Sunday, August 06, 2006

The meaning of life???????

Ever wondered about what life means? I used to do the same, until one day, during a birdwatching trip, to a sleepy village near Maddur in Karnataka, I lay on the bund of the tank, at night and watched the night sky. It was a clear moonless night and the Milky way was spread out in all its splendor above me. It was then that I realised that we humans are so pathetically little and inconsequential that in the reality of things, we do not matter at all. We are a part of the solar system, which revolves around the sun, and there are approximately 200 billion stars like the sun in the milky way. And the number of galaxies like the milky way itself are countless. The nearest galaxy (other than two satellites of the Milky Way), Andromeda, is almost 3 million light years away..... This means that there can be unlimited such solar (??) systems and we are so little in the cosmic scheme of things. So why are we wasting our time fighting on inconsequential things... Can't we live and enjoy this piece of time we have got called life? Am attaching a small poem

"Daffodils" (1804)

I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

Why can't we all be like those little daffodils, with big enough dil(s) to forgive, forget and generally enjoy life. Do you realise that these small flowers, that live for only a short while bring so much joy to everyone. Why can we not make it a motto of our lives to at least bring a smile to one face everyday??????????

Sunday, June 25, 2006

A family of elephantine proportions......

One of the most impressive land animals, the Asian elephant is increasingly marginalised by growing populations and in large areas of Karnataka and Kerala, the natural habitats of the elephants are fast eroding and scenes like this are fairly common.

Nagarhole - Elephant 1

This is a family of three elephants

Nagarhole - Elephant 2

seen in Nagarhole National Park at Karnataka

Nagarhole - Elephant 3

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health

The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health is located at the small town of Velankanni in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India. The Roman Catholic Basilica is devoted to Our Lady of Good Health.

P1101984

Devotion to Our Lady of Good Health of Velankanni can be traced to the mid-16th century and is attributed to three miracles at different sites around where the Basilica currently stands. The Shrine of Our Lady of Vailankanni, also known as the "Lourdes of the East," is one of the most frequented religious sites in India.

P1101985