Oasis In The Desert

Sunday afternoon brunch by the poolside is incomplete without a glass of orange juice... this shot was taken on a lazy Sunday afternoon in the desert land of Rajasthan. The irony of this image is that while Jaisalmer, where this shot was taken, sees only 15 centimeters of annual rainfall -- this picture shows you all that money can buy... a swimming pool... chilled juice and a luxurious life far removed from the hardships of the desert that lies just outside the gates on the resort.

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Collusion for an illusion

The Sarang (Peacock) as the name suggests is pure beauty in motion. This is the helicopter formation display team of the Indian Air Force. This picture was taken during the passing our parade of the IAF in June 2009. Every time the helicopters criss crossed all hearts skipped a beat or two, knowing fully well that the proximity is nothing but pure illusion and every move/risk is calculated. Still poetry is what this is...

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The Final Steps

The final steps of training in the life of an Air Force Pilot and first salute from their immediate junior Cadets at the end of the parade while marching to the lilting notes of 'Auld Lang Syne'. As the newly commissioned officers of the IAF walks past... it is difficult to ignore the stinging feeling of tears building up in ones eyes. The pride in the eyes of the parents the sense of accomplishment in each and every step taken by these young officers has to be seen to be believed.

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Kuldhara Trilogy

Remember The Village That Was Cursed or the watchman and The Ghosts of Kuldhara? I had said then that I will be back with the whole story. Kuldhara, as I had mentioned before is a not often spoken about yet extremely intriguing example of human migration.

The story has various versions but the crux of all those versions are that the local king who was infamous womanizer took a liking for a girl in this village. He insisted on marrying the girl the next day. To avoid any further humiliation the villagers just upped and left the village with whatever belongings they could carry with themselves.

It is also believed that before leaving the villagers (Paliwal Brahmins) put a curse on this village -- anyone who would try and settle down in this village will die and so will his family. Which is what was supposed to have happened to the watchman and his family.

So rumor goes that if you spend a night in this village you will die within a month. I cant confirm... coz believe me when I say... this place is super spooky after sundown... so curse or no curse... I am never camping here.

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Hanumaan -- Southern Plains Gray Langoor

This is the famous Southern Plains Gray Langoor. Of all the apes in Indian this one is the most respected. They have been made famous thanks to Hindu Muthology and Epic Ramayana. Hanuman, according to legend, fought to rescue Sita, wife of Lord Raman and to escape was forced to burn down the village. The black hands and faces of these langoors are thought to be the result of the fire he started to burn down Lanka (modern dat Sri Lanka), as he tried to blow off the fire his tail caught with his tongue.

Because of this legend, Hanuman is the sacred monkey of India and therefore not preyed upon by humans. They have even been spotted raiding markets and farms and leaving unharmed with their bounty.

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The Dharma Bell

The Dharma Bell: Place Kushinagar Main Stupa
The stupa and shrine of Kushinagar are found in a pleasant park. There is this large bell donated by the Tibetans for visitors to ring out the Dharma. Bell stands for insight, emptiness, and the female aspect. It symbolizes the reverberation of the Dharma and is used in the rituals to offer sound.

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Spiderman!

Spiderman, Spiderman,
Does whatever a spider can
Spins a web, any size,
Catches thieves just like flies
Look Out!
Here comes the Spiderman.

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The Setting Sun

Back with Hyderabad, this time Summer setting sun. The wild growth of Air Force Academy, in Hyderabad, in its dry beauty creates the near perfect combination of the setting sun. I love this pic for simply because it feels so real almost as though we will see silhouette of a jogger coming out of this pic.

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The Ghosts of Kuldhara

My last post of Kuldhara talked about the unique migration story of the Paliwal Brahmins of Kuldhara. However any story about Kuldhara is incomplete if we don't talk about the watchman who guards the gate of this site. When we visited this place the first time as well as the second time, what really touched me about him was the respect he had in his heart for the Armed Forces people.

After we left Kuldhara what I learnt about this watchman was more intriguing than the village itself. Legend goes that as the Paliwal Brahmins left in 1825, they cursed death upon anyone who ever came to live in this village. Apparently the watchman lost his two sons, their wives, his daughter and his own wife to a mysterious illness, all because he decided to make a ramshackle hut inside the boundary wall of the village his home.

Unbelievable isn't it?

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Cut Short!

This is a closeup of the tank... that was stopped in its tracks, by the Hunter air craft during the Battle of Longewal. A hauntingly beautiful rendition of the plight of the 23rd Battalion, of the Punjab Regiment that fought the battle the night of 4th December.

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Do We Still Remember?

