Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts

Monday, 30 June 2014

Colours of India - ever changing, ever constant

http://www.indiamike.com/india-images/pictures/blue-city Jodhpur, Rajasthan
Jodhpur, Rajasthan resplendent in blue.
Photo credit: indiamike.com
India!

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the name India?

People... lots of people, saris, COLOURS, yoga & spiritualism, Indian hospitality, food... these are some of the oft repeated phrases. And the list goes on... 

As cliched as it might sound, India is a land of many, many colours. In fact, the brighter, the better. It's in our lives everywhere - the flowers in this sun-drenched land, the food, the cities, the festivals... Heck! we even have a festival of colours! 


holi, india, festival, http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2012/07/20/the-radar-worlds-10-wildest-parties-roam-like-a-roman-local-cuba-in-pictures/
Holi celebrations - the festival of colours
Photo credit: nationalgeographic.com

No wonder then, our love of all things colourful is reflected in our clothes, our jewellery and even in our homes. 

I decided to look around and see how colour inspires and dominates our life in India. Here's a glimpse of what I found. 


Flowers of many hues sold outside a temple complex, Bangalore


Paper lanterns make an appearance just before Diwali, Mumbai


Multi-coloured flags at a local festival, Goa 


A Gulmohar tree with its fiery blooms, Bangalore


The brightest yellow taxis, Kolkata :)




The vividly coloured clothes make a splash against a blue-grey backdrop


A night market selling the blingiest creations, Ahmedabad


Colourful bundles of thread & wool in a local market, Nagaland


Fresh produce you'll find in any local market


Purple Bougainvillea thriving in India's warm climate

So, how inspired are you to add more colour to your life? :)

Saturday, 15 February 2014

How green is my valley

Continuing the posts on the trip to the North East, here's one more. 

I travelled with a friend in October 2013, after the rains had ended and the weather had turned milder and more accommodating. The roads too had opened up which were now motorable after the seasonal land and mudslides were cleared. 

We got to see clear blue skies and warm days, though the nights were chilly and we did need to wear woollies, even inside. During the day, the sun shone brightly, without a dark cloud in sight. Operative word being 'dark'; the clouds we could not escape for we were in the land of clouds, after all :).  

Everywhere around us, amongst the emerald green of forests and ferns, there were plenty of colours. All seemed to be thriving in the warmth after the cold, wet spell. Almost as if spring had arrived in October :)

Sometimes, photographs can express it better than words.

Emerald green paddy fields surrounded by greener forests 


The land of clouds where green is an alluring backdrop for brightly coloured flowers


A fern bank lining the roadside. If one ignored the 'modern' road, it could have been straight out of middle-earth (from Lord Of The Rings that is)

Wild flowers on the road side


Cheery yellow flowers lining village streets


A variety of colours in front of a traditional wooden home


More bright colours in the villages we visited

After the hustle and bustle of cities and the concrete jungles we've surrounded ourselves with, the colours were definitely a sight for sore eyes and the unpolluted atmosphere a balm for our bodies and minds.