Ek Sandwich ki Kahani.....

My blog and FB friend Dhiren Shah, is by profession, a finance person; for recreation, he treks in the mountains, photographs, writes about cricket with great emotion  and cooks ; but by nature , he simply loves, making the morning dabbas for his wife and son , to carry with them to school. (He works from home).

He clicked this photo of the sandwiches, when he couldn't resist the beauty of it all.  (The real beauty is in the fact that he made the sandwiches for his family)....  Kudos !

(photo and sandwiches by Dhiren Shah)

Two slices,
simply halved
in excitement,
preening
under the buttery
soft makeup,
waiting for the
arrival
of slim kakdis
cool cucumbers,
and the
chutney villains.

Some smiling away,
pleased
with all the sweetness
of a jam,
lording it over
the ketchup.

Patience is the key,
as a Nikonwala
glares at them
through a view finder.

And then the lid
appears,
and they finally
find themselves alone,
in the box,
at a black and white "sport" resort....
singing,
"Hum Tum,
ek dabbe me band ho,
aur ....."

Tall Stories.....

One more amazing visual from the collection of my FB friend , Pandit Gourang Kodical. 

Current times, when offspring of so called tall folks in the limelight, have the spotlight shining on them, it is only fitting that the giraffes  do their bit to join in.

Besides, it is clear, that unlike some folks we know who change loyalties depending on a different green, , giraffes may change their color, mostly due to age, but they never ever, change their spots

(photo posted by Pandit Kodical)

The older ones, clearly in sepia....

The young frisky ones
on a break
after a brisk walk
and lunch,
making plans for
a night out
away from
parental telescopic vision.

What is clear
is the discussions
must happen
behind their
(the parents') backs....

Waters of Life....

Some more photography gems from the collection of my FB friend, Pandit Gourang Kodical 

This is a view of the Dal lake, in Srinagar, Kashmir.  

Amidst the beauty, and the solitude, what strikes the mind, is the amazing structure and balance of the boat, that looks like someone stretching back, and pulling the boat, possibly rowing.

Possibly to remind us about those, who form the strong backbone of our society....

Life
is all about
being in the middle of nowhere,
in someone else's light.
 
Sometimes,
quietly sitting
waiting for something to happen;

Sometimes,
darting about with many,
in troubled waters
trying to avoid getting caught
by false attractions;

And
sometimes,
by sitting in the back
with the load
of it all,
pulling with great effort,
so life moves on.

Hibiscus Gyaan....

My young blogger (and FB) friend Sriram Ramaswamy simultaneously works on two blogs, a serious type called Game Theori  and a more light hearted one called Coffee and Chess; that is, when he is not doing IT or  travelling and collecting photos of flowers, clicked , either by him , or friends.

This is one such, from a trip to Kerala .  Where floors, walls and verandahs often have the traditional brick red finish  , sometimes with designs.

Just makes you realize, that while replicating is easy, it is not easy at all to perceive, how SomeOne Up There, again and again manages to come up with a unique beautiful original  and  yet humble creation , like this hibiscus......

  

So many become copycats
present themselves
perfectly positioned
and designed,
linked with like minded types
thanks to twists and turns,
in an effort
to be leaders...

They don't realize
that
the real leader.
is an original,
who remains connected,
to his roots,
carries everyone with him,
and
always bends down
to serve
those he represents....

Bozoical Shiroscratcha

Sometimes, this guy Bozo, Mumbai's blogging dog, simply amazes you with his capacity to observe and learn.

His amazing doggy cortex, is a storehouse of many things he has observed and heard over the years, and now that he is almost a senior citizen, he  is knowledgeable and grateful, that he is able to enjoy some of those things.

Many may not know this, but Bozo is Internet-Savvy, and has some suggestions too.....

My amazing childhood
with my
young friend
and
I would watch,
as she sat
relaxed,
watching Mahabharata
on TV,
on a weekend,
in front of Mom,
getting her hair
oiled and massaged
occasionally closing her eyes...

I am actually
a senior citizen now,
and I too ,
sometimes,
sit in front of the TV,
watching a different
useless political
Mahabharata,
and then
closing my eyes
in joy,
as Mom
gives me a scratch-massage
on my head.

They say
it reduces tensions,
improves your
metabolism,
memory,
and hearing.

OK. Woof.

I just wish
someone
would do a Wiki entry
on Shiroscratcha... *****


*****  Shirodhara for dogs

Biscuit Soliloquies

My FB and blogging friend, Harish Krishnan , believes, in the power of chocolates , cakes and pastries , and is convinced that they are conducive to an excellent working environment.

