BEAT THE HEAT- a sneak preview of our future

Normally I sleep very light, I wake up to the slightest of sounds, but the mind is strange, I am used to the ceiling fan noise and I sleep very well in the trains with deafening railway track noise.

But the soundest afternoon nap I ever had was under such a roof, my friend had to kick me to wake me up.
This year everybody is complaining. Heat is too much to bear even in the colder countries.
We are all still sleeping
Don't know when we will wake up.

Here the lady is making her own roof out of a coconut branch, Its not very complicated as you can see.
This is our future.

Ends up here like the picture below. A weather beaten roof. Cool inside, you don't need a fan or air conditioner even at the peak of summer.

Cool ? No we don't need that, not very good, There will be no water to make it anyway. All the rivers would have gone dry by then, most of the rivers in South India have gone dry already.

Urban planners like Sonal Sundari can make them look more elegant and attractive with some fashionable designs, Cheap, energy saving, made with material locally available.

Here the walls are made out of bamboo strips, They can be made leak proof.

This is Rajasthan, these mud walls are incredibly cool. But these houses are a bit dark inside, Sonal Sundari will think of something to make the interior bright. Here the lady is applying a fresh coat of mud. The floor is usually coated with cow dung, Don't say EEEEKS. It doesn't allow insects and mosquitos inside, believe me, it doesn't smell of cow dung at all. Imagine long queues to buy cow dung, Cow dung rates going high in stock market.
Cow dung is used as fuel for cooking and heating the interiors during winters.
Invest in cow dung, this is our future.

Ah! Sweet Sindu will have a ball on such walls She'll go wild, She's a terrific artist. Each member of your family can have their own huts and they can use their own imagination to decorate the walls.

My dream recording studio will have mud walls, A small concert hall with such mud walls will give very good sound effect without amplifiers.

Well ! they are happy, We'll be happy too, We'll learn to live, as there will be no other options available to us.

These are very well insulated as Rajasthan expereinces severe winters.

Dried grass is the roofing material used here. This seems to be our future, and Here is our future mode of transport.
Who is wise ?

Blunt Knife
Photography and Travel blog

FOR ONE SQARE MEAL

To ward off the evil, her mother has put a black mark on her cheek, smudged with sweat in the sweltring heat of Chengleput.
She's wearing a nose ring, ear rings, cheap plastic bangles on her wrist, very cheap jazzy nylon dress utterly unsuited for south Indian summer.
She's wearing flowers in her hair,
ah ! she's wearing anklets too !!
How sweet !!
She is smart, looks very intelligent.
So full of life, she has ambitions, she has dreams,
She wants to live

What struck me first was the innocense on her face when I brought my camera to my eye. I was stunned.
Took pictures from a distance without distracting her.
My mind was racing. What does she know ?
Ask her about freedom of press, freedom of expression I have been screaming about in last couple of posts ??
All she wants is one square meal.
God help me please

She doesn't know about the war, destruction, torture, killing
This is her world
The road
She has no home no roof, they live on the roads, sleep on the pavements, harassed by corrupt cops, perhaps get raped too.
No protection, absolutely defenseless

She hasn't touched a keyboard in her life, no internet, no TV, no electricity, perhaps watches movies in cheap theatres. She has no car, no airconditioner, no inter continental travel, just watches planes flying with a childs amazement, perhaps she has hopes to sit in a plane and fly one day.

She has dreams to have good things in life. She does not pollute nor has she ever contributed to the damage of her environment, yet she is going to die for our sins, She would be the first casuality of the global warming. for no falut of hers. People who live on the streets would be affected first. The predictd ten degree rise in temprature in the next few decades is likely to kill most of the delicate living organisms.

she is not begging.
she is performing for her next meal.
She wants to live
if we let her.
Blunt Knife

FREEDOM

I thank all my readers for extending support when my world went dark for a short period. I thank all those who expressed concern over India slapping a ban on blogging. Your voice is heard where ever you are, from any part of the world.
The ban was lifted last night
India has always been a free country, there is more freedom here than anywhere else in the world, more freedom, perhaps too much freedom
That is our problem
Too much freedom.

This picture tells you the story. I always use this picture to show our living condition. The boat is barely a few inches above the surface of water. Tightly packed, one more person would sink the boat. It can't take any more. You have Hindus Muslims, Buddhists Sikhs Christians in there
There is hardly any elbow room,
but there's a world of room in their hearts. they live in harmony all the time
But sometimes things go wrong.

