Last few days of the year...

* Stars descend on earth
* A sense of calm envelopes me.
* Many tasks accomplished.
* House becomes home.
* Biting into the moist plum cake from 'All Saints' Bakery.
* Decorating the mini christmas tree.
* Having chai in my new balcony and watching the bright winter sun warm the city.
* Eyeing those lovely unread books piling up on the windowsill.

Hope all of you are enjoying these last days of the year in your own sweet ways....

Wishing everyone peace and happiness this Christmas and New Year!

Pushp Ki Abhilasha...

....A Flower's Wish.

* Mallika skipped around the balcony collecting fallen Bougainvillea flowers.
* She showed me a handful of papery magenta treasures.
* My mind raced back to my school days when we learnt a hindi poem by Pt. Makhanlal Chaturvedi called Pushp Ki Abhilasha.
* In those days we just mugged it up because it was part of our course, but somehow these lines have got etched in my mind.
* Why should it suddenly come back to me so clearly word by word.
* So overwhelming at a time like this, when so many of our heroes have given their lives for our country.

Read the poem~
Chah Nahin Mai SurBala Ke Gehnon Mein Guntha Jaaon.
Chah Nahin Premi Mala Mein Bindh, Pyari Ko Lalchaon.
Chah Nahin Samraton Ke Shav Par, He Hari Dala Jaaon.
Chah Nahin Devon Ke Sar Par Chadhon, Bhagya Par Itraoon.

Mujhey Tod Lena Banmali, Us Path Par Tum Dena Phaink,
Matra Bhoomi Per Sheesh Chadhaney, Jis Path Jaayen Veer Anek.

Translation by Prashant
I don't want to be a part of the necklace of the beautiful girl,
I don't want to woo the lady love,
I don't want to be spread over dead bodies,
I don't want to act snob, after someone offers me to the Gods

Just pluck me Gardner and throw me on the road,
which is taken by the brave soldiers to give away their lives for the Motherland !

I pray for the flower's wish to be granted.

*Peace*

carpenters and the rain...

* I am not talking about me with a cup of chai on a rainy day with 'The Carpenters' singing rainy days and mondays always get me down... well, actually they do:-(
* I am talking about the kinds armed with saws, polish, hammer, nails...
* the ones for whom we wait with bated breath.
* the ones who tranform our homes into a dream.
* scrap, scrub, hammer, hammer, bang, bang....music to my ears.
* but, hey wait...did I hear pitter-patter too?
* "Amma, polish can't be done, no sun, won't dry"
* my dreams get postponed to another weekend.
* I grab my camera and shoot the weapons abandoned due to the rains.
* BTW, blocks of wood make interesting coasters;-)

the days gone by...

I have been missing-in-action for a while ~ Sorry.
Lots of things have been happening here~
* We moved into our new home last month.
* Our previous home was featured in BBC Good Homes, India Edition. Thanks!
* Kindness in many forms touched my heart.
* An Autumn Mouse traveled all the way from Poland to have hot 'chai' with me.
* Another birthday passed by.
* Lots of dreams and aspirations.
* Loads of hard work.
* 'Love in the time of Cholera' was finally finished and moved to the bookshelf.
* I promise to be more active in this space. So do drop by:-)
Have a great day!

a page from the past...

clean, clean, clean
tear, tear, tear
throw, throw, throw
was yesterday's agenda.

found a little notebook from the past.
a page from the past when I was a trainee in an advertising agency.
when I scoured huge advertising reference books in my hunger for creative knowledge.
scribbled lines from books for devouring later."Don't judge me because I get my hands greasy or wear jeans or work on a certain payroll.
Unless you have the guts to talk to me, you won't ever have a chance to find out what I have to offer.
The reality is we are all different. We are male, female, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, tall, short, single, married, smokers, non-smokers, young, old and infinite list of characteristics, that make us unique.
The common denominator of being human is we all share the experience of being different."

I don't know from which ad campaign or editorial this was taken but this just brought back some beautiful nostalgic memories:-)

A year of mornings....

It's so lovely to finally get my own copy of A Year of Mornings~ 3191 mile apart. A photographic collaboration project between two friends.

I had been following this daily photographic conversation between mav and stephanie and it's great to have it all archived in a book form to cherish.

Now, they have a photoblog called 3191~ A Year of Evenings:-)

For an early morning person like me, this book is sheer magic, especially teamed with a cup of hot chai:-)

It's great to be back. Thanks to all of you for checking on me.
Have a great weekend!