Once in a while, he gets all carried away, and even makes all those goodies pose for portraits. As it happened when he spied these Dark Fantasy  biscuits and decided to photograph them, and posted this on FB...

As he describes it , "This is photography while controlling the urge to eat the biscuit."

I just hope he realizes, that biscuits too have feelings .....

(photo and eating by Harish Krishnan)

Kidnapped,
blinded by packaging
and resigned to
their fate,
they travelled,
the tough man
and his dark mysterious lady,
only to see
the artificial room lights
in an office,
as they were thrown
on to a plate.

Endlessly stared at
by a guy with a lens,
who had no qualms
breaking them up.

And the tough man,
guessing what
terrible stuff
lay
in their future,
looked
at his tired companion and said,
"here,
rest your head
on my shoulder;
this guy
is obssessed with
with clicking photos
and will take a looong time
to click
what could be our last photo together....."

Growing Up "Tiger"

My FB friend Pandit Gaurang Kodical, besides being a retired banker and a renowned Tabla Visharad ( who has had the good fortune to accompany so many of our musical legends on tabla) , also has an amazing collection of visuals and photographs, which he posts of FB from time to time.
 
He recently posted one showing a tiger with its cub.  Both kind of looking , say, into the future, after the father probably had a talk with his son.  (It could be a daughter; so whenever "son" is mentioned, it could mean "daughter" too.....)

I eavesdropped.    And what I heard made so much sense. An had so much relevance to our country.  ...

This is the life, son,
when you
piggyback with me
and learn
how to live,
how to eat,
and
how to treat folks around you
amidst the grassy jungle.

And when
you become older, son
remember,
that you must
tread your own path,
hunt for your own reasons
to love, fight, and live,
and define
your own grass
and your own jungle.

Bearing in mind, son,
something
you must never take for granted;
that
the son of a king
cannot always be a king.....

Glistening eyes, shining hopes....

When you think very strongly about something, the universe makes it happen. Don't know who said that, but Bozo, the blogging dog of Mumbai, clearly believes in this.

There is some kind of excitement happening. He can sense it. He has been listening, and although he doesn't speak English or Konkani, he understands it really well. He hopes it is what he thinks it is.  And he is on high alert. 

I can sense it,
imagine it,
and drench myself
in the excitement
of it all.

No,
it is not
the defeat of the Desert Storme.

No,
it is not
a fancy treat for me
emerging  from a special tin.

No
it's not a ride in the car
with the monsoon breezes
making me blink
at the window.

But I think,
it is time
for someone
i have not met
for quite some time
to arrive
from far away lands.

And I stand
with great hope
shining in my eyes,
impatiently,
in excitement,
for the special sounds
or arrival.

Slithering creatures of our times....

My FB and blogger friend Bhavesh Chhatbar , on a visit to Johar Sthal (place where the Rajput queens would commit suicide when faced with the danger of being captured by the Moghuls) in Chittorgarh , had occasion to photograph a black cobra that was swishing its way through the place, now covered in grassland.

 Please see his blogpost Black Cobra Snake of India to see all the wonderful clicks, and yes, closeups.Of the cobra.

The smoothnesss, the slithering, the oily scaly appearance, and the fact that it could change and shed its skin when it wished , presumably to look different, brought to mind a certain category of so called public, but intensely privately enhanced folks, who we call politicians. 

Most people stay away from them. But sometimes, misdirected ones, do fall into their clutches, and ultimately get destroyed.
 

A long tradition
of shedding and changing skins,
shiny smooth
with oily looks,
they glide,
sometimes inobtrusively
through the
thick and thin
of the populace
of the land.

Most folks
keep away from them,
some folks watch from a distance,
while
some
with no aim or ambition,
just float around
carelessly,
and
fall
right into their clutches.

To be crushed
or to be
abandoned
and thrown by the side,
suitably poisoned
in the mind.....

Tough and tougher......

My FB and blogger friend, Indrani Ghose, Is a freelance writer, travelogue writer and wonderful photographer. She has wonderful travel-cum photoblog at "i Share" and another  called "Frozen Moments".

This is a capture from her visit to the  Pratapeswar Temple, Kalna, West Bengal.

The dignity on the face of these timeless sculptures, adorning the Shiva temple, suddenly brought to mind, the very shallow ads one has seen recently on television today, badmouthing spots on the face of similar sculptures and promoting chemical products.... 

Proud,brave and respectful,
honored at being
placed on the
temple arches,
they stand
in sacred relief,
unmoving through the ages.

How lucky
that they didnt
do that
in the 21st century;
only to face
folks from Lakme, Loreal,
and
Fair and Lovely,
rush to
lecture about
smooth skins
and smoother lies.....