Skywatch Friday

Sky keeps changing its pattern, texture and colors from time to time and esp. during the sunrise and sunset it displays incredible changes from the often blue or grey sky. I sky-watch these days more than before and I was never a morning person to wake up to dazzling shower of rising sun so I only end up more with sun setting scenario where the actual settings happen behind the buildings. For a complete sunset I need to move out of the city but it wasn’t a feel bad to catch up with a part of the sky. The sky captured here was from two evenings back; though it wasn’t awesome I liked the pieces of clouds (looking like the handpicked cotton candies before it put into the mouth) scattered on the fore screen of the sky.

A detour around Ooty

Trees rise and fall in nature's lap

During my visit to Nilgiris in 2017, I took a detour around the Ooty town, what I usually do or look forward to whatever places I visit, we took the road adjoin The Lawrence School following our stop at the lovely Lovedale Mountain Railway Station, and it was a casual turn toward this road while looked for a place to have lunch that we took along when we moved out of our homestay. The road led through calm and natural presence of woods and shrubs; amid where we found this Indian Gaur (aka Indian Bison) munching quietly some ten feet above our parked car and herd of sheep grazing alongside the road winding through some fresh patches of green or meadows. I really enjoyed taking this route even though the road isn’t good in shape it has some nice country sights where vegetables are cultivated and colourful houses built on hill slopes. Coming across these found the Mountain Railway track winding along the road and it was really surprise for me as I have seen this place and wished to visit when I read an article related to it on the Hindu Metro Plus, very long back, plus it has come in movies esp. the popular Tamil film Vaali.

I loved seeing the arched railway bridge at a turn of the road, which was picturesque but unfortunately it started to rain when nearing the bridge so I couldn’t get clear shots and also the iron fence along the way interrupted the view. There was lot of tiny wildflowers alongside the road and this stretch was really refreshing, breathing through the fresh mountain air and essense of soil and different form the usual views on Ooty. Following were some photos from the drive

Some sheep grazing on the roadsides

A cute one grazing alone

View on some colorful houses and residents made life thought mountains, grazing sheep and cultivating vegetables and tea. Being a part of Ooty perhaps their lives depend on tourism activities. 

A cemetery locating very close to the residences you seen a pic above

Something interesting caught our eyes, as we could see it was some kind of cultivation which resemble some arrangement of stones. There was none around there to enquire about the thing and it wasn't nearby to look closer

Saw this beautiful house on the way made through salubrious environment of green fields, tea garden and fresh mountain breeze.

A pleasant countryside view  

The winding mountain railway track along the road (between Lovedale - Fern Hill) and I wished there was a streamer passing by as we drive through.

Here comes  the pretty arch bridge or underpass of the Nilgiri Mountain Railways... where the popular tamil song Oh Sona (from Vaali) was shot.

Elk Hill Residences

Elk hill is a hillock facing the Ooty town and the other side sliding down the Ketty valley, on Nilgiris, has slopes of hill residents and private resorts with tea gardens and woods spread around. Glad I was able to homestay right opposite to the hill (during my visit to Nilgiris aka Ooty in April 2017) to have a wonderful look on the same and the houses built in step formats. Our homestay had two big balconies overlooking the hill across the carrot and vegetable farming and Ooty-Coonoor main road. I really enjoyed this view and also the night ones with glittering lights from the hill residents (unfortunately I don’t have photos from night) and most of the houses built on the slope was tiled roof and built wall-to-wall with neighbours. I hope they all live as a community with peace and harmony unlike the different colors of house which perhaps one of the reasons for me to zoom for details. Looks most of the houses built there has to take only steps since there isn’t space to lay roads.

Btw. I don’t have any idea or found details why it is called Elk hill, but it only wants me to think either it should have Elk deer once on this hill or British (who discovered Ooty) brought some from their homeland. The other side of the Elk Hill has a popular Murugan temple built on the idea of Malaysia’s Batu Cave with a moderate golden statue of Muruga.

Haiku Moon

Sea foam takes round form

up on sky front, frozen moon

flashed in its grey shades.

