Finally, "Banter"...!!!

About a week ago when I decided to take a break from Photo Fables (I had probably hit the Blogger's Block) only with the sincere intentions of doing another season of them in a short while, I guess the decision dissolved a jinx or two.

1. I am finally able to get back to the blog.

2. I finally, FINALLY (Yayy!!) finished my most meticulous painting till date. Something that had been in the making for almost 2 years now.

I started this painting in the beginning of 2014, when I was picking up my brushes and paint again after a while. Whenever I sat down for it, it always felt like I had completed a sizable amount of work. However, whenever I looked at it after I called it a day, there was always so much left to be done! That I was picking up painting after a big enough break made me nervous and scared that I might spoil it. For a year and half, the girls were faceless, only because I could not pull myself together to add their features.

Finally last week, when it got too boring and exasperating for me to see this unfinished business of mine for so long now, I started again, albeit in bits and pieces. But this 'bits and pieces' part was intentional. It helped me take a look from a distance and get the improvements in place before it was too long.

This is how my baby turned out:

It is a 12" by 16", acrylics on canvas, titled: "Banter".

Working with and on my Sita and Gita for such a long time now, I feel they are family. :)

What I like best about this is that whenever I look at it, I can almost smell 'Mharo Rajasthan' sitting here in Hyderabad. Tells me, that Art was, is and shall always be a unifier.

That, for me is an artist's high!

And getting back to my dearest blog, this for me is my Blogger's High...!!!

Photo Fable 8: Love Knows No Anger...!!!

As promised in the last post, here is another episode from the Punter-Niki Love Story. But it comes with a highlight. Unlike all other posts of the Photo Fables feature, this post has three pictures instead of one. Needless to say, this was a prerequisite.

Days before Punt shared the 'Cake pic' with me, he shared another set of pics which spelt havoc.

Pillows torn apart and their innards strewn all over the floor. Some pillows which luckily survived were peeping out of their covers in excruciating pain, begging for help. A closer look at the two pics Punt shared revealed that disaster had struck in two different rooms with similar looming intensity. Being a man of few words, Punt lined these photos that he shared with, "Look what I came home to just now!"

Check out what the scene was for yourself:

The only silver lining being that before further mess, he was home from office. So, only the damage that was done, was done.

Now, being the cleanliness-and-organized-freak myself, I could only imagine what I would have felt or done in that case. In the first pic, the way you see Punt pretty much tells the whole story. I asked him what happened and he told me that it had been snowing for the last many days. So nobody could take Niki out for a walk. Since she was home all day, with no one to pay her any attention, she was probably feeling "too bored" and this is what she did to entertain herself!

"Bored". Really?! No, I mean, Seriously, Really??!! 

I was in a daze wondering how my friend would be feeling coming home to this mess, and that too when he is still a bachelor (If he had a wife, probably she would have helped him clean up, or fixed him something to eat while he cleaned up, was what I was thinking). I thought he would be hungry and tired after calling it a day in office, and instead of feeding himself, here he had to fix up the room first and all this while keeping Niki "sufficiently entertained" so that she does not stage such innocent yet supposed threat-inciting behavior again.

While I was reeling in this self induced moronic stupor, pinch-zooming over and over the above pics and having all these strange thoughts in my head, Punt send me another message that was quick and potent enough to put my assumed efficiency to shame. 

He had vacuum cleaned the mess, put everything in order and placed Niki again on her throne before clicking this new pic and sharing with me.

Take a look for yourself:

Punt taught me an amazing lesson that day. While I had wasted precious minutes of my life, never to get them back, going haywire about what I would have done in this situation,  here was my dear friend who was so conscious and acceptable of his pet's behavior. And so much loving that he 'let go' and did what he was supposed to do.

This, is the power of "Patience", that comes from the power of "Love", that comes from the power of "Unconditional Acceptance".

Amigo, may your tribe increase...!!!

Photo Fable 7: Introducing Niki...!!!

Theme: 
Introducing Niki

Characters: 
1. Niki

2. Punter - A very dear friend of mine, and The One who along with his roommates adopted Niki.

3. Gabbar, Baks - Two of my Awesome Friends whom Punter shares with me. All three of these are located miles away in some other corner of the world, but I'm glad to say, our friendship survived the test of time.

4. Rio - Baks' and Gabbar's pet.

Story:
When I first did a post on Rio (http://meghnasays.blogspot.in/2014/12/remember-december-9-with-rio.html) I immediately got a message from my otherwise laconic-or-maybe-simply-lazy friend Punt which said, "I am so not talking to you!"

Well, he was partially justified in saying so. Punter and his roommates had adopted Niki before my friends Gabbar and Baks got their first pet Rio. So ideally, I should have done a post on Niki first. (Feeling lost? All the loose ends will come together if you can spare just a few minutes to know more about Gabbar, Baks and Rio by clicking Here). 

But I have said, "partially justified". So in my defence, all that Punter ever shared with me about Niki was her pics, despite the numerous questions I asked him. Some people just excel at the art of dodging questions, and that leaves you all the more lost. This world can learn a lot from such people. All that Punt told me was, "Someday, I will."

But when Gabs and Baks shared Rio's pics and I asked them all the questions flooding my mind, they happily obliged. What's more, they were happy to tell the stories, reveal Rio's eccentricities and share even more pics. So very soon, a beautiful story emerged out of all this data and that was when Punt decided he didn't want to talk to me.

