tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149986732024-03-13T22:34:02.280+05:30Shanbhag's TravelsA Blog to hold my travelogues and photo-blogs.Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.comBlogger132125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-60031803182739941962015-08-08T23:24:00.003+05:302015-08-20T13:54:21.512+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : Colours of Sahayadri - White<div>
Its been a long while since I blogged anything. One of those time again when work has kept me from bothering to change my wallpaper. Not anymore and today I continue my affair with the Sahayadris and its beauty. Today I want to present you with white. Perhaps "off white" is a better description. </div>
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These tiny flowers always come in a bouquet and only seem to show up in the winter. </div>
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As usual I don't know their name, so if anyone knows ... do write comments.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cM_XfnJu2po/VGtniggMsrI/AAAAAAAAEvk/LD10hqRarcQ/s1600/IMG_7904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cM_XfnJu2po/VGtniggMsrI/AAAAAAAAEvk/LD10hqRarcQ/s640/IMG_7904.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White bouquet</td></tr>
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Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-6108173788854460892014-12-22T17:32:00.002+05:302014-12-22T17:37:55.140+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : Colors of Sahayadri - OrangeThis week I add to my series on colors of the Sahayadri mountains with the colour Orange. I got a couple of pictures to go with Orange.<br />
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The first one is a beautiful fiery orange flower. I don't know the name of this flower. It is actually not one flower but a bouquet of several small flowers with bright orange - red colours. The best time to spot this is late september and early october when the rains are starting to recede.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MetuUCxovek/VBhG3OqQpvI/AAAAAAAAE9c/uZcamVDfTfk/s1600/IMG_7657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MetuUCxovek/VBhG3OqQpvI/AAAAAAAAE9c/uZcamVDfTfk/s1600/IMG_7657.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orange Bouquet</td></tr>
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The second orange is more perennial albeit not naturally occurring. It is the orange flag that flies atop several hindu temples. Most of the trek routes in the Sahayadris lead to the top of the several old forts found around Maharashtra. This flag is commonly hoisted atop these forts on temples as well as on top of bastions. At several places this flag is hoisted as a mark of respect to the 17 century Maratha king and icon - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shivaji">Shivaji</a>. Even after all these years Shivaji is highly respected and the mere utterance of his name stirs a sense of pride into the people of Maharashtra. This flag is but a simple symbol of that respect and pride.The picture below was captured from atop Rajgad fort - the capital of Shivaji's empire at its peak. Look closely and you'll notice a bastion and a little bit of the wall near the center of this image.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-teQA9QeAe3c/VGtncBJApOI/AAAAAAAAEu8/2YX4KXhOwNg/s1600/IMG_7889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-teQA9QeAe3c/VGtncBJApOI/AAAAAAAAEu8/2YX4KXhOwNg/s1600/IMG_7889.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orange Pride</td></tr>
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<br />Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-13880947907787143802014-11-19T20:30:00.001+05:302014-11-21T13:35:47.915+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : Colors of Sahayadi - PinkOften I do tours / treks through the Sahayadri mountains during the monsoon season and as I have already mentioned in my earlier posts, September is a great time to be roaming around the Sahayadris for the simple reason that a lot of trees are in full bloom. Thus you get to see a lot of flowers. A common color among flowers of course is pink. So here are a few of "pink" ones.<br />
The pictures below are taken at different places but all during the september - october time frame - if you are a photography enthusiast, this is a good time for some macro photography.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oA33xOzgIKc/VBhGyB-1SrI/AAAAAAAAE8Q/fE4TfTqIwUU/s1600/IMG_7635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oA33xOzgIKc/VBhGyB-1SrI/AAAAAAAAE8Q/fE4TfTqIwUU/s1600/IMG_7635.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pink</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fW1k8CLEa0A/VBhEYY5W3LI/AAAAAAAAEiA/Qfxtf0dxNQM/s1600/IMG_7630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fW1k8CLEa0A/VBhEYY5W3LI/AAAAAAAAEiA/Qfxtf0dxNQM/s1600/IMG_7630.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mauve ?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rH5uBqO7Qyk/UjmTWfToB8I/AAAAAAAADYQ/f41xoeCuoWA/s1600/IMG_6013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rH5uBqO7Qyk/UjmTWfToB8I/AAAAAAAADYQ/f41xoeCuoWA/s1600/IMG_6013.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Number of shades of Pink in just one flower.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-thPz0IYVaEw/UHrz13K6WtI/AAAAAAAAClo/f6ss3atNZb8/s1600/IMG_2856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-thPz0IYVaEw/UHrz13K6WtI/AAAAAAAAClo/f6ss3atNZb8/s1600/IMG_2856.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magenta ?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x5agmuwCvz8/UgoxmA3Qf7I/AAAAAAAADRQ/ILYLVada7Bs/s1600/IMG_5494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x5agmuwCvz8/UgoxmA3Qf7I/AAAAAAAADRQ/ILYLVada7Bs/s1600/IMG_5494.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some more pink</td></tr>
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<br />Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-56530399874468146692014-10-07T16:33:00.000+05:302014-11-21T13:35:47.990+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : Colors of Sahayadi - VioletA few weeks ago I happened to go on a tour of the famous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaas_plateau">Kaas plateau</a>. Kaas is a bio diversity hot spot and known to be home to various small flowering trees and grasses. One of the trademark colors of this plateau is from these violet flowers. The plateau is in full bloom at towards the end of the monsoon season (mid to late september). I happened to go out there last month in hope of catching a few pictures of the various flower carpets (so to speak) that can be seen on this plateau.<br />
I think though I was a week early and so while I did get some great pictures, the plateau wasn't quite in full blosom. Nevertheless I managed to snap these beauties.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xmUJ9fCbHlA/VBhHFV_ez_I/AAAAAAAAEhE/ly4XFH9cXEM/s1600/IMG_7501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xmUJ9fCbHlA/VBhHFV_ez_I/AAAAAAAAEhE/ly4XFH9cXEM/s1600/IMG_7501.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Violet</td></tr>
