Rods & Cones with some Neurons

இரத்த சரித்திரம்

2010-12-18T04:36:00.002+08:00

Warring idols in a wood carving in Museum La Mayeur, Sanur, Bali.

Orthogonal Rhythms

2010-12-18T04:31:00.003+08:00

From a special performance by gifted percussionists from MINDS during Chinese New Year celebrations.

We are watching you.

2010-12-08T19:52:00.003+08:00

Its been a long year, a little quiet on the photoblog but not as uneventful as it may seem.
A slow and steady return to this lost world of mine....

Just step out

2010-07-09T00:01:00.000+08:00

You may travel through an entire continent for a month, take a thousand photos and let them wait forever in your hard-disk pending processing and uploading.

Or you may just step out of your apartment on the corridor one weekday evening, find sudden inspiration just gazing at the sunset, grab a point-n-shoot, shoot with no special settings, and upload within hours with no processing...and still feel a sense of accomplishment.

This belongs to the latter- impulsive, spontaneous, beautiful nature.

There's yet another novice webdesigner in town :-)

2009-09-30T23:58:00.005+08:00

Complete, Contrasted, Colourblind

2009-01-05T01:15:00.003+08:00

Neoflames

2009-01-05T01:14:00.002+08:00

@vivocity

A walk in the park

2009-01-05T01:05:00.004+08:00

I have been ogling this park between Woodleigh and PasirPasir MRT for so many days and finally found one fine morning to visit it.. my last photoshoot with my Canon EOS 300D, to be upgraded soon to 450D.

Photographer Vs Camera

2008-12-24T17:03:00.006+08:00

Dec 2007
Photographer: I've told you many times before - Its not about the camera..
Skeptic: (interrupting) It is ! you cant expect great photos from a cheapo camera.
Pgr: Thats not true, you dont always need a full-frame dSLR to shoot interesting photos..
Sk: ok, do u think you can use you phone's 1-2 Mp camera to shoot some?
Pgr: Yes, why not? Errr...But it has no autofocus, no zoom, no shutter speed control, no ISO control, noisy sensor...
Sk: See, I told you ! Even you dont seem to believe cannot shoot cool pics with a simple camera.
Me: No.. ok gimme a few months..
Wife: I can wait..
--------------------------
Dec 2008-
Shot with Nokia E51 (no photoshopping in the pics below)

Sunsets and Sunrises

2008-10-03T23:49:00.004+08:00

புதிய பாதை, புதுப்புது வண்ணங்கள், புதிய தீபம்

2008-10-03T23:40:00.005+08:00

The Coimbatore Collection

2008-10-03T23:26:00.003+08:00

Incredible India

2008-10-03T23:21:00.001+08:00

The land of Chutnies, Pickles and Curries..!

Tip-toeing with half dozen legs

2008-10-03T23:14:00.001+08:00

Im back !

2008-09-27T23:41:00.002+08:00

Taken on 24 May 2008, near Clarke Quay. Wasnt too serious that day and just shot it handheld. It was a strange 'presentation' by A French group in association with Singapore Art Festival. None of us seemed to understand what was happening, but there was some interesting fireworks, drama and music, all hosted with the Singapore river as the stage. Posted on 27 Sept - its been a rather long absence from photography and blogging.

நட்புக்காக

2008-02-24T23:26:00.004+08:00

சோனைமுத்து - Sonaimuthu

How did this man who walks so slowly on the street,

Occupy a friendly corner of my heart at a high speed?

True colours of India

2008-02-22T01:42:00.002+08:00

Glimpses of Hyderabad

2008-02-22T01:38:00.002+08:00

An Outsider's Perspective

India's greatest export to the Far east.

Its fully Automanic !

Coloured history and BnW reality

The god of small things

2008-02-22T01:37:00.002+08:00

The Quattro

2008-02-22T01:31:00.004+08:00

The Charminar monument of Hyderabad

Intricate Circuits Design Engineer

Monumental Photoframes

Residents of the Uninhabited

Getting upclose and intimate with most iconic structure in Hyderabad.

The Partnership

2008-01-12T19:48:00.000+08:00

எந்தையும் தாயும்,
மகிழ்ந்து குலாவி,
எடுத்தது இப்படமே !

A memorable portrait of my parents in Chennai, India. Ever since they decided to shave the heads for a religious obligation in the temple of Tirumala, I wanted to capture the days when both are 'mottai'.
But it was nearly impossible to shoot this pic, because they could not stop laughing, as they were asked to pose standing very close and gazing into each other's eyes.

செஞ்சிக்கோட்டை - Gingee Fort

2008-01-12T19:23:00.000+08:00

மறைந்திருந்து பார்க்கும், மண்டபம் என்ன ?

ராஜகிரி - Rajagiri

பாழடையா கோபுரம்

நண்பர்கள் கூட்டம்

கானவினோதனம்

"அதோ அந்த பறவை போல வாழ வேண்டும்.....! "

1) Kalyana mandapam (marriage hall) shot from just another corner.
2) The impressive Rajagiri fort atop the hill -"Troy of the East"
3) Gopuram of a ruined temple atop Ranimalai
4) View of lush green paddy fields from the hilltop.
5) Silhouette of my flute guru- Mr.Ghana, the reason why I was there in the first place.
6) A vociferous bunch of school kids who brought life to the ruins with their antics.

Senji koattai (Gingee Fort) is a historically important place in Tamil Nadu, which has seen numerous wars between the Indians(Jains, Pallavas, Chola kings, Pandya, Hoysalas, Vijayanagara kings, Muhammadans, Mughals) , British and French to capture it.

The Rajagiri (King's hill) is perched atop a intimidating rocky hill, and offers strategic advantage over other troops invading from the surrounding plains. There is Rani koattai(Queen's fort) on a nearby hill, which we climbed.

Gods of an Absolute Order

2007-12-02T23:02:00.001+08:00

The Tale of 3 Towels in Regentville Tower 2 !

A Frosty Dilemma

2007-11-26T01:18:00.001+08:00

...
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
...
Robert Frost

...Ehh, Im sorry Sir, but which one again ??

