Aahaa Chennai

Sometimes, your day could turn out to be a mix of the 'good' and the 'not so good'. A smile tugs your lips as you sniff a familiar scent nearby and notice the fallen orange. Oh no! The essence of the delicious smell is lost, as your eye comes upon a 'hard to digest' scene nearby... a captivating butterfly, its 'stretched out' wings, silently narrating tales of many a fluttery journey, around the colourful garden, now being mauled by ants.

Nature proudly presents... an evocative showing of mother-child connections. Held together by tenuous threads that cohere when needed. 

Bright sunshine after a spell of overnight drizzle, brings forth a surprise. There's someone right next to the tap, maintaining a meditative pose for quite a while. Hours later, some movement is noticeable and pretty soon it's time for a take off, as you notice the wings move ever so slightly. As you notice the brilliant display in blue and black with a classy touch of ochre, set against the dazzle of sunshine, the pint-sized charmer proclaims... I take immense pride in being part of the great big insect family. 

Celebrating a green Navrathri... dolls to admire. Nature has helped out, by way of supplying resource materials, for the creation of this one. The one below,... is wholly created by Nature.

When fresh flowers are missing, and you need something flowery, to pep up your living area, Nature has an answer. Take a look at the dehusked remains of the coconut pile nearby. Your flowers are ready and they do have their own particular brand of charm and uniqueness.

It happens and you just can't stop smiling. There are times when the greenery around you, turns up with a surprise gift, a  'one-of-a-kind' card, a 'you-can't-buy-it-elsewhere' card, for wishing you on your very own special day. It is a joint collaboration with a certain hyperactive someone, namely, the wind, who likes to innovate.

An inching forth mellowy glow and burnished streaks of gold that delicately dab a coating over every bit of furniture in your room, in the early hours of the day, propel your feet to seek the window. The glorious spectacle, unfolding through the glass pane, the  fiery blob of  golden butter in the awakening Eastern sky that melts and overflows, yummy tidbits of sunrise... has you in a thrall. The tall trees serving as curtains reveal a bit and then some more  At  Uttarakhand and when the sun decides... it's showtime, folks, even the most diehard of sleepyheads, whose face is splayed with the vibrant orange fingers of sunlight, would agree... no matter how many times they've seen it... it is simply irrestible. The game is over in a while. The  sun is the hands down winner. The winner soon moves to  higher echleons to lord it over the others.

            A tucked-away package         .                                         The letter from aunt arrived on a Thursday afternoon. It included the tickets. The destination had a strange sounding name. Google Search was used.  The answer was...not found.  Surprise, surprise!  Everyone was doubly excited because our silver haired, no nonsense aunt, was known to be creative.    Phone calls to her elicited no information. Her reply was bizarre...come prepared for Shangri-La.   We packed both summer and winter clothes. Dad added the inevitable  medicine box, a first aid kit and plenty of mineral water bottles.    The day arrived. We boarded the train that took us to aunt’s coastal city. She was waiting at the station to receive us, an innocent look on her face that was in ...

Brown and muddy, a huge rounded pebble lying unnoticed for long, I am longing for some splashes of green. My green friends nearby, along with the sailing sun, seem to have heard my wish and have come up with the nearest thing to green. I am quite satisfied! Live: Nature practises... The Shadow Art Form

Who took away the steel? I did not have to look far. Proudly donning a  shiny steel coat, and trying a bit of craft work with chewed off leafy bits, a tiny head peered out saying... I too have my wants. A glimpse into Nature's Metallic Collection.

The morning cuppa I spotted on a visit, looked rather different but nevertheless, pleasing to the eye. Meanwhile, the real one, a steaming cuppa awaits. It's time to enjoy and admire both... each one having its own interest quotient.

The pattern is familiar and the diagnosis is simple. A tribe of warrior ants are marching aggressively onward, building their armies on my territory. Timely intervention can  prevent any untoward incident. 😣😣 Weatherbeaten bark quivers, muddy tears trickle, solemn trunk gasps for breath.

There are times... when a chance encounter which we do not relish happens and and that too when we least expect it. It is better to say a polite 'hello!' and move on... even though the prospect of a tussle seems delightful.

Dear reader, Sending you three pictures... Which one is your favourite? I think each one can stand alone by itself as a... thing of beauty. Serenity Serendipity Simplicity

I would certainly love being a fluttery butterfly. I hear people often remarking... me and my friends are akin to those charming butterflies. However, I reiterate... it fills me with pride to be called a flower and I am happy and satisfied with my lot.

There are those who are so used to seeing fashionable bits of concrete, glass and steel inside their office buildings that their eye quite often has a longing for a green refuge inside their ultra modern workspaces. Some are lucky enough to find it and take a sneak peek, now and then, to relieve the everyday stresses of being caught inside modern cubicles, jostling with tightly filled schedules ...meeting deadlines, brand building, strategising for profit and the like.

'Don't I merit a second look,' is the silent message from a tiny sprig of green, away from the limelight, who has gotten accustomed to a daily dose of heat, dust, noise, swirling vehicular fumes, the searing rays of a relentless sun, the occasional pounding from sheets of water plus threats from other sources, whose life thus far has been a struggle for survival, not meant for the faint hearted.

The geese seem to be saying... the requisite amount of sleep, sufficient intake of water and being out in sunlight are an important part of  healthy living.

The  serene stillness of dawn was broken by a sudden pounding on the roof. A smile broke òut amidst the rivulets of sweat trickling down the cheek. Bright sunlight, a dazzling blue sky and sheets of rain seemed an unlikely combination. A  little later... some yells,  whoops of delight, shouts and screams erupted from the younger lot. The sound of feet running out to enjoy the break in the humid spell echoed doubly loud for a reason, albeit a colourful one. Not one but two perfect rainbows wove their magic pattern over the neighbouring sky. I could hear voices speculating on the stroke of unforeseen luck the rainbow could most likely bring - tests cancelled, no homework... The rain suddenly  stopped and the sun seemed  extra hot making me shade my eyes. The colourful spectacle set amidst the eye catching blue expanse had disappeared in a split second but... even the fast returning humid heat waves could not dimini...

A tribute to an apostle of peace. Towards peace... in  our homes neighbourhoods, offices, schools, factories, villages, communities, on the road, across the neighbouring region and in our minds and hearts. Celebrating Gandhi Jayanthi... a yen for cleaner, greener spaces.

A bunch of  red bananas, (packed with the kind of nutrients your mom thinks you need), is being watched by eager eyes, eyes which are noting the gradual increase in size and counting the days before they can be picked. The changing background high up...from night to day, from inky darkness to cottony white clouds weaving a pattern with dabs of grey interspersed into a blanket of blue, which then takes over the vast stretch, the highpoint being, the  shiny, alluring, crimson/maroon bunch which continues to beckon banana lovers.

A  tiny someone, a sort of  'the-dipped-in-paint' kind, has arrived saying... do not disturb. I am trying to get my daily dose of sunlight. I am cautious too coz my bold colour tends to stand out. How I wish there was a red hued leaf nearby! Oh no! I must hide. I can smell paint. Artistic hands wish to capture the sunny yellow, the cheery green and the bright red/orange hues.