Small and Green is beautiful.....

Blogger friend Shail Mohan posted some wonderful pictures of greens emerging bravely across barren browns. This set of photographs, is titled Survival, and may be viewed here.

So evocative and indicative of how small things , putting in immense effort, and with a lot of pluck, can slowly emerge , destined for big things.....

(photo by Shail Mohan)
Below
the dormant
dull exterior,
bereft
of empathy in life,
is that little idea
that
germinates,
stretches for food,
seeks
the cracks
in the opposition,
and then,
energised,
arrives,
green,vibrant,
and
supported by many little ones,
all looking
to follow a sharp lead
and take their place in the sun....

Advanced flight techniques...

Mahim Nature park in Mumbai is a great favourite of butterflies. And also of blogger friend Magiceye.

He posts one of his captures titled " A butterfly waiting for take off", as part of his Fotothing series here . You can also click on thumbnails of other captures there.

And then you start wondering about the amazing (butterfly) traffic controller (ATC) Up There....


(photo by Deepak Amembal Magiceye)
She rests,
wings close by her side;
having had
her fill of nectar;
and resolves to
look elsewhere
for more.

Wings out,
antennae active and up,
lights flashing on the wings,
she rises on her legs,
ready
for a vertical takeoff.

ATC to Leafvein:
"Runway Green;
Bfly001 cleared for takeoff,
Over !"

But this Mumbai airport
is always a pain.
Those noisy ones,
with angular taxi-ing takeoffs
keep cribbing
about dogs wandering
in their paths;
and now
here's this yellow stuff
hanging
right in front ....

Leafvein to ATC:
"Dangerous yellow
Suspect Minister butterfly ,
Changing to lower runway.
Confirm.
Over"

And she takes off,
soundlessly,
quickly,
to cruise around
and
land
once again
on another green,
in another bush........

Pompanical Musings....

Blogger friend Magiceye posted this amazing picture of black pomphrets, coming off a fishing boat at the beach in Harne, in the Kokan region of Maharashtra. This is part of his Kokan photostream. You may check out all his other Kokan photos here.

A random trip on Google indicates that black pomphret preparations are greatly enjoyed. They are also known as Pompanos , possibly in places that eat with forks and spoons, (as opposed to licking fingers, ie)......

(If you suspect that I am a pure vegetarian, you are right :-)

Early dawn
on the sailboat,
and they sit
awhile
after dragging
the heavy nets on board,
from
the raceless
colorless night sea.

Sorting through,
on their haunches,
hurrying,
to finish before
they come ashore,
the whites and blacks
go to
different bins.

There is a surprised smile
lingering
on the lifeless black faces,
for
they have heard
differently ,
about this land.

Pompanos,
Black Pomfrets;
Clutched, cut, and packed
into a plastic bag
they go
for their last spicy rites.

And they ,
the Pompanos,in their blackness
thought
it was all about
"Fair
being Lovely."

It is.
Only when all you do is look.
Not eat.

Secret of the Red Beacon

Blogger friend Magiceye, often seems to see things we do not. He posted this in the series entitled 365 Project.

Possibly clicked on the coast of Mumbai, frequented by fishing trawlers, that probably explain the crow(s) showing an interest (in anticipation of something to chew) .

I guess all crows are not like the politicians, who hanker after the Lal Batti (Red Beacon indicating "Important Government Person") on their cars.

Some also know its a place to sit and look into the future..

(photo by Deepak Amembal Magiceye)
Cawing across this city
I've often wondered
about the glamour
of the Lal batti
atop vehicles.

I guess
to some
it's all about
looking into the future
using whatever available
for the people
of a boat called India.

And to some,
including
my own contemporaries,
its about
grabbing something
greedily,
to "eat"
sitting,
in a high position,
someplace.

The Greening

Blogger friend Magiceye posted this in the Saturday Photohunt series.

Blooms captured at the Mahim Nature Park in Mumbai. A park which was developed on what was previously a garbage dumping ground for the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai.

Methinks ,our society is somewhere reflected in the demeanor of the leaves......

(photo by Deepak Amembal Magiceye)
An exciting,
blooming childhood,
standing up
to everything,
holding secrets close,
and rejoicing
in the opening up....

The apathetic mid-age,
been there, done that,
so what's new....
a boring routine,
of
all dressed up in red
and nowhere to go...

And then
one day,
a peaceful transition
across the hill,
into a senior life,
rich with green,
satisfying memories,
and
you hold them
all ,
red and green,
together,
smile
and say,
"How green was my valley .....!"

Designer Teas.....

Blogger friend Braja posting this as part of the Thursday Challenge series (subject : blue). A platform tea stall at a wayside railway station Krish(na)nagar, in West Bengal, or should I now say Poschim Bonga....

As she says :

"Beyond rustic simplicity...the stove top smeared with cow-dung for purity; a hole in the top holding hot coals; a pot that you'd only find in an antique store in the western countries; the smell of freshly brewed chai, served in tiny clay cups, complete with creamy milk and the perfect amount of sugar. Cost, 1 rupee. Experience, priceless..."