P.s. The image has the Supermoon from Feb 19 and it was captured by my mom  as i couldn't look at the moon from the balcony since the change of the angle of the moon. 

A2B Park at Mamallapuram

Early this month I took a ride on ECR (east coast road) just to pass some time and travel but later nearing Mamallapuram, my parents instantly planned to visit one of my uncles who wasn’t well there. To those unknown, Mamallapuram is my grandfather’s hometown and many our relatives lives there and it is a 7^th century sculptural town renowned for its stone carvings from many single rocks or monolithic. But I’m not here now to describe the town or its popularity or UNESCO status instead want to share some pictures of a small park at the entrance of the town belong to A2B, a popular restaurant chain.

We stopped at A2B to buy some sweets and snacks as we visit our uncle there, I liked their simple park with walk paths, green lawns and many palms to make it look so green and beautiful with bordering flowering shrubs. Dropping parents at uncle’s house we moved into the town for some glimpses and caught at traffic, since it was Sunday the places were all thronged by tourist. We quickly exit at the other end and turned back to uncle’s house.

Linking this post for  Good Fences by Gosia

Rock Paintings on Critters

During the wait at the toll gate on ECR (east coast road) in Chennai, I used to take photos sometime on the plants and rock paintings decorating the medians that separate the lanes for vehicles to pass through the collection booths. I here share couple of photos shot at the beautiful rock paintings on critters – different kind of butterflies and a turtle/tortoise and lizards – from two different stops at the toll gate. These paintings are there for more than a decade (without fading) and sometime I try to capture them depending on the vehicles movements and pace and my interest.  The butterflies above were shot with iPhone and the tortoise below was a camera shot.

Linking this post with SATURDAY CRITTERS

Scenic Travel/Skywatch

A Gopro shot on one of my favourite routes – Dindugal to Kumli – and this is a part of the scenic road around Periyakulam which shot during my last year travel through Theni district. I could not keep away the camera whenever I travel on this road; the Western Ghats Mountains is a great companion stretches all along the route and sometimes the mist covering mountain tops are blissful to watch and even on sunny days it would  be a pleasant ride breathing the mountain breeze. And the sky as well is a pleasure to watch with different patterns creating a wondrous upon the blue sky and being a fertile soil throughout the district esp. the Cumbum valley is enriched with flouring farming and being a treasure trove of Tamil Nadu, where one would cherish when travelled through.

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

RGB Monday

My aunt's colorful Pongal Kolam drawn last month during the festival of Pongal, very next to mom's Pongal pot kolam.

Kolam is a custom followed by the households in south India and it’s a daily activity for many, including ours. And Pongal Kolam is popular during this time and many put great efforts to make it look wonderful and colourful including drawing something relevant to the festival. Kolam always been my favourite thing and I enjoy watching different patterns and for me, Kolam is apart any belief and its way of exhibiting art and beauty.

Melody of Birds

A  raw image, captured at Kodaikanal

Nature sings a song
taking notes from birds
and squirrels chirping on trees
plays a melody, through
the silent afternoon
when less others volumes.

The motion of palms
made pleasant moves
to the melody of birds in air
as they fly over, tweets
some sweet notes
to compose into a song.

Piles of dry leaves
invited birds to ground
to forage; via tiny crush of leaves
comes out string tones
to fine tune the song
birds sing from bare trees.

Linking this post with SATURDAY CRITTERS

மகிழ்ச்சியான மாலை / Delightful Evening

மாலை பொழுதில், மகிழ்ச்சியில் 

கீச் கீச் என்று பறந்தன  பறவைகள்

தன் கூடு தேடி இதம் சேர்க்க,

இரவுக்குளிர் அதிகரிக்கும் முன்.

செக்கச்சிவந்த வானமாய் எனது

இளஞ்சிவப்பு நிறத்தில்

மெலிதாய் போர்த்திய பனி இடையே

உறைந்தது அன்றைய தினம்

இரவை நோக்கிய பயணத்தில்  

அழகு சித்திரமாய் மாலை 

இருள் ஒளியில் முழுதாய் 

மறையும் முன் மகிழ்வித்து சென்றது.