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<br />Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-86941093049417533932014-09-27T23:13:00.001+05:302014-11-21T13:35:48.033+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : Colours of Sahayadri - Green and YellowIts nearly end of september and I got a theme suggestion - Colors, for my wallpaper. September is just perfect for such a topic. Its that time of the year when my favorite Sahayadri mountains are full of colours. Its the end of the rainy season and you can expect a wide variety of flowers and insects. The mountains are thus alive with different colours. This also happens to be a perfect successor for my previous wallpaper "<a href="http://shanbhagtravels.blogspot.in/2014/09/wallpaper-weekend-signs-of-life.html">Signs of life"</a>.<br />
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I don't think a single picture can do justice to the colours of sahayadri, so I'll try to do a series on this.<br />
To start the series perhaps the most abundant pattern (other than green) is Green and Yellow. You can see the usual green foliage and bits of it covered by yellow to form a beautiful yellow green mixture.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4ASpeWvffI0/VCbw656RjFI/AAAAAAAAEkw/1sgyHg-OipU/s1600/IMG_1455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4ASpeWvffI0/VCbw656RjFI/AAAAAAAAEkw/1sgyHg-OipU/s1600/IMG_1455.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green and Yellow</td></tr>
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Regular readers of my blog please pardon me if get a deja vu feeling about this wallpaper.<br />
Indeed it is a repeat and was used in my blog <a href="http://shanbhagtravels.blogspot.in/2012/09/weekly-photo-challenge-near-and-far.html">"near and far"</a> a couple of years ago.<br />
<br />Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-43377180714378418132014-09-07T00:37:00.003+05:302014-11-21T13:35:47.968+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : Signs of lifeA few weeks ago I asked a friend to provide me a topic as inspiration for the wallpaper (yeah every blogger does run out of inspiration some times). So I have been challenged this time to come up with a wallpaper to justify the word "life". <div>
It is perhaps very apt topic with the monsoon season in Mumbai at present. So here I have a wallpaper that represents the early monsoon. I was out on a photo walk in Sanjay Gandhi National park late July 2013 with a couple of nature / photography enthusiasts. Its a time of the year when the whole of area is just buzzing with life. Its almost a feast for any nature enthusiast. If you look at this <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117490158644383229886/albums/5911591626970416241">album </a> it indeed was. I'll surely be using some of those pics for future wallpapers but for now back to why I chose the below picture.</div>
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It was colourful everywhere I lay my eyes and several shades of green filling scene. Then I noticed this piece of dead rotting wood lying on the ground.and a little plant sticking its head through all the rotten foliage. And as if that was not enough there was already a spider to lay claim on this fresh arbo<b>real</b> estate. Take a closer look at the picture and you will spot the foundations of a spider's next. Really I promise its there .... :). Need I say more about<i> signs of life </i>.... </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lG0cy9vCSk0/UgoxXPQ1-DI/AAAAAAAADQQ/xYAr38zgznI/s1600/IMG_5453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lG0cy9vCSk0/UgoxXPQ1-DI/AAAAAAAADQQ/xYAr38zgznI/s1600/IMG_5453.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signs of life</td></tr>
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Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-47645377670086573572014-07-27T02:23:00.002+05:302014-11-21T13:35:47.974+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : Lethal CamouflageThis weekend my wallpaper is dedicated to the National Geographic channel aficionados (yours truly included) who are proud in blowing their trumpets on their knowledge of nature.<br />
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Thanks to channels like NGC, there is no dearth of arm chair nature lovers like me. Most of us are rank amateurs at best and actually know a very little about nature. This of course we only realize when we encounter nature in its full liveliness as is visible in the monsoon in and around the Sahayadri mountains. We have come to be used to some great nature shots from TV and obviously its difficult to get those kind of stunning shots with amateurish knowledge and equipment, but even so its all the more exciting if you just pay a little attention on that outing in the park.</div>
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A few weeks ago I happened to go out on a trekking trail of Visapur near Lonavala, Maharasthra. As usual I had my camera in hand ready to snap up anything - plant, animal, insect .. anything that caught my eye and had potentially not been previously photographed for my catalogue. Oh yess. ... my readers.. these days I have started cataloging my spottings at <a href="http://www.projectnoah.org/users/Vishal">Project Noah</a>. </div>
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As we were walking on the trail laden with loose gravel, my friend mentioned that there was something hanging off my shoe. I looked down and thought that it was some loose twig or a straw of grass and tried to shake it off. In the process I took a couple more steps before the thing actually got off my shoe. Then as I was about to walk away we looked at this thing and it seemed to be moving. A closer look and we both realised that it was actually a<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phasmatodea"> Stick Insect</a> which had been trampled on and was now struggling to stand up on its feet. This insect was a good 6 inches long and I kept cursing myself for missing out on something so obvious while walking .... I think its time to salute the camouflage of this organism. Such great camouflage that I completely mistook it to be a twig of small shrub and accidentally stepped on it ... A camouflage so great that it turned out to be lethal .... well almost lethal if not lethal. When I took this picture the insect was was standing on its feet even though it was struggling to steady itself. I hope it lived a good life despite this life altering experience ....<br />
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PS : In my defence, this was my first ever encounter with a live stick insect.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRInIBzlR8wnac9c_ZljETTDMN-7aKYyXtGhMTccJwOdEAzz5_7vbzMDGXeSmKxiHBB7FHKFTvagJvAtY1PV-362cVYzVx10lvhk41Z7PFJYQBxSIF9GxRBliaN-faa2V6lxF7A/s1600/LethalCamouflage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRInIBzlR8wnac9c_ZljETTDMN-7aKYyXtGhMTccJwOdEAzz5_7vbzMDGXeSmKxiHBB7FHKFTvagJvAtY1PV-362cVYzVx10lvhk41Z7PFJYQBxSIF9GxRBliaN-faa2V6lxF7A/s1600/LethalCamouflage.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lethal Camouflage</td></tr>
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Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-3534390258818491232014-05-12T14:23:00.002+05:302014-11-21T13:35:47.947+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : Bambi's InnocenceI spent too much time this summer being a techie (gaming) and forgot about changing my wallpaper.<br />
Guess having my own "memory drawing" sketch as a wallpaper can wake the narcissist inside me. This weekend though I decided to change that and go ask around for suggestions.<br />
