Us!!!

Quite a simple click with a simple tag and a very simple feel, yet something that is so deep rooted and extraordinary in ways of its own. I was at the Wagah Border when I had clicked this, wherein by the evening the place is filled with the locals, the tourists and other delegates who come to pay patronage to the evening parade, which is held daily. A very 'engulfingly' funny incident held my attention while I was there to witness the parade [I know that the chioce of words may seem rather peculiar but trust me, no other word(s) would have been apt courtesy the incident related to it].

Usually, commoners like us don't really know what is the code that should be maintained and what all procedure is to be followed by the army officials there, so an orator is usually there who guides us about the do not's while the ongoing parade and in doing so, he kept repeatedly saying one particular thing- Darshakon se nivedan hai ki ve apni jagah le le [the audience is requested to take their seats]. And not quite surprisingly, barring this one we chose to pay heed to all the other set of instructions given to us. It was quite a riot there with everyone having the most bizzare reasons for not settling down, for e.g. My height is too short or, Why should I setttle I have paid the money I'd rather be comfortable or, Ask him to be seated first, and the list would go on. But its actually such episodes which make us, Us!!! We are one set of weird people- Curious, slighly eccentric, stern at times, overtly sentimental, complacent, way too easy- going and at times too difficult to deal with as well, but at the end of the day weird.

And honestly, I love it. So much of discrepancies, so much hap hazardness, commotion practically everywhere but at the end of the day, a sense of unifromity still prevails. That's the reason why whenever I m reminded of this visit, I'd simply call it- 'engulfingly' funny....

Jahan Numa

Jama Masjid in entirity, the way it is!!! And from the description of my previous photograph one can only imagine my veneration for this place.

Jahan Numa or Masjid-i-Jahan Numa (persian for 'World reflecting Mosque') or what we all commonly know as Jama Masjid is the largest mosque in India. It was built in 1656 A.D. at a cost of around 10 million rupees then, commissioning around 5000 workers daily. The mosque rests at a high platform and can be reached by three different gates of which the east gateway is the largest. Crowned with three onion shaped domes the centre portion of the dome is around 201 ft. high and is flanked by 2 minarets each 130 ft. high. There is a marble tank right in the centre of the mosque where all can wash hands before offering the namaaz at the Masjid. Around 22,000 people can offer namaaz at a time at the Masjid. And quite honestly, its heavily crowded duirng Eid or for that matter even on all fridays.

To speak something about the photograph, personally I have an entire album of 38 photos of the Masjid but for this one particularly I had to wait for almost around 40 minutes to get this view. A lot of it because I was quite adamant in taking the photo of the pigoen flying from the dome and everytime I tried to click it the bird would deceive me until finally, when I was successful in clicking this one. purely luck!!!

Pak

Pak is basically an urdu word which in its literal sense means 'Pure'. And largely it also exemplifies the essence of the place itself. It is Jama Masjid actually and it was an absolute delight to be here. Despite several people visiting the Masjid almost everyday, despite both, the locals and the non-locals offering namaaz five times a day, the place beholds a sanctity of its own.
Personally, I've always dreamt of clicking something like that and being at the Masjid, I finally got my chance. All those who visit the Masjid are allowed to climb the Masjid tower and knowing that, well, I decided to take the plunge. So, while climbing those 200 flight of stairs I found this and got my moment. As far as the beauty of Jama Masjid goes, I m too small an entity to even speak anything about it. The place in itself speaks volumes about its beauty.

Monsoon

And with this picture, I complete my trilogy [of sorts]. I think by now one must have guessed that monsoon is my favourite season and I like everything associated with it.

Anyway, to talk about the picture, its a very simple one actually depicting a leaf and fungi wholly submerged in sewage water. Personally, it represents subtle and those hardly noticed impressions of monsoon. About that part of nature to which we barely pay attention but all of a sudden seem to take a life of its own during rains. Something so characteristic about the rains, and something that I've attempted to show here. Something about that genus of nature which we thought never existed until Monsoon.

Quenched

It was again that effluent scent just fresh after the first rains that got me into clicking this picture. Quenched here is a pretty self explanatory tag so probably I wouldn't go on to explain it. I would definitely not deny the stark similarity this picture has with the earlier one and the emotion behind them is also the same.

Those water droplets resting on the leaf made it look like a home coming of sorts for both, the droplets who found a home in the leaf and the leaf who finally finds solace in having them...

Thirst

A magic called- First Rains!!!

There is always something magical about them. Be it the smell of wet mud or the dampness in the leaves or just the overall moisture in the atmosphere, all of it- just so brilliant!!
In this picture as well I have treid to show the same freshness that the first rains' oozes- The drenched leaf now radiating which was once so dry and lifeless. It was getting its strength back, its thirst had finally been quenched, the wait was now over....