365 Days of Photography* (17): Animals and Birds

Herding Goats

365 Days of Photography* (16): Animals and Birds

Herding Cows

365 Days of Photography* (15): Animals and Birds

Weekly Challenge #6: IXORUS

This one challenged me creatively, I almost did not do it and this was the tangle that emerged out of my many tries.

365 Days of Photography* (14): Animals and Birds

Basking in the Warmth of Evening Sun

365 Days of Photography* (13): Animals and Birds

365 Days of Photography* (12): Animals and Birds

In the distance are the real painted storks and the nearby board describes them

365 Days of Photography* (11): Animals and Birds

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary

365 Days of Photography* (10): Animals and Birds

For the next few days, I will be posting the photos I took at the Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary. It is one of the oldest bird sanctuaries in India, where between November and March, 40,000 migratory birds fly in to nest. Both the forest department and the surrounding farming communities have worked consciously to protect and preserve  the sanctuary. The best time to view the birds is in the evening between 4 and 6 p.m--it is truly spectacular to see thousands and thousands of  them fly in to settle for the night from wherever they had gone during the day. Despite all the bird sounds and the movements of the flying birds, it is a scene that is actually very serene and immensely peaceful.

That does not mean it was easy to take photos of them. The fading light and the distance posed a big challenge for my little point and click camera. All I can say is that I tried

These two birds stood in this pose for a full one hour and we began to wonder if they were statues!

365 Days of Photography* (9): Animals and Birds

Welcome sign at the Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary

365 Days of Photography* (8): Animals and Birds

I was a little nervous when taking this photo that the monkey would jump and snatch my camera. He did not. He was pretty docile and I managed a couple more shots. Look at the one below: how long and luxuriant his tail is!

365 Days of Photography* (7): Animals and Birds

I stopped on the highway to take these photos. What with the vehicles whizzing behind me and the objects before me moving constantly, the camera shake was quite uncontrollable. You can see that on the photo below

365 Days of Photography* (6): People in Your Neighborhood

Stringing Jasmine Buds

365 Days of Photography* (5): People in Your Neighborhood

Custom Tailoring!!

Zentangle Week #5 Challenge: ORBS

365 Days of Photography* (4): People in Your Neighborhood

Like some fish?

365 days of photography* (3): People in Your Neighborhood

Ironing the clothes to crispy perfection!

*365 days of photography is a new feature I have started on my blog. Every day I will be posting a photograph taken by me. I am not a professional photographer, not even an amateur one. My interest in photography had been minimal till I launched my online store. We all know the importance of good photos for online selling--I not only learned quickly but also began to enjoy the challenge of shooting good photos. I am using just a regular point and click Canon digital camera. I am excited by the challenge and want to see how far I go with it.

Weekly Challenge #4: Starry Eyed Surprise

My response to I am the Diva's Week #4 challenge Starry Eyed Surprise

365 Days of Photography (2)*: People in Your Neighborhood

 *365 days of photography is a new feature I have started on my blog. Every day I will be posting a photograph taken by me. I am not a professional photographer, not even an amateur one. My interest in photography had been minimal till I launched my online store. We all know the importance of good photos for online selling--I not only learned quickly but also began to enjoy the challenge of shooting good photos. I am using just a regular point and click Canon digital camera. I am excited by the challenge and want to see how far I go with it.

365 Days of Photography (1)*: People in Your Neighborhood

Delivering newspaper in the neighborhood

Remember that song from Sesame Street?


Who are the people in your neighborhood, 
the people that you meet when you are walking down the street, 
the people that you meet each day.


In the second decade of 21st century, the song sounds like a nostalgic anthem for a bygone era. The plumber in my neighborhood is now more likely to be a randomly assigned franchisee from  Roto-Rooter.

Yet... take this song and play it in a neighborhood in Chennai, India, it will ring absolutely true. I was reminded of this song as I watched every day, the same people delivering newspapers, cleaning the grounds, vending vegetables, delivering milk or ironing the clothes. The young lad pictured above is a regular delivering newspaper in the building complex where my sister lives.


* 365 days of photography is a new feature I have started on my blog. Every day I will be posting a photograph taken by me. I am not a professional photographer, not even an amateur one. My interest in photography had been minimal till I launched my online store. We all know the importance of good photos for online selling--I not only learned quickly but also began to enjoy the challenge of shooting good photos. I am using just a regular point and click Canon digital camera. I am excited by the challenge and want to see how far I go with it.

New Beginnings: Pongal

I am currently in Chennai, Tamilnadu, India visiting my sister. Entire Tamilnadu is gearing up for Pongal, a three-day festival, starting on January 14. Pongal, which  means "flow over", is a harvest festival, but celebrated by all Tamilians. The most popular icon of Pongal festival is a cooking pot with a sugarcane shoot tied to the side and, brimming over with steaming rice. Pongal celebrates the transit of Sun into the sign of Capricorn (Thai) and the beginning of uttaranayana punyakala or the northern ascension of the Sun (its 6-month transit over the northern hemisphere). Hence, the month of Thai  is also celebrated as the season of hope and new beginnings. You can read more about this festival in the post I did last year .

To commemorate the beginning of new season of light and hope, I created the aceo above as a response to Mixed Media Monday Challenge: Size Matters. This is a first for me, since my usual canvas size for mixed media is 8" by 11".  I have found the idea of creating art on a canvas measuring just 2.5"X3.5" both intimidating and fascinating. Now that I have done it, I am hooked. This artwork is also a response to Etsy Melange Team January Challenge Beginnings.

HAPPY PONGAL!!!

Blooming in January

Even in tropical cities like Chennai, Tamilnadu, January is a tough month for flowers to bloom. But, some try and, succeed in lightening up dreary spots with color. Here are photos of some winter blooming flowers:

Intrepid Entrepreneurship: Mobile Sewing Service

We have all heard of mobile computing. But do you know what mobile sewing service is?  Look closely at the photo above. A foot pedal sewing machine is mounted on a four wheel cart and is taken around various apartment buildings for a quick mending of a loose hem or a torn sleeve. How enterprising!