This is my sweet friend Nandini lighting the deepams.
Ah ! Hope my American friends enjoyed the Thanksgiving dinners.
Its been a while i know, i am sorry.
Normally i inform before i go somewhere.
No excuses, i was plain lazy.
Very very thoughtless of me.
i am sorry.
i have replied to all my blog friends who were so kind to know about my welfare
i am sorry if i have missed replying to any friend
i was away for sometime
No No, i was not in Jail.
Weddings festivals and weddings again.
Then some work, lot of work, and i was reading a very interesting book.
Ah here is sweet viji, preparing for the Deepavali puja.
Wedding invitations are not plain invitations, like
please come for my wedding, or please come for my daughter's wedding
In my case its different
I'll break your legs if you don't come.
you don't get angry, you just give a hug and a kiss and say
yes sweet i be there.
This is lovely Sadhana. she is a very good singer. still in school.
Its such a delight to watch and photograph festivals of India, they are so colourful, what ever be the significance. We have so many festivals and countless holidays. You would wonder when do these people work ?
Holiday or no holiday, i don't work
i just love to watch people enjoying. children wearing colourful clothes. Exchanging sweets and other goodies, oh ! lots of them, lots, they vary from state to state.
Diwali is what ? Triumph of good over evil ? Don't know what, please check on the net.
But what ever it is, its fun. i love to participate without knowing what i am doing. friends invite me and i go join dem and have fun and eat and eat and eat.
Oh ! She is every one's favourite, she is adddorable Viraj, always smiling, she's a joy ! I love taking her pictures. Here she is lighting deepam, or Kothu vilakku as we call in the south for the Diwali puja. Quite elaborate it is.
Then comes the fun of firing crackers and other fireworks.
This is Pranav, very loving, very active, soul of the party or the festival.
My friend Balaji helping the children to light up 108 deepams, i do not know the significance of the number 108.
Oh i know what's wrong with me.
Its the lethargy after the festivals and too much eating and eating and eating.
Sadhana and Sarah.
Thank you Mani Balaji, Viji Nandini, Nandita PL, Lacchu, Kalpana, Dhiren, Jaanvi, moms and dads and all the children for all the love i received from you. i had wonderful time. i loved it.
all my love
77 comments:
The photos were worth waiting for Rauf as always so full of colour and happy people.
So many candles to light, the heat they must put out would send me to sleep, especially if i had been eating, eating and eating too!
Glad all is well with you x
Hi dear RAUF,
Happy thanksgiving my dear , you are just going out of Diali partie and now into Thanksgiving, great photograpy you made here!!!
I just returned from PAris!
Look/listen to/at my Paris and Holland slides :)Have a wonderfull weekend:)
JoAnn:)
ha!i enjoyed dipavali.....can't celebrate karthikai because some distant relative passed away day before eysterday....
the importance of 108 is-
it is believed that the distance between earth and the sun is 108 times the radius of the sun and similarly the distance between earth and moon 108 times that of the moon....so it is just well you do it to the sun and the moon...
I love diwale candle ..so
tiny and beautiful
Nasra
I am quite upset and jealous, though I shouldn't be of my brother rauf. But I tried to take a photograph of our candlelit Thanksgiving dinner and it was nothing but blur. How did you take these photos with such low light without a tripod (I'm guessing)?
Viraj is captivating, I could watch her forever. And I want an outfit just like hers. The way she looks, and her personality that we can see just from these photos, what a sweet child. She makes me want to be a little girl again. Look out in about 10 years! She'll be a knock-out.
I loved seeing these Diwali images, rauf. And I'm glad to see you back in blogworld. You were missed.
The wait was worth it Rauf ji. The Diwali festival of lights.. it brightens everybody's face. :)
See my composition on Diwali, just posted.
Keep smiling and keep clicking.
magnifiques, toutes ces lumières !
hey Rauf
i was just abt beginning to wonder where you had wandered off to~~ :)
woww,,love the pics and so many lights.. we had karthigai festival yesterday n day before,was fun.. i always enjoy lighting all the velakkus, n putting em around the house..
