Skywatch @ Friday!

Here are some interesting Sightings for Friday Sky watching! 

Even on a gloomy grey day, sighting a butterfly just.... MAKES YOUR DAY! 

Spotted this peahen perched on our roof for the first n last time...
a day after my great grand mother passed away @ July 2008

Another day, Another time....
These wild monkeys are a regular feature around the house....
n marauding the garden / plants, happens to be their favorite past time.

 Spotted a few LANGURs on a clear blue sky day, during one of  my trips to the countryside!
Others were non nonchalant, while one of them looked ready to pounce...any moment. Scary!

Have an Interesting Day ahead...n Happy Sky Watching!

Sky Watch Friday: Bada Imambara

It seems, I just can't get enough of my own City of Nawabs aka LUCKNOW. I must have visited the Bada Imambara several times before, and yet here I am again, with outstation relatives in tow, who were visiting Lucknow for the first time. I enjoyed capturing pictures of the monument as much as they did, while the guide took us around.... on a sightseeing tour of the Imambara, its domed chambers and central hallway, the Bhulbhulayan (maze/ labyrinth), the Bowli, the Asfi Mosque and the Gardens....

Endless Corridor @  Bhulbhulayah (the Labyrinth)

Asfi Mosque  n Clear Blue Skies....

Bada Imambara Facade - Among the grandest Buildings of Lucknow aka City of Nawabs. 

The Bara Imambara was built in 1783, a year of a devastating famine, and one of Asaf-ud-Daula's objectives in embarking on this grandiose project was to provide employment for people in the region. According to reports, the famine continued for over a decade and the construction of the building continued for this time. It is said that ordinary people used to work in the day building up the edifice, while noblemen and other elite were called at night to break down all the structure raised, as they were incapable of doing anything else, according to a chronicle of the period. This see-saw efforts continued till the famine period was over. 

Running arched Parapets on the Roof of Bada Imambara - Photo taken @ 6:11 PM

Minutes later the sky changes colour .... Photo taken @ 6:15 PM

Undoubtedly my Favorite shot for the day....what with warm Orange hues as a backdrop for the Minarets

Enjoying the view of the city, along with the Sunset, peeping through one of the Arched Parapets 

My entry for : Sky watch Friday

Super Moon Lights up the Night Sky

Pictures of the Super Moon  as seen from our house on March 19th.

 Acc. to WIKIPEDIA.......
SUPER MOON is a new or full moon which occurs with the Moon at or near its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit (perigee). In short, Earth, Moon and Sun are all in a line, with Moon in its nearest approach to Earth.

The Moon is supposedly Bigger n Brighter, but can you tell the difference????????

Bigger...No! ( It looked just the same to me);  Brighter .... Yes!
Its blazing glare is making the moon appear lopsided in this picture, hence bigger!

The trail..... that you see just below the moon is from an Airplane.
Too Bad!  missed capturing the two together by splitting seconds

All Aglow and Lighting up the Night Sky!

My entry for Sky Watch Friday!

Come together and Join the world in this Cause and Show Your Support @ EARTH HOUR

Switch Off! Step out n Enjoy the Moonlit Night outdoors ....

Nature's Fury

Nature has no rewards or punishments,

All it has is consequences….

What we just saw in Japan, is a heart wrecking consequence of Nature’s fury.

Ordinarily, we would all be awe-struck as we gaze out at the boundless ocean, marveling at its serene blue stretch. However, on witnessing a Tsunami we can’t help but feel extremely vulnerable and helpless against this gigantic killer wave, which has the power to devastate everything coming in its path with gay abundance.

Personally, I was numb with shock n grief, when I got to hear about the Earthquake and the Tsunami in Japan. Just didn’t know what to say or do, except maybe.....

....H.O.P.E. .....Hanging-on n Praying Earnestly!  

Today at 9:30 pm the world’s going to pray for Japan for a min. Please do broadcast this message and join me in Prayer and Support for the people of Japan.

Would like to add an inspiring quote I read in the 4th edition of @ Nichin Bonsai

"Sea waves are really inspiring, not because they rise and fall. 
But because each time they fall, they never fail to rise again"

Skywatch Friday: Fleeting Moments

Gazing up at the sky last evening,

I caught the Silhouette of a lone Monkey sitting atop the Chimney of our house. 

There One Minute...Gone in the Next

He was there one minute and gone the moment after my camera shutter blinked, to capture the fleeting moment.

