Friday 8 March 2013

The Ruins Call...

A trip to hampi had long been in the to do list, waiting and fermenting. The dream was to photograph Hampi during the rains, the heat being replaced by the cooling showers, the dust making way for the lush greens. But as monsoon came and went barely making an impact even in the rain blessed areas, and drought looming large both with the absence of leaves from work and absence of the rains I could feel my dreams floating away with the monsoon clouds.
After a couple of cancelled attempts we decided to hang on to the last straw available in the form of a long weekend early October and headed towards Hampi. Fortune does favour the brave, the patient and I guess in this case 'the desperate' with sudden rains following us all the way to Hampi from Bangalore.
 
A frozen moment,
a moment to be proud,
I was not sure I would be able to do it,
As they flew around in patterns crazy,
while I awaited in anticipated frenzy,
But the moment did happen,
In a shutter's click the tern was frozen..
a moment that makes me glad to be for now in the photography world,
whatever the future may hold....
 
The sprinkling of the raindrops on the sunshine's yellow,
The gentle petals and a mood so mellow,
the calm and peace,
Of the gentle breeze,
Makes me want to traverse those roads again,
watch the sunflowers shine,
Feel the wind on my face,
Those are the days...
The days I travel...
are forever the best....
 
Blessed by the sudden rains, the dry hot Hampi was almost unrecognizable as the new lives and greens
sprouted with happiness, drinking in, quenching the thirst and feeling the weather soak in through every pore.
Food was in abundance and so were the smiles, life moved at a leisurely pace, a drenched Hampi and magic
all over the place.
 
In the realm of two in one, a slightly mysterious image for my friends, just for fun.
They took off at the same time, one was a predator and the other a very brave one.
Let me know dear friends can you decipher this image.
 
And then the wings flashed open and one flew after another,
of talons, wide spread wings and all the feather,
the chase , the craze and the mad escape,
A crazy game they played,
Into the Eagle owl's territory,
The dove had strayed...
 
A flash of Red zipping around,
Picking twigs and bits from the ground.
As he sat and glanced behind,
His confident gaze and absolute non-chalance
did create a deep impact on our minds.
 
And then as we waited with bated breath, would they grace us with their presence today? Never having had the
opportunity to witness such a spectacle before, anything would have been a blessing. But then as this majestic
persona walked on to the stage, emerging from the greens like a black pearl with all the grace, we almost clapped
our hands and shouted with glee, but we chose to celebrate with every single cam clicking away at a non stop
speed. And then came another, one came with his brother, there were cubs with their mother... all in all it was an
evening to remember...
 
& then there were two.....
 
The stage was set,
and the entrance she made was the best,
with her cubs in tow,
as she surveyed the rocks below.
Safe it did seem to her,
though the wait seemed to go on forever,
Slowly, gently with the grace of a queen,
She climbed down the rocks and ruins,
The entrance was made,
Dear queen take a bow,
An amazing lady with her cubs in tow.
 
Each in his own world, busy, minding their own business, a silent communication they shared, together and yet
apart. As they wandered in so they wandered out, a routine almost as clockwork as can be, but so endearingly
charming as they came for their daily dose of something appetising.
 
it is still indeed an incredible feeling that just gushes through you as the bears march in one after another and I
do not know if it was our luck or a regular scene as we were graced with the presence on not just one or two,
but eight of them that just ambled in. After making Gbs and Gbs of shots and deleting an equal amount, I am
trying to share just a few special shots..
 
All in all it is just another brick in the wall,
The stones maketh way for a tiny fur-ball,
Gazing out and beyond with unblinking eyes,
The silent spectator, as the day flies.
The dusk brings out the lives,
But as the day dawns, this fur-ball,
blends in to just another brick in the wall.
 
The wall that may have protected the empires centuries ago, feeds the Hoopoe
now. It goes about its duties tirelessly as we continue to gaze upon what was
once inside of those walls and what is now on the outside. Do we ever glance
upon the wall itself as it stands there silently watching the generations and
generations of both mankind, birds and animals that have gone by. A tribute to
the silent wall, the source of life to so many and the protector of life of the empires
that have stood there. Hoopoe feeding at a heritage site in Hampi. Next time you
are there feel the rocks with your hands. Feel the vibration, trust me...
they do speak to you... all you have to do is listen.
 
The voice echoed all around and glancing back we noticed this one calling out in the most melancholy way
probably searching for his mate amongst the ruins. the rocks did not answer back and he kept on his efforts
tirelessly perched high on the ruins. Here is hoping his plaintive calls were well received.
 
 
The tail of the stones piled one above the other and yet she stands taller.
The look in her eye made me wonder, was it sadness or the look of a mother,
contemplating the strangers around her.
Creative Commons License
Photographs and work by Tharangini is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

9 comments:

  1. Lovely! You way of summarizing every captured moment into rhymes is something rather unique and praiseworthy :) And the hoopoe pictures are my favourite from the lot

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    1. Hey thanks Rohan...:) Glad you liked the writing and the pics... it was a lovely trip, should do one more once the rains set in. Hampi looks beautiful when drenched.

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  2. an artist’s eye with sense of storytelling in your visual style, culminating in a body of work with a unique perspective.
    Beautiful Blog.
    Best Wishes, Thara.

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    1. Thanks so much Nitin. I am really glad that my style of story telling appealed to you. Hope the future blogs continue to hold interest...:)

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  3. Hi Thara,

    They are realy amazing and they are inspiring to even non photographic persons like me ;-). Your work inspired everyone who come across to your blog.

    Keep growing and try for International Photographic Contests. Some one said true, the story telling on each picture realy makes us to read more more more.... because of the life you creates using the amazing words. Thats make you unique.... Aal Izz Well.

    Besh Wishes Thara.

    Regards
    Suffian Ahmed
    Thoughts, Delivered by Actions

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Hey Thanks Suffian... :) I just saw your comment and really happy to read it... :)

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  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. Just happened to see your blog (thanks to Yahoo).... The photos are stunning and the way you explained couldn't be better... I guess you should seriously look for some photo contest and also publishing your articles in bigger group ... Nature needs some excellent artists like you !!!

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