Ban banner culture

In recent times keeping flex banners has become a culture in Tamil Nadu, as well as in other states of India. I think keeping banners, as a promotion to a leader or party has started with emergence of Dravidian parties and what has been restrained to political and film scenario has went down all way to everything on their personal choice. From a child’s first year birthday to someone’s last rite and some even extend banners to commemorate the day of their demise. These days any small event has a promotional banner and what matters was all of these were kept on public roads as an obstacle to people. Though the personal banners are limited, and commercial banners do have regulations but where it creates trouble was when the rules aren’t followed.

credit: the hindu 

Today the entire state wake up to the news of Subashri, a 23 year old woman in Chennai died on spot when a wedding (political) banner placed on the median dropped on her and a lorry ran over her as she fell down on the road along her bike. Though this isn’t the first time an incident   happened alike, the accidents related to banners resonated many times in past and get mute followed by other. But this time the High court has voluntarily come forward to question the government related to banners and accidental death of Subashri and contempt the political parties and strictly warned on banners. This is the first time a great move held by the court against the govt. and the entire state stern opposite to banners. While she closed eyes (and let other tear) she opened the door of law where almost political parties had come forward to withdraw the banner culture, the public also has responsible to stop these banner culture from their personal celebrations as well

Chameleon and Rain Tree

Perhaps it was afternoon when I casually came into the balcony; spot a chameleon taking nap on the branches of the Rain tree or Monkey pod (Albizia saman) grown opposite to our house on the roadside. The chameleon wasn’t taking nap quite but was on its usual slow pace push ups and I didn’t want to miss the chance, so quickly reached the camera and took few shots because the iPhone don’t zoom for that long.

Actually the Rain Tree was wrongly planted in our street or unaware of what tree was it when planted because there isn’t enough space for the widespread tree to grow in our street and the tree separated into two branches at few feet from the ground went growing wild in multiple directions to look distracting and blocking the wind. Though we managed to cut few branches of the tree sometime back it started too grown again to damage the look. Post winter the tree lost many of its thick pinnate leaves to leave ground yellow carpet but it hasn’t bloomed yet in white and pink.

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Ganesh Chaturthi at Home and Neighborhood

Home Ganesh

One of the prominent Indian festivals, Ganesh Chaturthi, celebrated on Monday and we too had a piece of the event at home. Dad bought Ganesh clay idol from the temporary street shops selling the idols and other elements for the worship and by the end of the noon things came to conclude and we had lunch with dishes offered for the Ganesh. The day was celebrated in front of the television and by the evening the clay idol was left in a bucket of water – the usual way of dissolving the idol that we are following for more than a decade.

The clay idol left in a bucket of water to dissolve

The clay idols are designed to drop in rivers by the time where rivers are flooded following the rains, but the climate change or delay in rains had left rivers dry during this season forced people to look after lakes, ponds and sea. Many in the neighbourhood, including my cousin drove to the beach to drop their idols but we found this method (dissolve in bucket of water and use it later for trees/plants) comfort and eco-friendly. I always keep this upfront to encourage others to follow this easy and need of the hour… but we can’t force unless they wake up. In the evening there was a cart procession from the street end Ganesh temple but as soon they started the rain interrupt and delayed the procession and the time it come over our place I had dinner, so couldn’t take proper photos and the one at below comes from dad.

The cart procession shot from the balcony - actually there's two Ganesh Temples in our area and only one took to street on Ganesh Chaturthi (monday)  and the other temple cart is postponed to Sunday.

Indoor plants, a new hobby

As an initial step to bring nature into home, I purchased couple of air purifying plants (Spider and Golden Pothos) in black ceramic pots from the Amazon. The plants come well packed and undamaged with boxes having holes for the plants to breath. In our previous house in backstreet, we had enough space around the house and mom had dozen of pot plants lined the alley and the courtyard had a neem, tree jasmine (Indian cork tree) and custard apple trees outgrowing from the neighbour’s compound turned our stay cool and close to nature with birds like the babblers, koels, parakeets… made pleasant the evening as they pass by these trees. Our current house too faces trees lining the opposite side of the road, as well as the trees and plants from the neighbours (who have enough garden spaces) produces a green scenario that I love facing daily.

I like having flower pots at home and once had roses, hibiscus, marigolds and some jasmines but the plants haven’t stayed long or continue to bloom as we couldn’t maintain properly. Our house in first floor, now, doesn’t have spaces to keep plant pots and it was the reason we left some pots at the previous house and some gave away to grandma but now I like to have some plants that grow inside the home that could be placed on corners and at available spaces. I was also concern about the air quality inside the home, as we living on the main street, lot of dust enter the home during the day time and we also have a dog so I was specific about the indoor plants that act as natural air purifier. We already have electric air purifier that we use only at night but I like to have these plants that clear the air and keep interior green. I decided to buy couple of plants monthly to place it wherever there’s space and also looking for flowering and bonsai plants.

RGB Monday

Colorful night lamp!

During my stay in a homestay in Ooty in 2017, our room had a fix night lamps next to the cot on both sides. Though we switch it off at night, as the colorful lights keep distracting the sleep, only switched on to take snaps.