Some Impersonations at Langkawi

2007-11-26T00:45:00.000+08:00

Bheemababa - The Saviour

Ravi- The Camera Tripod (or bipod??)

Raj - The Eclipse

Arun- With his Beloved

Wannabe model

Ornithological Artifacts !

2007-11-23T22:56:00.000+08:00

Black clouds and the silver lining

All Natural ?

Avian Inspiration

Perfection ? Peaconfusion ?

Beyond

2007-11-21T23:39:00.001+08:00

பூவுக்குள் பூ

2007-11-21T23:37:00.001+08:00

Dreamy Realities

2007-11-21T23:35:00.001+08:00

Sea of Tranquility

2007-11-21T23:33:00.000+08:00

Escape Velocity

2007-11-21T23:27:00.000+08:00

The Elements

2007-11-20T00:56:00.000+08:00

---------------------
Thanks Raj, for shooting all the above pics in Langkawi amidst few adventures and more misadventures (and for being very patient with some eccentric proposals, poses and people! )

Locations: Pantai Cenang Beach, Rubber plantation, Waterfall, Cablecar station

Happyness

2007-11-02T00:13:00.000+08:00

Do you feel flattered whn someone likes your photography so much, that they adorn their desktops or mobilephones with the image you captured ? So do I.

Then how does it feel when you walk into Canon showroom for service and repair of your camera, and while waiting for the billing, your eyes wander around the room, and moved over to the adjacent cubicle. There in a little desktop calender you see something familiar - a photo you had taken more than a year ago printed on the official Canon calender for its employees !

I was pleasantly surprised and requested for a copy and the staff gladly obliged. It was on the November page, and so if I had gone there one day earlier, or sat in some other queue, I would have missed it.

Its funny to see that while we tend to be busy in the pursuit of 'happyness', but happiness sometimes finds you instead!

The uploaded version of the picture is here under the title Power-Simply Red -
http://arun81.blogspot.com/2006/11/camerathons.html

என் இல்லத்திலே..

2007-10-08T00:24:00.000+08:00

கலங்கரை விளக்கம்

தங்கைத்தாமரை

தாய்நாட்டின் வரைபடம் !

Sisterhood

2007-08-20T01:05:00.000+08:00

Bougainvillea and the Bamboo

2007-08-20T00:56:00.000+08:00

Could not explain why, but staring at these lovely flowers against the backdrop of the elegant bamboos, made me feel at peace.

Fuelled by Gasoline, Runs for Adrenaline

2007-08-20T00:39:00.000+08:00

After 26 long years of being a kid, I finally became a grown-up on buying my first bike! Its certainly does n0t look like the ones below, but it sure make me feel the meaning of the word 'freedom', after years of crawling, walking, cycling, 'bus'sing, 'train'ing, sailing and flying!

These 'Wild Hogs' were spotted on a road-trip near Ipoh, Malaysia.

False violation

2007-08-05T23:39:00.001+08:00

Dreamworks

2007-08-05T23:34:00.000+08:00

தெய்வம் தந்த வீடு - வீதி இருக்கு !

2007-08-05T23:21:00.000+08:00

An evening on the streets, around Chinatown and Clarkequay.

Designed for the first manned-expedition to Mars

All fans but no breeze

That fierce look

Ornaments on the Street

Iconic ?

பூலோகம்? பூவுலகம்?

2007-04-28T16:21:00.000+08:00

In His Own Image -III

2007-03-19T01:59:00.000+08:00

This is what friends are for..

When will she come ?

Golden temple monk

The next boat

Artistic Portrait ?

Generation gap

Age of Innocence

Digital dame

மஞ்சள் வெயில் மாலையிலே..

2007-03-19T01:43:00.000+08:00

As the sun sets near the Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram - India. Still as mesmerising as the Pallavas would have enjoyed it 1300 years ago..

Behind the Academia, Venice - probably the most photographed sunset.

Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), Bangkok - at Dusk

Just after sunset, well above cloud level, and flying over the Tyrrhenian sea

Its time for the little suns to come- St.Agata fest , Catania,Italy.

Of Shadows and Silhouettes

2007-03-19T01:28:00.000+08:00

The Tricolour of my heart

2007-03-17T02:23:00.000+08:00

..உலக உருண்டையை
அனணத்துக் கொண்டாலும்,
இந்தியாவை மட்டும்
முத்தமிட்டவன்..

To the round earth
I gave a warm hug,
but my kisses
are only for India

"உயில்" - கவிஞர் வைரமுத்து ('Will' - Poet Vairamuthu)

Shot in Bangkok, this arrangement of flowers on the table at the reception of my hotel caught my eye.(I couldnt have missed it !)

The largely unknown spectacle of Venice - the island of Murano is home to an army of dedicated artisans who create magic in glass. Shape, colour, pattern become their 3 dimensions and what results is a universe of intricate glass artwork. And I found a home of sorts there!

A composite picture with the saffron-orange bark of a tree and the garden-shade amongst greenery were shot in Kent Ridge park, Singapore. The snowy region in the middle of the flag is Mt.Etna's volcanoes(Sicily, Italy) in winter.

In His Own Image -II

2007-01-31T05:24:00.000+08:00

I havent grown much from my previous post on the same genre of photography - portraits. Its still people I know, I like, and connect with - that makes it a whole lot easier to capture their moments and expressions.

The dude of sandy Doha - Sandeep

Silent aspirations and Secret ambitions - Sadhana

Eyeball confrontations of a curious kind - Nithya

Arun, Praveen and Ravi - three friends at the crossroads of life

Dreams in a Desert

2007-01-20T03:16:00.000+08:00

One of the most exciting days I have lived thru- a night's stay in a desert camp. Accompanied by my old schoolmate Ajay, we started from the skyscraping city of Dubai, we were taken farther and farther away from civilisation and closer into the desert. The first offer was some dune-bashing adventure on four-wheel drives which was one exhilarating ride - needs to be experienced to be understood.

Then in a desert camp we stayed in the evening, watched a belly-dancer perform, ate a sumptuous dinner and spent the night playing party games and going for long walks in the dead of the night, and even wrestling with our feet in desert soccer.. Fortunately for us there was a merry group of expatriate Indian families based in Dubai, who stayed overnight too, and offered great company.

