Skywatch Friday: Sunrise and Contrail

Gaja, a severe storm or cyclone that was threatening the coastline of Tamil Nadu for nearly a week, had landfall near Nagapattinam, creating havoc at the early hours of Friday (today). Above 250 km away from Chennai, the coastal districts is at severe damage of properties and lose of countless trees, but the precaution efforts taken by the state and district authorities really need to be appreciated and I believe it is because of their efforts the worst has been prevent. Actually, Chennai was predicted to be the destination of Gaja, but nature decided to be kind toward us giving away the trouble to other part of the state. As I have been to the places of Gaja, I could imagine what kind of destruction the areas face and Vedaranyam being the eye of Gaja is isolated from outside world and it is surrounded by natural saltpans and forests that should be faced heavier. I was really worried about the Kodiyakarai; the Point Calimere wildlife and bird sanctuary, which is home to number of blackbucks, wild horses and migratory birds, including flamingos. Hope the nature wasn’t disturbed heavily.

Coming to the post, I would like to share couple of skywatch shots from the other day morning, when I waked up earlier than usual. Though it wasn’t an actual sunrise but for me the sun just came above the trees and building to bestow its tender waves on me that sense a lot to me. You could presume form the images that it was shot from balcony using iPhone and few minutes later a jet crossed the sky and its quick enough to pass and I could only get the contrail as proof. It was a pleasant morning for me and waked up earlier left me more time for reading and other activities. I wish I follow this pattern, though I’m someone don’t wake up before 8 am this should be a trouble. lol

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

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 

RGB Monday

Festival lights

Shot from the night before Deepavali! I usually go out to see what happens around during Diwali esp. the evening or night before the festival of lights and mostly to the beaches in neighbourhood where people gather more to just catch up with the mood of Deepavali, and this time I went to Palavakkam beach and watched some fireworks lighting up the sky despite the time restrictions it was wonderful to check out. The photos carry some colourful light decorations from the shops on ECR that I shot when moving around in car. 

Skywatch Friday: Aerial Fireworks

During Deepavali I had wonderful time watching fireworks that repeatedly showed up in the sky from evening to night, from various angles it boomed the sky in dazzling light and colours which kept me active on phone as I have no idea from which direction a firework would light up, I was awake to capture some of the amazing displays. I initially used the camera in firework mode to shoot the same, but as many weren’t repeated kind I shifted to iPhone camera, which is quick at shot, helped me get some neat snaps alike here, from the balcony.

Deepavali this year wasn’t great to cherish or bad to critic, but went neutral where I couldn’t feel anything differenct; instead it was pretty bored for much part of the day as most programs on Television weren’t amusing. And I haven’t watched it as well. Though Supreme Court has set time limit of 8-10pm, which was altered by the state govt. as an hour in morning and night to light fireworks, there were crackers sound from morning to night but that particular time period, Chennai was at its high – the time where we also light some fireworks and joined the smoky eve hehe… it’s been years I have stopped buying noise crackers and also conscious purchasing less smoking fireworks last few years.

Obviously, this year the noise and smoke level was very low compared to former years. Thanks to the hard rule by Supreme Court, that forced people to either give up or control bursting crackers results in only bit rise on pollution level. But to my surprise, when I checked the weather app today, three day after Diwali, the air quality is poorer than what showed on Diwali. I wonder is it perhaps it was national holiday that day, with less vehicle and factory pollution the air quality should have shown better that what bursting crackers created. Huh!

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

Restriction and Reality on Fireworks

For Indians, the first thing that comes to mind when spelling on Deepavali or Diwali is fireworks. So was the festival caught fire with us and although we call it as festival of lights, only fireworks ignite the light and it has been a part of the festival historically. People may hold different belief regarding to the festival using fireworks, but generally people enjoy lighting fireworks and as it burst with different colors and golden hues brings lot of cheer.  As a 90s kid, fireworks has been my favourite  (and continue to be so)  and I believe it was for anyone grown that time, and now with lack of interest many would dropped firing  but the memories could not light off. The firework industry in Tamil Nadu is big enough to support the entire country and foreign export, and just for the one day celebration of Diwali the almost firework industry works throughout the year.

Now coming to the post, the Supreme Court of India has come up with restrictions to use fireworks – what is busting crackers for just 2 hours on Diwali – sounds funny! It’s quite impractical judgement by the Supreme Court (in response to a petition seeking ban on fireworks) and I really wonder what kind of analysis the judges did on the festival and its fever of bursting crackers. How could they think people would stop or bring down to the ground, a practice followed for many years, all of sudden? I don’t connect it with belief or religion, because Diwali is celebrated beyond anything by the people of India and gripping them tightly will end with disappointment and lose hope on democracy. I know this rule will be broke down for sure, and yes, bursting crackers are harm to environment but there should be some procedure to bring down the practice and making of firecrackers step by step rather pushing down to ground.

I just wondering like every other do, on how the Supreme Court is going to tackle the countless, certainly breaking down the time limitation. Already there’s a time limitation set out by the Supreme Court to light fireworks between 6am to 10pm at night on Diwali, but people begin bursting even earlier to late night will certainly ignore this rule, which is against democracy and people unfavourable. No doubt, the fireworks will lose ground in future but a slow landing is better for everyone and that’s what everyone needs to work out. Happy Diwali