George Santayana, the Spanish -american philosopher, poet and novelist had rightly said- ‘The earth has its music for those who will listen’. We are all so caught up in our everyday mundane activities or work schedules that we often fail to notice the the abundant beauty of nature which surrounds us. Rather than popping pills for hypertension, break free from the vicious clutches of house chores for an hour or at least a few minutes everyday and choose a path that leads to peace and joy. All you need to do is take the first step. Be determined and step out and take a walk in a beautiful park or lake side. Listen to the earth’s melodious music and be healed and addicted to the soothing goodness for life. Well, I did just that yesterday and went for a long walk to the beautiful Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh (India). I was rewarded with clean fresh air, a spring in my step and some beautiful sunset pictures. This coming new year if you have to make a resolution, open the door to happiness- by embracing nature. Click on the following link to see those beautiful pictures.
Tag Archives: photography
That Mysterious Little Door
I was walking on the side- walk briskly and excitedly. A wee bit anxious too, because I really, really did not want to miss this event and was really looking forward to it. As such what options I had now with me where limited. So I did not really want to loose what little available option I had. In spite of walking fast I was annoyingly trailing behind my family members as they all ran towards the the Royal York Crescent in the the fascinating city of Bristol. So it came really as a surprise to find that at one particular point my feet began to drag and started to become a little heavy. No, it was not fatigue, as we had driven down the road all over the Blackboy Hill, down to the Whiteladies road and finally parked the car in a residential area where we had found the parking with a bit of difficulty as it was jam packed almost every where. So there was no fatigue, yet my feet dragged as if they were pulled by some magnetic force.
Finally I paused, not by choice but almost forced to pause; and found myself standing in front of a small knob-less mahogany wooden door. It stood isolated and embedded in a slate colored stone wall. The door was small and old but exuded a lot of personality. It had a strange magnetic power and was inviting. Hesitatingly I took in the cow webs settled along the hinges and the missing doorknob. Apparently the door had not been opened for years, and I’m a curious cat. I put one foot forward and there was a rustle and a crackling sound as I stepped on the rubble of dry rust leaves and twigs embracing the entrance. I shivered with the sudden sound but notwithstanding edged closer. And then there was a heavy hand on my shoulder! Thud! With a strong jerk I shrugged my shoulders impulsively and almost screamed before looking into the amused and rather puzzled face of my husband. ” What do you think you’re doing? Trying to enter that door without permission would be called trespassing, don’t you know that? You should in fact be extra careful, considering that you are a tourist here”
I was still trying to regain my senses, when he slowly led me away from that door.”Darling if you walk at this speed you are sure going to miss that Balloon Festival you have have been looking forward to all this time. As such we are already late”. (continued)
“Hmm”, I murmured weakly and followed him meekly. Should I, should I not, my mind debated with my heart. One last glance, just once I thought and turned my head to look back at the door one last time and gauge what treasures (or horrors) it held. But I saw nothing, as we had left it far behind. For an instant I felt like going back to check on that door, but then I had second thoughts. I definitely was a tourist there and ought to behave properly.
The mystery haunts me even today, long after I have returned from my trip. Maybe I lost my chance of an entry into Alice’s Wonderland or a garden of enchantment or contrarily was saved from the mistake of opening a Pandora’s box (door in this case). The mystery continues…in my mind…
Have you ever felt anything similar. What do you think was behind that door?
Image Credits: Cover image (Mystery Door)- Clicked by author (Ritu Nanda)
Royal York Crescent image – Google images
Balloon festival – http://www.bristol.ac.uk/city/festivals.html
Balloons in flight – Clicked by author (Ritu Nanda)
Perspective- Is what you see always true?
The other day I saw a pretty woman at a party. Although she looked quite gentle, her behavior was somewhat odd. She sat bossily on a chair, with her husband in attendance. He kept offering her drinks and took care that she was served with all the snacks. Of-course some of them she declined, perhaps the secret to her slim trim figure. Many other people too seemed to be hovering around her,but the woman did not budge an inch from her place.( You must be thinking whether I had nothing better to do! Well that’s my favourite pastime- observing people. And no, I was not envious).
Later in the evening I saw my husband talking to that couple- he is really good at making friends. He signaled to me to join them. I walked up towards their seat and my husband introduced us. “How arrogant she is, did not even bother to stand up,” I thought. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, she spoke apologetically. Actually just as she and her husband were entering the party hall, she had tripped over a loose wire left by a careless decorator and fell flat on the floor; with the result that now there was a slight sprain in her foot and a rip in her dress. Her husband had immediately decided to leave, but she was a real sport and did not wish to spoil his evening and insisted that they stay on for some time. She had cleverly hidden the tear in her dress with her scarf. Immediately I realized that there is always more than meets the eye and one should not judge people and situations in a jiffy. People behave differently in different circumstances. It is all a matter of perception. I eyed the mystery woman with a new found respect. She had decided to bear the slight pain and discomfort with a smile for the sake of the people she loved.
Lets look at this in a slightly different way. Can you guess what’s depicted in the picture featured above?
A bench perhaps? A railing with some beautiful shadow play! Monochrome image!
Really?
Now look at the actual picture–
Its an iron railing alright, clicked in Scotland (my brother jokes that there are better things to see in Scotland than iron railings- but I’m like that only). So what changed the perspective? Modern editing tools. Just some cropping and rotation through 270 degrees give you a totally new and amazing result!
This post has been inspired by photo101 by WordPress. I have tried to incorporate different elements of photography in the post along with some philosophy 🙂
I hope you enjoyed reading.
Color Burst (Golden Trumpet)
Come end of March, the trees in the green belts of Chandigarh begin to flower. The first among these is the beautiful Golden trumpet ( Tabebuia chrysotricha).
Golden yellow flowers, like bellowing trumpets give the tree a befitting name. It loses most of its leaves during flowering as its a deciduous tree. The brilliant yellow of the flowers on almost bare branches makes for a striking burst of color against the clear blue sky!
Awestruck at Natural history Museum,London
A permanent on the list of ’10 Best tourist attractions in London’ is The Natural History Museum, London. With its main entrance at Cromwell road, it is home to the tallest and biggest and rarest animals (or their replicas) in the world. When you reach the Blue Zone- Look up and see  blue whale model, seemingly swimming with the other cetacean skeletons and replicas suspended from the ceiling.
One may also gape in wonder at the sight of the slice of a giant Sequoia tree pitched on the wall. So, when one talks about big and huge, along with natural lines, be it in terms of the streamlined curves of the blue whale and other cetacean skeletons, mammoth elephants, or the shear beauty and architecture of the building itself housing all these treasures;one cannot think of a better place. Looking at the fine details engraved along arches and pillars on the entrance of the building is sure to leave one awestruck and speechless. But do you know the best part? There is no admission fee 🙂
This post is inspired by Day 7 (Big and Point of view) and Day 8 (Natural world and leading lines) of Photo101 Blogging U.
All pictures have been clicked by Anil Nanda and Ritu Nanda and may not be used without permission.
Blue whale replica and other cetacean skeletons suspended from ceiling.
Photo 101:Big and Point of View
I really wanted to experiment today, so decided to photograph a huge tree, from different angles on my evening walk to Rose garden, Chandigarh. I have a huge tree fetish and will probably one day write detailed posts on the different types of trees in our region. For today, I’ll be happy just with these photos clicked from different angles and points of view. The first one is a long shot, while the second is of the same tree clicked crouching on the ground! The tree trunk appears slimmed down with the rose looking monstrous in comparison.Which one do you like more?
The cover picture is a favorite, clicked in the famous Kew Gardens of London.
Nature Connect (Gloucester Harbor,Massachusetts)
Can there be anything more rejuvenating than connecting with nature? Especially during travel. Yes, especially during travel- far away from the city, far from the madding crowd, just to connect with nature. Steal a few beautiful moments to be with nature and then capture them with your lens so that they remain with you forever. Its one of my secrets to remain happy!
Today, I wish to share a photo gallery from our travels to the Gloucester Harbor, Massachusetts in USA. We had the good fortune and opportunity to drive along the prestigious area along the harbor, close to Gloucester’s Good Harbor beach. Though human habitation is pretty evident, the wide open spaces, lush grass, azure blue skies and clear sparkling waters of the Atlantic ocean provide an immediate connect with nature. Unspoiled and pure. A must visit place for the nature enthusiast! Let the pictures do the rest of the talking.
Gloucester Harbor
Gloucester Harbor
Gloucester Harbor
Gloucester Harbor
Gloucester Harbor
bliss
P.S: No filter, no edit – just auto correct used on a couple of them.
Photo credit: Anil Nanda and Ritu Nanda
Day 5: Photo 101 Solitude
Photo challenges are fun and great inspiration for new posts. Today’s inspiration is Solitude with the ‘Rule of thirds’.
Sticking to just a picture today, as I’ve already composed an earlier post on solitude in the form of a haiku poem 🙂 See link below
https://riturang.wordpress.com/2015/12/21/solitude-haikusenryu/ . The picture in this earlier post was clicked in Switzerland’s Lake Lucerne.
The Mighty Trummelbach falls, Switzerland
There are certain things which I always find quite imposing, towering and magnificent at the same time. These are so impactful in terms of their effect that they have the power to make one feel like a dot, a mere dot; minuscule in comparison. This is good for inflated egos at times because it puts you in your place. This the kind of feeling I get whenever I visit the mountains. Besides enjoying their majestic presence and enjoying the cool weather, when you look closely at their rugged raw strength, you realize how fragile you are. Add to that the roar of water from a gurgling waterfall and this is what you get- The mighty Trummelbach falls in Switzerland!
Located in the Lauterbrunnen valley, they are Europe’s largest subterranean water falls and are one of 72 waterfalls.The Trümmelbach Falls are the world’s only glacier waterfalls that are accessible underground by lift, galleries, tunnels, paths and platforms. They alone carry the meltwater of the glaciers from the Jungfrau down to the valley – up to 20,000 liters of water per second. The water carries with it over 20,000 tons of boulders and scree per year and causes the entire mountain to shudder and make a thundering noise.
OMG! So much water and so much force ! It has to be seen to be believed. It is one amazing experience of my Switzerland holiday that I treasure and is a joy to relive. Mind you, although a huge lift carries you up to the falls there are a number of broad, sometimes slippery and watery steps to climb to get good views. It is also a bit dark as you are actually tunneling through the falls. The Trummelbach falls are hidden in the ‘Black Monk’ mountains and are often called the ‘Cork screw’ falls due to the spiral nature of flow of the water. I hope you enjoy my pictures in this post.
Trummelbach Corkscrew falls, Switzerland
Trummelbach Falls, Switzerland
Good luck charm!Spectrum at Trummelbach falls, Switzerland.
Busy Indian Street
We are fortunate to experience varied seasons in our country. Currently, we are enjoying spring in all its glory. The days are longer and warmer. The evenings are breezy and balmy. These pictures reflect the mood on a busy street in the market place. Ice-cream, milkshake and juice are welcome along with long walks!
riturang 