(photograph by Braja Sorenson)
....and sitting
on your haunches,
crinkled eyes,
a bit of
blowing
into the tea
spraying
into your moustache;
the ginger
invigorates,
as you have
your daily
worldless conversation,
with
a
lifelong friend,
who helps you row
your boat across,
day after day......

Mind and Body

Blogger friend Magiceye titled this visual "Bulls at peace", when he posted it . This is possibly a close up of the bulls taken at Harne Beach in the Kokan coast of Maharashtra, where the days catch is auctioned/sold/bought and possibly the crates lugged away for retailing at some market, by bullock cart, some distance away.

There is an intriguing expression on the animals' face.

Something that says, this is my lot, mine is not to question why and crib, but to do my job sincerely and without thinking of reward, and with a minimum of excitement.

I cant help feeling, that as much as the animal shames us in the way it follows the philosophy outlined in the Bhagwad Gita ie ("do your duty(work) to the best of your ability, without thinking of the fruits of your labour. ") , there must be a fleeting thought of something else passing through its bovine but possibly exalted mind ....

(photo by Deepak Amembal Magiceye)
Tied
and yoked
in a biped world,
the milk of their kindness
abused
by
greedy dairies
and
avaricious hormones,
helplessly
passing it on
to the calves....

Watching
the so called
evolved bipeds
haggling over
creatures they defeat
in the evolution stakes,
no matter how small.

They stand,
with dedicated looks,
upholding
the philosophy
of the BhagwadGita,
Nishkaam Karma,***
Ma Faleshu Kadaachana....****

Take a deep breath,
eyes front,
wait till the fish crates,
haggled and auctioned,
are loaded'
and
the crack of a whip.

Its time to step up
and
keep going,
the mind of a sthitapradnya******
in the body
of a cow.


*** The literal meaning of nishkama karma is "desireless action," action performed with indifference to the outcome.

**** "Keep doing your karma without worrying about or expecting rewards for your labour"

******Shri Krishna’s ideal human being is Sthitapradnya. Pradnya is mind, intellect, wisdom. Sthita means stable. Sthitapradnya is a person whose mind has stabilized. Whether he has faith in the divine is immaterial, as long as he is in a state of equilibrium while facing the ups and downs of life.

Between the lines....

Blogger friend Braja, posting Kolkatta (Calcutta to her) street photos, in her photoblog Braja's India, takes delight in the fact, that come 2 pm, the traffic on this road, yellow taxis and all, switches suddenly to the opposite direction.

Yes, in a democracy, everyone must get a chance to sample the fruit juice.:-)

All those fruits hanging down in straight lines, just reminded me of something else. ....

(fruit photo by Braja and bridegroom by Google)


The Juice-stall bridegroom,
adorned with
a sehra,
wedding headgear,
lines of fruit
falling gracefully
hiding his face.


He glances up,
trying
to peer
at the going ons,
wondering
if it is her
dressed in yellow,
amidst several
others
in white
and blue
and even red.

And he suddenly
hits
the pineapple head,
saying,
"Foolish old me.
Sitting here,
waiting,
all ready
with
the glasses and ice....
she isnt
going to reach till 3 pm,
and
I must learn
to control
my temper,
and
then look the other way....."
:-)

Macaquian thinking

Blogger friend, travel writer , photographer, Lakshmi Sharath, posted some wonderful photos after a trip to Valparai, situated at an elevation of 3500 feet, in the Annamalai mountain range of the Western Ghats., in southern India. Closeby is the Indira Gandhi Wild Life Sanctuary , where , lion-tailed macaque, the Nilgiri and the common langur, Malabar giant squirrel, elephant, gaur, spotted deer, sambar, barking deer and wild boar reside.

Lakshmi met these lion tailed macaque, on her visit. And they were visiting Valparai.

(photographs by Lakshmi Sharath)
The two,
having arrived,
in search of water,
which has disappeared
from their
own locality,
take a breather,
in the land
of their descendants,
the culprits
who encroached
illegally,
into their land.

The young one
must now learn,
the basics
of intruding into houses,
and looking
for food.

You think
grandpa Macaque
fasting
in the forest would help ?

And it has all boiled over ......

Just something related to what is happening in the capital of the country.


The corruption Milk,
for long
on Simmer,
has boiled and boiled,
now risen in anger
and
spilled over
the sides
of the public stove.

Despite the thick
Rules bottom,
the milk
smells burnt.

"No, its not!"
say the faithful,
"the flames were ordered
as per rules,
but the metal guage
was changed
at the last minute;
not to worry....
We can sweeten everything..."

"Nonsense" ,
say the public;
"its terrible for paneer,
we'll throw up the coffee,
and
the dahi will never form.
But we need
to change the stove".......


The heat is on.

And the public is thrown in jail
for abusing the milk.


Maybe the powers forget,
that one day,
the cooking gas will run out.