-------------------  -------------------

In the evening, cheerfully
chirping birds fly away
searching their nest to feel pleasant
before the night cold elevates.

As alpenglow my sky
in pinkish color
between the thin layers of dew
frozen that day 

On a journey towards night
evening as beautiful canvas
delighted, before fully disappear
in the darkness of light.

Ps. Inspired by the evening outside the home

Winter Sunlight

My window reflected 

a winter sunlight 

mild, yellow, warm light 

glare its presence 

before hideaway 

behind a building.

Pongal 2019

Mom's Pongal pot Kolam

I still going through the painful arm (read here if you missed) at night and the muscle spasm  have formed well on the upper arm and it’s taking time to heal. Being a muscular dystrophy, with weaker muscles, an extension in healing is no wonder. But I could feel better than earlier and still shifting positions kicks pain and I continue to ice and heat therapy. In between we had a far better Pongal and after 2010 we got to celebrate Pongal along with our uncle’s family who lives adjacent and the extended balcony (for my wheelchair movement) has gave enough space to lit firewood stove and Pongal was cooked in mud pot. Pongal is a harvesting festival of Tamil and thanksgiving to nature that nurture our lives and making Pongal in open space means dedicate to the prime natural source Sun and make thought the year become all success and happier.

Making of sweet Pongal by boiling rice, milk and jaggery

The weather is pretty cool all these days and the sun is bright enough to balance the heat and the Pongal was cooked despite the warm sunlight that kept producing heat. The night before Pongal, mom and aunt got their hands on beautifying our front yard or the space between the road and our house and both made two colourful Kolams aka Rangoli using colour powders. First time mom took effort to draw a big Kolam after her surgery in May, though it is a simple kolam for her but just put this effort for me as  I love kolams. Every year she used to draw Pongal Kolam and adds colors according to the design and this time along with the aunt they turned more colourful the way it used to be. Other than paying homage to nature esp. the sun, and making Pongal on the balcony the days were spent mostly on TV and i went around our streets in the evening to check neighbours Kolam but to my disappointment most of them had drawn small Kolam or design which I would sharing in another post. Hope you liked our celebration.

View on other two kolams by aunt, from balcony

Skywatch Friday : Pretty Sky

The temperature was mild today, with some clouds covering up the sky and the evening too wasn’t any different until I came inside the home. The sky turned wonderful all of sudden as I looked out the window; it was reddish as I faced west and I just came out instantly clicking some snaps on the sky looking partially purple and pink. We are having a depression in ocean and are expected to receive rains for couple of days during the weekend and as indicate of rain the grey clouds turned up after the play of purple and pink.

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

Heaven on Earth

One of my favorite place on earth - Veerapandi, in Theni district of Tamil Nadu. Hope you don't need a question why, if you watched the video. Music by Anirudh from Vankkam Chennai, a favorite song of mine.

Curls

pic: google

Like upright ripples
curls, crawl downs her bosom as
infant hugs mother

Exists a beauty
even at a small gesture
of fingering curls 

Unveil

Withered to cold, tree 

unveils its hideout beauty 

in mist wrapped haven. 

P.s. Haiku inspired by the tree snapped through the mist when traveling on the countryside of 

Kodaikanal. 

Silver Lining Clouds

Around Wellington near Coonoor, while stopped to buy some fresh bakery items, the silver lining clouds draw my attention. I found the clouds rising in front of me were impressive with an outline and above the cluster of eucalyptus trees, the clouds form like mountains that caught fire! It was nearly 6 in the evening and clearly sun was behind this magic and once we hit the Ooty-Coonoor main road the sun was out again drawing my attention at many curves performing delight. I could share some more delight from that evening that couldn’t let me put down the mobile, as I was out of camera, I couldn’t capture the best, but enjoyed the views and more to come later.  