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This time I have been challenged to come up with a wallpaper to live up to the topic "Innocence".<br />
The moment I thought about it, I remembered having captured the picture of a deer a few months ago in Mumbai's Sanjay Gandhi National Park. I also remembered the Disney's classic animated movie Bambi. I haven't seen the whole movie itself, but the Bambi character there has a certain element of the innocence of a child about it. Then I look at below picture and its obvious why Bambi is a "deer" and not any other animal.<br />
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I should add that this was the first time I spotted a deer in wild. It was a surprise and sheer luck that we actually spotted a family of deer a few meters off the road in an area of the park which is open to tourists and full of picnickers and morning walkers. Normally I'd expect the deer to run scared the moment humans come close. However these guys stayed put for a long while. We tried not to disturb them, but the temptation to get a closer look was overwhelming. This picture was taken from a distance of barely like 5 meters from the deer. Am very excited to share this one and very thankful that the Sanjay Gandhi National Park exists. A rare forest right inside the city. I also hope that the Forest stays as is and human encroachment does not rid it of the rich Flora and fauna that it holds.<br />
For those interested in a few more pics click here - <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117490158644383229886/albums/5911591626970416241?authkey=CO2-_ZS7orvm0QE">Sanjay Gandhi National Park</a><br />
All of those pictures are from a photo-walk I did with a coupel of other nature enthusiasts and we had barely covered a like small part of the garden on the outskirts of the main National Park. I can only wonder the variety is in store inside the forest.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B2-Z_mBOA1U/Ugo0SxAU8xI/AAAAAAAADTE/7D3bvs-iAYg/s1600/IMG_5588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B2-Z_mBOA1U/Ugo0SxAU8xI/AAAAAAAADTE/7D3bvs-iAYg/s1600/IMG_5588.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bambi's Innocence</td></tr>
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<br />Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-78500290325901369812014-02-01T21:04:00.001+05:302014-11-21T13:35:48.016+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : Artist's impressionSeveral weekends ago I published a picture called <a href="http://shanbhagtravels.blogspot.in/2012/09/wallpaper-weekend-memory-drawing.html">Memory Drawing</a>. Then I talked about my experience of the first drawing with a brush.<i> "The first drawing I did with a brush was memory drawing of a village. Couple of mountains in the backdrop, a river flowing by, a few huts in the village, a small boat through the river. As an urban creature this memory itself was not my own, but a picture that my dad described for me"</i>.<br />
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It so happened that in my <a href="http://shanbhagtravels.blogspot.in/2012/12/ratangad-harishchandragad.html">Ratangad</a> trek I had the opportunity to experience the whole scene mentioned above. About a year later I happened to be present while the kids in my apartment building were sitting down to participate in a drawing competition. The urge to start sketching something was overwhelming and thus I sat down with the kids and drew a sketch to pull together all the memories from the Ratangad trip. A sketch that for me represents both the childhood memory and an artist's impression of my own memory of the Ratangad trip.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlkaP3aW4vWefT-zYnPrmMngc7mtSUykkchQ5UyQV-c70cyFjjb4DDaMliBZEhUycmhyrsM6YGI7ZRpbxLbWkxMHdz17GqVv_Lwe1jrZUX1XuRreKn0_KQ17HAWFXEXpe3joc0g/s1600/IMG_3546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlkaP3aW4vWefT-zYnPrmMngc7mtSUykkchQ5UyQV-c70cyFjjb4DDaMliBZEhUycmhyrsM6YGI7ZRpbxLbWkxMHdz17GqVv_Lwe1jrZUX1XuRreKn0_KQ17HAWFXEXpe3joc0g/s1600/IMG_3546.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artists's Impression</td></tr>
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I have lost the physical sketch, but thankfully I did photograph the sketch before I lost it.<br />
I know that the mountains are disproportionate and some of the things are out of place... but then I call it artistic freedom.<br />
And here are the real pictures that inspired the sketch above.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vuPyWCGXJ28/TohYCE6va1I/AAAAAAAABxw/s5lur2AE0yw/s1600/IMG_1294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vuPyWCGXJ28/TohYCE6va1I/AAAAAAAABxw/s5lur2AE0yw/s1600/IMG_1294.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ratangad</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rBOAycKF8mE/UFdN_uXupSI/AAAAAAAACgo/Ok75hi7OQrw/s1600/IMG_1252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rBOAycKF8mE/UFdN_uXupSI/AAAAAAAACgo/Ok75hi7OQrw/s1600/IMG_1252.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boatman</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RfcScu6Kd2Q/TohX2h7sqoI/AAAAAAAABxk/uXHtHxRGOxo/s1600/IMG_1277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RfcScu6Kd2Q/TohX2h7sqoI/AAAAAAAABxk/uXHtHxRGOxo/s1600/IMG_1277.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Temple </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyTyJKqNsM1bUYhALWv9YF9nWb4BRq3mUqmoRrjQHP1yApQrVsEAN-9cngk1_2VyPIOKK3WMo9j7Hpp9uHuJi-wxZl3lQBC0t-Vy77JNJQdoXtzHJ6jw7pq9a2derxbFZUdEB3YA/s1600/IMG_1264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyTyJKqNsM1bUYhALWv9YF9nWb4BRq3mUqmoRrjQHP1yApQrVsEAN-9cngk1_2VyPIOKK3WMo9j7Hpp9uHuJi-wxZl3lQBC0t-Vy77JNJQdoXtzHJ6jw7pq9a2derxbFZUdEB3YA/s1600/IMG_1264.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The village on the river bank</td></tr>
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<br />Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-34649955044484326052014-01-01T19:01:00.001+05:302014-01-01T19:01:44.236+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : Spread your wingsIts that time of the year when people make (or break) new year resolutions. Last year my resolution was to try taking better and candid pictures of people. That resolution didn't go so well as I hardly take my camera to any activity that remotely involves socializing. This year I have decided not to do any resolutions and just wish all my readers the best in their endeavours.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fEW2Jh-OlmA/UgozVQS-ftI/AAAAAAAADSY/QJO9U_kVelA/s1600/IMG_5557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fEW2Jh-OlmA/UgozVQS-ftI/AAAAAAAADSY/QJO9U_kVelA/s640/IMG_5557.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spread your wings</td></tr>
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New year is also about the word "New". New wishes, new hopes, new experiences and so on. As I take up any new project or activity I like to have some fun along the way. To me this butterfly with its wings spread represents the both the power to take on the "New" as well as having fun as it jumps around from flower to flower along the way.<br />
