RGB Monday

Our colorful Karthigai Deepam 

Or an arrangement of Diyas! Karthikai Deepam is a South Indian festival observed by the Hindus on the full moon day of the Tamil calendar Karthikai, which happens between November and December. It is an occasion where rows of oil lamps are lit in every home and temple. Karthigai Deepam is essentially a festival of lamps and lighted lamps are considered auspicious symbols; believed to drive off evil forces and let in prosperity and joy.

Diyas light up the balcony and door front

Most of the oil lamps (Diyas) used here (at houses and temples) are made of clay, and except for adding or replacing a few, most of the lamps are reused from previous years after cleaning. Mom soaked the oil-stained Diyas in water two days before the festival, then dried them before the oil-lit Diyas illuminated the night against the much brighter full moon. Karthigai Deepam is a renowned festival for the Thiruvannamalai Deepam (a massive lamp lit up at the peak of Annamalai Hill, about 2669 feet high) dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Just a day ahead of the festival, I got the idea of coloring some of the Diyas. I got posture colors, and started to paint immediately, and continued into the festival day including coloring quite red, green, and blue Diyas. I did some simple designs on the side of Diyas, and Diyas being small in size comes in handy for me to paint with my limited arm access. It’s been a long time since I touched a brush since I find it difficult to draw things holding a pencil or brush, but I always want to do something and the Diyas ignites the thought and I plan to do some more esp. to try to create some Christmas decors using Popsicle sticks and paint colorfully.   

My colored Diyas making center of attraction hehe.. (all pics clicked with iPhone)

Skywatch Friday: Stormy Sky

Shot outside the home. Before it started to rain heavily! Nov 20-21 had been really good day for us, with continues rain, which was the need of the hour, turned the environment to feel cool and was refreshing throughout the showering. Thanks to the depression in Bay of Bengal, we received 100-150mm of rain and so far we received less than 300mm of rain where the normality is 850mm.  So we still need more rain to raise our ground table and the water level at reservoirs. Hope more on the way before the monsoon ends.

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

Gaja and the cottage at Kodiyakarai

The cyclone Gaja has smashed the coastal districts up to 6, and took very unusual routes into the land without losing its strength has stroke couple of mountainous districts causing heavy downpour and windstorms resulting in number of tree fall and landslides. Kodaikanal – my most visited place for vacation, where my uncle owns wood houses and cottage – being the core part of the cyclone, before it enters the Kerala state and Arabian Sea shook the mountains to unlink most of the roads and many remote villages are inaccessible still and out of electric. Even at the vicinity of my uncle’s woodhouse and plantation, many banana trees had fell and there’s no water or electric.

At the other hand I was wonder what could happened to the beautiful cottage we stayed in Kodiyakarai (PointCalimere) during our visit to the wildlife and bird sanctuary there, which was the eye of cyclone Gaja! It’s nearly a century old tiled roof cottage; adjoin the sanctuary and coastal line, built by Thambusamy Pillai, a sea merchant. There’s two suites named as Pelican and Flamingo, which is popular migratory birds of the sanctuary. I really loved this place, despite the frequent power cuts and mosquito bites; I could see deer and peacocks turn pleasant the moments anytime by their presence. Kodiyakarai and Vedaranyam in Nagai district is worst affected and almost cut off from the rest of the places, as it located on the eastern edge of the state.

The places that are affected by Gaja continues to fight against the debris the cyclone left back, after pulled down many houses and destruction of livelihoods. And to make situation worse, these places continue to receive heavy rains due to another depression at the sea and a warning of 300 mm of rain still. However it was raining from the morning here, more rains is expected in coming days. Hope it rains well, never a kind of flooding, to uplift the ground water and filling of lakes to support our city’s water scarcity. The pictures here are on the cottage we stayed at Kodiyakarai.

Sunday Photos: Fireworks

Some golden aerial fireworks shots from the Diwali night, capture through iPhone from the balcony of our home. 

Following is a short slow motion video of ground chakkara

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