Diwali Celebrations

You read about my Diwali celebrations in my last post, now you can read about the other Diwali celebrations I was part of…. Wherever we went this last week, all we saw were people celebrating Diwali in their own way – there was so much I wanted to photograph, but a hectic tour programme did not give me time to stop at all the places I wanted to, so here are just a few glimpses…..

Many of you have appreciated my rangolis..... thank you all so much, but here are some more, which are far better, especially since they have been made with far more ease and perfection than mine can ever hope to attain…. Many of these were seen at Omkareshwar and some at Indore….. we saw many more at Shirdi, but unfortunately did not have my camera to capture them….

And finally, here is the best one (in my opinion)… this girl was hard at work and did not even realize that we had stopped to see her… she had already made a clay castle or fort, and was in the process of adding the finishing touches to her rangoli….. Making a fort is a tradition in some parts of the country, it seems…… I was unaware of this, and welcome more information about the custom, in case you happen to know more…..

Diwali Wishes

Wish all of you a very happy Diwali….

May this festival of lights brighten your life…..

Our Diwali celebrations began yesterday with a grand Rangoli pattern (a combined effort of me and my neighbour, Aarti), and the house being lit up with lamps of all shapes and sizes. Here are some snapshots……

Meanwhile, for those who have been wondering where I have been, well, the answer is of course – travelling!!!

We began our Diwali vacation with a trip to Ujjain and Indore where we visited the two famous shrines of Lord Shiva – Mahakaleshwar and Omkareshwar. This trip, my first foray into Madhya Pradesh, brings me closer to the completion of my Yatra of the 12 Jyotirlingams.

I have barely had time to upload the numerous photographs I have taken, before I am off on another trip – this time the much visited Shirdi, a trip we try to make every year, especially when my sister-in-law Sandhya is visiting……

So, while I enjoy my travels, you can enjoy the photos I have uploaded here.

Or take a look at the slideshow below….

Snails are interesting........

Snails are interesting creatures... Did you know that they are herbivores? Well, last week, we were waiting for Samhith's school bus when we saw this one eating up a flower. We were curious about how long it would take, and photographed it..... It took less than 5 minutes for the small creature to finish it off!

Here are some pics in slideshow form....

Here is another one, on a branch, hanging on, and eating a tiny flower.....

It has been pouring here since the last couple of days, and Samhith is looking forward to seeing more snails. They are, after all, interesting, aren't they?????