Walking into Autumn...

...there is no Autumn in Bangalore.
but
* there are trees with falling leaves.
* the air smells lovely.
* sunlight warms some beautiful corners in my home.
* the beginning of festivals.
* a stillness in the air.
* anticipations of new things.
* body is dragged out of a cosy bed.
* mind is bursting with ideas.
* learning about Autumn with my daughter.
* loving a season in transition.
* isn't it a season for hibernation?

*UPDATE~Taking a break from the internet, but will be checking my mails so feel free to write in;-)
Enjoy the season everyone. See you later.

Think before you upload...

...because reputed publishing houses like Hindustan Times will not even think twice before stealing your copyrighted photographs.

Some of you might recall, last year my husband had made an Eco-friendly Ganesha for Ganesh Chaturthi, which had been uploaded to Flickr and last Friday one of my Flickr friends noticed the photograph in Mumbai edition of HT Cafe and informed me.

It is shocking to see such an unethical and unprofessional behaviour from a reputed daily. I also realised that lately a lot of such incidences are coming into light.

They have stolen my image and I am taking legal action against them!

That is one part of the whole issue. How does one stop this from happening time and again?
* Spread the message to stop copyright violation. (If you are a blogger, it makes it easier)
* Do watermark your images.(Might help to some extent)
* Join hands with organisation fighting for this cause.( Will keep you updated on this)
* If you are a Flickrite, please don't upload high resolution images.

P.S. Some of Mallika's images have also been stolen and used in networking sites like Orkut. I have made most of my blogs for invited reader's only.
Sorry about this, but this just seems like the right thing to do at this stage.

Stay safe and protect your images.

Megha barso...

* monsoons here in India is a dream, a memory, a fragrance, a taste...
* paper boats sail away in narrow flowing streams.
* shubha mudgals voice singing 'Seeko Na' gets stronger in my ears.
* the heart yearns for classical music and out comes all the raagas from cds and cassettes ( do people still listen in that format?)
* hot onion pakoras are fried.
* colourful umbrellas pop-up everywhere.
* slushy puddles.
* flowers enjoy their daily showers and trees sway to the gentle breeze.
* the smell of corn being roasted on charcoal.
* getting drenched to the bones
* cups and cups of Ginger chai...
* sleeping to the sound of the steady rain in the night.Enjoy this moment. Enjoy the Monsoons. Enjoy your weekend.
* Megha Barso...Clouds, rain down:-)

Shine on...

...Indian traditional vessels. I love traditional Indian vessels.
Everytime I visit my mother, I always admire her super shiny kitchen with open shelves lined with stainless steel containers, tumblers and bowls in various sizes. In my kitchen I love having a fusion of traditional Indian vessels as well as ceramic, glass & airtight containers for convenience of microwaving, refrigeration & storing. The aquaguard water ( purified) water is stored in a huge stainless steel 'matka'. The stainless steel plates with rims are ideal for runny gravies:-) I even carry my huge tiffin carrier for picnics... If you want to get a little creative why not use them as decorative pieces?
A lassi tumbler makes a lovely vase for a bunch of roses, float some flowers in a 'Paraat' or plate.
Remember the Diwali Decorating Ideas on Rang Decor about using 'Idli Plates' for decoration?
Some latest international trends in decorating include a lot of Indian traditional vessels....From Tine K HomeFrom Madam Stoltz catalogue
So bring it on...enjoy your simple but lovely stainless steel vessels:-))

Blurred...

I have been experimenting with out-of-focus images and here are the results...

A face to the name...

Thought I'll just drop in and let you know that my interior design blog Rang Decor as well as Rang-The Colours of Life are featured in Domino among the 16 International Design Bloggers.
I feel absolutely honoured and thank Holly of Decor8 and Domino for the feature. The feature has the 'camera-shy' me sitting on my favourite wooden sofa.


So now you have a face to the name:-)

Under the weather...

* drinking loads of ginger chai to soothe my itchy throat.

* reading 'under the tuscan sun' and dreaming of a villa in Tuscany where 'The windows are open to butterflies, horseflies, bees or any thing that wants to come in one window and out another' *sigh*
* inspired, I whip up Italian fares and learn the meanings of Antipasti, Primi, Secondi, Cortoni & Dolci:-) Oh yes and colour therapy works for sun-crazy people like me, who have been having a tough time with the cloudy skies.