:)
are u back in town?
Such beautifully timeless garments. I love to admire the Indian women here- their colors stand out and I can't help but stare!
Hi Rauf, the pictures are beautiful. Have send a link to Viji and Mani.
Niru
Thank you HER INDOORS That is the preperation of LAKSHMI PUJA, Lakshmi is the goddess of Prosperity, money money and money
Hope you are doing fine, a loving pat on our Gallant Mr. MILO
oh Yes JoANN I saw the wonderful slideshow.
We don't have Thanksgiving here, though most of our festivals are thanking something or the other, like Different Harvest festivals thanking mother nature for its mercy. ONAM in KERALA, PONGAL in Tamil Nadu
lots of love JOANN
VISHESH, thanks for the information. Never knew about it.
Yes i had lot of fun.
Heard crackers going off, guessed it was Kirthigai, came out of the house and saw Deepams lit on the doorsteps. But no rain, It is supposed to rain that day
Thank you NASRA
Dear Readers,
i have been very erratic and irregular in responding to comments and writing the posts, have lot of work on hand and reading a good book in between, i'll be with you in a few days
All my love
rauf
Dear Rauf,
You have magic in your pictures!!! Never knew my family was so good looking.Can't wait to see the rest of the photographs. Thanks a lot.
Love, Viji
What book are you reading?
RUTH, i never get technical when i take pictures, many factors are at work here in these pictures, most important of them is the love i have for my friends in Pollachi and the love i receive from them. My pictures are not technically perfect, absolutely no mind, i just pour my heart. Earlier the film posed restrictions on me, now after turning digital, i keep clicking to glory which i normally don't do with clients, but these are my friends not clients. so i pour my heart out.
oh CUCKOO JI, i have to apologise that i have not been able to visit blogs lately.
hope you had fun on Diwali.
oh ! your diwali post is lovely.
hope you are doing fine Cuckooji
oh thank you so much MARIE
oh i am sorry AAARTI, normally i inform my readers where i am going. i just diasppeared this time. Hope you enjoyed Diwali too. Yes me back in town Aaarti, will be here for another ten days. planning to go Karnataka after that, some forests.
SWEDEHART there are different ways of wearing a sari,
all are so elegant. You see Sadhana and Sarah with sparklers, Sadhana is wearing a half Sari, its called a DAWANI, Children and teenagers wear them, but soon going out of fashion. This used to be a school uniform too, but most of the schools have switched to north Indian Shalwaar Khamees.
SWEDEHART, i am talking about the last picture, Sadhana is wearing Shalwaar khamees lighting the deepams in the third picture.
Viji in the second picture is very elegant in any dress, jeans and t shirt too, she is wearing a sari in this picture. Viraj lighting the deepam in the 6th picture is wearing a blouse and a silk skirt, too young to wear a sari. But children love wearing mummy's saris and stand and admire themselves in front of the dressing table mirror, like mummys do.
oh Niru Hi !
what a surprise, sorry for late response, i was working on the pictures, half of them are ready, i'll mail a few to you. You Aditi and Mayur look so lovely, still more to work and print, i think it will take four more days. thank you so much Niru
my love to you Mayur and sweet Aditi
oh sweet Viji ! what a pleasant surprise, Half the pictures are ready, i am still working on the rest,
thank you so much for your love and affection viji
hope mom and dad are doing fine
my love to you, Mani, Pranav and Varun, he is making faces in all the pictures
SWEDEHART, its 'God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins, please check Dawkins on wikipedia.
oh yes, rauf, forgive me for going technical on you after such a loving, warm post. It was a response of disbelief when I saw the clarity in that light. But far more important was the beauty of your friends in that light.
There is never a doubt that your love of people is what drives you, here on your blog, and always.
I came, I saw, and I was captured.
So didnt comment.. :)
I loved all the pictures, the soft lights, the colors, the old houses, the people, and the children most of all. I so miss that, I cant wait to show my children all this.
