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The Daily Post Photo Challenge : Good Match

This week, share a photo of a satisfying pairing from your own life. You should by no means limit yourself to edible stuff — You can mix and match places, people, objects, and activities that represent your idea of a harmonious, pleasing combination.

Decades ago mud was removed from an open, empty space for making bricks and tiles in our place. After many years the tile factory closed. But the basin from where mud had been removed was widened and  deepened. During the monsoon season water fills to the brim. The whole acre covers hundred acres and the depth of the basin is about hundred feet. The water level has receded a lot now but the water does not dry completely. There is a walking track round the lake . We love going there. For me the water in the lake, the breeze and sunset is a very good match. There is a serenity and quietness which is so very refreshing.

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Now that the water has receded, wild purple flowers grow on the lake bed. The flowers are very beautiful.

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“A bed of flowers

Blooming when water dries up

Adding its beauty

To the lake with its dry bed

Carpet of purple flowers.”

The Daily Post Photo Challenge : Good Match

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Early Morning (Slice of Life)

Our days have always begun early. And since the birth of our grandson in July 2013, they have begun earlier. We get up by five. I love to wake up a little later than usual on Sundays but the alarm in my mind wakes me up at five. :))I love these early morning hours. There is a certain serenity and quietness about them. Adding music to those hours is the chirpings of birds. Sometimes it is like an orchestra. I wonder what the birds are saying to each other? Maybe they are talking about their daily schedule. They are so busy the whole day.

A few years ago just before dawn we were startled to hear a whistling sound out of doors. We thought it was a person whistling. After this we heard this intriguing whistle every morning. We guessed that it might be a bird call. Indeed, when we looked in the book by the famous Indian ornithologist, Salim Ali, we came to know that it was the Malabar whistling thrush. The bird is so beautiful but we never got to see it. Unfortunately, we have not heard it for quite some time now. But many other birds like the bulbul, treepie, babblers and others come to eat the chapati pieces that we put out. We see sunbirds later in the morning. Squirrels are our visitors too.

Early this Monday morning, I happened to be in our verandah and it was good to see the moon. The moon has always fascinated me. It feels nice to see it at night or early in the morning. There is a different light to it.

“A quiet, dark night

With a shining moon above

Giving serene light.”

We also get to see it in the evenings. Many a time we have seen at the same time the moon high up in the east and the sun setting in the west over the Arabian sea. The moon adds a silvery magic to those early hours before dawn.

“Moon up and above us

Is soft, serene and shining

Soothes our lives always.”

The mornings after the full moon night are so beautiful. The moon is still visible. The beauty of the dawn is made more beautiful by the music of the birds. This reminds me of the following words by Rabindranath Tagore,“Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.”

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Early morning

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Evening, just before sunset

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Early Morning (Slice of Life)

 

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The Daily Post Photo Challenge: Shadow

This week, hunt for shadows and incorporate them into your shot. The shadow can be the focal point of the image, or simply a detail that adds texture and makes the scene a bit more dynamic. We look forward to your submissions!

Shadows are fascinating. They are real but at the same time they seem so unreal.

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” Living or non-living

All have shadows within them

That are seen with light.”

The Daily Post Photo Challenge: Shadow

 

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Jugaad ( Slice of Life )

Write. Share. Give.

I read a very interesting article in last Sunday’s newspaper. It was about the word or to be more exact the skill called Jugaad. That word is used mostly in North India. I had heard about it but had not known what exactly it was. This article is written by Nafeesah Ahmed. Jugaad is a colloquial Hindi word that refers to the process of finding an unconventional, yet ingenious solution to a sticky problem. The word is used in different ways depending on the situation. It also means finding clever ways of overcoming mundane, day-to-day issues. The word has also found its way into the Oxford dictionary. The author says jugaad is a way of life in India and it is so deeply embedded in our psyche that it comes naturally to us.
It is true. The other day my husband tied two pieces of the frond of the areca nut tree to a pipe which was leaking. This pipe is used to water the coconut tree. Tying the pieces of frond round the pipe helped the water to fall near the trunk of the tree. This is jugaad. Some time ago, a friend took the frond of the coconut tree, cut most of the parts and used the centre part to hold and from the top removed cobwebs. He used the frond in the garden. We liked the solution. There are so many such instances. I think people everywhere, at all times have taken to jugaad. I like the word too.

(The coconut frond)

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( Frond ends tied round the pipe)

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Jugaad ( Slice of Life )