The site for the Battle of Longewal, fought in the deserts of the Indian state of Rajasthan, the battle was famous for the sheer audacity of the Pakistani generals who had planned it. There is a fine line between the daring and the foolhardy. The lessons of Longewal are clear: success in any endeavour requires balancing caution with courage. The Pakistani Commander lost his job because he threw caution to the desert winds. And war can at times be brutally unforgiving...
Special mention would be for the IAF Hunters that had done their job well. Of the 54 Pakistani tanks that had come in, more than forty were destroyed or abandoned. Another 138 vehicles of all types were destroyed along with 5 field guns and three anti-aircraft guns. The desert around Longewal was a smouldering graveyard of tanks and vehicles.

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Happy Lohri!

This pic should have got posted on the 14th of Jan but then I couldnt locate it. So here it is now and wishing all our Punjabi friends a very happy Lohri.

I found a very interesting story about Lohri --Apparently the origin of Lohri is supposed to relate to the central character of most Lohri songs... Dulla Bhatti. He was this Islamic Robber during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, who other than robbing rich men also used to rescue hindu girls who used to be forcibly taken to be sold in slave market of the Middle East. He would then get these girls married to Hindu boys with Hindu rituals and also pay for their dowry. Obviously then he became a local hero and therefore most songs on Lohri will have words that express gratitude to Dulla Bhatti.

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The story of the 3 Queens

Tombstones in one of the Badha Bagh Cenotaphs. Note the three women next to the King on the horse. It denotes that the king was cremated here and the three women in the tomb stone depicts his 3 queens, that died practicing Sati.

Sati is is a funeral practice among some Hindu communities in which a recently widowed woman would either voluntarily or by use of force and coercion immolate herself on her husband’s funeral pyre.

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Jr. Assistant

Our very own inhouse assistant... who loves to help around with the manual setting up work on a shoot... like carrying the tripod from place A to place B... or just simply breaking it :P

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Cleared to Take Off

A typical pilots evening... shots...aircrafts...and girls...the girls bit is missing in the picture... don't know if the fact that one of them is writing about this counts!

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Let There be Light

Diwali the festival of lights and crackers. The time of the year when gambling is legal and alcohol flows like water. The festival marks the return of Lord Rama, accompanied by his wife and brother, from his exile. Diwali, now synonymous to Spring cleaning in India, is the day Hindus celebrate the victory of good over evil.

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The Village That Was Cursed

Kuldhara: The one place that we had decided to come and spend more time at the last time we visited Jaisalmer. This is by far the most intriguing place in Jaisalmer or anywhere else that I have visited. Once a prosperous settlement of the Paliwal Brahmins, all the residents of Kuldhara and 83 nearby villages vanished suddenly one night in 1825, having lived there since 1291. The story of the migration will unfold with the other pictures.

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Rain Rain Go Away

Monsoons in Hyderabad, not as beautiful as the ones in Mumbai or the Ghats... but they have their unique characteristics... it almost never rains in Hyderabad in the daytime... just when you have reached your place of work... it will start pouring... or worse still just when its time to leave it will start raining cats and dogs. This shot was taken on one such evening... when Promeet was on his way to my office to pick me up.

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All Things Holi

The vivid colors of Holi and the fun and frolic of bhang, water, eggs, puddle all together is the time to bridge the social gap and renew sweet relationships. This picture taken by Promeet is one of my favorite shots of Hrusha... it gives that lil girl a very grown up look, that always made me wonder...what do kids think about?

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Dinner for Two

A view from the top of the hotel in Jaisalmer. Tables are set for the evening dinner and the music/dance recital. The hotel curio shop adding the splash of color that brings the whole picture alive.

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Wind Mills of God

The horizon of the Thar is dotted by 1000+ windmills that generate power from the desert wind. When asked the locals said that they supply electricity to the Indo-Pak border. Another interesting trivia was that the investor behind the mills are none other than the so called Gods of the Nation - Cricketers and Bollywood Actors. It is believed that Sachin Tendulkar and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have invested more Rs 8-9 crore (Rs 80-90 million) each and have helped Suzlon Energy in installing two windmills each.

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Cenotaph of Badha Bagh

One of the more interesting monuments in the vicinity of Jaisalmer are the Cenotaphs. These cenotaphs also known as chattris and were constructed by the various Bhatti rulers. One cenotaph has been erected for each ruler. The oldest among them is the cenotaphs of Maharawal Jait Singh who reigned from 1470-1506. This tradition was discontinued when in 1947, one of the prince died of a mysterious disease. This was taken as a bad omen and thus this tradition came to its end. However, as the local boy, who was hanging around to make a quick buck as a guide, told us - the members of the Royal Family continue to get cremated over here.

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The Jain temple of Lodhruva

Lodhruva is 15 km from Jaiselmar, it was the capital before Jaiselmer and now it is in ruins. You'd find a beautiful, Jain temple when you go there.

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