Sometimes, you are at a loss of words... and sometimes, the words just flow by,

Sometimes you have the world to listen, and sometimes you find ears of your own.

Strange, isn't it?

A sudden spurt of emotion while on my way back home an evening resulted in what you see here...

Enjoy! :-)

Tryst with Destiny - the way I see it

This morning, in all my curiosity, I just happened to run a google search to find out the mean of the word "Tryst"... and was surprised to find the noun form actually meant - a private romantic rendezvous between lovers!!!Wonder why would have Pandit Nehru used the word "Tryst" in his midnight hour speech "Tryst with Destiny" on 15th Aug 1947? I was highly intrigued.

It made me think and analyse on my own based on however much my thinking permits. When lovers do a rendezvous, they have several beautiful anecdotes of the past, of the number of wars they might have fought together to keep one single purpose alive - their well being, together. There's also a subdued assurance between them both that the present is meant for them, together. And lastly, there's a hope for a promising future. They visualize their success, as a couple.

                       

 

Our Freedom fighters would have had such a feeling of romance for Destiny, I feel. They might have visualized a destiny where there is freedom from the shackles of fear and subjugation. And they fell in love with that destiny. They believed in work, not just words. They achieved what they wanted, by working with Destiny, never did they have an iota of doubt, that Destiny would be something different from what they had pictured. And hence, India became free. That was Destiny :-)

And so, when Pandit Nehru asked the Nation to recall the tryst with destiny, he might have wanted us to take that oath all over again. Because even between lovers, the vows need to be retold, reworded and rephrased as time passes by, as situations demand. And this promise is forever. The love for a Destiny of Freedom is endless and timeless. 

Isn't it a liberating feeling??? To be able to believe in the good, visualize it and work hand in hand with it, as if we are already there? Wow, that makes me smile. How about you?

15th Aug - Happy Independence to everyone! We are all basically believers in goodness, let us continue to hold our promise and have a Tryst with Destiny, all over again. Again and again.

Note :- The views expressed above are entirely my personal opinion and are not meant to hurt anyone. All pictures are my own photography.

In the name of Rose Day

As I write this, I smile sheepishly to myself, my first thoughts being - "We're already into the 2nd month of 2016 and you've not yet posted anything??? Oh, that's criminal!!!" The next moment, the more benevolent me springs up to say - "Wow!!! It's only February and you already have something to write about??? That's amazing, good going girl!!!" And so I pardon myself of being more laid-back than permitted, lolz!!!

7th February happens to be called as "Rose Day"... well, for that matter. I wish there were special days to celebrate all flowers in the world - an "Orchid" day, a "Rhododendron" day, a "Sunflower" day or a "Tulip" day and so on. The rose gets too much of attention than required!!! :-D

Is it because, over the ages, the rose has been associated with the most beautiful emotion called "Love"? Symbolism aside, wouldn't it would be pretty much reasonable to say that all flowers are symbols of love?

..."Phool she haanshite haanshite jhore, jochhona haanshiya milaaye jaay,
Haanshite haanshite aalok saagore aakashero taara teyaage kaay..." 

- Sokhi bhaabona kaahaare bole, Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore

A translation would go something like this :-

..."Flowers wither away smiling, and so fades even the moonlight,
In the vast skies, the stars too lose their shine with a smile..."

When Tagore penned the above lines, I am sure, he was not thinking of just one type of flower :-)

Yes, love is definitely a beautiful emotion, distinct from all other feelings.
More so, because of the happiness within the pain.

The Birthday Diary

So it all began with (surprise surprise!) receiving "Happy Birthday" greetings over conference call the previous night, followed by a little cake cutting ceremony at midnight. Waking up early morning was easy, though not necessary as there was no rush to be at the workplace. Spotting a pale white moon on the 9:30 am-bright-blue-sky was something I hadn't witnessed for a long time, so my good friend Nikon came to my aide there. One glance at my phone and I was welcomed by n-number of watsapp pings, while discovering that most of my wapp groups have got renamed Happy Birthday Tia, HBD Tee Dee, etc. Facebook messages and calls from colleagues, friends and family were nothing less than overwhelming. Taking the family out for lunch midweek doesn’t happen every day. So undoubtedly, we left no “spoon” unturned to make the most out of it. Needless to mention, going click-click for no rhyme or reason whatsoever came as naturally as always, and oh, did I mention selfies??? Coming back home to brew some hot Darjeeling tea sprinkled with gupshup on top made for the perfect recipe for the evening.

Well, I know that there are people around me who have chosen to celebrate me. I can unabashedly declare that I celebrate them. We celebrate because we value each other. After all, that’s what matters.

It's all about friendship

Situation 1:-

You are really worried about something. You dial your friend. You share your cause of anxiety. S/he listens, gives you some words of wisdom and sound advice. You hang up knowing what you need to do next and think – “Thank God s/he is smarter than me!!!”

Your friend thinks: - “I hope s/he feels better. Must call him/her up after 2 days and check.”

Situation 2, some other place, some other time :-

You are busy doing something. The same friend calls you up. S/he is really concerned about something and shares the same with you. You listen, and give him/her a word of wisdom and sound advice. After s/he hangs up, you think – “I wish s/he works this out. I must call him/her back later and check.”

Your friend thinks: - “Am so glad s/he is wiser than me!!!”