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Wishing all my readers a very happy and prosperous new year ahead.Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-80477622540604042072013-12-07T21:34:00.000+05:302013-12-07T21:34:45.516+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : It takes two to TangoTime again for posting a wallpaper. Usually I choose my wallpaper almost randomly and then write up something to match that wallpaper. This time I have decided to pick a word first and then find a wallpaper to match that.<br />
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A friend challenged me to post a wallpaper that can be considered "romantic".<br />
For someone who usually photographs landscapes and nature, this is indeed a challenge.<br />
I then remembered a recent trip to Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai where I saw this butterfly couple moving around as if they were dancing. I had to follow them for a while before they settled on this one shrub long enough for me to click the picture. Now my knowledge of dance forms is limited but I know for a fact that the "Tango" is considered a romantic dance form and there is even the phrase "It takes two to Tango" and it seems to go well with the below picture.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sshtXMelEPY/Ugoy-Vm8JbI/AAAAAAAADSA/531RiOpwqvo/s1600/IMG_5509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sshtXMelEPY/Ugoy-Vm8JbI/AAAAAAAADSA/531RiOpwqvo/s640/IMG_5509.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Takes two to tango</td></tr>
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<br />Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-48146929609377417752013-11-24T13:51:00.000+05:302013-11-24T13:51:30.543+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : Sidewalk<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This wallpaper weekend is dedicated to the simple urban scenes that we can so easily miss. I was in Hongkong recently waiting for a friend near the Hongkong central station. On a usual day I would dashing to catch a train or a bus and this scene would be so easy to miss. But here I was waiting for someone and with a camera in hand. As I sat down on a bench I spotted this sidewalk and in its simple greys and geometric shapes. I thought it looked beautiful and hope the readers like it too.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEaiZhiXxsUVLY2XOf5WM2crXqahXnMohodmOq8QqXYIsFSzHkQTM75RcPvgBx1Db9Iv4kNBuwMYBl2VXzfwrGewgtKA9ljGqTYW2GWZ5Wtq1qSsnuPsW1D1ogHnj3dR_IPHMvg/s1600/Sidewalk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEaiZhiXxsUVLY2XOf5WM2crXqahXnMohodmOq8QqXYIsFSzHkQTM75RcPvgBx1Db9Iv4kNBuwMYBl2VXzfwrGewgtKA9ljGqTYW2GWZ5Wtq1qSsnuPsW1D1ogHnj3dR_IPHMvg/s640/Sidewalk.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sidewalk</td></tr>
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<br />Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0Central Station, Central, Hong Kong22.282079 114.1577750000000222.267381999999998 114.13760500000002 22.296776 114.17794500000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-38323968330298300902013-09-12T14:04:00.000+05:302014-11-21T13:35:47.963+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : Country Side<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3uRXdydfYS07ypO5ZUXgMYiJBeHo0WLI2P2viJJAjNyWiqWqs7Es-Q0O60qMeU20Rb70NrxY6WkuAMLbAPxev901ttCEhgnsIAWoeGLeqqitHcmNC3Mrv65-sb1uVtSetIoJUJA/s1600/CountrySide.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3uRXdydfYS07ypO5ZUXgMYiJBeHo0WLI2P2viJJAjNyWiqWqs7Es-Q0O60qMeU20Rb70NrxY6WkuAMLbAPxev901ttCEhgnsIAWoeGLeqqitHcmNC3Mrv65-sb1uVtSetIoJUJA/s640/CountrySide.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Country Side</td></tr>
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Everytime I go out trekking one of the scenes I am interested in is that of the lush green country side. Thus just towards the end of monsoon is naturally a good time to go out. The Sahayadri mountains and the nearby areas are a treat to the eyes.<br />
One such scene I loved was the one above. A lush green grassland with the silhouette image of the Sahayadri mountains. A scene that has to be photographed.<br />
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Location : This one was taken on trek to the <a href="http://shanbhagtravels.blogspot.in/2012/10/visapur-pradakshina.html">Visapur Fort</a>, near Lonvala, Maharashtra. The peak rising in the middle appears to be the Tikona Fort.<br />
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As I end this post I have a little confession. My usual rule for the "wallpaper" is no or minimal image editing. This one do has been through some editing that I usually don't like to do.<br />
I remember the peaks in the backdrop as being darker shades of green. However when you look at the original picture (see below) they appear to be merging into the light blues of the afternoon sky. In essence as a photographer we are limited by the equipment (or knowledge of the equipment) and thus a scene as it was captured by our eyes and the one captured by camera may seem different. I seldom notice this difference but in this once instance I did and that compelled me to look into image editing options to modify the lighting conditions. Thanks to ideas on some blogs and a little bit of trial and error I came up with the above image which converts the peaks into more noticeable silhouettes.<br />
Hope you like it.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5T-AE7NOdYU/UHr0C7-pYsI/AAAAAAAACmg/thuRCrTzrTQ/s1600/IMG_2868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5T-AE7NOdYU/UHr0C7-pYsI/AAAAAAAACmg/thuRCrTzrTQ/s640/IMG_2868.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-33610797823168936482013-09-03T14:10:00.001+05:302013-09-03T14:10:25.941+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : Rainbow in the Dark<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4NnSDPG_PRjyK2LyKd2ovMoH0NsjggmjxWmsLzz6h3fGn-xlta8JFvNofpJw-UVx_InK-yFRyOjMnKksLSbjrNTHPLKsEvoe4zoCN6a4A5074rdZTGOfX6nB5LyDS-jUm-BhcA/s1600/RainbowInTheDark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4NnSDPG_PRjyK2LyKd2ovMoH0NsjggmjxWmsLzz6h3fGn-xlta8JFvNofpJw-UVx_InK-yFRyOjMnKksLSbjrNTHPLKsEvoe4zoCN6a4A5074rdZTGOfX6nB5LyDS-jUm-BhcA/s640/RainbowInTheDark.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbow in the Dark</td></tr>
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I am a couple of days late for the "weekend" wallpaper. It was just a busy weekend at home doing the chores and I barely touched my computer. Anyways I have changed my wallpaper again. This wallpaper comes from a place that was the destination of one of my most memorable (and fun) weekend trips and as usual I got some memorable pictures from that trip. I'll definitely have a wallpaper or two from that trip in future too. If you haven't guessed it already this is the world famous Niagara falls.<br />
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Spotting the rainbow is rare in the urban jungle and spotting a rainbow at night is almost impossible. However the way the Niagara falls is lit in the night and the sheer volume of water create a rainbow from the flash lights that illuminate the falls.<br />
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Disclaimer: Some music lovers might think of the wallpaper title as a ripoff from one popular track from 80s (see below for youtube link). However the image is literally a "Rainbow in the Dark" and I hadn't known about this song until after a google search came up with that song as the top result for "rainbow in the dark".<br />