After all the fun of the previous night, I got down to business, woke up at 5.45am and struggling against the chill and the wind shot a series of photographs covering the camp and the desert around it.

Sleeping Dune and Rising Sun

Subdued by Helios

Across the sea

Cornered !

Hook up on a Shisha
Lost in time, but found again

All hard work for a deserving breakfast

A solid friend in an unforgiving terrain and an unforgettable adventure

A dune-bashing experiment

2007-01-20T02:00:00.000+08:00

Taste of adventure

The G-forces

No Traffic jams here !

A modern caravan on a frequented path

Who is the ship-of-the-desert actually ?

Costliest yacht ever anchored !

2007-01-19T03:22:00.000+08:00

Unlike the patterns of desert sand..

2007-01-18T02:51:00.000+08:00

Three Musketeers ? or மூவேந்தர் ?

2007-01-17T03:00:00.000+08:00

சென்னையில் ஒர் மழைக்காலம்

2006-11-11T02:37:00.000+08:00

சென்னையிலும் ஒரு மழைக்காலம் !!

Camerathons

2006-11-02T02:33:00.000+08:00

This year has been a year of marathons for me-before you start to wonder what kind of devil has gotten into me, its not always the running type, but other types of marathons too. Surprised ?

Canon conducted what they call a photo marathon a while ago, which was well attended by a trigger happy battalion consisting of 600+ SLR-toting photographers with fancy L-series pro lens to serious amateurs with the newest prosumer cameras. The task was simple - one theme to shoot for every three hours, and four themes for the day. But the transport, locations, scope and means were left to the imagination of the photographers, and so were the ways to counter the pain in the limbs and lower back at the end of the day !

The first topic was the toughest one for me - 'Faces'
In a city of 4 million people, there were faces all around me. But somehow I'm yet to crack the code of successful portraits of complete strangers, especially the candid variety. So I resorted to my best resort - allegory and abstract.

Flight to the end of the tunnel

Unity

MAD about ONE

The second theme was outrageously simple ! 'Power - simply RED'.
For a moment, I considered buying some kinda cheap red filter and shoot the same things that I always shoot. But then I managed to put a special filter to my eye, which would only look at and respond only to red coloured subjects.

Fuzzy Red Holes

A little red corner

Melonious dunes

Strumming in Maroon

Simply Red

6 hours of photographing was already draining, especially on a warm, humid, hazy Singaporean day. The third topic demanded more of such outdoorsy photo-taking - 'A Slice of History'.
We started a trek along the oldest parts of Singapore's 200 or so years of history, shooting the last remnants of old preserved buildings, and the reminders of Singaporean history.

Suspended Animation

Eternal wait

A colourful lesson in history

Raffles Realms

The day was coming to a close, and so was my energy and enthusiasm to continue with the fourth topic which is quite an obvious one- 'Darkness'.
Fortunately I was shooting some extra unrelated shots throughout the day and picked up a few for this topic, and just spent a relaxed evening doing a peaceful activity - shopping :).

Can cause other darknesses

No Flash please

The Biography of a Flower

2006-09-26T02:15:00.000+08:00

The beginnings as a bud

Time to blossom

In full bloom

Arranged in a Bouquet

-----------------------

The photos were taken in a dance programme called "People get connected" on 17 Sept 2006, at the colonial-age Victoria theatre in Singapore.

Being a part of the audience and shooting moving subjects at higher shutter speed, shot hand-held with a telephoto zoom without image stabilisation, in an ambience of choreographed indoor lighting simply meant one setting- exclusive use of ISO1600. The biggest surprise to me, was the low noise in the images than what was expected.

All the photos went thru Photoshop Elements, basic fixes lke crop, levels, contrast and saturation. But the 'Time to bloom' had a bit of shake due to the subjects' rythmic graceful motion(also called dance!), and I amplified it with use of radial blur in photoshop.

Monochromatic Dreams

2006-09-26T01:33:00.000+08:00

I was talking to a friend recently about black-n-white photography, and started to give some examples on how they could be interesting. While searching for pics from my own collection, i took my older colour images and desaturated them to present them again. And voila ! I start to see a different world..

Thanks Ajay, I learnt to see my own photos in a new colour.. :)

The Sungei Buloh trail

2006-09-01T00:34:00.000+08:00

"Why would I wake early on a Sunday morning, and trudge to Sungei Buloh wetland reserve, walking all alone with my camera and stuff ? What kinda adventure do I expect in a lazy mangrove forest anyway ??" - So I mused standing on the bridge at the parks entrance.

Watching a lazy winding river on a low tide, reflecting on the ways of life, isnt exactly the coolest thing to do on a hot & humid weekend morning.

A casual glance on the banks, and I see these weird footsteps of..of..of..what was that ? A slithery wicked reptile? A croc? A snake with legs ? Im was beginning to feel like the Crocodile hunter - Steve Irwin.

Back on the move, I was looking for tell-tale signs and directions from the other petrified creatures of the forest - crawling, webbing, hopping, fluttering, flying and tree-jumping - All their gazes transfixed towards the Master of the Mangrove.

Not one to leave any subtle clue undiscovered, I even found the dried flowers unambiguously pointing to 'its' direction. (Maybe I am imagining things here, but never mind the build-up)

There he was (or she?), the 2-metre long giant version of what we commonly call a lizard ! The Monitor Lizard is a passive reptile, but with sure and steady movements. It likes to stare intently at photographers, and when fully stretched can fully block the jungle track. For those who are not sure of reptilian behavior like me, it can cause litres of adrenalin tingling thru the arteries, with every move it makes. More so if you are mad enough to try taking close-ups of this jurassic dude !

-------------------------
Less than a week since I posted this one, one of inspiring lovers of nature, the exciting and adventurous God of Reptilian world- Steve Irwin died in a freak accident, attacked by a stingray, during an underwater shoot.
His death uniquely affects the likes of the animal world for his conservation efforts, and the human world for his efforts to educate his own species about the rest on earth.
Hindu belief says advancement in species in rebirth is a sign of good karma. But I imagine the Crocodile hunter would be happier to de-evolve into a majestic King Cobra- to be one with his understanding friends on the planet.

