The Master's Voice .....

My friend Magiceye, just posted a lovely photograph of the Morning Glory flower, clicked on his recent trip to Kanatal in Uttarkhand, in the Western Himalayas.

This took me back to my childhood days, when we had these windup gramophones, which played LP's and EP's, and the sound emerged through an immense brass horn on top, in those pre stereophonic days.  And all those musical records always had a label saying HMV or  "His Masters Voice"......

This flower brought back the memory....

The green felt
of leaves and spears,
on a wondrous base of earth,
succulent with
rising stems,
wandering branches,
and smaller
fluttering , creeping folks
buzzing around
some fragrant buds,
waiting for
the honey starbucks
to be open.

So many intricate
green circuits,
so much sound,
So much color,
so much music,
so many winged dances,
and a tough branch
on the side,
whipped by the wind
cranking up the machine...

That's the
longest playing record,
the Creation LP,
playing to us all,
through
this horn,
the Morning Glory
open to the world,
celebrating
"His Masters Voice"
in the green wilderness....

A Hibiscus Aiiyyo moment ......

My blogger and FB friend Shail Mohan, has recently published a book of poetry, titled "Love, Loss and Acceptance". She writes several blogs, including a prose, poetry , photoblog and one  dedicated to the newest member of the family, Ms Luci.

Many of her photos celebrate the verdant greenery that she lives amidst, and it is not unusual for neighbors trees to be inadvertently showering petals and fruits into her garden.

Sometimes though, some flowers clearly act nosey.   Shail recently flew off on a vacation to a neighboring country, causing great interest in the hibiscus community at the neighbors.  They didn't realize she was back, and were surprised when they finally managed to peer over the wall....

(photo by Shail Mohan)

She clicks,
she writes,
she travels,
she plays with Luci,
she cooks
and she eats.

Then she wrote
a book of poetry
called “Love, loss and acceptance”
and
flew off
to foreign lands.

The neighbors,
agog,
simply unrestrained,
blooming in curiosity,
on their toes,
trying to peer
over the wall,
in the face of
tough warnings from
the faithful plantain tree
and a growling Luci.

Only to see her
aiming with her camera,
as they bashfully look down.

Her love,
their loss,
and
acceptance of a great click
by all her friends…

Celebrating Dawn....

Blogger friend Magiceye,  came upon this amazing fluorescence , a celebration of Chrysanthemums,  in his balcony garden early  this morning,  immediately captured all the blooming attitudes  with his  Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo V phonecam, and posted it on his Mumbai Daily blog.

As he says, "Straight out of camera. No edits.   .....and No, this is not a promotion for Sony." 

Sometimes, dawn, pearly-orange-pink-silk, with pale gold centres, and a profusion of background green,  reminds one of something else....:-).

Mostly in Marathi, but sometimes in English too ....:-))

(photograph by Deepak Amembal magiceye)

शिशिरातील  मंद पहाट,
आकाशातल्या देवाला निरांजन लावून
उजळलेली पूर्व ,
आणि
मोतिया रंगाच्या नउवारी  पैठणी ,
पारंपारिक सोनेरी नथी घालून
हिरवाईतून   एकत्र घोळक्यात
चाललेल्या  पुष्पाताई व मैत्रिणी ...
काही छोटे बाजूला गाल फुगवून रुसलेत,
पण
मागे बसलेल्या आजी त्यांना समजावतात ,
"उद्या तुम्हाला पण असंच
लवकर उठून सजून जायचं आहे ,
जरा धीर धरा,
आता काही दिवस आम्ही आहोत न सोबतीला ...."    

 Mild Mumbai winters,
and amidst
a sleeping populace,
they turn
in worship
to that God in the sky,
pewter pink gold
lamps lit up
in the east....

Young ladies,
resplendent
in pearl-pink silk Paithanees****,
traditional "naths***"
in gold
adorning their fresh faces,
congregating together
to go visit
the temple,
making their way through
the cool shady green.

A few half awake little ones
all upset,
sit all puffed up
to one side;
and the older,
tired,
bent Grandma Chrysanthemums
shake their heads
and say,
"Don't worry,
tomorrow,
you too, must follow thus
in a different dawn;
for today,
we are there for you ...."

***nath =  Traditional nose ornament worn by women in Maharashtra.

****Paithanee =  A particular silk and gold weave for sarees, traditional to Maharashtra, worn  in nine-yard (traditional) and six-yard(modern) sarees.

Sip One, Get Two Free.....

Being a doctor means looking into the innards and taking a micro view. So when she visits gardens, my friend Asha, enjoys the wide splashes of color , but often zooms in on the details.

Gardens in Mumbai are a vanishing lot. One just wondered what the bee thought....


(photo by Asha Shangarpawar)

Time was when
everyday
was a new garden,
and new nectar;
and it was a party,
looking
for special flowers
in special gardens.

These days,
I see concrete
in place of petals,
and I get tired
flitting around,
since,
like the new Malls,
all the gardens
look the same.

So how lucky is it,
that,
like the Malls,
some gardens
have elevators
and escalators
for
tired bees.

Cool green
leafy ones,
which when they
nod and
move in the breeze,
take me
right
to the centre
of my flower;

To now partake
of the special Deal-
Today Only.....

Take One Sip,
and you get free transport
to the next flower
with Two Sips Free....

Cleaning for Worship.....

Sometimes I feel the skies perform their stuff only for my friend Sylvia from Tacoma, Wa.

Have a look at some amazing skies in this post on her blog.

This sense of dull gold, cleaned silver and ancient pewter that I get from this photograph has the head in a spin of ideas....

Maybe the setting Sun, having traversed many lands, understands....


(photograph by Sylvia Kirkwood)
He moves across the world,
observing
the rituals,prayers
and
modes of worship
across the lands.

Fragrant flowers
of the east,
incense sticks,
ghee lamps,
fruits,
betel nut leaves,
and a
daily cleaning
of pooja (worship) vessels
crafted in
old silver
and pewter
of the ages.

She stands
in her balcony,
in Tacoma
rejoicing
in the beauty,
and color
and fragrance of the roses,
the carpets of green,
and
rippling water below,
and watches
in amazement,
as the
rain
brushes against
the dark clouds
in the sky
rubs and rubs
them clean,
amidst
thundering prayers,
and
lightning sky lamps.

The thanksgiving
worship ritual can now start;
the sky vessel
has been cleaned and polished,
till the gold,
silver
and pewter
shines through
in prayer....

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....


.

Learning from flowers.....

A comment on this post about gardens where those colorful ones that delight the eyes, those simple ascetic types that enrich with their perfume, and what the garden has to say about it all....
(Photos courtsey: Kavi)



Those who cannot speak
learn to share
their best;
Riotous brilliant colors,
nodding petal heads
in agreement with
little jasmines,
whispering excitedly
hanging out in groups.
They have no limitations...

But we talking types,
blind seeing types,
fight on
about color,
and shape,
and size, and name.
We are so intelligent,
we never learn.
We are the mistakes.