Happy Pongal!

Wishing everyone a very Happy Pongal/Sankaranti.

The Bronze Sculptures of Kumbakonam.

Kumbakonam is famous for it's exquisite bronze sculptures made by the Lost Wax Technique.The history dates back to the Chola Period when these idols were cast for the purpose of worshipping in the grand temples.

Even today the Sthapathis or the Sculptors are carrying on the Lost Wax Technique for casting these sculptures. The technique involves moulding the figures with intricate details using beeswax and oil, the figure is then coated with clay and baked using dried cow dung. The wax flows out leaving an empty mould, into which molten bronze is poured. Once it cools and hardens, the finer details are added.

We were lucky enough to meet a great award winning 15th generation Sthapathi- Karunanithi Sthapathi.

Darasuram.

We were very excited to visit the heritage site Darasuram, known for it's Airavateshwara ( Shiva) Temple. It is a very old temple which is being restored by UNESCO.

The temple at Darasuram is known to be one of the three replicas of the world famous Brihadeshwara Temple of Tanjore. The architecture, carvings and frescos were breathtaking.

I came back with mixed feeling about Darasuram, a bit saddened by the fact that we as Indians haven't realised the value of such great architectural splendor and a little optimistic that the government is getting it restored. Better late than never!

Sterling Swamimalai.

Few kilometres from Kumbakonam in Tamilnadu is a beautiful heritage resort- Sterling Swamimalai. The ambience is that of a south indian village, with banana & coconut trees forming a lovely green backdrop. The swimming pool designed like a temple tank, the geese, ducks, turkeys & deer were Mallika's friends.

The in-house potter has created lovely terracotta murals and sculptures that are all round the resort. Great hospitality with foot-massages, ayurvedic massages. A very colourful & traditional holiday.

New Year, New Look.

I have decided on a simple, clean, white look for my masthead this year, to balance out my colourful posts.

It's still in the experiment stage, might revert to my colourful pictures. Let's see how it goes. What do you think?

Will be back soon, have loads to share.

Signing off.

This year has been a mixed bag, nevertheless a very enjoyable & enriching one.

One of the highlights has been starting my blog. What started out to be a journal of my creative musings while I experienced the various challenges & rewards of motherhood, has now become an integral part of my life.
*that part of my life where those few hours of indulgence in cyberspace keeps me creatively motivated through the day
* that part of my life where I share ideas & get inspired by interesting people from around the world.
* that part of my life where I discovered & fell in love with Flickr.
* that part of my life where I learnt that even the mundane details of everyday life is interesting & I am not the only one in the world who thinks so.

On that colourful note let me say goodbye to all the readers of my blog. We are off to 'the land of temples' for our holidays!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
See you next year...!

Kitchen Towels.

There is Christmas spirit every where. Some Christmas/Fall colours for my kitchen. Kitchen Towels from Cotton Craft. Rs. 20/- each.

Give Me Red!

True to it's name Lalbagh's glasshouse was filled with various shades of Red.
Poinsettia Red. Christmas Red. Festive Red.
The Colour of Life-Red.

Vividha.

I just love stationary, especially made out of recycled hand-made paper. This journal by Vividha is a complete winner... it has lovely traditional block-printed cloth cover and is made out of 100% recycled paper. Check out the lovely 'Peepal' leaf bookmark. Love it!

Available at Gangarams.

You won't go hungry in Cubbon Park.

Cubbon Park, apart from being one of the city's main tourist attractions, is also a great place to unwind, breathe in some fresh air and just do nothing at all.

If you are not finicky about your food, then you could check out some (healthy) street food. Yes, some fruit salad, roasted corn and some spiced puffed rice. Very colourful & interesting.

Bangalore: December 2006

Scenes from our Sunday morning drive around Bangalore.
*Nip in the air.
*Lovely pink coloured Tabebuia blossoms fill the parks and roads.
*Occasional bright sunlight.
*Newly restored red & white St. Andrews Church.
*Christmas excitement.
*Amazing season.

Journals from Vedic Cosmos.

The Ganesha Journal from Vedic Cosmos range by Nightingale is a collector's piece. It has amazing drawings and forms of Ganesha- The destroyer of obstacles. Priced at Rs. 195 it's a great buy.

Our Christmas Tree!

Here is our cute faux christmas tree which we have been putting up every year since Mallika's birth.

We decided that we would celebrate most of the Indian festivals and some from around the world too, so that Mallika is aware of the various festivals and their significance.

I am glad it paid off... here she is creatively contributing to the christmas festivities! Here is her version of the christmas tree and snowfall on the tree from the mountains.

Click here for Onam, Diwali & Halloween( yes!) posts!

Around the house.

I love the comfort of my home where I indulge in simple pleasures of life like getting a fresh bunch of flowers for the week, enjoying the sunlight streaming through the windows and loving the mundane details of everyday life.
Lovely colours of life!

Dokra Art.

If you were wondering about the lovely sun-pendant in brass, it is called Dokra Art. It is made by folk craftsmen from parts of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh & Bengal.

Dokra Art involves making simple folk-style figures of owls, horses, Gods & Goddesses using clay, wax and brass metal. This owl is such a cutie!

Industree.

Kuteera-the annual handicrafts exhibition organised by The Crafts Council of Karnataka is on at Chitrakala Parishad.

Amazing range of crafts from all over India were on display. I especially liked this lovely orange gift box made out of natural fibre by Industree.

Earrings Galore!

Come December and you'll find craft exhibitions, festivals, cultural programmes and winter sale all round the city.

Last week I visited one such exhibition held by Gujarat Emporium. I found myself surrounded by amazing arts and crafts of India, especially earrings in various styles and materials.

I was especially drawn towards these very interesting earrings made out of silken thread (for just Rs.30 or $ 0.67) and my all-time favourite silver earrings with precious stones.

Check it out!

Chimanlals' Goodies.

I have posted about Chimanlals wrapping paper before, but these gift boxes and handmade paper cards from Chimanlals are just out of the world. I found them yesterday at Gangarams while scouting around for interesting new year cards.
Love the colours, the traditional designs, the paper, everything!

Helpage India.

I decided to check out some cards for christmas & new year, so I headed straight to Gangarams. Gangarams is actually a bookstore but they have a floor dedicated to cards & stationary.

They stock cards from various organisations like Unicef, Cry, Helpage India and many more. This year I picked up assorted cards from Helpage India. Lovely packaging & great cards for a good cause.