Static Dynamism

2006-08-27T21:47:00.000+08:00

Is this what people might refer to as kick-ass photography ??
Having taken a lot of architecture, streets, buildings photos, it was just about time to have some fun.

Navarasa- the nine emotions

2006-07-19T22:08:00.000+08:00

I had shared these images by email quite a while ago, but just forgot to put it online somewhere. So here it is! To whom so ever it may concern, I dont look like this anymore :) It all started as a home tutorial and experiments in portrait photography, and ended up as a trial to shoot some themed portraits for fun.

The images are the result of an attempt to bring out the Navarasas – the facial expressions of Nine different moods, emotions or sentiments. Learning to display these appropriately are important steps in learning the classical dance forms like Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, and acting in general.

Online references :
http://www.cyberkerala.com/kathakali/navarasam.htm
http://www.nilacharal.com/picture/navarasam/index.html

Cycling past history

2006-07-05T22:26:00.000+08:00

I was waiting patiently at a street corner , camera in hand, for some attractive car to appear in front of the oldish orange buildings. But then, the unambitious person in me just settled for a bicycle :)

Staircase hues

2006-07-04T00:13:00.000+08:00

Just a walk down Waterloo street ,and this building cannot be missed by anybody who is not fully colour-blind. There are some really colourful minds in Singapore !

Soft targets

2006-07-01T23:56:00.000+08:00

Just a nice shop with cute things. It looked like 'girlie stuff' written all over it, but that doesnt prevent me from capturing it.

1906 @ 2006

2006-07-01T00:37:00.000+08:00

A few streets in Bugis converted into a modern shopping mall. The best part was the old-fashioned buildings covered by a modern glass structure, and the whole street air-conditioned. I didnt purchase a thing there, but bought a lot of ideas.

Bleu Royale

2006-07-01T00:21:00.000+08:00

A tinted glass painting inside the former church at Chijmes, City hall. The brilliant blue colour of the robes backlit by the evening sun , looked even better but the poor camera wasnt good enough to capture it well enough. (or maybe it was the photographer who botched up)

Will I ever get tired of capturing flowers.. ?

2006-06-30T01:18:00.000+08:00

Island life.. Love it !

2006-06-19T01:00:00.000+08:00

A time for reflection and self-discovery

Looking cool is the name of the game

Even 1500mm above mean sea level
is a high peak to be conquered

Better still, just laze around
in somebody else's boat !

Child's Play

2006-06-19T00:54:00.000+08:00

Just how delightfully colourful a child's 'tools at work' are !

Scenes at Pulau Redang

2006-06-19T00:46:00.000+08:00

Sunrise at Redang

2006-06-19T00:14:00.000+08:00

I still believe its Geo-centric..

Two Blazing Eyes and a Deceptive Grin.

Its really worth waking up early, to witness some artwork thats created and erased everyday.

In His Own Image

2006-05-11T01:40:00.000+08:00

Abstracts, flowers, landscapes, patterns, colours and shadows is what used to dominate my picture taking. I seemed to exist in an uninhabited part of the earth, or preferred to turn away from the subjects who invented the very medium I communicated with, and was never comfortable shooting homo sapiens. No more ! Just started to point the Canon towards people I like..

This is my friend Sujan's daughter, who has this strange shyness whenever she sees me. I somehow could not succeed in making her more comfortable, so just decided to shoot her expressions when confronted by me.

The Budding Philosopher Award goes to my cousin Nishanth. He is definitely the most gentlemanly boy in the world, and just sometimes decides to relax. This is one of those moments.

Is that a pensive pose patiently captured, or the mood on a lazy summer afternoon ? Or is it subdued frustration on being bored and bothered by a SLR-wielding enthusiast, who is on the lookout for a nice portrait? I can never be sure whats in the mind of this young lady Sangeetha, who happens to be my other cousin in B'lore.

A friend to share a joke.
A brain to discuss an idea.
A mind charged with passion
A groom in the making :)
A complete man - Manivel

Tall Stories

2006-04-18T01:25:00.000+08:00

The skyline of Kuala Lumpur as seen by an ant, while walking along the rain-water drain near KL Towers. Sometimes its useful to see the viewpoint of your fellow creatures of the planet too !

A Prayer for Peace

2006-04-08T01:06:00.000+08:00

வெள்ளை பூக்கள் உலகம் எங்கும் மலர்கவே
விடியும் பூமி அமைதிக்காக விடியவே

மண்மேல் மஞ்சள் வெளிச்சம் விழுகவே
மலரே சோம்பல் முறித்து எழுகவே...

- கவிஞர் வைரமுத்து (Poet Vairamuthu)

Let pure white flowers fill our world
And humanity wake up free of strife

Let the hues of dawn grace the land
And the blossoms spring to new life.

கலைமகள் மாலை.. அரங்கேற்ற வேளை..

2006-03-28T00:09:00.000+08:00

The Naatya Arengetram of Ms.Jayanthi at Nafa, Singapore on 26 Mar 2006, which was rightly applauded as more of a full fledged performance than Arengetram.
The musicians performing that evening included my flute Guru Mr. Ghanavenothan Retnam, and some amazing performers from Nritralaya.

Relaxing for Eternity

2006-03-26T02:13:00.000+08:00

Spy goggles

2006-03-26T02:11:00.000+08:00

A Strange Loneliness

2006-03-26T02:10:00.000+08:00

Each of us longing for a warm hug

2006-03-26T02:07:00.000+08:00

Curves inspire

2006-03-26T02:04:00.000+08:00

Writer's Missiles

2006-03-21T00:58:00.000+08:00

Frozen Kiss

2006-03-21T00:54:00.000+08:00

A tale from the life of Marudhu Pandiyar

2006-02-28T01:09:00.000+08:00

I heard this touching story from my friendly Aasiriyar- David Ayya. I cannot help but recording it online and sharing it with all.
-------
The Maradhu Pandiyar brothers were the rulers of SivaGanga, who fought the British and declared independence long before Rest of India even planned the First war of Independence(1857) ! Click for a short history of Maruthu Pandiyar

The brothers didnt exactly hail from aristocratic family lines, but were normal people. By virtue of their bravery and skills, they rose among the ranks and occupied top ranks of Defence ministers, and Commanders of the armyin the court of the then Queen Velu Naachiyaar. After her period, they took over the reins of the kingdom, and were generally loved and accepted by their subjects as their legitimate rulers.

