Flower # 12....... unusual orchid

This is a very unusual orchid...... camouflaging colors and the purple center. One of nature's marvels. You can almost miss it...... it blends so well with the background!!!

Linking to Alphabet Thursday : U for Unusual Orchid

This pic took first place in Tina's PicStory : Weekend Flowers # 27. Thank you everybody who voted for me!!!

Workers at a construction site

Posting it in Black and White Weekend

skywatch Friday

Posting it in Skywatch @ Friday

Flower # 11

Posting it in Tina's PicStory: weekend flowers # 26, Macro Flowers Saturday # 86, Today's Flowers, NF Macro # 67, Mellow Yellow Monday # 153


This pic got third place in Tina's PicStory : Weekend Flowers # 26. Thanks to everybody who voted for me!!!

Aguner poroshmoni Choao prane.

Fire..... one of the basic five elements of the composition of life.

My favorite song composed by nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

Aguner parashmani choao prane 
E jibon punya karo
E jibon punya karo dahon dane


Amar ei dehokhani tule dhoro
Tomar oi debaloye pradip koro
Nishi din alok shikha jaluk gane


Anadharer gaye gaye porosh tobo
Sara rat photak tara nobo nobo

Nayaner drishti hote ghnuchbe kalo

Jekhane porbe sethay dekhbe alo
Byatha mor uthbe jole urdhopane

Aguner parashmani choao prane 

E jibon punya karo
E jibon punya karo dahon dane

Translation:

Ultimate elixir of life (Fire)

Touch my soul and bless my life with your warmth

With thy holy hand uplift my body

Make me the flame of thy holy altar

The incessant flame would brighten, the day and night

Light my soul with thy holy flame. 

Your holy touch in the dark hour

Twinkling stars beget in your holy bower

The eternal darkness fade thy from the blinking eye

And see thy light in the darkest alcove where thy light might lie 

My pain, my darkness my sadness would burn in thy holy flame 

Light my life with thy holy flame.

Bless my life. 

Embedding the song in my playlist so if you are here you also get to listen to it.

Posting it in Thursday challenge : Theme: "LIGHT" (Candle, Street, Business, Fireplace, Glitter, Sparkle,...). FMTSO, Tina's PicStory : Weekend Highlights # 14, 

W is for Wings

Interiors of Basilica of Bom Jesus..... Goa

This is a very old Stone Church in Goa, which houses the relics of the body of St Francis Xavier. It has all the elements of Stone Metal and Wood. More pics of the Basilica here

Posting it in Our World Tuesday, Friday My Town Shoot Out : Town Scavenger Hunt - Wood, Metal, Stone

Flower # 10

Posting it in Ruby Tuesday, NF Flowers # 33,

Parakeets of the vicinity

Finally the birds are out!!! Saw these parakeets yesterday looking for some water in a an overhead tank of the building. When I saw the pics in the comp realised I had also got hold of their shadows!!!!

Posting it in Sunday Shadow Shot, Camera Critters # 193

Whats imp is what lies within

Took these pics of a lotus flower........ what I was not prepared for was the glistening pollen inside. It was a marvel of Nature's fine engineering.

The pollen inside!!!

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us” 

- Emerson

Posting it in Friday My Town Shoot Out - Dec. 16th: Layers, Macro Friday

Bridges at night

Meditative

Meditation simply means a state of no-thought, awareness without the process of thought, just pure, mirror-like awareness, with no thoughts passing in the mind.

Osho

Posting the pic in Photo Friday

Flower # 9

Posting it in Tina's PicStory : Weekend Flowers # 25, Flowers on Saturday Week 54, Today's Flowers

This pic was chosen as favorite photo on Flowers on Saturday week # 54

Vibrant skies of Pune

We had some brilliant skies this week. Mind blowing colors something you could look at for hours.

Posting it in Skywatch Friday Season 5 Episode 23

Just you and me in this beautiful world!!!

Posting it in Black and White Weekend, Scenic Sunday, Life in Pictures

Heart of the Orchid

Posting it in NF Macro #66, Macro Friday Week # 82, Macro Saturday # 85, Macro Monday

Shoes at the beach

Posting it in Thursday Challenge

Another weekend at the expressway

I am still shuttling between Mumbai and Pune and this weekend for the umpteenth time I promised myself that this was the last trip. The total 300 km drive to and fro on the same day plus the running around in Mumbai is getting to me. This weekend for once most of the trucks and trailers on the Mumbai Pune expressway behaved themselves and stuck to their lanes and after a very long time I didn't feel that I was competing in another Formula one racing. Not that there weren't the usual errant drivers who cut in from the left and right but I could not click them as I was busy getting shocked!!! This pic was taken when hubby was driving !!! See how well behaved all the trucks look....... believe me....... A very rare sight here.