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<br />Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-20195570601776915322013-09-02T19:36:00.000+05:302013-09-02T19:36:50.321+05:30Govinda aala re<div dir="ltr">
Good day to my readers. Earlier this week I happened to witness the Govinda/Janmastami festivities in my hometown. I quickly captured a few snaps and videos on my phone. Then I thought why not convert those into a video blog. So here is my first attempt at a video blog.</div>
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Over the years I have had the opportunity to witness this annual spectacle live. This is the first time though that I am recording it. I don't want to bore you with the history of this festival. If you feel like reading I recommend reading the wiki. For now just enjoy these few human pyramid videos with live commentary</div>
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Often the hard work that our local police department does in ensuring peace during these festivities goes unappreciated. So finally a salute to the much criticised police department for working over time when everyone else is working half day or taking the day off. </div>
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Ps: This post is completed using only my mobile phone
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i.e.<br />
- mobile camera for capturing photo, video<br />
- video editing, blogging from apps on mobile.<br />
- Most of the text was written while standing in the corridor of the famous Mumbai local train</div>
Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-36898201645730022862013-08-26T17:28:00.002+05:302014-11-21T13:35:47.957+05:30Wallpaper Wallpaper : World Wide Webs (WWW)Ever Since my childhood, spiders have fascinated me. These seemingly tiny creatures are some of the most evolved and industrious predators. It has always been interesting to see the spider go about its business lying in wait all day and then trapping any ignorant insects that stray into its web. These webs can be found almost every place where humans can survive. <br />
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Today as a software professional a different type of web fascinates me. As the internet is making its omnipresence felt, I thought the original "world wide webs" should get a tribute on my travel notes posted in the modern world wide web (www). </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ftDRlNMxhsw/UdwMsSJkQdI/AAAAAAAADJM/QoBLjX_7Wls/s1600/IMG_5270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ftDRlNMxhsw/UdwMsSJkQdI/AAAAAAAADJM/QoBLjX_7Wls/s640/IMG_5270.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">world wide webs</td></tr>
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Location : A couple of months ago I was trekking along the railway tracks from Neral to Matheran, Maharasthra, India. My friend and another avid photographer, Ashutosh spotted this little web hanging near the edge of the track route overlooking the valley. Immediately we both got busy with our DSLRs trying different angles (and ensuring that we don't slip into the valley below). </div>
Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-91393880483909035192013-08-17T15:55:00.000+05:302014-11-21T13:35:48.043+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : Star Trek Mushroom<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s-wt8zY76P4/UgoxSTC8rkI/AAAAAAAADP4/SCsp1F7CSjY/s1600/IMG_5443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="433" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s-wt8zY76P4/UgoxSTC8rkI/AAAAAAAADP4/SCsp1F7CSjY/s640/IMG_5443.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Star Trek Mushroom</td></tr>
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Recently I visited the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai with the sole purpose capturing some images. The experience was memorable and I ended up with some of my best nature photographs.<br />
Its monsoon so the whole park is sort of "alive". Among the organisms I noticed was this little mushroom growing out some dead wood. When I looked at this photo again on my desktop it reminded me one of the iconic Sci-Fi vessels - The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Enterprise_%28NCC-1701%29">USS Enterprise</a> from Star Trek. It looks as if the Enterprise is docked at one <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_dock">Spacedock</a> with a distant Sun in the background.<br />
I don't know the actual name of this (Scientific Idenfication appreciated in comments) so until I get those details it will be called the "Star Trek Mushroom"Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-39767809238238390982013-08-11T12:41:00.002+05:302013-08-11T12:41:35.217+05:30Wallpaper Weekend: Megacity Mumbai<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMX1bD3y-D_JiQmXqwEzXWh6xB4-fIlgkOG9ApndQRBIFhI5P3O5CyzvkTUccmilbi9NryoobrSm9yj3rVktkyLfzgWF6XNdKCedoXNY7GdoESSelErPlNOC8YV6pbhkM6WR_8g/s1600/background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMX1bD3y-D_JiQmXqwEzXWh6xB4-fIlgkOG9ApndQRBIFhI5P3O5CyzvkTUccmilbi9NryoobrSm9yj3rVktkyLfzgWF6XNdKCedoXNY7GdoESSelErPlNOC8YV6pbhkM6WR_8g/s640/background.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megacity Mumbai - Bandra-Worli Sea link</td></tr>
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Its wallpaper time again. Recently I happened to watch National Geopraphic's documentary about Mumbai. I realised that most of my wallpapers have been chosen from my various weekend getaways. However I spend most of my time in the "Megacity Mumbai". So how about a wallpaper that represents the changing Megacity. <div>
Surely I could have a wallpaper about the Gateway, or the local trains or any such iconic piece of Mumbai. However, Bandra-Worli sea link represents the transformation that has started to take place in Mumbai. It represents the hope of every office going Mumbaiite - for a stress free travel, a less congested Mumbai and perhaps several other things. For those interested in the documentary that inspired this wallpaper, see link below.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-88348399085329967562013-07-28T19:08:00.003+05:302014-11-21T13:41:44.499+05:30Wallpaper weekeend : TwilightLast few months have been very busy and I have found it very difficult to keep pace with my aim of posting one wall paper every weekend. Anyways, I am back to posting again.
This weekend a picture of one of my favorite scenes - the twilight at horizon.
I love to watch sunsets whether on a beach or on top of a mountain or even in the urban jungle.
Sometimes just after sunsets the horizon presents some very interesting colour patterns. So here is presenting one of my most favorite captures of the twilight.
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5q2Re7cpEa0FOFGi4vSqFpI2gzLbHPsJYocCaOzRXQ5v7OQ_0UQveayH4buB_2yAdh7OvYPs0fzNIxWaClyDBuDx-n01k71gbK03typrMCbDdqd6kYndO3sSijwL2Vp9-DUbXA/s1600/Twilight+at+Horizon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5q2Re7cpEa0FOFGi4vSqFpI2gzLbHPsJYocCaOzRXQ5v7OQ_0UQveayH4buB_2yAdh7OvYPs0fzNIxWaClyDBuDx-n01k71gbK03typrMCbDdqd6kYndO3sSijwL2Vp9-DUbXA/s640/Twilight+at+Horizon.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twilight</td></tr>
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location:
This picture was taken from atop the Kumar Parvat, near Subramanya in Karnataka.