Yes, you are terribly missed.
I put a hold on it at the library- looks interesting.
Everybody smiles in your photo's. I know those who are posing will automatically smile but everybody does. Even with the 'sudden' photo's when they aren't entirely ready for it.
You make 'em smile I think. It's the way you are.
Your blog your convenience. Every day would be great but we look forward to the next one whether it be a day or a month or a year.
(Next year's still a possibility. Keepin' me fingers crossed)
I love the pictures with all the candlelight! And the ones with the kids and sparklers- they look so happy. Hope you're having a good weekend!
oh RUTH, you don't have to apologise, i was explaining why my pictures are not techically perfect. When you visit India, i would love to take you to Pollachi to meet my friends. It is very close to Topslip forest where i trek frequently.
MYSTIC ROSE, How was your Diwali caleberation this year, hope you enjoyed it with husband and children. is there any restriction of firing crackers in the US ? Here in India people are getting more sensible, they are spending less and less on fireworks every year, no crackers were fired by these children in Pollachi.
SWEDEHART, i am still reading it in between work. The book is scientific and very technical, at times annoying. i don't believe in God but on many issues i don't agree with the author, there are many issues which are beyond the understanding of science. i'll write a post on it. Nothing to do with the book nor inspired by it.
FOUR DINNERS, oh yes, people are my favourite subject. i love taking portraits, and the joy is added when i am taking pictures of my favourite people, my friends here in these pictures, their response was heart warming.
i enjoyed it immensely.
i have traveled only within India and i faced any problem taking pictures on the streets or on the trains. When you visit India Four Dinners, i'll take you around.
And next year is just one month away. September to March is the right time, lots of festivals, cultural activities all over India.
Thank you CINDY, please keep yourself warm and cozy. Hope you enjoyed the weekend.
Rauf, these are wonderful!!! I so enjoyed looking at them. So you are forgiving for going away and leaving us high and dry ..hahaha.
Now off to see what else you have posted. Missed you and your photos!
sandy
Hello Rauf, I missed you. The festivals look so enjoyable and seeing the people with smiles on thier faces made me feel happy inside. Thank you. (((Hugs)))
Hi SANDY, Thank you, yes i have been away for quite a while, and work was waiting, still haven't quite finished yet. i have to come back to the realities of the world as i realise that i need money to live in a world of my own, to travel, to spend time with the tribals of the forests, birds and animals.
These are the pictures of my friends in Pollachi, south of Chennai where i live, they invited me to join the celeberation of Diwali festivities. i was overwhelmed with their love and care.
The migratory birds would start to arrive by the second week of December, there was a delay last year, hope this year they arrive on time, this confusion is the result of global warming Sandy.
The birds suffer a lot.
oh i missed you too KATHY,.
Hope you are feeling fine now.
i really had a wonderful diwali, enjoyed the company of my friends in Pollachi, had a fabulous time with them, lots of love, lots of goodies, such a wide variety of exotic food in India.
Please give my love to Richard and Marcey, hope they are fine too, an affectioante pat on Bubba
Hello Rauf,
I have to confess I have not visited for a bit. Forgive me. I love your photos as usual. The firework ones are spectacular. I must learn a bit more of Hindu celebrations. I know a bit about Buddhists.
Does the name Sadhana mean something religious?
Love and hugs,
Lorenzo.
dear rauf, I hope your work is going well. I would love to meet your Pollachi friends and go to Topslip. I just love the word "topslip." TOPSLIP, topslip. toppaslippa. topsalippa.
This is where the "no intelligence required to post comments" comes in handy. Thanks for that.
A feast for the eyes as usual. I would love to see it all in person some day, but will have to wait until the next time around. India has alwalys fascinated me. Years ago, I had a friend from Goa. Unfortunately we moved away and I lost contact.
Thank you for these glimpses into another world.
...Z
A feast for the eyes as usual. I would love to see it all in person some day, but will have to wait until the next time around. India has alwalys fascinated me. Years ago, I had a friend from Goa. Unfortunately we moved away and I lost contact.