But he did, giving the same answers again. What was new this time, was that Niki's pics that he now shared were more telling. 

And it was this pic of Niki that made me start the whole "Photo Fables" feature.
Take a look:

Niki had turned 2 and Punt baked this cake himself.

Niki is Punt's sweetheart and I have sensed him taking utmost care of her and loving her unconditionally. I really wish I could someday see all this love unfolding right before my eyes.

There is a lot the four-legged creatures of this species could teach humankind. In fact, they have been 'leading by example' since the beginning of time - with their loyalty, friendship and love.

If only we humans were ready to learn...!!!

(** This post says 'Introducing Niki' and this implies that very soon there is going to come another telling tale of this beautiful relationship between Punt and Niki. So, stay tuned everyone.** :) )

Photo Fable 6: Omnipotent Omnipresence...!!!

" I am above, I am below

I know you inside out, I know You so

Both 'Good' and 'Evil' have their place to be

Only You can decide where You want to be

Whatever Your choice is what Thou shall reap

My eyes can see places in You deep

Doesn't matter however long goes on Your facade spree

What that is You give, Will come back to Thee 

For You can fool the world

But You cannot fool either You or Me "

The pic below as was shared by Himanshu, resonated the same spirit of the words above. 
Take a look for yourself:

And here, there is just one thing I would like to mention - Honesty breeds Courage.

When we are true to ourselves, there is nothing that can scare us. Transparency feeds in us the courage to stand by ourselves and that courage shows and glows. 

 Taking responsibility for our actions helps us face the consequences, even if our actions led to a mistake. When we own our act, we have the courage to accept that we went wrong, we have the courage to apologize and this ingrains the lesson so well in us that the mistake is never repeated. 

THAT, I think, is the real deal called Life, isn't it!

May Ganesha give this strength to all at all times...!!!

Photo Fable 5: Rad Radical Reality...!!!

We have all known our National Monuments since our school days. And we are all proud of them. We all also know the 'real' state they are in, which is pretty contrary to their images that we see in print and digital media. And we also know the amount of effort and care that should be invested in keeping them as glorious as they are meant to be.

With me and the city of Hyderabad, it was love at first sight. And that love is here to stay. It is a city that has a mood and pace of its own, uninfluenced and unparalleled. 

The Charminar is a landmark monument of this city, equally famous as its Biryani. It was constructed in 1591 by Mohammed Quli Qutab Shah to mark the end of plague in Hyderabad city. The Charminar is a massive, impressive structure with four imposing minarets, each 180 ft high above the ground and facing the four main directions. A small mosque adorns the top floor of the Charminar and that is considered to be the oldest surviving mosque of this city of Nawabs. 

The Charminar is a global icon of Hyderabad and is listed amongst the most recognized structures of India. 

This spectacular structure rooted at its spot has seen so many generations of people and has witnessed Hyderabad morph from its Nizam days into Cyberabad as is more commonly known today. The junction where it is located is one of the busiest and most crowded point in the city.

When I saw it, I wondered, what would it be thinking. If it could speak, what would it tell to the swarms of people who pass by it each day and to tourists who come to see it from all over  the world. Would it sound happy and cheerful, like a song? Would it be sad and complaining like some of the people of older generations who do not understand why all of us now are running some random rat race, why is everyone so impatient and why does everyone honk so much? Or would it be a storyteller so good, that the anecdotes it tells would bring tears of laughter in our eyes? 

This pic below that was shared by good friend Himanshu conveys something like this, and may be something much more...

Take a look:

Isn't this the Rad Radical Reality...!!!

Photo Fable 4: Serenity In Stones...!!!

After a break that became a little longer than was expected, here is the Story-in-a-Photo number 4. This one would come in the category 'Nature'. And without a speck of uncertainty, nothing in this world is more beautiful than our Mother Nature.

This pic was taken by a dear friend Sidharth, during his trip to the breathtakingly beautiful Ladakh. This is the Pangong Lake and here, tourists and visitors build these stone structures with some wishes in their heart. 

'The most amazing thing', Sidharth said, 'is that even in those strong winds up there, these stones manage to stand still.' THAT, I guess is the power of belief. Undoubtedly, true belief can stand any test of time and tide. 

This is the place where our wishes become  measurable to some extent. Bigger the wish, bigger the stone structure people create. Humankind keeps wishing more and more, always, and on any other occasion, this might sound slightly detestable. But this pic makes you want to wish more: More love for humanity, more peace for Planet Earth and more harmony in the Universe.

"Yes! And that is why this is my favorite pic of the lot. It has been my desktop wallpaper ever since I first took it" beamed Sidharth. 

As for me, this pic made me break the rule for a bit, about using as less words as possible for the Photo Fable series. So many words have spilled out of my fingers as fluidly as the lake itself.  No wonder this proves that I am experiencing the highest order of serenity right now...!!!

Here's the pic:

Keep wishing, Everyone...!!!

Photo Fable 3: Hashtag Bachpan...!!!

"...give me some sunshine 
give me some rain...
give me another chance, 
I wanna grow up once again..."

The third candid, adorable and absolutely lovable Fable-In-A-Photo was shared by a dear friend Himanshu, who was so excited to learn about this photo-feature on the blog, he sent like a 100 entries! I really have no idea how deep he had to dig to dish this one out, but this pic takes all the cake! 

O' Childhood... Come back pleese...!!!