Posting it in Outdoor Wednesday # 153

Ordinary Crow of the vicinity

Can't spot too many birds around the house...... could be because of the chilly mornings and even chilly evenings. Spotted a crow though!!!

Posting it in World Bird Wednesday, NF Winged # 25

Vintage cars

These cars are almost 60 year old. For me that is pretty vintage for cars. Took these pics in Universal Studios in Singapore. The first one is a Thunderbird Impala the rest I don't know the names. But they are really classy cars.

Flower # 8

Fun in the water

Lakes and Rivers

This is a lake at Jurong, Singapore Zoo. It is within the premises of the zoo and you can go boating in the scenic lake.  The zoo has a tropical rain forest feel to it and it usually has torrential rains there. This pic was taken just before one such heavy downpour. 

This is the river Amba in Maharashtra. I took this pic on my way to village Pali to the Ballaleshwar Temple one of the ashtavinayaks. The river flows calmly and uninterrruptly through the year. It is the lifeline of the villages situated on its bank. Most of the cultivation is done with its waters.

Posting it in NF waters # 9, Two for Tuesday : Lakes - Rivers, Travelling Tuesday

He Came....... He Saw........ He Occupied

I went to a garden in search of bee-hives. I had seen some on my last visit. When I finally saw one I was really scared to take pics as I felt they had already noticed me and had started to circle me. So I thought I'd take pics of flowers instead and voila I saw a mean looking bee circling a flower and I went click click click!!! In the first pic it looked as though it was frowning........ guess he doesn't like being photographed!!!!  Hard luck dude you can't complain (hehehehehehe). Lemme revel in that thought I can hardly ever say that to the humans whom I photograph........ SOOC pics just cropped them!!!

He Came!!!!

He Saw!!!!

He Occupied!!!

Singapore flyer

We went to the Singapore flyer in the very first weekend that we landed in Singapore. It was the first time that I saw such a huge giant-wheel. I loved it on sight but was apprehensive as I usually throw up because of the spinning but it was slow........ very slow so much that we didn't even feel as though we were moving. You can also avail of their food and beverage services wherein you can share a cosy meal with the one you love and watch the entire city move slowly. It is more beautiful at night. I was totally enthralled by it....... my first experience of Singapore.

An evening in Singapore

The only thing that characterizes Singapore night life is lights!!!! The entire city is swathed in lights in the evenings. A total freaking time for photographers who can take stills, movement, light painting, reflections bridges..... and so much more. This is the Marina Bay sands...... I took this from the bridge close to the merlion.

Flower of the day 7 : Orchids

Posting it in Tina's PicStory : Weekend Flowers # 24, SES, Macro Flower Saturday # 84, Macro Friday Week # 81, Flowers on Saturday Week 53, Photoblog Challenge : Theme # 49 : Purple, Earth Wonders : Photochallenge : Purple

In the Park

Saw this really nice family having fun in the park.

This pic won second place in Tina's PicStory : Walk in the Park. Thank you everyone for voting for me. Feels great that my pic is appreciated. 

Skywatch Friday - 6

This is the sunset from Baga beach in Goa. I did not edit the pic at all not even cropping. 

Nature usually stumps me with its myriad of colors. Usually I am so stunned by the colors that I am totally speechless for a very long time. Not only do sights like this bring new perspective to life but it gets me so serene that everything...... all chaos around suddenly find their place and the stuff that seems so challenging suddenly seems so trivial. I remember looking at this scene and wondering why my dissertation seemed so difficult....... it was so simple and I was just moving in circles...... people who were bothering me at that time seemed simply ridiculous...... and all this by one sunset...... amazing !!!!

Posting it in Sky-watch Friday, SOOC

ENGROSSED in a CONVERSATION

Groups of senior citizens meet every evening for a game of draughts or checkers the others watch as they play. Usually the onlookers join in. In this pic the subjects were lost in the conversation and the game and didn't mind me clicking them.