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

Bougainvillea bloomed in neighborhood

During an evening walk other day I capture these pretty Bougainvillea glabra turning the quiet road of this into very pleasant in the presence of these blooms, making way outside the compound of a school campus in neighborhood.  Sometime I used to take my iPhone when going for walk in evening to capture anything interesting I come across and if it is within our area or streets I just keep away this little weight from the pocket. The pictures were bit edited with Photoshop to bring out some rich colors and neat look.

Bougainvillea glabra, the lesser bougainvillea or paperflower, is the most common species of bougainvillea used for bonsai. glabra is heat and drought tolerant and frost sensitive bougainvillea and it needs full sunlight, warm weather and well-drained soil to flower well.

Linking this post for Floral  Friday Foto  

Beetle Play

My cousin picked up this green beetle from the woods (during our vacation at the woodhouse near Kodai) and I was scared when he put it on my wheelchair board. But he told me it was lifeless so did I breathe, because I am always scared of insects and that not mean I hate insects but I like watching and shooting from a distance. He knows I like to shoot interesting subjects and as I had camera on hand I immediately took a snap on the beetle to only see a little vibrate in its legs but before we realize it was alive, it took off to fly! We were surprised and he told it was on the ground, with all mud sticking on it made certain it was dead   and was like that until I took snap.  I could still recollect the vibrate it creates before taking off.

I leave with another wild insect I captured from the same vacation and I have idea about the species and it was lying on the dining table out at the woodhouse balcony.

Linking this post with SATURDAY CRITTERS

Palamathi Hills and Balamurugan Temple

As part of my visit to Vellore district in February, I explored Palamathi Hills, a beautiful mountain range that close to the Vellore City or to say about 10 km from the same. Located southeast of the Vellore city, the hills is an extension of the Eastern Ghats includes Palamathi Reserve Forest and Otteri Lake, makes it a thriving hotspot for various birds and flora. I visited the hills through the back road, which I would recommend anyone driving from Chennai who like to enjoy village scenario and it was a short route too by going into Arcot town and taking the Arcot main road to Kavanur and then to Palamathi Hills.

View on a part of Palamathi Hills

The hills have a beautiful and scenic environment and I would highly recommend it visited during winter or monsoon to feel cool and find it quite greenish. Palamathi is a developing tourist destination with Balamurugan Temple, atop the hill, could be the prime destination to attract tourist. The yellow coated Murugan Temple, also known as Kuzhandai Velayudhabani swamy Temple could be an attention seeker for anyone visiting the hills and the hillock temple and tower is visible from the distance if you climb from the Vellore city. The temple has a beautiful arch at the foothill leading a driveway and a stairs parallel to the parking lot.

It was 12pm when we visited the temple and it has around 150 steps to climb from the foot hall to the temple and before we discover the off road that adjoin the hillock, mom and grandma went atop on foot and it was them to find out the mud road and we took the SUV close to the temple tower. The temple provides free lunch for the visited devotes and except me and cousin, others end their lunch there. Parents told the temple was well maintained and has couple of peacocks fenced in a cage inside the temple – form where one get to hold natural views all around.

The forest view along the off road that take us above the hillock and you could see goats feeding from a bucket kept by the temple people.

The temple perched on the cliff, shot while climbing down the hill towards Vellore city

Palamathi isn’t very high hills and should be around MSL 300-400 and has wonderful breeze throughout the year but should feel cool in morning and evenings unless monsoon/winter hits. I actually wanted to visit this place much earlier as post monsoon or midwinter to experience cool weather but it wasn't bad in early Feb. The best part of the scenic hills is the road winding down to the Vellore city and the hairpin bends are picturesque to shoot along the way or from the hilltop. But the temple has closed the windows overlooking that view, perhaps it located at unsafe spot, so we missed getting the scene but I managed to get some while drove through the Ghats.

Scenic view around the hairpin bends

Palamathi is a village panchayat and majority of the people living here are migrants from other places of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra and so they do not have a tribal status. The people cultivate paddy, groundnut and ragi above the mountains and sells at the city market. The Otteri Lake at the foothill is a manmade lake in the British era to supply water to Vellore city. I took many photos on the hills and I would share more in the future posts.