The story relates to an incident that happened under their reign. They built a temple to Siva (Kaalaiyar Koil)during that period and held the consecration ceremony. A huge chariot (ratham) was built to carry the Lord's idol in a procession, and all preparation were done to start the procession , in this brand new chariot, pulled by thousands of devotees.

But the twist in the story starts when, the chariot refused to budge an inch from its original position, despite the best efforts of young, strong devotees. That was a surprise since the chariot itself looked constructed correct to the specifications, and nobody could find the reason for the physical stubbornity of the chariot.

The embarassed Maruthu Pandiyar , were very keen to see the procession moving, and summoned the skilled constructor of the chariot(Achaari), to help them in this tight situation. The carpenter suggested that the chariots refuse to move, since its constructor has not been paid for his services. The ruler-brothers offered reasonable amounts or precious articles worthy of his work and actually apologised for their negligence in prompt payment.

But the adamant carpenter had other plans, and calmly refused all these costly gifts. He demanded to be the king of the country for just one day, and on the very same day. The crowd was certainly shocked at this request, and heaped curses on this man, for his opportunism and unreasonable greed for holding high position. But Marudhu Pandiyar were true devotees, and were only too ready to give up anything for the religious event to be successful. They accepted his demands and crowned him King for that day. This also meant that the carpenter occupied a seat near the God's statue on the chariot thats actually reserved for the King himself.

The rally continued, and while the Maruthu Pandiyars walked alongwith the crowd, the chariot and its occupants rode high above, passing over undulating terrain on the way to the temple. This required a large effort by the pulling crowd, when they had to pull it up the slope, and also when they had to control the pace when the chariot went down-hill too.

One particular downward slope was particularly demanding, and all of a sudden the harnesses gave way and the chariot raced downhill threatening to crush some devotees on its path. After a major struggle, the able men took control of the run-away chariot, after it had come to a stop due to a casuality that occured. A man was trapped in between the wheels, and that apparently stopped the chariot, but after inflicting mortal wounds to the poor devotee. And this was none other than the carpenter king who had lost his balance in the commotion and had fallen to the brink of death, bleeding profusely having been badly injured by his own work of craftmanship.

In his dying moments he held out a piece of papyrus manuscript, which appeared to be some kind of ancient poetry. It was deciphered , and the complete picture reached the people who had cursed the One-day king. He was found to be a firm believer of Naadi astrology and the manuscript had the predictions for the day. It contained the statement that the King of the country would have to die an unfortunate death, at the end of the chariot procession !

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I heard this story right after watching the movie Rang de Basanti which has the main characters killing the corrupt Defence Minister of their own country !

என் சுவாசக்காற்றே

2006-02-26T21:12:00.000+08:00

கரங்கள் இரண்டில் மென்மையாய் பற்றி
என்னருகே உன்னை அணைத்து இருக்கி
என் சுவாசக்காற்றினை உன்னுள் ஊற்றி
மூங்கில் தோள்களை உடையவள் பெயர் சூட்டி
நித்தமும் உன்னையே முத்தமிட்டு இசைப்பேன்
மூங்கிலால் இறைவனே படைத்தறுளிய - என் குழலே !

Yesudas enthralls..

2006-02-22T21:29:00.000+08:00

The man with a golden voice was here yesterday(21 Feb), in connection with the consecration ceremony of Arulmigu Velmurugan Gnanamuneeswar Temple in Sengkang, Singapore. I was a bit sad that I had to miss music class, to attend this one, but it was a pretty good lesson in music by itself.

Attended a whole lot of Indians and locals, more than half of them standing, the President of S'pore SR Nathan was one more fan of Yesudas' musical evening. He sang mostly devotional songs, but included wise quotes, tips and light humour to make it a pleasant combo.

Some memories :
Yesudas took efforts to explain the raaga, and the special significance of the song lyrics and ofcourse the actual rendering of the song. All this was appealing a lot to a beginner in classical music like me.

He explained a raga, whose name I forget, which differs from Hamsadhwani by only the rishabam, and clearly sang and highlighted the beauty of the jeevaswara of that raaga. I understood the true importance of jeevaswara only then.

He quotes while offering his gratitude to his Gurus, there are no separate Gurus in any field of study or art. Its the force of the supreme Guru - God himself, who manifests his power of knowledge in the form of the worldly teachers, gurus and masters who in turn impart the skill to us.

He also did a amazing demo, saying that he was trained by his father to be able to sing with or without the mic/amplifier. This was in contrast to, he said ,to the younger generation of singers who preferred to sing in husky voices hoping to sound sexy.
Then he slowly moved the mic away, switched it off, and sang a few verses. I was standing quite far away , and the crowd was probably more than a 1000 strong. As the the people were keen and silent, even the last person could hear him singing, even the gamaham were clearly audible to me. Wow !

After a few enjoyable songs, he was winding up with the Mangalam dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, stopped suddenly and said "Lord says, sing praises to my brother before you sing in praise of me". He had apparently forgotten to sing a beautiful song dedicated to Lord Murugan, which was written by a Muslim author, music composed by a Hindu, and ultimately sang by a Christian(himself)!

I have never heard any of the singers like SPB, KJY in person, and this experience was quite an unforgettable one for me.

