Sunday Photo: Ice-cream vendor

Here’s a photo of an ice-cream vendor waiting for the customers at Marina Beach, Chennai. It was a common sight at beaches but viewing through the camera lens, I find something special with the light and darkness surrounding the ice-cream vendor.

Two weeks back and while coming back from my dad’s friend house in Chetput; we landed at Marina beach for sometime before head to home. Being Sunday it was crowded. But in front of the Vivekananda house, in Kamarajar Salai, where the rain water stagnant into the beach sand restricted people movement. Usually I used to check marina beach after rains to watch the fun happening with the stagnant water along the service road aside the beach sand. Vehicles wade thought the water make wonderful splashes and few times we too have made through it but never in a way of threatening others.

The darkness behind the ice-cream vendor is full of water, so I was glad to shoot the photo without any hindrance at background distracting the view. Though there were few kids playing in the water doesn't interfered in anyways. 

Attitudes and Nephew

Today is children’s day in India. The first Prime Minister of Independence India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was born on this day and his fond for children inspired to declare his birthday as children’s day. Chacha (uncle) Nehru is what children called him fondly; who also showed affection towards children and his love for rose often sees him comparing the both, “saying that children were like the buds in a garden. They should be carefully and lovingly nurtured, as they were the future of the nation and citizens of tomorrow”. He felt that children are the real strength of a country and very foundation of society.

I totally agree with his words above, as I strongly believe good children are gift to society. I like to share something here on the line of children’s day from my personal thought on children. I always admire children for their innocence and being true towards their feeling and attitude. I strongly condemn parents enforcing their personal perspective as the perfect way of viewing things in children. The truth could be only one and it is our duty to teach them irrespective of what we think personally and teach them how to write and let not decide what they have to write. Give way to their true feeling and freedom to let them scribble as their initial expression and respect their attitude if it was right from a common view and not from your personal angle. Everyone knows growing children is not easy task and only responsible parents could lead their children best in attitude.

Along with my nephew, wishing all Happy Children’s Day 

Coming to the actual post here: I had to spent another wonderful day with my nephew Barath at home and going out to beach, last week, after he kept calling me few time as he come back to his grandmother’s house. He thinks that visiting his grandmother house means coming to ours as well. He remembers my name well and the relation between us, as I am the only younger brother to his father (my cousin) whom he was close and share more time than the other younger brothers of his father. I was truly touched by his attitude towards me and I almost melt away when he called me to say bye before leaving his grandmother house to his own.

He exhibits great gasping power and good at memorise. His attitude towards relationship is enriched which I haven’t seen it in any other children who have been close with me latter. In next six months he will be left to school and I really wonder will I get to share time with him like now. But anyhow I am so happy for his love and attention toward me and I used to forget almost everything that bothers me when I am with him. Who won’t fall in love with someone holding innocent smile and share from his heart? 

Red Letter Box on Gate

From my childhood days I show interest on red letter boxes that hang from the gates of many houses in my neighbourhood and while coming back from school then, I truly wish to have one such box hung from our own gate. While residing in our native house in Adyar, we shared a common gate with uncle’s workshop so we hadn’t had a chance or truth to be said, we don’t had a necessary to place a letter box since almost our relatives and friends are from within Chennai and easily reachable. The only family that sent us letters/greeting cards was from our great aunt’s who stayed away from city.

Even after shifted to apartment in neighbourhood, we don’t have the chance or need to place a letter box because there was already a common box for every block and the watchman himself will distribute the letters to right home while he comes around. The letter boxes in eye-catching red, with words refer to what it was in white against black cap with a gap inside to drop the letter. I find interesting how post man drops the letter inside, and many boxes I have seen had locks to keep safe the letters from ill beings. A house that was opposite to ours in Adyar had the letterbox placed inside their compound wall with just a gap on wall to leave the letter.

I link this post, with the red letter box hanging along the gate from one of our neighbours, to the Run a Round Ranch’s Good fences. The photos on the letter box was shot from the mobile camera (2 mega pixel), while being out one evening in wheelchair to a nearest park. So pls bear with the quality. I also added a photo from the park, above, where kids play sliding. I find this particular side very colorful and fun sliding down.

A falls near Coonoor

Driving down from Coonoor on the Mettupalaiyam road and at the Kattari Junction I find a small waterfall on the roadside after taking right at the junction towards Kundha. It is one of an important junction that led to the western sides of Nilgiri.

It seems like a small freshwater spring come falls, continue to flow as I read a board there warning not to wash vehicles there. Being midsummer month then water flow has been least.

Vedaranyam – Renowned for salt and struggle

During my visit to Point Calimere (Kodiyakarai) we landed at Vedaranyam for temple visit and to time pass while waiting for the Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary to be open by afternoon to enter. Vedaranyam is a coastal town, about 50 km southeast of Nagapattiman in Tamil Nadu along the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal. The town Vedaranyam derive its name from the temple here called Vedaranyeswarar Temple, with Vedaranyeswarar as presiding deity, is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The 7^th century Saiva canonical work, Tevaram (written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanars) mentions this place as Tirumaraikadu, meaning the place where Vedas, the oldest scripture of Hinduism, originated.

Vedaranyeswarar Temple Tower (click photos for enlargement)

Vedaranyam is also a historical town and according to the inscriptions found in Vedaranyeswarar Temple, Vedaranyam has been a part of the Chola Empire under various reigns (from 871-1120 CE) until before it falls during 13^th century CE while under a power struggle between Pandyas and Hoysalas. The Cholas had been profuse throughout their reign granting to the temple, which continued even during the rules of the Nayaks of Thanjavur. The Vedaranyeswarar Temple is a part of the series of temples built by Aditya Chola (871-907 CE) along the banks of river Cauvery to commemorate his victory in the Tirupurambiyam batter. The temple has a five-tiered gateway tower and a central shrine, holding the image of Shiva in the form of lingam.

Salt Pans of Vedaranyam

Being under French and British regime, like many other places in pre-independence era and a part of Nagapattinam region, Vedaranyam is renowned for salt and struggle! Producing around 500,000 tonnes of salt every year, Vedaranyam stands next to Tuticorin in quantum of salt produced in Tamil Nadu. Thanks to the advantage of Great Vedaranyam Swamp with total area of about 349 sq.-km stretching parallel to the Palk Strait and Point Calimere wildlife sanctuary to extreme east; Vedaranyam has five fresh water channels from river Cauvery draining into the swamp, that obtain continuous source of fresh, saline or brackish water during the southwest monsoon and dries up in summer, contributes to salt extraction.

Salt Pans along the way to Point Calimere from Vedaranyam

The swamp is also filled by two periodical high tides that occur during the full moon days of summer. The saltpans spread over 11,000 acres between Vedaranyam and Kodiyakarai has small, medium and large salt manufactures that employ around 20,000 people. Aside salt manufacturing, fishing and salt water prawn cultivation is also primary activities of Vedaranyam. During the British period, salt from Vedaranyam has been transported to Nagapattinam port though a 52 km long canal since road transportation has been limited between these two towns then. Vedaranyam is a place that earned name for supporting Dandi March, one of the prime protest lead my Mahatma Gandhi against sales tax levied on salt extraction.  

Vedaranyam Beach

While Gandhi launched the Dandi March along India’s west coast to protest against the tax imposed by British Raj for salt extraction, his close associate and later India’s first Governor-General C. Rajagopalachari carried out a salt march in parallel, to the event on the east coast starting from Tiruchi to Vedaranyam. His group led by 100 volunteers was arrested by the British for collecting salt directly from the sea on the coast of Vedaranyam on 30 April 1930. There is a Salt Sathyagraga Memorial Stupe on the way to the Vedaranyam beach, built in memory of the salt march that sent Rajaji and others to six months imprisonment. Equivalent to Raameshwaram, taking bath in Vedaranyam beach is also believed to drive away sins!