Friday, January 31, 2025

The Masses


“The masses have never thirsted after truth. They turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste, preferring to deify error, if error seduce them. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim. An individual in a crowd is a grain of sand amid other grains of sand, which the wind stirs up at will.”

— Gustave Le Bon



The photo is of a small new plant which has taken root in te moss on an old tree. We were at the MTDC Mahabaleshwar and it is full of really old moss laden trees. Clicked with the Voigtlander Nokton 35/1.2 lens at F 1.2.

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Gadda Jatra - Solapur's Annual Fair

Pointy nosed mice and the giant wheels

As far back as I remember I have heard about the annual 'Gadda Fair' (गड्ड्याची जत्रा). My mother comes from Solapur and she used to tell stories of her father buying her the biggest dolls in the entire fair. I have seen old family photographs with fancy backdrops taken by the travelling studios.

I never had the opportunity to visit as we had school in January. The fair still continues — albeit differently now, I suppose. It is hard to imagine a fair surviving the age of intagram and smart phones. But it does and I finally had the opportunity to visit it this Jan.

Geometric life

The man on the phone

Hot seeng and chana

MH13 coooog-gadi

A chat with the friendly dragon

Wheel of life

Life goes on. All around.

One man's enjoyment is another's food.

Trapped transporter

Lights and shadows

My partner in the explorations

Serious Observations of a Funny World

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Oh melancholy!


“Melancholy is the happiness of being sad.”

— Victor Hugo



The photo is of a old man who is watching the priest do is stuff in a small temple on the outskirts of Solapur. He is lost in thought. The wire mesh adds a whimsy of him being trapped in this life, perhaps.

Shot with the Voigtlander Nokton 50/1 at F1.

Friday, January 24, 2025

Around Nalsarovar


We travelled 750km to the Nalsarovar only to find that some local political upheavel has caused it to be shut temporarily. The boatmen were no longer allowed into the lake. Our host, Ramzanbhai, was apologetic. He had hoped, I am sure, that things would be normalized quickly.

As we were already there, we roamed the region around the sarovar. Saw some birds.



Castor farms



The Anil

Balabhai and Santosh


The salt encrusted shores


Serious Observations of a Funny World

Thursday, January 23, 2025

The fisherman of Nalsarovar

Boats after Sunset

We left at 5 am from Goregaon as planned. Nalsarovar in Gujarat was our destination. It was the first halt of our road trip. From Nal, we were to head to the Little Rann of Kutch and then on to the Jawai Bandh to experience the post-monsoon scenery of that beautiful landscape we had visited in May.

At the Nal, we were to meet up with Ramzan bhai, our guide and host. Anil mama and Balabhai knew him well and had stayed with him earlier.

The journey was long and arduous - about 750km. The road up to the Gujarat border was in terrible condition with patchy work in progress in random spots in a disorganised manner. We lunched near Surat at about half past 1. From Bharooch we get on to the new Mumbai-Delhi expressway and the traffic clears up.

We reached the Vekariya village next to the sarovar after sunset. Ramzan bhai had made sleeping arrangements in the verandah of an empty neighbouring house. Four khatt (frame cots with rope supports) were set up. He had arranged for the thick blankets as it was wintertime.

We had home cooked dinner of bajra rotlas and mixed veg sabzi all washed down with excellent chaas. They served us with the famous Indian hospitality and love.

It got cold in the night and we were thankful for the thick blankets.

The bad news was that some political disturbance had caused the sarovar to be shut to the public. So in the early morning, we decided to roam the nearby areas in search of the birdies. The Namaqua migratory pigeon from Africa was the star along with the red Munia. In the evening we went to see some Saras cranes.

Just after sunset we decided to go see the sarovar from an irregular route, unseen from the guards. We saw some boats and a boatman. The Nalsarovar is very shallow but covers a vast area. These fishermen with their flatboats have their livelihoods tied to this water.

For dinner, we had a special treat of local fish curry and fried fish. All with chullha roasted bajra rotlas.

Next morning we got up early and left for the Little Rann of Kutch. We had lived two nights with a fisherman from the Nalsarovar.

the boatman

good food

bed time! this is where we stayed

early morning birding

our guide

good food

switchboard

writing on the wall

cotton

transporter

new developments

faith and customs

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

IF



If you can keep your head when all about you
  Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
   But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
   Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
   And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
   If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
   And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
   Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
   And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
   And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
   And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
   To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
   Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
   Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
   If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
   With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
   And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

—Rudyard Kipling

(‘Brother Square-Toes’—Rewards and Fairies)

Sunday, January 05, 2025

Sunday Flower



“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity”
― Sun-Tzu, The Art of War

Saturday, January 04, 2025

Goodbye 2024



2024 has ended. A year of suspended animation. Of trying to figure out what the rest of life will look like. A year spent with family and friends. A happy, lazy, peaceful year.