Powai Lake past sunset.

Powai Lake past sunset

We were returning from the short bike trip to shil fata... accompanied by sundry drops of cold November rain. The sun had long set - when we were on the Airoli bridge - but the sky still held some light. So while passing the Powai lake, suddenly I took a U-turn and clicked these. About 30 minutes past sunset.

Vashi Bridge

I have been stuck at home for far too long. I want to go to Bhandardhara. I want to go to Devrukh. I want to go to Kaas. And I also want to go to Matheran. But none is happening.

I tried and tried to go for a day biking trip. zilch. not happened. Finally I got fed up and just left at 4pm on Sunday. Me and Percy on the Avenger. We went up to shil-phata and came back. It was better than ajibat nothing. :)

This is the Vashi bridge as seen from the Airoli bridge. Clicked with the old Minolta S414. The weather was heavily overcast. We got a few drops of cold rain on us most of our way back.

Cauliflower in white gravy

Today I thought I will make some bhaji without the usual masalas. I have been cooking with chilli power and 'kala' masal for the past week .. gavari, dodki, tondli, batata and their various mixes. So this one was totally experimental. I did not refer to any recipe for tips. :) I had a box of coconut milk, so I decided to do this white. It turned out pretty OK. 7.5/10 from percy and 7.5/10 from me. We finished 12 fulkas and the whole bhaji in between the 3 of us - the third being PR who also liked it and probably will give it a 8/10. Because he ate his second dinner. :P

250 gm cut cauliflower
1 finely chopped onion (ground will also do, in retrospect)
2 teaspoonful ginger garlic paste
6 black peppers
1 clove
2 kokum
4 green chillies
100ml coconut milk.
a pinch of hing and salt to taste.

procedure is pretty simple:
heat oil in kadai
add hing
add the pepper and clove and let them crackle
add onion and saute for a couple of minutes
add ginger garlic paste and saute for a couple of minutes
add the slit chillies and the kokum and saute for couple of minutes
add salt to taste
add the chopped cauliflower, mix and cook for a minute or so
add a little water, cover and cook for a 5-10 minutes till flower done
taste, if all ok then you can remove the chillies and kokum, else leave it. It should be on the spicier side as we are yet to add coconut milk which is sweetish and will blunt the heat of the chilly.
add the coconut milk and let it simmer for a few minutes.

done. :)

Late Diwali lights

Late Diwali lights, originally uploaded by quasi's mobile.

on Post Processing

This one is the original as it came out of my Olympus SW850.

For all the heads who believe that doing PP is bad. "this is as-is from the camera" they claim, with pride. There is nothing wrong with only in-camera as equally as there is nothing wrong with photographic PP.

Getting the composition and exposure right as much as possible in the camera is a good ploy. But the camera sensors (and films emulsions) have severe limitations in the way they capture light. They rarely, if ever capture the scene as the eye sees and the heart feels ... the post processing gives the image the feel .. the thing you felt when you clicked it. Post processing is the next 50% of image making - after the capture. You can do better PP in the digital darkroom then what PP the camera can do in-camera.



This was more like the mood that day. The dramatic clouds were overpowering, dominating the scene. The sun-burned grass and landscape was drab and desolate.

High on Music, Listening to the Booze

I started following a very interesting blog recently : High on Music, Listening to the Booze. He inspires me to listen to my music with a little bit more heart. His recent Steely Dan number reminded me of one of those I used to like of Steely.

The Ranthambhore National Park

Jungle view, Ranthambhore National Park

(continued from here: Traveling to Ranthambhore)

I got down at Sawai Madhopur Stn. Unknown to me there was another set of travelers, 2 ladies and their 3 kids, who were part of our 'group', who were on the train with me. I was watching out for a man with a board with my name on it. When I met him I met these fellow travelers too. The station was abuzz with lots of people, a large majority of whom were firangs, all heading for the park.

The 4x4 gypsy took us to our hotel which was nice. As we were a day late the rest of the gang were already out for a safari. We had a nice lunch and relaxed as the April heat was terrible with 40+ in the shade.

I visited the park in the evening. And the next 2-3 days. I was amazed by it. It's a wonderful land, full of wildlife and maintained well. We were lucky that we had a guide who was driving around the park for the past 24 years and knew all the spots. He knew more about the animals than many researchers.

