http://mahakala.fotopages.com/ A good old company professional. Used to do a lot of photography in my youth. Disappeared from the hobby. Am back to it now. Love photographing people on the street, landscapes and buildings. Prefer black and white, though have done a lot of colour lately. Shall buy a Coolpix soon and, an F 6 after a year!! Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:02:36 GMT Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:02:36 GMT http://www.fotopages.com/images/rss_logo.gif http://shw.fotopages.com/ 40 60 I am sure you can guess what this is! http://mahakala.fotopages.com/?entry=1596776 Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT Here's one for all of you! I don't have a rose to give out, sadly! http://mahakala.fotopages.com/?entry=1570487 Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT This is one of my first attempts at macro photography. I have no clue why I call it Leaf On Niggle http://mahakala.fotopages.com/?entry=1549567 Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT Photo blogging is a funny thing. Sometimes, while archiving my old photos,like this one, I dig into the history of a place I have been to and photographed, and discover new things. Crawford Market was one of India's largest fruit and vegetable wholesale markets, until 1996, when the wholesaling activities were shifted out of the city of Bombay into New Bombay. Crawford Market was completed in 1869, and donated to Bombay City by a Parsi gentleman called Cowsaji Jehangir. It was named after the first municipal commissioner of Bombay, a British gentleman called Arthur Crawford. After we gained our Independence, it was officially renamed as the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule market, after a Maharashtrian social reformer. It goes to show sometimes, how nationalism can be completely misplaced. I did'nt even know, until 5 minutes ago that the market was officially called Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Market. I, along with most Indians, know this as Crawford Market. And, that's the way it will remain! False nationalism is stupid. We were ruled by the Mughals, the Brits etc. and their influence has woven itself into the culture of India. False nationalism attempts to deny our history. Politicians are so stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid... http://mahakala.fotopages.com/?entry=1527570 Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT Out of the depths of Hell rode the brave knight. Who knows what manner of Demon he fought there? Was is Morgoth or, was it Sauron or, was it the disciples of one of the two? All that we know is that he was true to his creed, and did not have the weakness of one named Beowulf. No, no, no. He fought for glory, and he fought to rid the world of the evil monsters that lurk in the Depths Of Hell! Not for him fame and riches, or the caress of a woman's arms. But, for him, the glory of the battle and, of a deed well done. So that, when is life is done, he can go to his Maker with a clear, clean conscience. And, for the Ideal of Him, do we weep today, amidst the struggles of our lives in this political arena. Gone, gone, gone are the days of chivalry and gallantry. And, for these we weep....... Before I go, I must add: I will not leave Fotopages. The community here is wonderful and warm. http://mahakala.fotopages.com/?entry=1499414 Sun, 06 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT This rock has been around for ages, yeah? It is therefore, the Rock of Ages! Ageless, timeless. Well, timeless insofar as we are concerned anyway! Yeah, well I now have an account with Flickr, which I have not really updated very much, and i have just started one with TypePad. I love Fotopages in terms of the community, you know. That's the best part. Lots of old friends. JP, "Gloomy Coughs", if you do move, give me your new account reference. This shot, by the way, was taken in Bangalore, India http://mahakala.fotopages.com/?entry=1481491 Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT I promised myself that I would not take such long gaps between entries. But, I broke my promise to myself. So, short on blah this time. What you will see here is the paintings on the walls, inside and outside of the buildings and houses in Mandawa. Nuff said, this time... http://mahakala.fotopages.com/?entry=1467067 Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT This will not be such a long trip, as the last one. For one, it took place over a weekend. My wife, a friend and I went to this place about 250 km north of Jaipur. The area is called Mandawa. The region is hostile. Very little grows there and, about 150 to 160 years ago, members from several families, made their way to Delhi ( about 400 km away ), got on boats and sailed on the Yamuna River, across the width of the country, to Calcutta. Once they reached Calcutta, which is situated on the Hooghly distributary, they alighted. There, along what is called the Strand today, they set up their business. They started as wholesalers, with the office below the living quarters. About forty years later, members of the family went back and set up these mansions made of limestone. And, had them painted inside out. Some of the paintings are classics. They then left them in the hands of caretakers, never to return. The caretakers live there today, and earn money by charging visitors entry fies. You can also buy "antique" furniture in Mandawa. Ha! Ha! The furniture is made, and buried in the limey ground for a month, to give it an antique feel! ;-) This region's history is not marked for the history of the kings, but it is known for the history of the merchants. The merchants today? Their businesses boomed and, their descendants are now members of the largest business houses in India - the Birlas, Ruias, Singhanias, to name just a few of them. These descendants are, today, setting up the Indian multi national companies that are slowly spreading across the world. http://mahakala.fotopages.com/?entry=1444276 Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT I'm back after what seems to be a very long time indeed. I was in Delhi most of December and, half of January. We bought an flat(apartment) in December and, my mom-in-law died in January. So, it has been quite a period in our lives. Since I don't like leaving a job undone, I thought that it would be appropriate to end the old trip with some shots that I took on the road from Jodhpur to Udaipur. The buildings are an old Jain temple. I forget the name. I think that I was too boozed out to find out at that time! Anyway, I shall post again soon. Different place in Rajasthan! http://mahakala.fotopages.com/?entry=1432734 Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Jaisalmer is a magical place. It is on the borders of the Thar Desert, and is one of the places where the earliest invaders used to enter India. The fort itself is one of the largest desert forts in the world. The fort has three walls. The inner wall is where the warriors inside the fort would pour boiling oil onto the invaders. It could'nt have been a pleasant prospect, to have boiling oil come streaming down onto your head, into your eyes and, into your mouth. The fort itself was built in 1156 Ad by the Rajput ruler Rawal Jaiswal. So now you know where the city got it's name. It was taken in Ala ud-din Khilji in the 13th century and was attacked again by the second Mughal emperor Humayun, in 1541. During Ala ud-din's siege the Rajput women committed jauhar - they killed themselves by jumping into fire rather than be taken by the invaders. The fort today, is one of the few forts where there is a bustling market in the fort. Most forts are 'dead', in the sense that they are only peopled by tourists. And, on the border of the desert, outside the town, are the tombs of the warriors and princes who died in battle. Forgotten but for legend, and the tombs that gaze silently on to eternal rest. http://mahakala.fotopages.com/?entry=1374771 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT