A Wandering Mind

Our train dropped us , early in the morning, at the rain washed station of Mayiladudurai. The rains were unexpected, and we had no umbrellas. We rushed for cover within the station premises, and leaving my son to take care of our luggage, I hurried to find a car to take us to our destination. The drivers outside were huddling inside their vehicles, reluctant to step out. Eventually, one of them agreed, and we made our way through the wet streets of the city to the small fishing village that was our destination – Tharangambadi, on the Tamilnadu coast.

Happy Vijayadasami / Dusshera / Dasara everyone!!!  It has been an eventful Navaratri, starting with the creative satisfaction of setting up our own Kolu after years, to visiting friends and relatives, and of course, temples. The festival winds up today, and as we celebrate the destruction of evil, let me give you a glimpse of the different celebrations I have been able to attend - all within a short distance of my home!

The Golu at the Chembur Fine Arts is one we look forward to, every year. Not only is it huge, and the dolls are beautiful, but there is always something new and interesting to see, to appreciate. Besides, the experience is enhanced by the music, with students of the institution performing in the evenings. Here is a glimpse of this year's golu.....  The Main Golu... all of 15 steps! 

This group of seven figures caught my eye as I wandered around the ruins of the rock cut temples at Masroor. “Sapta Matrika!” I exclaimed, surprised to see them here.

You have seen the Bommai Kolu we have kept at our home . You have seen a few of the Devis who have captured my attention during my travels. The last few days have been ultra busy, visiting friends and relatives, and hosting a few at our home. Today, let me share with you two of the most impressive Kolus from our family..... The first one is the one kept by my mom and aunt....

At Sirpur, a dark room, with every window tightly closed, doubles up as a museum for the rarest of artifacts discovered here during excavations. Entering the room is like opening a door into another world, one filled with unimaginable treasures. You don’t know where to look, what to see first, and what to look closer at – there is so much to see! My eyes, however were drawn to this one….

On this, the second day of Navaratri , let me take you to Nalasopara. 

The best part of Navaratri is setting up the Bommai Kolu!

Samir Nazareth hails from Nagpur . The city is famous for oranges, but beyond that, it is the geographical center of India. Yet, as he traverses the coastal regions, there are few who know where it is, or even in which state. Samir himself is on an exploratory journey. He has quit his job, and is spending months on the road, his aim to explore as much of the coastal regions as he can, on a limited budget.

We noticed these children playing near the temple of Tantya Bhil at Patalpani... It was a holiday, so they were home. They were kids of the local guard who lived behind the temple, and maintained it. They were too shy to speak, but thrilled when I clicked their photo. And, as I have often noticed, with kids and adults alike, even more thrilled to see their photo on my camera screen.  Read the full story of my Patalpani trip here . 

It has been a long time since I have written a book review , and, as the gap grows, it gets all the more difficult. This review is an attempt to break that jinx and get back to talking about books, which are, what I love the most!

We first saw a Changeable Hawk Eagle while driving to Mysore from Wayanad. Since then, we have seen the bird often, but never managed to get as good a click as the first time. Then, at Tadoba, as we criss-crossed our way across the forest in search of the tiger, we saw these birds often, either near ponds or just by the side of the road.