Here is the general look and feel of the park with some of it's less famous denizens. We were fortunate enough to sight the Tigress T-17 twice, the photos of which deserve an independent post.


Sambar grazing in open grassland forest


Open grassland, core off-limits area.



Sambar



Shikra bird of prey



King Vulture



Grey Partridge


You may also like:
Birding at Kavdi Paat (near Pune)

Ruia Naka

'Triangle', Ruia Naka


Naka. A place where humanity congregates. The faithfuls, the religious, the regulars, the observers, the avid arguers, the occasional sight seers ... all.

This is the place where you meet unexpected people.

And expected ones.

Like a fly to honey we are drawn to it. Here, in the indistinct murmour of voices one finds a unique peace.


Vishnu, of the Chai


Vishnu's Kettle



DP's of the Naka



friends



Sujay



Harshu, with his WWII style bike helmet.



Bhelwalla (now gone, but used to be there under the tree opp. Shery's)



Nityanand



Amey



Sai Juice



Om Sai Sandwich (now moved to opp. Matunga stn.)



Mani's




Abhijit Rao, 19th February 2005.
Originally posted here on the home page. All photographs taken by Abhijit Rao. Camera was a Minolta Dynax 5 with a Minolta AF 50mm f:1.4 lens. All photographs taken at f 1.4. Film used was Konica Centuria 200ISO pushed 2 stops and underexposed by 1/2 a stop. All photographs handheld. All photograhs taken in company of Harshawardhan.

Beautiful Dreamer

Early monsoon clouds, on the Murbad - Shahad strech

Beautiful Dreamer

Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,
Lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd away!

Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng.

Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea,
Mermaids are chaunting the wild lorelie;
Over the streamlet vapors are borne,
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.

Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,
E'en as the morn on the streamlet and sea;
Then will all clouds of sorrow depart,

Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

~Stephen Foster

Shelter

Bus Stop

The late monsoon had raised havoc in the farmlands of northern Karnataka. As we traveled towards Gokak the rains fell continuous on the plains. The rivers were kissing the bridge bottoms. The crops lay rotting. Here we see a sundry group, men and animals, sheltering in the "Bus Stop".

Panchaganga

This is the Panchaganga of Kolhapur and the bridge on the Kolhapur-Ratnagiri road. If you want to go to Panhala, you cross this bridge.

offerings for Jotiba (on sale)

At the Jotiba devasthan near Kolhapur.

The Solitary Reaper

Purple Flowers, Khandala


THE SOLITARY REAPER

Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt,
Among Arabian sands:
A voice so shrilling ne'er was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings?--
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That has been, and may be again?

Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang
As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work,
And o'er the sickle bending;--
I listen'd, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.

~ William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

My Brother

The Poet: Vivek Rao aka khekdu.

My brother's name is Abhijit
he studies in standard tenth
he has got a nice friendly look
and is broad in width and tall in length.

he wants to be a scientist
scientific is he
and I know when he grows up
a scientist he will be.

he is in his teens now
his age is fifteen
he is also quite brainy and kind
but sometimes a little mean

he also wants to travel
in the world so big
but one must be healthy for that
and he is as thin as a twig.

but he is aware of that now
and knows its' not enough to be long
and is exercising hard everyday
and is growing more and more strong.

he dreams of his own castle
which secret passageways
and his own robot servants
to do what he says

but for all this he has to grow up
and for that there are a few years
and as we cant tell time to hurry
it's no use shedding tears.

but now the SSC board exam
is very soon due
He is busy studying hard now
I wish him best of luck - wont you ?

-Vivek Rao in Feb 1992 (he was 12)

of Deepawali Lights and Fireworks

Yesterday night (17th) the city of Mumbai was bursting all over with the sound of a thousand crackers and the sparkle of a million lamps. More and more people have been asking for a less polluted and noisy festival with emphasis on lights not crackers. And slowly but surely it seems to be working.

I have been cooped up for a week trying to solve some problems. Suddenly I took the camera, tripod and rushed out to the terrace to click a few. I have always wanted to do so. I got a couple of burning embers on me too.

The pollution and smoke is visible. So are the lights and lanterns and firework displays. All in all it is a happy time. The beauty of the lit city shadowed the negatives. It was asking to be positive.



View Large On Black








View On Black