A date with Bugs Bunny

2006-02-08T00:22:00.000+08:00

Shot in Ooty, India in Nov 2005 near market at Ooty Lake
Speed: 1/80s,Focal length f/6.3, ISO 200

A kind of Chain Smoker

2006-02-07T23:56:00.000+08:00

Shot in Clarke Quay,Singapore on 31st Dec 2005,
Shutter speed (1/250sec), Aperture f/13.0, Focal length=78mm equiv, ISO 1600

Meddling at Manukan Island

2006-02-07T01:04:00.000+08:00

With one more day to kill after climbing down the stairs to heaven, our tired limbs allowed us to enjoy a trip to a tropical island near the city Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

After a while I got just too tired for snapping any more pictures and decided to snorkell near the coral reefs. I shall delibrately avoid to qualitatively describe with formidable adjectives, on how incredibly fascinating it is, to swim with the brilliantly coloured fish, deceptively beautiful corals and slimy sea-cucumbers in their own naturally suited habitat !

The Descent of ulabaniK

2006-02-07T00:12:00.000+08:00

I have always believed, that if the return journey is as exciting as the onward, only then a trip seems fulfilling. A strange rock which resembled a 'thumbs up' sign served to reinforce the point :)

In this case, it was actually better on the way down the mountain , since the sun was up, and we could see the impressive rock structures, going on and on for miles. The first shock came as we saw the steep climbs for the first time in daylight, and found it hard to believe that we actually climbed up the same way in complete darkness !

Here again its impossible to bring about the massiveness of the many peaks and my already wet camera system further gave poor results. Anyway most of it has been captured streaming video my own memory cells, and am waiting for somebody to develop an interface to download the stuff!

Sunrise at the Summit (4096m)

2006-02-05T05:32:00.000+08:00

Easy Goal :
Wake up at 2am, and start climbing to reach the top of Mt.Kinabalu- Low's peak at 6am to view sunrise

Operating conditions :
Complete darkness except for star-studded sky(pretty obvious at 3am?),
Temperature 10 degree C, to a minimum of 5 degrees at peak,
Steep uphill climb over sheer rocky surface with just a rope for guidance
Rapid chilly winds, with light rain for some "cool effects"
Rarified air causing shortness of breath, demanding frequent stops

Physical conditions:
Headache (not a hangover:), body pain, and mild fever from prev night, dry cough from previous week, violent shivering due to rain,wind and insufficient warm clothing(insanity in hindsight!), Nausea and slight giddiness due to high-altitude.

Mental conditions :
"This is craziest thing you have ever done. Why the hell are you doing this ? What are you going to gain in 'real terms'? You dont want to fall dreadfully sick up there. Its better to stop now, that return in a stretcher. Its time to QUIT ! Now !"
the above running in an infinite loop in the head, on top of the headache.

Results:
Exhilaration on reaching the peak in good time, wait in biting cold conditions.
Realise at 6.30am, that its too cloudy to see any decent Sunrise :(
Climb down hastily, not because there is nothing to see, but it had started to rain, and rocks would soon be slippery.

The most difficult part was to capture the faint sunrise, and "We were here" pics, because a shivering hand , and some wet lens dont produce a razor-sharp image !

-----------------------
Nothing , really nothing else could justify all the pain, than the unique feeling of achievement that grasps the sinews of your heart in such moments. All this also makes me realise the greatness of all the mountaineers, who have battled and some conquered mightier peaks, snow-clad peaks that are more than double the height of this one, belittling my ascent.. The difficulties in their efforts is presently unimaginable to me, but their joy certainly is.

I finally stop at this last thought : Nothing on earth except Mother Nature, is stronger than the power of the human will.

A Night at Laban Rata

2006-02-05T05:00:00.000+08:00

At the end of this ascend was our over-night stopover at Laban rata, at a surprising well equipped dorm-style lodge. A few guys were playing a kindof leg-volleyball(i forget the name of the game), but most people were enjoying a well-deserved rest sipping hot chocolate or tea and viewing the sunset.

Apart from the rest, the stop was also to get used to the high-altitude sickness/effects which were beginning to show, in terms of thinning air, headaches, and feverishness.

The number of nationalities of men and women at this place was staggering, and it was nice to see all of them focussed on to one common goal. Labanrata is situated above the level of the low-clouds, and the view was very similar to being seated in an airplane.

Upto here it can be termed as a climb of moderate difficulty, but with some basic fitness and regular rests, most could make it to this level. But the attempt to the summit of Kinabalu - Low's Peak(4096m), making it the tallest peak in SE Asia, is better avoided by the faint at heart(and body), very young or very old people.

Middle Earth at Mt.Kinabalu (2500m-3200m)

2006-02-05T04:41:00.000+08:00

The whole experience from here on was completely new to me - the vegetation, the landscapes, the very look of the place and ofcourse the feeling. I found myself taking more pictures here, but barely capture the desolate beauty of this place.

The dense forest thinned down, and so did the air. They were replaced by wind-battered trees and logs, shrubs and hardy flowers and the image of the clouds amidst the blue skies. As the mist started to descend on us, the cool moist air caused the full-shirts to be put on. Most people were awe-struck too, and the usable adjectives thinned down like the air.

I hope the photos give "a better picture", but if you want a better idea, go there yourself !

At lower altitudes of Mt Kinabalu(1500m - 2500m)

2006-02-05T03:43:00.000+08:00

Its time to move on the experiences and visions we saw on the way to the top. The initial phase of the climb was in high spirits, as you can see in the pics where my friends Praveen and Ananth have all the energy to 'pose' for a shot(actually stealing some rest). The small, lithe man is Mollonius Tinggal, who was our mountain guide and impressed me with the effortless ease with with he seemed to conquer the mountain(thrice a week)- his simple method- "do it one careful step at a time" ;-)

The forests were dense, with vegetation everywhere and the temperature and humidity quite high. Most interesting were the smaller plants, wild orchids ,ferns and mosses which gave a impression of a green sari woven over the mountain (pachai pattaadai porthaal pola- Bharathidasan on seeing SriLankan Kandy mountains). The climb was well organised by the authorities, and there were small huts with basic amenities at every km of the 6km trek.

There were quite a few climbers that weekend due to Chinese New Year holidays in SE Asia. While the fittest were cruising up, most others were trudging along, taking ample rest wherever they felt like. Dont ask me how I fared, since I dont like to boast nor try to be modest, I prefer to be hopelessly uninformative on such personal matters :)

"A Lesson in Botany" by Alfred Hitchcock

2006-02-05T03:32:00.000+08:00

One the way up the mountain, we trekked thru tropical lowland rainforests, and was packed with flora and invisible fauna. One particular species that caught our attention (with some help from the guide ofcourse) is the pitcher plant. And we also managed to catch the picture of one adventurous bug like us, who decided to checkout what it feels like being in the depths of hell. There were some specimens sized upto a 2Litre capacity, but none were (fortunately) six feet high..!