* After Chai, I think the second best thing is Oats. Yes, milky oats with organic jaggery. It's quite a comfort drink, especially when the warm milky sweetness soothes your parched, itchy throat.
* Talking about sweetness, while cleaning my kitchen, I found two long forgotten goodies we picked up from out trip to the Nilgiris. Rhubarb Preserve from Beulah Farm and Gooseberry Jam from Last Forest.

* Outlook Traveller has some interesting illustrations apart from some nice photography.
* Listening to I'll love you till the end by Pogues from the soundtrack of P.S. I love you. Have you seen it yet? If not, watch today and cry loads till you feel cleansed.Have a lovely July!

Today is good.

Yesterday was cloudy, but today is good.
*Sun warms my 'tired of seeing grey clouds' eyes.
*Green Tea warms my throat.
* Season in transition.
* Maroon plums drip syrupy sweetness.
*'Langda' & 'Dhasheri' Mangoes are here.
* Love the shadow play at home when Mr. Sun comes out.

* Enjoying this moment.

* Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the year~ Spanish Proverb

Have a great weekend everyone:-)

brown(ie) remains...

its probably...
* the cloudy afternoons
* lights are turned on in the middle of the day.
* hurried trips to the terrace to scoop up all the freshly washed & dried clothes.
* the huge raindrops dot the dry concrete floors & wet the green grass.
* the body and mind are propelled towards the kitchen.
* brownies are baked.
* steaming cups of chai are sipped while listening to the rain.
Seeing beauty in what remains....
Enjoy the monsoon:-)

Baking & Musing...

* Reading Breakfast, Lunch & Tea~ Rose Carrarini.
* Dreaming of Baking Date Scones.
* Have to take a decision between Bonne Maman's Rasberry preserve or Fabindia's Chunky Orange Marmalade before the Jam bottle is emptied in a few hours.
* Brought back my mother's old Foley measuring spoons. She knew I'll 'want' it one day.
* A duster cloth so beautiful, I might never use it.
* The husband, the daughter, our neighbours enjoyed the Chololate Chip Cookies.
* I used powdered Jaggery instead of Brown sugar. I always do.
* A kitchen is a great place to hang out.
* Have to buy some Fresh Mangoes. Loads of them...

Ode to Tomatoes

Ode to Tomatoes
The street
filled with tomatoes,
midday,
summer,
light is
halved
like
at
omato,
its juice
runs
through the streets.
In December,
unabated,
the tomato
invades
the kitchen,
it enters at lunchtime,
takes
its ease
on countertops,
among glasses,
butter dishes,
blue saltcellars.
It sheds its own light,
benign majesty.
Unfortunately, we must
murder it:
the knife
sinks
into living flesh,
red
viscera,
a cool
sun,
profound,
inexhaustible,
populates the salads
of Chile,
happily, it is wed
to the clear onion,
and to celebrate the
union
we
pour
oil,
essential
child of the olive,
onto its halved
hemispheres,
pepper
adds its fragrance,
salt, its magnetism;
it is the wedding
of the day,
parsley
hoists
its flag,
potatoes
bubble vigorously,
the aroma
of the roast
knocks
at the door,
it's time!
come on!
and, on
the table, at the midpoint
of summer,
the tomato,
star of earth,
recurrent
and fertile
star,
displays
its convolutions,
its canals,
its remarkable amplitude
and abundance,
no pit,
no husk,
no leaves or thorns,
the tomato offers
its gift
of fiery color
and cool completeness.
~ Pablo Neruda

To stop train, pull chain.

* "Amma, If I pull the chain, the train will stop?" asked Mallika.
* History sure repeats itself, I remember asking my mother the same question when I was little.

* The shape of the red painted metal hasn't changed much over the years and surely the experience of travelling by train hasn't changed either.
* The familiar sound of 'Chaiya- Chai', Garama-Garam Chai'.
* Coolies with their red kurtas haggling with passengers for that extra 10 rupee note.

* Aromas of onion vadas, cutlets, masala dosas, coffee & tea mingling with the cool breeze of the air-contitioned coaches.

* The peeling paints, the typography, the condensation on the windows, the setting sun.

* Screaming babies, lullabying grannies, working-hard-on-the-laptop-techies, walkman or was it ipod listening teenagers and Mallika asking me for the 101th time, "When are we going to reach?" is such an awesome experience;-)

Like they say it's the journey not the destination that matters:-)