I, Me, Myself

This picture was clicked in the April of '10, high up amidst the hills in the temple town of Tirumala-Tirupathi. As the night sky spread across the spiritual centre, one can see tiny speckles of light which lit the sky that night... and with a keen eye, one can spot the 'Gopuram' of this erstwhile abode of Lord Venkateshwara. Frequented by hundreds of thousands each year, and a place where I myself have been to many times over the years, this picture seemingly captures the spiritual calm while the tiny dots of light represent the guidance it gives to many a yearning mind and heart. Yet, it belies the frenzy that lies within and beneath the cover of dark. The many steps as you make the 14 km journey upto the summit, the scores of eager devotees that throng the santum sanctorum, and the peace one can appreciate right in the midst of all of this. For anyone, who's been to this temple, the experience is unforgettable! 

This picture was clicked early on a February morning in '07! The place 'Ghosai Ghat', near Srirangapattina! The reason I'm compelled to include this picture is the fact that this flowing stream fascinated me. If you notice one the far end, the stream is calm, snaking it's tranquil course through maze-like islands of rocks, in no particular hurry to reach it's eventual destination.  And yet, as it nears the camera, one can notice the elements of turbulence, roused from it's slumbers, it roars past, challenging any one who dares to near it. This depiction of a quaint stream compels me to consider the striking similarity it bears to the human mind.  One the one hand, we lay about, languishing in the dark alleys of our past; soaking in the melancholy, falling in and out of the realms of reality, and even as time beseeches us, the mind drifts... And yet there are times, the mind races ahead of the body at a frighteningly frantic pace, ideas hurtle off every ...