75 - 29th - The dark lord

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 29th Feb'08

The age of darkness has finally arrived. The dark lord is all set to rule the world. The black shadow will cover the whole earth and finally the black forces will have their say. Welcome to the kingdom of the Dark Lord.

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74 - 28th - The lone surfer

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 28th Feb'08

Such small "dingy"s floating around deep into the sea waters is a common sight in this part of the world (Chennai to be specific). You go to any beach anywhere in Chennai & you can see numerous such boats venturing into deep sea hoping for a good catch. With no proper safety measures, even no proper boat to sail in, these fishermen spend their entire days searching for a bountiful of fish to earn their living.

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73 - 27th - Happy Birthday

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 27th Feb'08

Birthday is a day which comes once a year for each one us. We plan for the day, get loads of wishes from our loved ones, cherish the gifts we receive and mostly end the day partying with friends or family. This day signifies many things; we've grown a year older - we've consumed one more year from the total amount allotted to us - we've managed to live through another set of 365.4 days - and many other sundry thoughts.

I went through all these feelings and many more. After all, it was my birthday today.

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72 - 26th - The power equation

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 26th Feb'08

Man has created parallels for everything; giving up to his never ending needs. As I shot this from a moving train, I realized this "duality" for which even mother nature hasn't been spared. The photo in a sense reflects a contrast between two sources of power; first being the never-lasting reservoir of energy, the Sun & the second being the man-made electric power source. Both are co-existing in this world in perfect harmony.

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71 - 25th - Scenic Beauty

Originally clicked and uploaded by Pratosh Dwivedi - 25th Feb'08

Uncountable coconut trees, unfathomable greenery all around and never ending fields of banana plants; thats God's own country for you. I caught one such magical display of beauty by mother nature during my recent visit to Kerala. Its truly one of the most enchanting places to visit in south India.

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70 - 24th - The paddy "sowers"

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 24th Feb'08

This is the season of paddy sowing in Kerala. Rice being a staple food of the state, you can see it being grown in vast amounts all over the inner parts of Kerala. This is the apt time for planting the paddy seedlings since monsoons would be hitting the state anytime in the next 2-3 months.

We were cutting our way through the lush green city if "wayanad" in Kerala, when we came across these ladies sowing paddy in one of the nearby fields.

Here are some more shots worth seeing
Photo-1
Photo-2

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69 - 23rd - The silhouette

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 23rd Feb'08

Just after the evening sun had gone down and the night was about to take over the world in its cover of darkness, my camera was ready to capture this beatuiful silhouette visible at quite some distance from my balcony.

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68 - 22nd - Love birds

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 22nd Feb'08

Love they say is a perfect solvent for dissolving two cupid-struck souls. Two love-drenched hearts find peace and happiness in anything and everything they do. May god bless these two love birds with lifelong happiness and prosperity.

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67 - 21st - Compact Churches

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 21st Feb'08

Kerala is the only part of the country where I have seen this "compact" form of the Church. I can actually draw a parallel between these small churches in Kerala and the sporadically spread small temples all across Tamilnadu. At a distance of every 500 odd meters, you can find one of these dwarf churches standing as symbols of faith for the most widespread religion of the world. It is really amusing and fascinating at the same time to see such beautifully painted buildings scattered everywhere you go.

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66 - 20th - The road not taken

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 20th Feb'08

A long lonely road, penetrating deep inside the thick woods, vanishing into nowhere. I dont know what lies ahead, I have absolutely no idea where it will lead me to, I am not sure what I will come across once I start treading it; but still I decide to take it on and prepare myself for the pregnant future.

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65 - 19th - The Figs

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 19th Feb'08

On my way back from Kerala to Mysore, at one of the pit stops, I was just playing with my camera and taking some random shots when I got this one. The view of the small "neem-tree" figs against the blue illuminated backrgound of the clear sky made it worht being posted on the blog :)

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64 - 18th - The "highway" trees

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 18th Feb'08

I was racing away on the Mysore-Bangalore highway when i took this photograph from my speeding cab. The sun was just going to fade away and was giving a fabulous background lighting to the coconut trees standing tall at some distance. I clicked this one just in time to avoid the glare of the sun and get a nice looking shot.

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63 - 17th - The Grand Palace

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 17th Feb'08

Mysore palace is one of the main tourist attractions in the calm city of Mysore, Karnataka. At night you can just see it blazing away its grandeur & magnanimity. You can't help yourself from just standing there and admiring the beaty in pure awe.

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62 - 16th - Deep in thought

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 16th Feb'08

This is how I imagine myslef most of the times when I want to have a feel of heaven. A lonely place with no one around for miles, vast spreads of green grass, towering mountains and a peaceful place for me to just sit and admire the beauty around, floating away with my random thoughts at the same time.

So, when I saw my friend sitting exactly the same way, I couldnt stop myself from just capturing it all.

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61 - 15th - Distant horizon

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 15th Feb'08

The sun was already gone, the sky was all grey, slowly covering itself up with the dark blanket of night. These trees, obidiently standing in a straight queue were giving a pictursque view at the horizon. Standing at a lonely place at such a time during late evening & admiring mother nature at its best was nothing less than a silent melody

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60 - 14th - Love is in the air

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 14th Feb'08

14th Feb - Valentines day - celebration of a magic called "Love". I found this couple all huddled up under a small umbrella, apparently seeking shade from the blazing sun as well the staring eyes of people around, on a dry afternoon at one of the Chennai's beaches. Most of the markets were drenched in "Red" and lover couples could be seen everywhere hounouring "their" day and celebrating their feelings for their loved ones. Love certainly is something which brings eternal happiness to those who can really feel it.

