Just About Everything

The Namdroling Nyingmapa Monastery- Golden temple In my recent visit to Coorg in Karnataka, I discovered that Coorg has a little Tibet in it. In fact it is one of the largest settlements of Tibetans in India .Very colourful and serene, the Tibetan settlement is near a place called "Kushalnagar" in Coorg. Kushalnagar will take you around 4-5 hours to reach by road if you are driving from Bengaluru. I found out from Wikipedia that "The Namdroling Nyingmapa Monastery" happens to be the largest teaching centre of Nyingmapa in the World. Here is a video which will give you a glimpse into the beautiful Golden temple in the monastery complex. More on Coorg in my next post.

I am sharing some pictures from my garden; the pictures are not good, but it is nice to see flowers blooming and birds chirping. Wish you a merry Christmas and a very happy new 2014! Tailorbird Tailorbird Magpie Robin Bulbul

Demoiselle cranes, Khichan Tucked away in a rather remote area of Rajasthan is a village called Khichan. Khichan is not a place that usually features in a tourist's list. It is one of those off-the beaten destinations that is well-worth visiting though. You will likely hear of this place from birding enthusiasts, in fact  that is how I came to know of  Khichan. My  cousin Soma, who is an active birder told me about the existence of this place. She went there last winter and clicked some awesome pictures. Khichan is a must visit if you wish to witness quite an unusual sight. Would you like to see hundreds of Demoiselle cranes in one place? Khichan is where you can witness this amazingly beautiful and unusual sight. Flocks Demoiselle cranes Khichan Demoiselle cranes Rajasthan, India This migration has been happening since a very long time.The locals have helped in conserving and protecting this area. The cranes are fed grains every day and that i...

Bhitarkanika National Park Odisha, India If you are fond of Wildlife sanctuaries and have not visited Bhitarkanika yet, it should feature in your list of places to visit. Bhitarkanika National Park is a national park located in Odisha in India.Located in Kendrapara District of Odisha, Bhitarkanika is best known for the Olive Ridley turtles and endangered salt water crocodiles. The best time to visit Bhitarkanika is during Summers and winters.Though winters are much more pleasant and preferable. The best way to reach Bhitarkanika is from Bhubaneswar. Bhubaneswar has an airport and rail station as well. Bhitarkanika is around 160 kms from Bhubaneswar. The mangrove forest reminds me of Sunderbans in West Bengal. If you are lucky you might get to sight king cobras, black ibis, and many other reptiles and birds. The link below will provide you more information on Bhitarkanika: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhitarkanika_National_Park https://www.bhitarkanikanationalp...

Jazz fest Kolkata, 2013 Every year Dalhousie Institute in Ballygunge, Kolkata, plays host to the much awaited Jazz fest (Congo Square Jazz Fest). It is usually a three day festival and happens around Nov-Dec. I did manage to catch it today. I have been missing this event for the last two years. A good number of musicians from all over the world especially, USA, Germany, Mexico, Australia, and India perform in this fest. The ambiance is electric. It is essentially Jazz fusion music and I love it. Kolkata seems to have a lot of Jazz lovers, I could barely find a place to sit...there were youngsters and elderly people and all of them were enjoying the music. The weather this time of the year is pleasant and it is a perfect time indeed to relax and enjoy Jazz. Here's a small clipping of one of the performances, could not get a good coverage from where I was sitting:(

Wavy Maplet butterfly These beautiful butterflies and insects are from North-Eastern India. The pictures were taken by my cousin, Soma, in a forest by the name of Joypur which is around 50 kms South of Tinsukia in Assam. Dark Archduke Elbowed Pierrot-butterfly Plant hopper White Dragontail

Durga Idol In retrospect, I am posting pictures of another Durga puja pandal from Kolkata. I will post some more pandals that were a bit different and unique this year.  This pandal in South Kolkata was based on a terracotta temple. It looked so genuine, it was unbelievable that this so authentic looking terracotta temple complex was actually a pandal and would be there for just 5 days! The artists had taken pains to make this temple look old and authentic. And the result was beautiful! This Bengali festival certainly brings out the most creative stuff. The pandal complex Entrance Lateral View  The pandal complex  with a sculpture Side walls of the temple Work on the walls of the terracotta complex

Diwali, the festival of lights, is one of the most popular festivals in India. On this day in Bengal, Goddess Kali is worshiped. Fireworks are an essential part of this festival and are very popular. So much so that fireworks competitions are organized in quite a few areas in Kolkata. In Jadavpur, every year, a fireworks competition is organized on Diwali. Usually, there are Fountain fireworks (Anars) on display. If any of the fireworks were to burst then the participants would get disqualified. The participants give interesting names to their fireworks. This brief clipping will give you an idea.

Diwali, the festival of lights is celebrated all over India. I love this time of the year because not only does the weather start getting cooler, there is positive energy everywhere.  Interestingly, even though this festival is celebrated all over India, there is a subtle difference in how and why Diwali is celebrated in different parts of India. In north India, it is believed that on this day, Rama's returned to Ayodhya after 14 years in exile and diyas were lit in order to welcome Rama. For Jains, diwali is a celebration in honour of Mahavira who attained nirvana on this day. On this auspicious day Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped. Since diwali marks the end of harvert season, people seek the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi for a prosperous year ahead. In Bengal, Diwali is better known as Kali puja. Goddess Kali is worshiped on this new moon day.  In Bengal, on the day before Diwali there is a tradition of lighting up 14 candles...

Durga idol  A completely different concept for Durga puja pandal. The theme of this pandal in South Kolkata is a library and the idea is to promote reading. Quite an interesting concept indeed! I wonder what will they come up with next? My next post has some more interesting concepts from Durga puja 2013. Entrance to the pandal A small little hut in keeping with the theme Entrance to the pandal Durga puja pandal with books and guitar Nicely done A book rack in the pandal Durga puja mantra A popular Bengali poem

Durga Idol at the Girish Mukherjee residence Durga puja at the Girish Mukherjee house in Bahawnipur, Kolkata is over 100 years old. This beautiful old house and the people have upheld the tradition of celebrating Durga puja in the same traditional way over the years. All members of the family get together for Durga puja, the sense of togetherness and the spirit of festivity in this household is infectious! And not to miss the dhakis who complete the whole picture by drumming in the beats of happiness. Durga painting Beautiful old house- Girish Mukherjee bari Bhawanipur, Kolkata Entrance of the house The family gets together for the evening Durga arati on Nabami Durga Arati on Nabami Dhakis with their colourful drums