My Ginseng Kamandalu

Evening Aarti at Pashupatinath...

2011-07-25T13:56:00.003-04:00

Evening Arati during Sravan month, for the river Bagmati at Pashupatinath Temple Ghats.This graceful co-ordinated ritual conducted by a group-3 or 5- of young priests, pays homage to the river Bagmati everyday without fail.It is conducted from across the Pashupatinath temple, high up on the stone-paved terraceAcross the river, and near the steps to the temple, burning pyres on the Arya

Monsoon in India, 2011

2011-06-25T00:25:00.000-04:00

Home...Our arrival a couple of weeks ago coincided with the monsoon. For privileged people like us, in terms of a safe and dry haven, watching the monsoon, getting drenched by choice and viewing the monsoon through the lens of nostalgia and old window bars, cozy on a bedroll, with books by the side and hot food... it is a different reality. Flowering shrubs against the blue tarpaulin of

Spring

2011-03-26T12:55:00.000-04:00

Cherry Tree at the Japanese Garden, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.This weekend, the National Cherry Blossom Festival is taking place in Washington DC. IT has been a mixed feeling, viewing the cherry blossoms season here. In between the historic events worldwide and the tragedy in Japan, the delicate pink blossoms came and gave way to leaves of different hues! The Kwanzan Cherry blossoms will

Stormclouds in August...

2010-08-10T22:28:00.001-04:00

After thumbing our noses at this type of entertainment for all our lives, we finally packed our bags.... and reached here under the gathering storm....To sample some Butterbeer and goodies.

Summer thunderstorms and Jasmine

2010-07-31T08:30:00.000-04:00

For a heartbeat, one was back during the Southwest monsoons: the smell of rain and wet earth and trees.The jasmine bush on our deck from April through July in its second bloom.

Coneflowers and Lilies...

2010-07-13T08:32:00.001-04:00

An Hybrid variety of Echinacea but gorgeous gorgeous shade of pink!Loved them on the weathered blue gray of our deck but it would soon be transplanted.Had to move them to the shade during the 3 digit temperatures during the last week; the buds were getting burnt!

Portulaca

2010-06-30T09:29:00.001-04:00

Portulaca on my weathered old blue deck.This has been prolific over the past few weeks in shades of Rani Pink, Golden Yellows, White and shades of all.....

Wild Strawberries...

2010-05-25T09:58:00.000-04:00

And who plucked the rest of them....

Gardening..

2010-05-16T17:33:00.001-04:00

Early morning finds in the backyard...strange unmoving deadly beauties.... Have to find out what they are...

Frabel's Beauties at Ginter

2010-05-06T22:08:00.009-04:00

Hans Godo Frabel's art displayed in the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Conservatory.

Spring: Bearded Iris

2010-05-03T23:32:00.006-04:00

The Bearded Iris clumps started in profusion last week and bent down with the weight of the blossoms: blue's, brown's and yellow's...

Lewis Ginter: Spring 2010....

2010-04-19T22:19:00.017-04:00

Tulips at Lewis Ginter.

Early Spring:

2010-04-19T20:26:00.021-04:00

Our neighbour's Kwanzan Cherry blossoms...always happy to share!A little late in posting these early spring beauties; no tinkering with any software in these snapshots!Remember the day as being cloudy.

Conservatory at Longwood Gardens, Philadelphia

2010-04-10T16:10:00.000-04:00

Look the flowers came onto my dress! An old but ever fresh, fragrance and memory from childhood...

India in Philadelphia...

2010-04-08T23:28:00.000-04:00

Longwood Gardens, Philadelphia

2010-04-08T00:12:00.002-04:00

Longwood Gardens, PhiladelphiaCherry Blossoms at Longwood.

Cherry blossoms, Washington DC

2010-04-05T22:52:00.008-04:00

Cherry blossoms on Ohio Drive across The Wharf at Washington DC with a tiny speck of a helicopter, like a persistent fly in the photo! We just missed the all-white cherry blossom exuberance over the sunny weekend at DC. Were fortunate to find a parking spot right across a few trees with an almost-all-pink/white blossom-burst...the others had donned the green and looked beautiful but friends

Terracotta Warriors: Gaurdians of China's First Emperor

2010-01-07T08:14:00.000-05:00

The fact that Mao Zedong loved Qin Shihuangdi and not Confucious, helped us see models of this army miles across the oceans!

Comfort...

2009-12-22T10:32:00.000-05:00

Jewels on a snowy day..... ...And the comfort of tea!

British Authors: Early Mysteries..

2009-12-02T10:32:00.002-05:00

Most British Authors bring back a huge wave of nostalgia and the tapestry is always accompanied by images saturated by rustling mango leaves, coconut fronds, light filtering in through the cracks in the attic, and the spicy tang of foods from childhood.. More often that not, rain is an essential background...the heavy southern monsoon in tandem with the downpour in DuMaurier's Cornwall or the

A tiny window from across the oceans...

2009-11-25T10:32:00.001-05:00

A temple pond among the green fields, somewhere in the foothills of the Kolakkadan Hills, Palakkad, November 22, 2009. Image Courtsey: CCT

Morning Walk...

2009-11-15T10:51:00.018-05:00

Fallen Leaves The Leaf that fell in front... Rows... Fall Colors ...