I had also posted a picture of twilight before sunrise from the same location. You can find it published as <a href="http://shanbhagtravels.blogspot.in/2012/09/wallpaper-weekend-valley-of-mist.html">valley of mist</a>
Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-72692688889436319782013-03-19T21:30:00.000+05:302013-03-20T12:01:10.683+05:30Shanbhag LiveStrong - part 4 : Cyclothon If you have been following my blog regularly you already know that I began my journey to "<a href="http://shanbhagtravels.blogspot.com/2013/01/shanbhag-livestrong-part-3-attaining.html">Cycling Nirvana</a>". Now most fitness activities are born out of some grand aim. My cycling affair was renewed through a realization of lack of fitness. My grand aim was "regain fitness".... but soon after I began cycling I heard about the Mumbai cyclothon (aka <a href="http://www.tourdeindia.asia/">Tour de Mumbai</a> 2012). So I had a new challenge - to do 36 Km.<br />
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When I started cycling I used to tire in barely 15 minutes, so I think 36 Km was a far cry. The event though was postponed by a month to December 2012, so suddenly I had an additional month and did put it to good use. As I practiced I figured that at my slow speed 36 Km should around 2 1/2 hours of cycling. So the target was simply cycling that much time without collapsing. Over the time I gained confidence of being able to do about 30 Km, so figured I should be able to complete the full Marathon.<br />
However days before the organizers cut the distance to some 21 kms for an unexplained reason. The important thing though was that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandra%E2%80%93Worli_Sea_Link">Mumbai sea link</a> was still on route and it was a rare day when it would be open to cyclists.<br />
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So on the D-day I took my trusty camera and since I figured 21 km would be within my reach, I thought I would have some fun as I cycled. So here are a few impressions from the event.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiJUH7-FNnLzMg8H3LPWNXSGeepoS_rrdWqR91GhDX_hj-8q9b1-TnNe_lpXBrMtt5RHWYPbhEo-fMJMHPI7r2cyIWPpF_D-i80ABoEg5GmwvyuYA8Ar7R42Yk9qlAUlGZGloHQ/s1600/IMG_3089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiJUH7-FNnLzMg8H3LPWNXSGeepoS_rrdWqR91GhDX_hj-8q9b1-TnNe_lpXBrMtt5RHWYPbhEo-fMJMHPI7r2cyIWPpF_D-i80ABoEg5GmwvyuYA8Ar7R42Yk9qlAUlGZGloHQ/s400/IMG_3089.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Usual Suspects</td></tr>
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</td><td>As I reached the venue, I was waiting in the queue to get hold of my cycle, I saw a few familiar faces. These guys that I have decided to call as "The usual suspects" are marathon enthusiasts who used to be my colleagues at my previous job. They register themselves for every possible long distance event - be it marathon or cycling. I had expected to not have any company when I went there, but not knowing about these guys having registered and then running into them was a pleasant surprise.<br />
Then I only knew that one of them did the Mumbai Marathon every year. Only later I came to know that these guys are in a habit of showing up at every long distance event in the city ... hence the term "usual suspects". </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-nBWYDYlaf5wXwpb8i6jm10Jm_-4y4_9Hy909eV64hMhaEvCvfv26DyfIBdPMkf9Iid74mvR5EHIZmrJMfCBRobFEdy0u2t2GNvHe9PZQeiZ6EA_kPoM2CVP_eBKhkrAAgR-Cw/s1600/IMG_3100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-nBWYDYlaf5wXwpb8i6jm10Jm_-4y4_9Hy909eV64hMhaEvCvfv26DyfIBdPMkf9Iid74mvR5EHIZmrJMfCBRobFEdy0u2t2GNvHe9PZQeiZ6EA_kPoM2CVP_eBKhkrAAgR-Cw/s640/IMG_3100.JPG" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raring to go</td></tr>
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</td><td>As we completed our long wait to get hold of our cycles, I found that the cycles were quite nice. They were almost new with some of the packing material still on. This was a pleasant change from my rusty practice machine (which I might add is nice, but you know, fairly old). Unfortunately even though we had got our cycles, a lot of people were still in the queue at the scheduled start time. I guess the organizers really were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers that had turned up.<br />
There was usual hoopla that surrounds such events in the city. Music, celebrities, politicians, policeman and thousands of cyclists. One of the most interesting things I heard there was the advise from a so called fitness guru. I have forgotten most the stuff that he said, but his best line was "breathe in - breathe out". Wonder what the organizers paid him for such a life saving tip....I can vouch for that tip as I have been doing that since I was born, and I figure that's what keeps me alive.... yo fitness guru... you rock !!!.</td></tr>
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Any way after all the hoopla and the life saving advice, the cyclothon was flagged off by a well known politician. I would have been more impressed if that politician would have kicked off the race by cycling in the front, rather than just holding the flag. May be another time (or another generation). Given the sheer number of cyclists it took a while to get out of the stadium. As soon as I got out I could smell the sea. Add to it the morning chill (of yes in Mumbai it can get just a little chilly in December) and the experience of cycling .... It was just such refreshing feeling. I decided that since the distance was reduced surviving the race was no longer a concern, so I should have some fun. First up I cycled full steam just to test the machine and feel my pulse racing. Then as I cycled up the gentle slope of the sea link, the beauty of this structure hit me.<br />
I also had my camera, which had so long been nearly unused. So I took a step down to take a few snaps.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mi4Sk3dHSuWs1-IQSDh-4cLwyhCdB6g6QnNceySThQRXKDgy4ynaB3STYxrm1VP_7UN-24Gjd9yw3Wq1aRDyXQ1TCTmOsGNxPKVXL8b69CAVc97SCae_1IDO0XXQmtmVHtwUcw/s1600/IMG_3104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mi4Sk3dHSuWs1-IQSDh-4cLwyhCdB6g6QnNceySThQRXKDgy4ynaB3STYxrm1VP_7UN-24Gjd9yw3Wq1aRDyXQ1TCTmOsGNxPKVXL8b69CAVc97SCae_1IDO0XXQmtmVHtwUcw/s640/IMG_3104.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nearly at the Half way mark</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbpGVTzmflyeQT8S8J7PTPwGnDnFHAz0ayDdAZcGGYBOloWloWlckpQ91r12AKEZawaGVWpSxo4PrpMG1D6ALhUj_ehHVDpkeJILqJlOYDIUr3DWDOkq9IelNEdmxhp5ldEwpEw/s1600/IMG_3106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbpGVTzmflyeQT8S8J7PTPwGnDnFHAz0ayDdAZcGGYBOloWloWlckpQ91r12AKEZawaGVWpSxo4PrpMG1D6ALhUj_ehHVDpkeJILqJlOYDIUr3DWDOkq9IelNEdmxhp5ldEwpEw/s640/IMG_3106.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wish I could even come close that speed limit posted. <br />
I guess my trusty cycle needed more horse power.</td></tr>