Sky Watch Friday: Come September

MySpace Picture Frame

Come September, and I intend to resume blogging more regularly n frequently, gradually catching up, with my long list of ‘blogs-to-read’.

Well, it’s a beautiful morning here, a perfect excuse to skip my physiotherapy session (for my fractured arm) in the hospital today and instead, stay at home to enjoy the rainy weather and blog.

Six wks on…after the injury….my right arm is definitely a lot better, as I try to hold an empty glass or a spoon with it. Bravo! It feels like a Major Achievement akin to a infant taking its first baby steps, while trying to walk. I am still working on regaining the strength of the arm, the grip of my hand and most importantly the ROM i.e. pronation n sipunation movts of the arm, which are directly associated with the neck of the radius fracture. My right wrist still hurts, even with the smallest n slightest of movts, but the best part is that I am able to use my right hand to type out this blog today. *Smiling* 

Whoa! It’s a great start, though, the sky is all grey; the clouds have been thundering n roaring; waiting to break loose and begin showering any moment; promising a much awaited heavy downpour.

                      

See what I mean……..

With an outcast sky like this, it is highly unlikely, that the weather will clear out any time soon for today. Though I love the rains, but not for long. * Sigh*

Give me some Sunshine….. Give me Some Rain …..
Then Give me some more Sunshine all over again.

MySpace Picture Frame
PS: This beautiful pink n purple allamanda flower is a new addition to our monsoon garden this year...Hope you liked the pictures. 

F~I~N~A~L~L~Y

They have arrived with a thunderous B~A~N~G!

i.e

" The M~O~N~S~O~O~N~S"

&

" The U~M~B~R~E~L~L~A~S"

"Umbrella can't stop the rain, but allows us to stand in rain...

Confidence mat not bring success, but it gives us the power to face any challenge...!!!"

PS: 

Top: The view from the office 

Bottom: My Brother (under the Umbrella) and his words of wisdom

Enjoy the R~A~I~N~S

&
Be C~O~O~L, Be C~O~N~F~I~D~E~N~T!

Skywatch Friday : Hide n Seek

Watch the clouds play a game of Hide n Seek @

Bada Imambara 

Commissioned by the then Nawab of Awadh, Asaf -ud-Daula in the year 1784,  Bada Imambara is a famous monument of Lucknow that has historical, cultural and architectural heritage importance, for the city of Nawabs, reflecting the grandeur n lifestyle of a bygone era when the ornamented Mughal design was on its pinnacle in India.

Asifi Mosque

  Asifi Mosque Minaret - Up close

 Poetic Sunset behind the Dome

Fascinated with the Dome n Minaret -Asifi Mosque

Arched Parapets on the Roof of Bada Imambara

Breathtaking View of the Imambara's Main Gateway, 

the Courtyard, Gomti River n the City of  Nawabs beyond....

Sky Watch Friday: The Hills Beckon

Sky Watch Friday: A Bird Eye View of the City

From EverGreen Tree

Standing atop the roof of our 4-storey Office building with other colleagues, gazing out into the horizon, I could see a maze of steel n concrete, sparsely interspersed by the greens in between. The sky a clear blue, sans the clouds, the birds appeared soooooo serene this morning, at the onset of this l-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-n-g beautiful working day.....

Thought for the Day

We'd never know how high we are,
 till we are called to rise;

and then, if we are true to plan,
our statures touch the sky....
@ Emily Dickinson

Have a Wonderful Day ahead......

Onset of Monsoon….

Come July, and the sky transforms itself into a LIVE celestial playground, for the marching monsoon clouds n a shifting sun.

It’s a visual feast for the eyes to silently observe a sea of mist laden clouds, their changing formations… as they hover over head, even before they start to unburden their substantially heavy water-y load.

The sky itself, begins to radiate n reflect a LIFE of it own, akin to a panoramic 3D TV-Screen, conjuring fresh new images, every splitting second, in vivid shades, shapes n sizes.

A touch of Gold here, shades of Blue there…..Like a painter at work, dexterously, splashing color after colour, shade after shade, tone after tone on a vast, blank blue canvas, creating one of the most

Magically, Miraculously, Magnificently Marvelous Moment!

Thought of sharing one such MMMM moment as seen from our house yesterday evening, now captured n framed for all times to come….

Wishing everyone a Splashing n Showering Monsoon Season ahead….