The Sun from atop Rail Soudha

It’s been quite a while since I clicked the Sun, esp. the Sunset. Either I’d return home after dark or no one would remind me to carry my camera, which was, for long, an inseparable companion. On the last day of the financial year, I managed to carry it but was seriously doubtful about my ability to click pics given the day. But, the work was over after office hours BUT just in time the sunset. Hope you’ll like the pics…

The Spring Sun shines, rises & sets

Recently, I had the opportunity to find the spring sun shine, rise & set (on different days, of course!). On normal days, He rises before I am up & sets before I realise!

I shot some pics from a fast-moving train, so they aren’t all that good, but then, they help us feel the spring.

I also shot a nice video of the Sun rising from the distant hills, but that’s for another time, when I’ll make my Sun video.

Sunset at Unkal Lake, Hubli

We set out with an ambitious target of covering a lot of places with a three-to-three-hours-and-a-half timeline. We lost ourselves at the Chandramouleeswara temple (Forgotten Maginificence), not before we spotted some sunshine; we realised that we wouldn’t be able to reach Nripatungabetta before dark. I felt bad that my cousin would not get to see a breath taking sunset from the hillock (something I was blessed with, exactly three years ago…. Sunset in Nripatungabetta). Just as we reached Unkal with the intention of visiting the park, I spotted the red-orange Sun sinking rapidly beneath the horizon. We got off the car into dust, and froze some lovely frames………….

At the Chandramouleeswara Temple, Unkal, Hubli

At the Chandramouleeswara Temple, Unkal, Hubli

Of the Bright and Green Dandeli Forest and the “Blood Moon”

One afternoon, we ventured into the Dandeli Forest, about 75 km from Hubballi, and saw a lot of green. I tried to capture the brightness as well. All that we saw was a fleeting glimpse of the Malabar Squirrel. We reached the banks of the Kali river but in vain. As we turned back, disappointed, at not having sighted elephants, one of the tyres of the car got punctured. The driver carried a stepney, but a wonderful sunset went by without snaps! We asked a passerby en route if we had any chance of elephant- sighting. He told us that it would be possible only after 8 p.m. During the conversation, we realised that he was a retired employee of the Forest Department and that he was a bear- attack survivor (his face wore the marks of his bravery). On our way back, the defective tyre was got repaired in Haliyal, and that gave me an opportunity to click the “blood moon”.

A Breath-taking Sunset between Mundgod and Hubballi (somewhere in the forest.........)

We happened to visit Mundgod (Uttara Kannada district), about 60 km from Hubballi, on the PB (Poona- Bombay) Road. There is a Tibetan settlement over there, over four thousand aces. It is home to the beautiful Drepung Loseling Monastery, built in 2008. More about this only after I spend more time over there. On our way back, somewhere in the forest, I couldn’t move away without clicking a breath-taking sunset!

Welcome Clouds on the Hubli Revisit

I revisited Hubli after more than a year and a half; I was too fragile to think of visiting my favourite spot, the Nripatungabetta. But the lovely weather gave me something to click! You can even find clouds in shapes!

Doesn't the cloud look like a turtle?

Light, Shade and a bit of Greenery in Garden City

I just happened to click them…….

The Sun & the Moon @ the Big Apple & Boston- Part I- Boston

                   It was not until I posted Babu’s pics that I realised a long overdue duty- of posting pics of New York and Boston. We knew 3 days and a half were not enough in New York, but hoped to make the best of them. We first set out to explore Boston. We took an early morning bus from NY, and as we made our way through Manhattan, I found Surya staring at me at every street corner. But I had stashed my camera bag elsewhere, in a bid 2 snooze on the journey. When we reached Boston, I wondered if we’d have the time to pay a visit to the Samudra there- the Atlantic Ocean. I also recollected what one of our US contacts had said- not to spend too much of time there, reminiscing the Boston Tea Party of 1773, since winter was setting in and also because of squally weather. Yes, it was cloudy for most of the day, but we had some sunshine, too,  and we had spent the whole day visiting Harvard and MIT (and not HBS), before we realised it was time to return to the bus terminal.

Here are some clicks……….

@ Harvard University, estd. 1636

The Golden Bird @ Sunrise

I just looked out of the window today morning, and found what looked like a giant golden bird. I was amazed. Is a fairy tale unfolding? Then I realised that it was the Sun’s effect on jetliner smoke! See and enjoy…..

The Beauty of Clouds- The Tip of the Iceberg

I had yet another opportunity to get up close with the clouds…..you can find ships, eruptions, animal colonies like in Ice Age, etc… Now I get why the film makers of old picturised dream sequences in the clouds…….

Shining and Setting Sun- Random clicks, Chennai & Bangalore n en route

Random clicks, no captions ... see n enjoy...........

Wow, Whatte Sunset!

It was on 11th March, 2013.

Enchanting Sunsets, 12th & 13th March, 2013

No description.... just enjoy d pix................

The 'Rainbow Ring' around the Sun

I was excited when someone told me of a spectacular 'Rainbow Ring' around the Sun, on the 8th of March. One could not see it fully, simply because of the blinding Sunlight. To add to it was a stream of smoke left behind by a jet plane. I salvaged whatever I could( hardly anything but brightness was visible on the preview pane). Reviewing the pics, I feel that the jet smoke added to the beauty of the Sun!

Brightness through Branches- Jolarpet

I sat on a bench under a huge, shady tree in Jolarpet, awaiting the arrival of my train. I was hit by occasional flashes of light. I knew it was time to take out my camera..........

Jharokha Darshan- Final- Moonset and Enlightenment - Chennai to Arakkonam

One early morning I moved out of town. As I looked out of the window, I saw the Moon still up on a dark canvas. Then, after a while, I felt some brightness, after which I saw 'light'.

Jharokha Darshan-II- Bangalore to Chennai-Net and Reflection photography

Now that I had already experimented with window- net photography, I intended to continue with it on my return journey as well. An elderly couple, who had got two aisle seats, asked if I were willing to exchange my window seat for the aisle seat on the other side, in vain. I had my task cut out. Yet, my selfishness bothered me- did I really have to cling on to the window seat? Thankfully, they got it exchanged with the occupant of the window seat on the other side. I knew I had to pay for my selfishness, though I did not know when. After a few window- net clicks, there was a change in the direction of the train, and I lost my westside window seat advantage. The Sun cast his brightness on the other side, the side where the couple sat. Here, I was paying for my brashness. But God was kind enough- He brought out the idea of reflection on window and I went clicking, for over an hour! 

Jharokha Darshan from the Train-I- Chennai to Bangalore

Recently, I found myself travelling by train very frequently. These pictures are a 'Jharokha' darshan of the Sun. For the uninitiated, it means a window- side view. Akbar was the first emperor to have given a Jharokha darshan to his subjects! It took about an hour and a half to click all of them......

The Sun in Chennai, 20th February, 2013

I lost myself when I saw the setting Sun as I was returning from work. I'm sure you'll all agree!

This is just the beginning.... please keep viewing! If only the crow were crossing the Sun's face...

The Setting Sun on His Birthday

          It was a cloudy morning on Rathasaptami, the Sun- God's birthday. I wished Him to my heart's content by the evening!