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59 - 13th - Right in the middle

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 13th Feb'08

I saw this man standing right in the middle of a quite a big lake on my way to Mahabalipuram the other day. He was standing there very calmly, totally oblivious of his surroundings, busy hoping for a nice catch with his small fishing net. He seemed to be fixing the net to make a good catch during the day. Whatever he was doing, it really was a nice sight.

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58 - 12th - The small crabs

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 12th Feb'08

When the beach is empty and not many people are around, which is usually during the day or early morning, you can see hundreds of small crabs playing hide and seek in the moist sand just bordering the sea-waves. They dig up small holes and are very quick to hide in them once they sense anything or anyone approaching them.

Luckily, I managed to get a shot of one of those "little crabs" when it was just going to enter its burrow.

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57 - 11th - The bridge

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 11th Feb'08

I went for a loooong drive on ECR (East coast road) when I crossed the boating club on the way to Mahabalipuram. The bridge running over the shallow lake was giving a spectacular view of the small but a beautiful place where people flock in the evening to enjoy boating.

Though the bridge was narrow (2 laned) I managed to park my bike and take some shots. This is the best one I got.

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56 - 10th - Lonely abode

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 10th Feb'08

I went to the "Elliot's beach" today just to click some photos for the day when I saw this man enjoying the loneliness of the place and the vast stretch of water spread in front of his eyes. The weather was not very hot and the cool breeze hitting your face was making it quite comfortable to sit and enjoy the scenery. This man seemed to enjoy all of it.

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55 - 9th - Political extravaganza

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 9th Feb'08

In a city with several thousand people struggling to manage a meal twice a day, such a political extravaganza demonstrates the indifference in the ruling minds towards the tax money paid by the ruled. Streets lit up with endless strings of small glowing lights, huge lit-up effigies of local political big-shots, entire area decorated like a wedding celebration, big projectors set up for people to see what useless crap the leaders are shouting and hundred other completely unnecessary arrangements; just for the sake of this political mess.

Here are some more shots of the same
Photo-1
Photo-2

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54 - 8th - Partial greenery

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 8th Feb'08

I took this photograph with a black and white focus effect. It was a long green sheet of leaves covering the boundary wall of a house. I took the photograph laterally to fill the entire frame with the leaves and nothing else. The B/W focus effect did wonders to the entire look of the picture.

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53 - 7th - Lonely stretch

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 7th Feb'08

I was walking along to a nearby mall when i crossed this street. In a bust city like Chennai, it was surprising to find such a quiet and lonely stretch of road. Amongst all the heat & humidity the place gave quite a soothing feel.

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52 - 6th - A beautiful illusion

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 6th Feb'08

The beautiful image which you can see above is not of a river or of some sundry water body which adds to the topographical beauty of the city. Rather, it is a stinking drain running right through the heart of the city. Totally uncovered on almost its entire stretch, it eventually drops all the filth in the bay of Bengal.

I can't explain how tough it was for me to stand there and take this photograph :)

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51 - 5th - The memorial

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 5th Feb'08

This photo is of a newly built memorial situated on the long stretch of Marina beach. During the day it looks like just another building painted in white, but the real beauty comes out after dark once all the lights go up.

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50 - 4th - The Mall culture

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 4th Feb'08

The metropolitan city of Chennai is fast catching up with the "Mall fever" now spreading in almost every corner of the country. One of the latest addition to the posh hangouts in the city is the "Chennai city center". Revamped to be given a complete makeover last year, the place hosts a multi-screen theater Inox & boasts for the outlets of all major brands. Though the overall ambiance of the place is quite amazing, the narrow roads in the front, traffic jams and inadequate parking arrangements are some black spots which need to be taken care of.

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49 - 3rd - The "light" fair

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 3rd Feb'08

During one of my late night drives on the long stretch of road bordering Marina beach in Chennai, I came across this splendid scenery; a lighted up waterline, probably of some local fair. The reflection of green, yellow & red lights on the adjacent water body was something to just stand and admire.

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48 - 2nd - The lost world

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 2nd Feb'08

11PM, humid Chennai night, loneliness of Marina beach, cool breeze hitting your face, a dark sky filled with a million stars above and a vast stretch of unending "bay of Bengal" at the front; a perfect recipe for a peaceful hangout, away from the noise and pollution of the city, far from the never ending traffic and crowd.

Often, when I get tired of the fast pace of life, I come here to catch up with myself. It really is an experience which induces unmatched tranquility in your heart.

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47 - 1st - The street side exhibition

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 1st Feb'08

Connaught Palace in Delhi is a place full of big brand showrooms as well as small road-side shops. Both these variants provide an interesting mix of shopping options to the visitors. The road-side temporary installments serve some very colorful and eye-catching products like bags, dresses, mattresses etc. This man was the owner of one such small shop. Though I wasn't able to cover his whole spread of road-side extravaganza, i succeeded in capturing the essence of the concept.

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