In such a fragile country we have to use our freedom with extreme caution.
How much freedom should be allowed ?
Our constitution guarentees all kinds of freedom
how are we using it ?
If two persons insult each other and start exchanging blows, the boat would sink
They all have the freedom to express themselves.
Slightest irresponsible act would damage the peaceful atmosphere, hundreds of innocent lives are lost as a result, in riots and communal and political clashes.
I don't blame the government for slapping the ban,
We are pretty reckless with our freedom
Blunt Knife

I AM IN A CAGE - NO MORE FREEDOM

Dear readers,
I will not be able to blog for some time as my country has slapped a blanket ban on the blog sites. All Internet service providers are instructed to block a long list of sites and blogspot is one of them.
Reason ?
I do not know

There are merits and demerits of the internet but the merits far outweigh the demerits. Unfortunately this happens in the largest democracy in the world and an IT super power.

I am able to receive your comments by mail but will not be able to respond to them and I am not able to visit your blogs and comment as the access is denied to all.
I am sorry for myself and I am sorry for my country.
Thank you Aamir for the information
Love you all
Rauf

Blunt Knife

WILDPIC

This is a picture of scorpion taken by Suresh.
Good news is Suresh has started blogging again after a long gap.

Suresh got married to lovely, beautiful Malini a couple of months back
Some good news and some sad news. I am actually coming up with this post without seeking his permission, wants to keep his personal life away from blogging. He was quite busy last couple of months.
Sad news is Suresh's dear mother passed away last month.

Now WILDPIC is back in action, he may not blog as often as a pile of responsibilities have fallen on his shoulders. Please click here or on the title for Suresh's blog, you'd love it.
Blunt Knife

SWEET SWEET MAN SHE IS

Your birthday took me out my gloom today Sweet gorgeous BOO !
HAPPY BIRTHDAYEEE
Be a good girl
Keep smiling
not just today but always
No worries she always smiles
she smiles to the bricks and she smiles to rocks
she smiles to the goats she smiles to the cats.
This man is sweeet, This man is gorgeous
but today this man is very far away
all my love Sweetie
huggs and huggs

Blunt knife

BORN AGAIN CROCODILES ? REVISED

Not in a right frame of mind, I'll post Indian farming tomorrow, all I can think of is a crocodile today. A crocodile is a crocodile, behaves like a crocodile. I know who they are and stay away from them. You don't find a Saint Crocodile or a Swami crocodile. You'll find only normal crocodiles. And they all are truly enlightened crocodiles.

Click Here for more crocodiles
Blunt Knife
Travel & Photography Blog

WHAT CAUSE ?

It is sad that this post comes immediately after my last post 'LOVE'
Those who are responsible for the bomb blast in Bombay and such terrorists all over the world are religious people with some cause. Perhaps they read in their holy scriptures every day that it is God who has the right to give or take away life.
God or no God
Is any cause worth a human life ?
Believe me they have no right to call themselves humans. I would not call them animals as they don't deserve a place in the beautiful world of animals as well.
Blunt Knife

LOVE

You have seen birds expressing anger and fighting a couple of posts below, They express their love and affection too. Its such a beautiful feeling to watch them loving each other.

I tell you you would be moved to tears to see their love, I sometimes forget to take pictures, just stand there and watch. Its a rare feeling which I can't express.

Hey look at that ! WHOAA!!
its time to learn for some.

Love is a feeling any heart can generate.
Love is giving Love is caring.
Love is a never ending flow of joy when you share.
No emptiness. Your heart is always full.

They too get pretty excited, they express joy, they sit and wonder, Life is so beautiful. They don't know of any heaven or paradise, this is it. Life is here,
love is here. This is their heaven.

Ah ! the mating season, yes they have mating season, don't know why humans don't have any mating season. We'll have mating holidays mating vaccation, you find a message on the door gone to kodaikanal gone to switzerland on a mating holiday.

They are happy to watch others express their love, see how excited they are. No one teaches them how to love, They just know it, We know it, We don't learn.

This is the mating of white Ibis. they make a lot of noise, vigorous flapping of wings, nothing else exists for them.

He is not eating it himself, This river Tern is bringing food from a distance for his loved ones. Love is to help others survive.

Please take a closer look at the above picture, you see so much love here. please click on the pictures for full screen view. How wonderful it is to love each other.

then comes mating. The loving couple is open bill stork. They only know how to love and survive. Life is only THAT. We have made our lives so complicated.

Hellow !! May I have your attention please ?
I am watching football on the giant screen don't disturb me.
What ?
What do you want ?
I am here dear.

Oh sorry sorry
I've been waiting here for so long

Ok ummmmmmmmma ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmma
muuwwah muuuuwaaaaah

You never pay any attention to me
i was watching football dear

Can I get back to football now ?
All males are like that..... I am fed up !!

This chap has amazed me, It seems he just disappears when I am not around, loves to sleep on my bed.

Demads my attention always, tries to catch my fingers while I am typing. Watches me till i go to sleep, nibbles my toes, doesn't bite but makes me say ouch! , wakes me up by placing his fore legs on my chest.
Its such a great feeling to be loved, I am broke all the time absolutely no savings, but i feel so rich. Love is a never ending never drying source of wealth.

Blunt Knife