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Till then I thought I was doing pretty well with my speed and enjoying myself. I had a little grin of self satisfaction over having reached the level of fitness to be able to complete the full marathon. The grin was soon wiped off when I saw a couple of gentlemen with gray hair racing past me just as I was done clicking the pictures. I tried speeding up to catch up with them, but realized that those guys must be far fitter than me. As it is crossing over to the older side of the 30s had hit me only recently. But being beaten by some 50 yr olds was almost humiliating. All I can only hope for that level of fitness when I reach my 50s. Having given up on catching up with the grey hairs, I went back to cycling leisurely. As I turned around the halfway mark an 8 year old sardar (sikh) kid in his kiddie cycle started racing past me. The kiddie race route was much shorter and supposed to have turned around much before the halfway mark for the adults. Yet there was this kid who wasn't lost .. I think he was just too energetic to turn around at the kiddie half way mark. He showed no signs of tiredness. This kid's energy certainly rubbed off and it took me a little burst of energy to race past him. As I passed him I heard another adult sardar saying "paaji ki karaan... petrol khatam hi nahi honda hai". Looking at this kid, I have to say the Maruti Suzuki advertisement that popularized that line would certainly have been quite appropriate for this kid.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;">paaji ki karaan... petrol khatam hi nahi honda hai</span></td></tr>
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As I continued cycling, the realization dawned that this perhaps a rare day when cyclists are actually allowed on the sea link. I figured I might not get the opportunity to capture an artistic view of the sea link. So I stopped again for a few clicks and here it is ... my capture of that day. The sea link is almost literally hanging by the threads...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4QJqWBwhE0GpC9A_77o3VsuaujBlrLynsRWE0iUBY_NgKI1SbN45wA-LzUztyEsQmeHJAytiY9Gtvyyy6jvRpo-p8hyphenhyphensxZcsuLHYMpwpphZxJhUcckr4KQ2iVOrpzZmuIP3-tA/s1600/IMG_3109-gimp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4QJqWBwhE0GpC9A_77o3VsuaujBlrLynsRWE0iUBY_NgKI1SbN45wA-LzUztyEsQmeHJAytiY9Gtvyyy6jvRpo-p8hyphenhyphensxZcsuLHYMpwpphZxJhUcckr4KQ2iVOrpzZmuIP3-tA/s640/IMG_3109-gimp.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging by the threads</td></tr>
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After taking this shot, I chose to stop the leisurely ride and finish the race as quickly as possible. So I started cycling full steam again. The little energy bar (or whatever that gluey orange flavoured stuff the organizers provided) helped. Soon I reached the finish line and checked the watch to figure out that it was only a little over an hour. Whether or not I beat the grey haired guys or the "petrol khatam hi nahi honda" kid it didn't matter. It was a great feeling to just have participated and completed the event. In the process I certainly had managed to out do my own distance record for an hour of cycling.<br />
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More than 3 months have passed since the event. I had met my immediate challenge of completing the cyclothon and as I blog this my cycle lies somewhere in the backyard gain dust (yet again :( ). I hope that writing this blog inspires me (and hopefully some of my readers) to take to cycling again. Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-78347870403425030392013-03-18T12:42:00.003+05:302013-03-18T12:53:51.051+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : A cowboy's viewBlue skies, a herd of bulls, a windmill at a distance and brown ranch as far as eye can see....<br />
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Not much to say here really other than simple yet beautiful.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_YRtuzUULDZEkWomB34V6hmXDDpir9mfBinB29lp2gsL6dQSxe7ttH_hvsgszWyZFwZiDQA9LP8G0H_AIcmPEkPxT_eTpTjmmUkvkgT9Nu0zrm3_hOGwpYWm8aWXrZf36iSXOQ/s1600/DSC02408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_YRtuzUULDZEkWomB34V6hmXDDpir9mfBinB29lp2gsL6dQSxe7ttH_hvsgszWyZFwZiDQA9LP8G0H_AIcmPEkPxT_eTpTjmmUkvkgT9Nu0zrm3_hOGwpYWm8aWXrZf36iSXOQ/s640/DSC02408.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cowboy's view</td></tr>
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I had clicked this one several years ago and had completely forgotten about having clicked this picture. Thanks to my picture archives I spotted this one again and when I looked at it again, I had a quick flashback of driving to Palo Duro Canyon, near Amarillo, Texas, USA. As we were driving there were these ranches on both sides of the road. For a moment one could easily imagine self as a cowboy keeping an eye on his herd....indeed a cowboy's view.</div>
Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-28118044703017707262013-03-12T20:03:00.001+05:302014-11-21T13:35:47.926+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : Distant Shivalinga<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maha_Shivaratri">MahaShivaratri</a> festival was celebrated this weekend. Traditionally it is celebrated through fasting and the worship of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingam">shivalingam</a>. I thought why not put up a wallpaper to go with that festival. </div>
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Sometimes when we go out we spot some natural landscapes that resemble an object that we might relate to elsewhere in life. With Mahashivratri in mind, I remembered that I had such an experience a few years ago, en route to Tikona Fort. I was travelling in the bus and happened to spot a hill whose top was covered in monsoon clouds. A look at that scene and I thought that the hill looked like a Shivalinga. The hiker in me started wondering about how tough it would be to get there. When I came back home after the trip I learned that this hill was the Tung fort, which we originally wanted to climb on that trip and gave up because it not possible to get there due to a flooded river. May be a destination of another trip at a different time. You can read more about that Tikona trek <a href="http://shanbhagtravels.blogspot.com/2006/12/tikona-pyramid.html">here</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG83I51C8WwqC1fmZXErVLE6oJcvMqaQ1SypNC32Fr6Iwp1R7dAB92cdvWWud8MfHTKQ52k2ExnRFQhFs2AihrbtyZahjz0mppj8EBQWSFrzfoCbHjIpLeC5A503C_wQ810ElcfQ/s1600/DSC02540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG83I51C8WwqC1fmZXErVLE6oJcvMqaQ1SypNC32Fr6Iwp1R7dAB92cdvWWud8MfHTKQ52k2ExnRFQhFs2AihrbtyZahjz0mppj8EBQWSFrzfoCbHjIpLeC5A503C_wQ810ElcfQ/s640/DSC02540.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Distant Shivalinga</td></tr>