Amazing, isn’t it? That’s the #magicoffriendship!!!  There’s nothing more comforting and reassuring than true friendship. Happy Friendship Day, people!!! Keep the faith… J

The "Johnny" Effect

--- A dialogue ---

Tina Tina,

Yes Papa?

Sulking sulking?

No Papa.

Telling lies???

No Papa.            

C’mon look at me?

Sob! Sob! Sob!

Tina Tina,

Yes Papa?

What makes you cry?

The World, Papa.

Hmmm... some People, you mean?

I guess, Papa.

Confused, Tina?

A lot, Papa.

Papa, Papa,

Yes Tina?

What’s wrong with the world?

No Peace, no Love, no Compassion?

Only violence, discrimination, hatred, perversion.

Is hurting others, normalcy?

Is this how it is supposed to be?

Tina, my dear,

Who comprises the world?

It’s none other than Mother Nature.

And we Humans are part of Nature.

While Nature induces the Emotions,

Human Mind propels the Actions.

So Emotions of any kind are Natural.

And Actions are the Result.

So, Human Mind tends to believe,

There’s nothing stronger than Me!!!

So whenever Supremacy seems threatened,

It does anything, with the will to Dominate.

But Alas! Such a Mind is Foolish; does not understand!

Nature is more Powerful, always holds the upper hand,

What goes round comes around too.

What you give, comes right back to you.

Be nice, be strong,

And lead people along,

Train your Heart to follow Nature’s goodness – an art,

And train your Mind, to follow your Heart.

Evil will be ousted, Justice must prevail,

Succeed we will, when together we travail.

 “Live and Let Live” must be the motto for all.

Stay United & Govern well, lest anyone should fall.

Papa, Papa,

Yes Tina?

Now I am enlightened, as I have realized.

In the right direction, our Feelings need to be Channelized.

Being good is actually easier than being evil,

It’s more logical, more sensible, more Practical!

What’s wrong with our world can still be made Right, I’m glad!

Unity, Wisdom, Self control, Governance, as simple as that!

My world is not mine alone, it’s “Ours”, you see.

Yes, so This is how it is supposed to be.

Click... by chance

“Every picture tells a story” – such is a popular belief.  But would it be wrong to say that behind the making of every picture, there’s a story? I guess not.  Here I bring you the "behind the scene" stories of a few of my “by chance” pictures.

My new DSLR is exactly 2 months and 3 days old today. In this span, the shutter has been clicked, well… more than a thousand times! Acting as my own critic, I have had few “Wow!!!” moments and mostly “Nah… not good!!!” moments. Averaging to 16-17 shots per day, is not bad for a beginner, watsay!?? I remember the time when I was deciding which camera I should get, and I used to be asked the question - What do you prefer as your subject – landscape, portrait, macro…? Although the questions were aimed only to help me narrow down my options, but in reality they used to stump me out. Well, I am obviously not a pro, but that was definitely not going to limit my choices of subject to capture, not at this moment at least. And thus, the 1000 plus pictures I have today, is an ensemble of everything – objects, animals, flora, birds, scenery, anything that caught my attention. It was more than just the exploring a new hobby, it was about self discovery as well. I went on clicking the same thing again and again, changing the settings, altering few angles, until I got something I liked. And here comes the big question – how prepared was I to get most of the shots right?

Most of the time, I admit, I was not. Especially with birds (no points for guessing why)! There’s some really good foliage around my home, and the highest branch of one of these trees at the backyard, is extremely popular among these feathered, restless creatures. The picture below was one of the first shots taken with the camera. I was totally not prepared for this shot; I wasn’t even carrying the telephoto with me. It was just another early morning on a weekend, when a casual visit to the terrace turned out to give me a scene that I found really amusing. The caption “Three’s company, four is a crowd” was suggested by my Mom; I liked it and stuck with it.

Three's company, four is a crowd!!!

The next image is another “chance” photograph. I named this “A walk on the tightrope”. It was taken on the same day when the 4 birds’ picture was taken. Guess I was really lucky that day, all my “models” were extremely cooperative!!! It seemed that they were all posing for me without even me asking :-D !!!

A walk on the tightrope

Another example is the picture below called “Gone with the wind”. My level of preparedness in this case was nothing more than just a gut feeling that I might get a few good rain shots. These shots just happened. I confess that the dangling branch falling off had left me feeling a tad emotional or should I say – introspective.

"Gone with the wind"

The next 2 pictures are, yet again, a result of chance. The first one I fondly call “Shelter” and the next one is untitled. It had just rained and I was sitting by a window, enjoying the greenery outside. A casual downward glance made me notice these two creatures sitting quietly. Without wasting another minute, I fished out my camera and went click… click… The whitish blur at the top and bottom of the second picture is actually the white colored horizontal grill of the window that came in between. I thought I would have to crop off some of these white portions, but there was something mysterious about the haziness that I felt was going well with the mood, and so, I decided to keep it. Can you think of a suitable title for this picture? Do leave your comment and help me decide.

Shelter

Yet to be titled... am waiting for your suggestions :-)

I had read somewhere that “opportunity comes to those who are prepared”. Undoubtedly true. However, in the context of photography, being prepared is not only about the availability of gear. It is actually about being prepared to take chances, to be caught unawares and still act. After all, we do not always have the time or luxury to prepare or create the scene we want. While I agree that the art of creating and perfecting a shot comes with years of practice and perseverance, nevertheless I’d still continue to believe that, sometimes, instincts need to be trusted. Certain things are best left to chance.

Stay inspired!