Thank you for these glimpses into another world.
...Z
How time goes so fast ...a speed of light ....yes its been long time ...Im sure you had forgotten all about me
I hope you are well ...loved your photos here alife ..
I couldn't wait for "God Delusion" to get off hold, so I started reading "River Out of Eden," which I am enjoying immensely. I earned an Associates in Molecular Biology in 1996, and it is surprising that this book was published in 2005 and articulates deeper into the mysteries of how stem cells work than we ever scratched the surface of in my studies. I love the poetic way he describes the intricacies of genetics.
Hmmm, that was supposed to say the book was published in 1995, not 2005... ingrained in habits.
Hi Dear RAUF,
I always come back to see if you posted some mor pic's , I love you blog so much! I watched also you 'green blog' and the other one, How are you doing my dear? Take care and enjoy life!!!
Come and look at my blog and see my alternative christmas decoration. Have a great weekend!
JoAnn greetings,
Hello Rauf Uncle!
How are you? Bahut dinon se gayab...
When is ur birthday next month?
take care
Bonjour, My friend Ashley is going to India this Friday and will be there for five months teaching music. I gave her your blog site and told her to connect with you if she gets a chance to travel. We set up a blog for her yesterday, but she hasn't posted anything yet: www.crashyogi.blogspot.com
wow!
amazing lights...
:)
what you say sir,, you click some amazing fotographs..
:)
Rauf, you are redeemed from your absence by posting such beautiful Diwali pictures.
Is Xmas coming your way too, or is that something you don't celebrate?
We've had (little) snow here. Come and have a look!
Rauf, you are redeemed from your absence by posting such beautiful Diwali pictures.
Is Xmas coming your way too, or is that something you don't celebrate?
We've had (little) snow here. Come and have a look!
Came to wish you Happy Eid..I hope you had lovely Eid
Thank you for your visiting and greetings. I wish to you and your family a HAPPY CHRISTMAS and a WONDERFUL NEW YEAR.
I always love seeing photos of where you live! It's been a real pleasure knowing you!
Very Dear Rauf,
Thank you for your comment. I feel just like you do about the human race BUT sometimes you meet someone who inspires you and you can see goodness.
I hate all the cruelty, the killing of whales, animals and the way the 'big boys' go to war on any pretext.
I won't get political or I might start offending someone!
Have a wonderful Christmas Season and I hope you have a really good New Year.
Love and Hugs,
Lorenzo. xx
Hi My deares friend RAUF!
You are such a sweetheart! Thanks for your comment on my dad's memory, I do not feel sad, he is happy, he was so uch in pain last years (cancer). I went with him to hospitals 3x weekly, while my house is 4 hours away from where he lived. I have done it with pleasure, He's worth it! So Now he is resting in peace, "dust to dust" YES! we return to where we came from, but didn't we came from heaven? So he went beack to heave, as we all go there after our lifes... Thanks my dear you are such an angle, so sweet is your reaction. Thanks! SMILE.:)
......
Today I posted a more Christmas-like post with a tree and some alternative Christmas decorations...
Merry Christmas to you and your family,
with love JoAnn from Holland
Hi LORENZO,
Thank you so much, Sadhana in my opinion is any particular dicipline. a way of attaining something, peace of mind or higher understanding. Should not be religious but mostly used in religious terms.
Actually it should mean 'going after'
preparing for examination following strict dicipline, taking care of your health so on.
love and hugs Lorenzo.
RUTH, toppa slippa sounds wonderful, sounds better than topslip. We'llgo there one day Ruth. From here i go on a trek through manampalli forest.
Hope you are doing fine
Thank you so much ZAREBA,
The main idea is celeberating special days, days that are different from others, when we think of others, think of meeting friends and relatives, gathering for a feast, We allot some significance to such days and make them special, like Thanksgiving or Christmas. life would be boring otherwise. Such days generate interest, we spend money, sometimes on charity. good for business too.
hope you are doing fine Zareba.
please stay warm.
oh no NASRA, i have not forgotten about you, how Can I ?