Waking up one morning

2006-02-05T03:06:00.000+08:00

After a sound sound-less sleep at Rose Cabin, we woke up and peered outside the balcony door to get a first look at what we were supposed to confront in the following days- Mt.Kinabalu. The prev evening it was hiding behind clouds, and the first look was impressive, and we were a bit scared at the prospect of climbing outof bed, and having to climb it.

A Rose at the Rose Cabin

2006-02-05T02:57:00.000+08:00

Probably the most photographed species in the world..! Okay..Okay..second only to the female version of Homo Sapiens.

Kinabalu Park Headquarters

2006-02-05T02:20:00.000+08:00

Anybody attempting to climb Mount Kinabalu, cannot miss the Park Headquarters(Brown-red hut). They help organise the climbs, provide the useful facilities, arrange for the mountain guides, and even provide a summit completion certificate..in short make an inconvinience into a memorable adventure.

We were blessed to get acco in a place called Rose Cabin, (oft misspelt Heaven) and was one of the most scenic low-cost hotels I have lived in. Except for a small mishap where they added some curled-up prawns to a Vegetarian fried rice dish, our stay was very pleasant there !

Klicking at KLIA

2006-02-05T01:49:00.000+08:00

This was my first visit to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and we reached there "early morning !" at 0330hrs. We were to catch the flight to Kota Kinabalu and had 5hrs to kill. While my friends decided its completely natural to grab a nap,I decided to wake up the camera, and (wake them up to pose for a few pics). And here are the results.

Val de l'Arc

2005-10-10T06:46:00.000+08:00

At around dusk on a late summer evening,
by the dark woods on the banks of the river Arc ,

Sitting under the shade of a climber covered tree,
Watching geese and ducks return to the river,

Accompanied by the sounds of flowing water
I took my flute lessons in Nature's own theatre..

...till an army of angry red ants decided to give
some stinging criticism to end the cacophony..!

Lingering memories

2005-10-10T06:35:00.000+08:00

Having written verbiose descriptions of my experiences, I still feel like missing out on a few really strange incidents,nice people, weird thoughts..
I will devote no more than a few sentences for each, but each of them have created a lasting impression on me.

----
The skydive :
The onward journey from Singapore to Paris took me right over Southern India, over Madurai and other towns. It was so difficult to control this crazy thought, to pick up a parachute and eject myelf outta the plane, to take a short holiday in India.
----
Kavithai in CDG
The 5 hour transit time in Charles de Gaulle Airport,Paris saw me bring out the only tamil poetry book I managed to take along - Vairamuthu Kavithaigal. In addition to being captivated by the imaginative similes, I also briefly attempted describing the same in English to my colleague. I dont know how much of the meaning was lost in translation !
----
Lonely planet
Solitude during weekends sometimes became unbearable, and made me prefer weekdays spent in office instead. This drove me out of the hotel, and I was travelling alone to nearby places by bus,train and even boats. This was possible due the companionship of such inanimate objects like my camera, the music player and of course a Lonely Planet guide.
---
Notre Dame
After trudging uphill the mountain atop which is the Notre Dame Basilica of Marseilles, I paused to regain my breath. I was greeted by the toothless but warm smile of this frail old woman, who started to mutter what sounded like an essay to me in French. She understood very little English, but that did not prevent her from taking me along to the drinking water tap, and show me the utilities in the church. I observed that she seemed to suffer from a nervous problem, which made her extremely restless -moving and gesturing with strange swift movements. Her unexpected kindness made me stay a bit longer, and attend the Sunday evening mass, though I could'nt follow a word of the sermon--only the phrase "Anbae Sivam" ( Love is God) ringed thru my mind all the while..
----
Happy Pizzas - happy to be eaten by you.
This is how I was welcomed to the shop of this amazing Goan gentleman- Fred Vaz. Hours were spent discussing every perceivable topic, in the aroma of pizzas in the making. Fred's shop in Aix, was possibly the only place to get a Tandoori chicken pizza in France. With such nice conversations, warm pizzas, and irresistable discounts for NRIs it was my most preferred hangout in the evenings. Eventually we became good friends and was even introduced to his lovely family,some of whom became fine critics of my blog and photos, receivers of 1hr crash courses on sambar-making and SLR photography.
----
Sacre Coeur
On a visit to this church in a place called Montmarte in Paris, my friend Praveen decided to stay a bit longer than others, lost in a silent prayer. I just sat with him without exchanging many words. What made this event extraordinary was that, he had returned to church after 'years' of being a non-believer. There were no confessions to be made, but for me the moment was heavily inundated with thoughts on faith, prayer, and spirituality.
----
Shuttle service
One big reason to goto office, was to be able to play badminton in the evening after work , with the perfectly matched team I ever played with - a group of interns Said, Eva and Eric. Each had his/her own style and everybody else knew their weakness too. Sports has its own way to bringing together people from diverse backgrounds, and forging some excellant friendships over a competitive match or a point conceded out of fairplay.
----
Samba(r) beats
I was really starved of Indian food, either self-cooked or outside for nearly 3 months. I had no motivation to cook good traditional dishes just for myself. But right in the last week of my stay in France, I got to make and share sambar and other south-indian vegetarian dishes in 2 different occasions. Cooked with minimum oil, and less spice than normal, it became a lot more palatable to the French tongues. It gives such great pleasure to prepare and present ones native dishes and seeing being emptied in before you take the second helping..!
---
Aliases
Whenever I had the courage to try out some new untried foodstuff, the ones which resembled in taste and appearance to typical Indian dishes were the most loved. For instance Spanish Payela - to Hyderabadi Biriyani, Moroccan Tagine to Kaarakuzhambu, Lebanese Felafel to Keerai Vadai , Algerian Cous Cous to Upma, or Bretagne's Crepes to the crispy Dosais..the list is endless.
----
Persistence
Having typed all of the above online, and after clicking "Post", losing all of the text due to internet problem- thus relearning the lesson to use a text-editor to create posts for the umteenth time of my life. And reliving and retyping all of the above memories one more time..

