Cauldron of petals...

Saw this welcoming sight at the entrance to one of the best places to shop for saress in Chennai, Tulasi Silks. So simple and elegant and effortlessly manages to liven up the place, click on the image for a larger view.

Beauty is everywhere a welcome guest. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Applying Mehendi...

These were taken in Delhi, while I visited a local market... 

Deftly weaving intricate patterns... 

The finished work... (Click images for a larger view.)

The lingering patterns...

Pretty neat, huh?

To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour.  ~ William Blake

A few of my favourite things...

Hot chocolate fudge is what I more often than not tend to order in every ice cream place I visit... this picture was taken bout a year back in Delhi, after visiting a crowded local market where mehendiwalas occupy one side of the road waiting to weave these intricate patterns for a surprisingly nominal fee.

Pay attention to the intricate patterns of your existence. ~Doug Dillon

Contemplating in the shade...

Taking some respite from the relentless sun... a daily laborer in a contemplative stance. I hope his life is good, he is old but quite fit...


Old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read...
~ Francis Bacon

Gentle Giant...

This beautiful fellow crossed my house early one morning... I do hope his mahout is a nice person and that this gentle giant is having a peaceful life. Click on the picture for a larger view.

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.
~ Anatole France

Smokey

Found this little fella outside on my terrace... one cold January morning.

If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies. 

Harvest Festival...

So Pongal the Harvest Festival is in full swing here and the roads are colorfully decorated with kolam patterns. 

Here is another one...

And another one... Happy Pongal, Folks!

One Step at a Time...

Saw this at the Oxford book store, a quaint little book store with a neat hangout place, where one can browse through some great looking coffee table books while sipping on cappuccino  or eating a delicious sandwich or just getting lost in an awesome piece of chocolate cake. (click on the picture for a larger view)

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
~ Lao Tzu

A poem on a plaque...

So I saw this memorial plaque at the St. George's Cathedral.... the little poem on it made me stop in my tracks. Click on the picture for a larger view.

You can find a chisel, I can find a stone. Folks will be reading these words long after we are gone...
~ George Strait (from his song Write This Down)