Had lot of work.
SWEDEHART, My friend from Malaysia is here in chennai with his friend who is paralysed waist down injured in a shootout, he is a policeman. he is here for treatment, the doctors are going to try inject stem cells into his spine. Hope one day such people will be able to walk.
I am still reading Dawkin's book,
Though i agree with him on the main issue of god, but i don't like his militant approach. watched some of his interviews on you tube, very intersting discussions.
Thank You JOANN, Hope you are enjoying your holidays with family, yes the decorations are wonderful. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
Hi PINGU BITIYA, Sorry for the delay in response, had some work. Yes its on January 8th
Hope you are doing fine bitiya
lots of love.
Thank you ABHISHEK.
oh no NATHALIE, Christmas is not for Christians alone. Everybody celeberates Christmas.
biggest joy is holidays for schools and colleges. And its time for Shopping. All the shopping Malls are decorated. Festive atmosphere everywhere. i am invited by a couple of friends for lunch and dinners, we recive goodies to eat from friends and neighbours. good fun.
Happy Holidays Nathalie.
Thank you NASRA Hope you had a wonderful Bakrid, None of my friends or their parents went for Haj Pilgrimage this year. Some went last year.
hope you are doing fine Nasra.
Thank you SONIA, its a pleasure knowing you too.
Diwali is one of the major festivals in India, Christmas is celeberated by non Christians too.
Merry Christmas Sonia !
oh dear LORENZO i am writing about humans in my next post too. Yes quite true when you are ispired by some one, this is exactly what i am writing in my post.
Thanks for the greetings Lorenzo.
Christmas is big here.
Merry Christmas ! enjoy the holidays Lorenzo.
love and hugs from India.
Dearest JOANN, You gave your best attention to your dad, sometimes death comes as a relief for the suffering.
Yes heaven is the place your dad went. He is in peace JoAnn. Its time for you to smile, now that your dad is happy in heaven.
lots of love JoAnn.
Wowwww is only what I can think of saying..Soooo many diyas making it truly festival of light..One of reasons I lovee diwali..Kiddo using his phuljarhi for cirle effect is such a nice pic..And the two gals look so innocently beautiful..What is the big pot kind of thing in ur first pic??
The pot is just for decoration i think SANGITA, Pranav is drawing a circle with phuljhadi.
Two lovely children at the end are Sadhana and Sarah.
amazing photos.. as always! :)
only this time.. u'r photos have helped me remember my granny!
she used to wake us all kids at 3am on the diwali day.. we used to sit( in height order [;)]) in a really long row.. what was most amazing about the whole thing was..when i say "kids".. it includes my parents.. their sis, bro, cousins.. etc.. granny used to apply the fresh, warm and the most refreshing coconut oil on all our heads.. the aroma of the oil used to be so hauting.. i ve no words.. bt nw when she s not around, diwali has become just another holiday! i really miss her!
once again.. gr8 pictures.. [:)]
thank you for your visit.. you have a wonderful space here.. love the colors of Indian Tradicions! have a wonderful 2008!
It sure is different there than it is here. My first look at your blog but you remind me a bit of a Buddhist or Hindu.
Doesn't matter, either one is as bat shit crazy as a Christian or Jew.
You make more comments on your own blog than I do on mine, LOL
2008 should be pretty interesting, don't you think?
Hi dear Rauf,
How are you doing my dear friend?
Just thinking of you, I showed some Lightballs for a good reason on my blog , you might like it?
Hug from JoAnn (Holland)
Wow such a great post and beautiful and eye catching diwali decoration and celebration pictures. Diwali diyas decoration pictures are really great and i have no word to describe that how beautiful that pictures.Diwali is a major festival of india and it is also known as festival of lights. All Indians are celebrated this festival with great joy.It is also true that Diwali remain incomplete without exchange of Diwali Gifts. But it is not possible for NRI People to meet relative and family on Diwali festival. So, they send online diwali gifts to india to their relative and loved one.
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