Unarnthu ezhudhiyadhu

2005-10-04T00:20:00.000+08:00

Edhai thanimai enalaam ?

Thaayum thanthaiyum illamaiyaa ?
illai..illai...
Thambi thamakkai illamaiya ?
illai..illai...
Thozhano thozhiyo illamaiya ?
adhuvum illai...

Thamizh ingu illamai thaan,
Tha.......ni.....mai enakku !

Scaling Saint Victoire

2005-10-01T23:54:00.000+08:00

Anybody who happens to come to Aix en Provence or the nearby villages of Trets, Rousset, Tholonet cannot miss the imposing presence of this majestic and grey-white mountain Saint Victoire. Almost everyday of my stay here, I have been enjoying the different views of this mountain during sunny, cloudy or rainy weather.
After the first weeks of stay, even before the idea strikes your mind people start to ask the question “Have you climbed the Saint Victoire?” Its not a towering peak, and not a part of the mighty Alps, and stands at just over 1010 metres above MSL. It does not sound like an impossible challenge, but I was not able to find somebody to accompany me to the top. To make it too hot to handle for me, there was warning of forest fires, and the whole area had restricted access during the summer months. Whoever wants to be a half burnt hot dog on an adventure trip?

Two months and a dozen friends later, the chances improved, and a group of 3 friendly interns Said, Cedric and Virginie agreed to pull me along on an assault on the mount. We went ahead like pro rock-climbers and did not actually heed the weather reports and predictions for the day. We went on a long drive and somewhere near Puyloubier found a track to the Saint-Victoire. After snapping a few start-of-trek photos, the expedition begun. We proceeded along a route marked with black dashes, with no idea of the colour coding conventions of mountain tracks, if there were any.

A few hundred metres later the inclination of the climb started to increase considerably. Very soon we started to stare blankly and near-vertical walls of rock, with a small crevice here and there for a toe hold or a few fingers. The amateur dare-devils decided to go ahead and managed to scale a few challenging rocks. Soon, exhaustion started to peek into the affairs, and all of a sudden a referendum was held to decide whether we should continue or not. Surprisingly 75% of the population decided to continue further. But a few steps ahead and we heard a clap of thunder emerging from the dangerous looking clouds we were ignoring all the while.

The prospect of facing a storm midway up a shelter-less mountain was not an interesting idea. Amidst a drizzle that slowly graduated to a steady rain, we came thundering down the slopes, slipping and sliding at places. That’s when I hoped very badly that spectacles had some wipers on them! Just after we reached the reassuring interiors of the car, a hail storm started to clutter!

For the next one week, it’s difficult to describe the feelings every time I saw the mountain. It seemed to personify an unfinished challenge. I also learnt that we had unknowingly taken the toughest route, meant for rock climbers with the right gear.
The next weekend I teamed up with another pal Arnaud, (nicknamed Puma, for his extreme agility in the badminton court). He had seen the top of the mountain twice and knew the route to some extent.

This time we took a combination of red and blue tracks and the climb was easier and the weather not bad. There were quite a few breath taking views to be seen, once we reached the higher reaches of the mountain. Almost near the top was a small, church with a small group of people who had reached there earlier. We met a 78-year old man who said he climbs the mountain every week, and volunteers for the upkeep of the church and the surroundings! Further up, at the peak there is this huge Cross which is the visible target for the people who climb the mountain. Destination reached, landscape photos taken, what better way to celebrate it than with a bar of chocolate and chilled water?

Fungus in your cheese ...

2005-10-01T23:51:00.000+08:00

This happened in a small party in Singapore. One guy with a terrible cold and blocked nose took it and found nothing strange, one food loving chap took it with some initial surprise and difficulty but eventually finished it and the third could even swallow the first tiny mouthful of …….
The Blue Cheese of Roquefort(no points for guessing the food loving guy here..)

This is a special variety of strong smelling and tasting cheese, which can mean paradise for most French tongues and the paralysis of unsuspecting palettes from other countries. It’s not so difficult to understand such a reaction, if you can visibly see some grey-blue colonies of the fungi Penicillium Roqueforti eating through the insides of the cheese, in addition to the smell and strong taste. The earliest mention of this type of cheese was in 76AD loved by the Romans, and Casanova is said to have associated Roquefort cheese with Chambertin wine to seduce women! But since I have a special affinity to fatty food stuff of all kinds, this fromage (cheese) triggered my curiosity.

I visited the origin of this strange cheese, in a place called Roquefort, and in the insides of a set of natural caves owned by Société, on the top of a mountain, formed by geological perturbances. The conditions inside the caves are said to be a biological heaven for the fungi, with the precise temperature and humidity in which they thrive. There were certain windows in the rock structures called fluerines, through which the cold air blew inside the caves and circulated the volume of air inside.

But the ambience was certainly not for humans- outside the cave, at the time we went, it must have been about 25° C, and inside if fell sharply, bringing out the need for warm clothing, to 8° C ! So I had to endure the long lecture in French about the legend of Roquefort cheese (by a plump guy who seemed to feed exclusively on it) in hunger, darkness and continuous shivering. But fortunately at the end of the tour we were invited to taste samples of 3 varieties of the cheese, of increasing strength; I was not tasting it, but feasting on it. The souvenir that I bought from the place was completely edible- a portion of Société, Cave des Templiers, and Caves Baragnaudes kinds of cheeses.

But there was something with this species of fungi which delivered me an unexpected surprise later on. I enjoyed a pack of Roquefort cheese and kept it in the refrigerator. During the time, they were quietly getting used the ambience inside my fridge, and found it quite hospitable; and well stocked too! Anything else that was left uncovered in the fridge was seen as important stockpiles of calories to be inherited by the future generations of the fungi through their off-spring spores. So anybody who wants to develop a good immunity, just need to take a whiff from the grey-bluish green internals of my ice box!