Fireworks @ Skywatch Friday

Deepavali – the festival of lights – just passed like a blink of light and flash of an aerial firework that treat eyes for few seconds. For my cousin sister, who got married in June, this was her Thala (first) Deepavali after the marriage so she had come home with groom, following an invite by us as per the custom. Thala Deepavali is treated special for every newly married couple that follows the tradition and I could see they had good time cheering the festival of lights in pretty new cloths and spirited while bursting crackers. I wonder how she enjoyed bursting crackers what I haven’t seen in a while, as she ever showed interesting on crackers was different on that day that I could understand it’s all the magic of newly married.

I had a great night that day watching the fireworks that made the new moon sky dazzle in display of colourful fireworks. I felt the crackers sounded a bit louder at my surrounding this year than the previous and many in the neighbourhood had lit auto bombs (and loud crackers) to disturb the ear eardrums and to the unusual my cousin too created some dreadful sound despite my unlikeliness. I’m always against loud crackers and particular about the choice of fireworks I buy that emit less sound and smoke. I enjoy watching fireworks either on the sky or ground level, the emitting of light and sound and the rush of fire creates an emotion that embark to a state of different and light-heartedness. I had fun lighting sparklers, the only firework I could handle enough but I liked capturing fireworks in video and photo modes.

Collage of aerial fireworks display in different forms, shot in firework mode in camera 

I share here some fireworks that lit my sky and the images in collages were all shot from the balcony. I planned to go out during the Deepavali eve to see things happening around but couldn’t move out a bit rather taking the backstreets in wheelchair. I usually go out a day before or on Deepavali night to watch for fireworks displayed in the neighbourhood even though I had the opportunity this time something conscious prevented me.  Glad I could watch some from the balcony and shoot as well.  

Galaxies created by fireworks

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

Deepavali and Its Electric Feel

Deepavali or Diwali – which is around the corner (Oct 27) doesn’t need an intro to the world, and India is a multicultural nation with each has its own richness of colours, dynamic, values and unique practices progresses with zeal; and Diwali is a festival unites the nation under the limelight called festival of lights, just like the festival of colours - Holi. Every part of the country has a reason and belief to celebrate Diwali with common intent of good against evil and light in place of darkness. Though not everyone celebrates Diwali in India and you really don’t need to celebrate the festival but the mood of the festival of lights is delight! Those who grew up in 90s and 80s and further decades below would knew the real essence and spirit of Deepavali or any other festival in common, and we as kids used to begin the celebration weeks ahead to Diwali by bursting little firecrackers that we buy from the petti shops in neighbourhood.

Sparkler effect in playful way

Deepavali is an uplifting feeling leap off every year during the festival time and it has something to do with me, perhaps it was a favourite time of the year for me from the beginning and bursting fireworks was the intention behind the enthusiasm. During school days, we draw Diwali greetings on the black board on the last day in school before the Deepavali holiday and what we draw was rockets, flower pot fountains, sparklers… and some terror boys drew Lakshmi vedi, auto bombs and electric crackers and the girl students drew Diyas. Those days Deepavali means fireworks and still I could not imagine a Deepavali without the same and the sound of firecrackers. I don’t encourage the sound and I too stopped buying fireworks that exits sound, except for the Aerial shots, I handle only sparklers.

Apart fireworks, Deepavali is a festival of sweets and this was the only time that we make sweets and snacks at home. But these days many prefer buying sweets from the shops perhaps because of laziness or workload where they are not ready or impossible to spend time on preparing snacks at home. During our resident at apartment (from 2005-2013) we get to taste different sweets and snacks shared by the neighbours but we ever turned from Adhirasam and Murukku – the traditional sweet and snack that mark Deepavali. The Adhirasam made of rice flour and jiggery and Murukku with same flour and other ingredients produces a distinct sense and cheerfulness as we go through the smell and hunger for same. The snacks were later distributed to relatives and friends the same way we’re treated by them.  

Though new cloths are part of the festival, like any other festivals, Deepavali clothes has a special place and this was the time where purchases reach the peak and offers come in grand what people never wanted to miss. The online shopping has took a huge leap these days, where the festival rush to shopping streets and malls had gradually decreased and the great Indian festivals at online websites and apps like Amazon becomes an advantage to people who lookout for low-price and stress-free shopping experience. I remember going to shopping for Deepavali and Pongal festivals,   when I was a kid, even though I wasn’t much interested on dresses that was a time new dress made sense and gave happiness showing it to others. Only in last couple of years I took shirts for Deepavali and this year that too was nil, as I got stitched dress only lately, but generally I wasn’t interested shopping on special occasions.

For me it was the feeling, the cheerfulness of celebrating a festival and gathering of people and cherishing the memories that I hold dear from past celebrations makes Deepavali special. For me the past is always significant, not only because those moments unreturned but hold back the spirit and becomes a force to take forward.  I believe a festival is to celebrate and a celebration is impossible without sharing. For me Deepavali bring a feel of togetherness, what the sounds of fireworks on this day reproduce and I don’t see bursting fireworks as a rite or reasonable act but I like watching firework display that happens only during Deepavali and I buy some on my personal interest.  Enjoy your day and have fun.

RGB Monday

A colourful depiction of traditional south Indian wedding ceremony!

No, this is not from my grandmother’s Golu arrangement but this could take an easy place at any similar arrangement of dolls. This miniature of a marriage ceremony was found at a café’s showcase while stopped for a coffee break during a leisure ride on Kodaikanalghat road. The café bearing the board of popular Kumbakonam degree coffee is located half the way on Kodai road and the café displayed some more craftworks, which I’m unsure it’s for sales, and too sells some hygienic snacks. 

Btw. the weather was very pleasant today, and also become the wettest day of the year with continues drizzle from the dawn and occasional heavy rains temperature had pushed to the least to heaven like feel. Things look pretty refreshing around and trees gleam in greenish green and the rain drops had decorated the balcony rails as rows of LEDs, a feel that often missed lately is back with commence of northeast monsoon.

Moon Watch

Last month I capture the full moon at my comfort zone, and it rose just behind a neem tree then and it wasn’t up quite, I liked to have some neem leaves playing a silhouette against flashy moon drop. The moon was bright enough that day that the optical zoom (of my canon sx220hs) couldn’t get the details and so, I was to extend to digital zoom to quench details on the moon.  Though I tried to make shoot through leaves, the moon was almost up with leaves just brushing the edges of perfect round moon as wind blows.

Later I tried to capture moon in b/w mode and was impressed.

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

Grandma’s Golu

My grandmother has been keeping Golu at her home for less than a decade, except couple of years due to grandfather’s illness and demise, she follows the custom of arranging dolls yearly during the Navaratri festival.  Navaratri, which means nine nights, is a Hindu festival celebrated in devotion of the goddess of power, wealth and knowledge  and the end of the festival (10th day) is celebrated as Vijayadashami or Dussehra.

This year she couldn’t get support from anyone in setting up stairs  for arranging the dolls, so she just filled dolls on cupboard, table and on floor. The dolls are a collection from her various trips to north Indian states and some other decorative items are handmade by grandma. Here I share some photos on grandmother’s Golu this year and the images were shot by mom with camera.  

Here's a set of two south indian customs of marriage (on left) and first tonsure and ear boring of a child (on right).

A set of playing cricket

A rural setting of village and market

This looks like a setting of forest and tribal lifestyle