Pankaj Mishra, Temptations of the West: How to be modern in India, Pakistan, Tibet, and Beyond ( (NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006)

2009-11-10T20:33:00.003-05:00

Started, Enjoying... The book opens with the tempting promise of a partially faded tinted photograph, aging, and picks up the exact flavour of an university library.

Debra Austin, Daughter of Kura (NY: Touchstone, 2009)

2009-11-10T19:28:00.002-05:00

Briefly, More Later... In the lines of Jean Auel's Ayla, but based in Pre-historic Africa. Smaller than Auel's and falls short of the magic in the Clan of the Cave Bear.

Route 60

2009-10-30T16:27:00.013-04:00

The Apple Lady in Route 60 had gone to sell apples and produce at the Powhatan Fairgrounds. The Lady's cheerful husband was on hand! More on The Tiffin Carrier Antic/que!

National Zoo, Washington DC

2009-10-26T07:28:00.003-04:00

Fall in the National Zoo!

Fall Festival of Arts, DC: Leela Samson

2009-10-25T18:44:00.001-04:00

Exquisite and graceful!

Fall festival of Indian Arts in DC: Alarmel Valli

2009-10-23T09:16:00.065-04:00

Alarmel Valli, acclaimed Bharatanatyam artiste and proponent of the Pandanallur style tonight : Friday October 23 at 7:30 pm Lincoln Theatre 1215 U Street NW Washington D C http://www.dakshina.org/2009/08/19/allarmel-valli/ More details on the website and post performance reviews later tonight or tomorrow morning! :-) October 24, 2009 Beautiful! the programme ended past 10 pm...the

Specially for Childrence, Palakkad, Kerala.

2009-10-20T16:20:00.005-04:00

Don't we love our Childrence Shope!

Emergencylambs, Palakkad, Kerala

2009-10-20T16:17:00.001-04:00

My love for all kinds of banners and signboards found this gem in Palakkad town, Kerala.

ESL class gems!

2009-10-19T22:49:00.005-04:00

Halloween with its strange explanations and commercialized themes have a hard time getting through to incredulous South Asian minds. Fliers with various Halloween symbols handed out! Kindergarten level. Simple geometric shapes. Squares, Triangles, Rectangles, Ovals, Semi-circles... and the whole world can be made: Jack O Lantern A Bat Dracula A Witch A Ghost An Owl A Black Cat A Mummy

Books: Picked up during the Summer of 2009

2009-10-06T23:04:00.000-04:00

National Museum, New Delhi

2009-10-06T22:23:00.003-04:00

http://www.nationalmuseumindia.gov.in/index-2.html Just got to my notes made during the Summer of 2009.Pictures left behind in India: awaiting their arrival through email or post! Website:Not a very classy website, more in the lines of standard Indian textbooks and GOI websites announcing various vacancies. Museum The sculptures and the Harappan collections are the strongest in this museum

Apple Picking in VA: Carter Mountain Orchard

2009-10-04T18:43:00.012-04:00

www.cartermountainorchard.com/ Fresh Golden Delicious Apples Jonagolds Stayman's And the best donuts ever: Apple Cider donut $2/-pack of 2 $5/-pack of 6 A right turn and straight up the gravelly road onto the top of Carter Mountain. Hayrides Pumpkins Apples Picked Sweet Potato bins Miniature Squash varieties Kids and apples in red wagons and not in that order! Walk across the building

And the Delhi of the Markets...

2009-10-02T07:52:00.001-04:00

Street Food at Connaught Place, New Delhi.

National Gallery of Modern Indian Art, New Delhi

2009-09-30T21:34:00.153-04:00

Print of Jamini Roy's Mother and Child http://ngmaindia.gov.in/ One of the better maintained websites with ease of navigation and information plus images of the collections Hosted in the beautiful Jaipur House in Delhi, the NGMIA was undergoing extensive renovations during the summer of 2009 when I visited. The Museum opens at 10 am.The India Gate is across the street, if you negotiate the

The Delhi of the Dead and the Sleeping: Safdarjung's Tomb

2009-09-29T09:46:00.073-04:00

In the height of summer in Delhi, you can walk down to the Lodi Gardens and relax, or walk a little further, straight down Lodi Road ending at the gates of Safdarjung's tomb. While the walk is along the shady pathway, there is no let up to the heat and sweat. Walk on a little bit more, pay the Rs 5 fee, walk on past the waterbody onto the main building, climb up the stairs and collapse near

Travel's in Delhi: One that Inspired the Taj: Humayun's Tomb

2009-09-22T15:57:00.014-04:00

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Bronzes in the National Museum, New Delhi

2009-09-21T22:36:00.015-04:00

Some of my favourites from the Museum Collection ************************************** ******************************************

Art-II: Temporary Exhibition at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

2009-04-05T00:00:00.005-04:00

Easter Lily Adam Krehbeil: Penny Lily, copper, 2006 Displayed at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens

Sculptures/ Art-I

2009-04-04T23:45:00.012-04:00

Art installed at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden 10 year old's comment: "Sometimes people do stuff that anyone can do!" ++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lois Lowry

2009-04-04T15:51:00.007-04:00

Lois Lowry with Number The Stars Lois Lowry

My Ginseng Kamandalu

2009-03-30T19:29:00.007-04:00

To write fearlessly! To cook with one's soul! To read, to dream and never give up! To take those diversions and off-tangent paths, with the clear taste of limes... and brighten the flavours of everyday life. To read, to rave, to rant and to share the adventure! Onward!