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<br />Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-48571048766985308492013-03-08T13:58:00.001+05:302014-11-21T13:35:47.985+05:30Weekly Photo Challenge: Lost in the Details<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This week's challenge is an exciting one for me as an enthusiast of landscape photography. We often capture landscapes as we travel. One of the things I like to do (more so since I got my DSLR) is getting "<a href="http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/weekly-photo-challenge-lost-in-the-details/">lost in the details</a>". Every time I look at a beautiful landscape its an opportunity for a click and sometimes a small detail captures my eye and all of it makes photography more fun.<br />
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So here goes a landscape that I captured on my first trek outing with the DSLR.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3t9di4RWR0Q/UTl9Kl42AYI/AAAAAAAADE4/n4-JkoL9HjY/s1600/IMG_1337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3t9di4RWR0Q/UTl9Kl42AYI/AAAAAAAADE4/n4-JkoL9HjY/s640/IMG_1337.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A walk through the clouds</td></tr>
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This trek to Ratangad fort was done during early September when the landscape of Sahayadri mountains is lush green due to the recent monsoon downpour. If you climb sufficiently high you are literally walking through the clouds. The bloom of flowers makes it even more beautiful - almost heavenly scene.<br />
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As if this scene was not enough the photographer in me got lost in details .... so here are some details of this landscape that you might not notice at first...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_2MnoBnsi8Y/UTl9JCjTvyI/AAAAAAAADEw/rXg6ajgZ_Ps/s1600/IMG_1336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_2MnoBnsi8Y/UTl9JCjTvyI/AAAAAAAADEw/rXg6ajgZ_Ps/s640/IMG_1336.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lost in details</td></tr>
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At first I thought the wild yellow flowers were just a treat to watch (even though they weren't fragrant)<br />
When I bend down to capture this view, I noticed another set of little flowers (see the voilet points on the right). The next picture is thus getting further lost in the details ....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r5VpOjDjHs8/UTl-KS_EzcI/AAAAAAAADFE/nAQVJay5rgA/s1600/IMG_1340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r5VpOjDjHs8/UTl-KS_EzcI/AAAAAAAADFE/nAQVJay5rgA/s640/IMG_1340.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zoom into details </td></tr>
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<br />Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-76953151709206812882013-03-03T16:25:00.001+05:302014-11-21T13:35:48.011+05:30Wallpaper Weekend : Get LostRecently I saw the TV commercial for Volkswaqen Vento. The tag line being "Get Lost where you want to". Its a very interesting thought. Last week I put up a wallpaper called "Lost souls" .... but I guess to be a "lost" soul, you need to get lost first.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/JFwhX9-6QUo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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So here is a picture encouraging the readers to get lost....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW0ENpvwl5kzos4HgbkiNT31RrUhUG0yPi1jYhKHEACx3-wc5F2YO6Qq3HydMH_U_f1XkjfQYHUAZOXbbF-rd-NifH25f9Q4dHXmXSiEHej3XC0pD6KCxmk6LcSsf5vKav5FP_A/s1600/DSC00115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW0ENpvwl5kzos4HgbkiNT31RrUhUG0yPi1jYhKHEACx3-wc5F2YO6Qq3HydMH_U_f1XkjfQYHUAZOXbbF-rd-NifH25f9Q4dHXmXSiEHej3XC0pD6KCxmk6LcSsf5vKav5FP_A/s640/DSC00115.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get lost wherever you want</td></tr>
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Location :<br />
The picture is about getting lost and so the location is also vague - This was clicked in Maharashtra - somewhere along the back waters of Bhandardara Dam..... I just remember that I clicked it while sitting on top of a jeep, holding on to the edge so as to not fall off and when I spotted this scene, I some how managed to stay steady long enough to click this one. You can read more about the trip <a href="http://shanbhagtravels.blogspot.com/2009/01/rocky-trinity-alang.html">here</a><br />
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<br />Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14998673.post-88276622213712332022013-02-28T20:45:00.001+05:302013-02-28T20:46:01.845+05:30Weekly Photo Challenge: ForwardFor the challenge "<a href="http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/forward/">Forward</a>", I am going come up with some snaps which I would term as experimental and out of my comfort zone.<br />
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First one is another attempt at panning. I had stepped out with my camera when I saw a bunch of kids cycling around the apartment building. This one went a relatively better than the one in the challenge <a href="http://shanbhagtravels.blogspot.com/2013/02/weekly-photo-challenge-kiss.html">Kiss</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEflj5S9Pmk9tf9SaC82vEMPWJMeY45Uxb7vujcjQ3_UIfV86KpiHXQpIVWhanYgvZ2MTMzHVzys4PXa3zSYV9SRwzYX44sbSHeuCxL0Ntcjme4iKLbUFW8Wl8Bfits-gHSKsTw/s1600/IMG_3082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEflj5S9Pmk9tf9SaC82vEMPWJMeY45Uxb7vujcjQ3_UIfV86KpiHXQpIVWhanYgvZ2MTMzHVzys4PXa3zSYV9SRwzYX44sbSHeuCxL0Ntcjme4iKLbUFW8Wl8Bfits-gHSKsTw/s640/IMG_3082.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peddling Forward</td></tr>
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The second image was taken at a Hindu wedding late last year. A Hindu marriage starts with the ritual of exchanging garlands (which has to happen at an auspicious time - Muhurat). Before the garlands are exchanged, a curtain separates the bride and groom and a bunch of mantras called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangal_Ashtaka">Mangal ashtaka</a> are sung in some parts of India. I was attempting to take a few candid pictures and spotted the groom smiling nervously during the Mangal ashtaka - essentially a time to lay aside any pre-wedding jitters. At the same time both bride and groom are of course looking "forward" (ahh .. at last I link this image to the challenge) to a new life !!. I think the below smile captures those emotions very well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lBMNjntECAQ/UNQC_-5n06I/AAAAAAAAC1g/6Xof2bwwep0/s1600/IMG_3187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lBMNjntECAQ/UNQC_-5n06I/AAAAAAAAC1g/6Xof2bwwep0/s640/IMG_3187.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking forward to opening of the curtains.</td></tr>
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<br />Vishiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812150417415274518noreply@blogger.com0