Two Birthdays

I usually don't post people-photos but here's two of them
both taken at my friends' birthdays. The first was in May.
It was Erica's birthday but she's not in this photo. That's
(from right)--Farhana, Ruby and me.



This was taken on 11th June and it happened to be Indrani's
birthday. From left--Bulbuli, Erica, me, the b'day girl,
Rohima and Ruby.

Two Views Of My Home town

Haflong, my hometown, is blessed with natural beauty.
The above photo shows the blue hills that's so much
a part of this town. This was taken at dawn when half
the town was still asleep and everything looked so serene.



The lake that's so much a part of Haflong lore. Of fishing
and bathing, swimming and drowning; and the recurring stories
of ghosts...Back in those days, this area was truly beautiful.
The bank of the lake was a stretch of green grassy slopes and
countless trees. But now many houses stand on what was once
so green. But still the lake survives...Elsewhere, many smaller
lakes have dried up bringing to an end all the aquatic life
and the vegetation on their banks. Now there's no trace that once
this was a watery mass that teemed with fish and shrimp, crabs
and tadpoles, and children played on their sandy and shingly
banks.

All Dressed Up!

With all the power lines, the sky view from our house
is never the best. But sometimes the display of sunset
colours are so beautiful that momentarily you forget
about those lines...!

Stumped--by these sights!

One often comes across tree stumps with fungi sprouting
on them. A common sight really, especially after the rains.
But the colourful leaves from a nearby tree made the contrast
here,a striking one. Pictured below, is another side of the
same stump looking less spectacular.



Another stump had this caterpillar. I've always had a thing for
creepy-crawlies and as I clicked away, I thought I'd break out
in a rash...But the feeling passed as soon as I moved away.
Since then I've been able to photograph them without feeling
that the itchiness would start soon!

Landscape

The view from my parents' backyard. When the sun
is well on its way westward,it looks like this. The
Barail Ranges are covered with rain-bearing clouds
in the month of April.



Dawn casts its spell on the same landscape. It's like
another world altogether. Nature's colours light up
the horizon in these beautiful shades.

Rural Scenes

A winter sunset


Boats on the Kolong river. In the distance you can see
the crowds at the weekly market.


The rippled reflection of a setting winter sun.

Some Sights From Shillong

My sons clicked these pictures as they criss-crossed Shillong
on a cold December day! Some images.