stopped
in surprise
in its path.


Quietly ,
head down,
it goes round
who
it has met.
To meet and
shake hands
with a shadow....

Even the sun must learn
that there is
dark and light
in life,
and the way they meet
is wonderful....