my warmth in winters

The traditional old house with tiled roofs,the long windows that always creaked when closed,the colourful ixora flowers that surrounded the home.Images that gave me some warmth this winter  morning.

These are all images that made up our summer and monsoon holidays down  south this year

Old images  are beautiful,arent they?

The rainy stories on the painted brown box,the hibiscus flowers and the milky tea(no fancy cups here:)- the steel tumblers and glasses,the peeling paints on the parapet are all images that flash when  I think of our home down south.
The grandma who sits waiting patiently for us..every year,the stories that she tell us,the rain that poured constantly

the rain drenched ixora and a tumbler of chai...the peeled  off parapets...its an old house

it rained the whole night

ixoras wet and eaten by  bugs

the arecanut palms leaf fallen 

the colours definitely matched,the dull browns and pinks...love them

old photographs,the  old memories,nostalgia,a ravivarma oleograph,the right hand corner are my parents

the book on the rusted box

rainy memories,hot and humid days

love these slats

loved each angle

the colourful hibiscus

the tea that got cold in my hands

the collection

beautiful....days

So far ...

I remember the last time i sat to write a post here.The year is coming to an end and so far has been good.Filling the minds with fragrance ,the sheoli flowers will again bloom next year. Deepavali and its excitement just left us ...its fully not gone from my home yet.We still light some tealights in some corners for the warmth it gives in the wintery nights..The cushion covers still adorn the rich colours worn for the festival.

There where many a images taken before and after,but some register in minds quite well than the rest and shows life in its nuances.These are some images taken before Deepavali.The pink flowers cover an entire wall beautifully at a nearby home.A kalamkari printed bedsheet on our low bed ,some morning left over tea where all beautifully becoming subjects of photography..I am falling in love with the textiles of India and abroad.

all images Lakshmi Arvind.

the Fragrance

Its morning time.Its pujo time.The fragrance of the sheoli fills the home and mind these days.A handful after a morning walk,some on the lamps..Flowers necessarily need not be kept in vases.It  looks good otherwise too.

As i have read somewhere,the familiar sound of Dhak,Dhanuchi Nacch and the mild fragrance of the air,clear skies,blue clouds,red and whites ,lifes are blessed.I can feel the Pujo..The second last image got into the front page of flickr explore...I am blessed,yes an achievement of its own..

Don't you all think I am blessed?i found it near the tree...Never noticed them..
copyright:Lakshmi Arvind

these days..till now

A month and no posts.
Although it  sounds like a lot of time.I have been very much here,enjoying the Onam that went passed by,the rains in delhi ,the sunshine,the hills as always,the alarms that rang at six,the home works,my one year old..
Onam ..time the yummy payasams ,the banana leaf,the whole spread,the flowers..
It rained during Onam..but i loved it when it rained
Rains,Love and Memories:)-it rained in Jaipur too..when we went
The bouquet of sunshine on my balcony
The soft rolling  hills,the sea of  mists,the lakes,the whispering deodars,the cosmos,the fall and the fragrance of the hills..
The magical landscape and so much more to all of you...

Images and Ideas:Lakshmi Arvind
Please do ask permission before you use my images..

Onam Memories

Today is the day before Onam..Is it the nostalgia wave hitting? I sit recollecting memories,reading Onam memories written by the famous,thinking of the simpler times of life.One such beautiful memory has been written by the now famous Malayalam film director Mrs Anjali Menon.I was reading the first draft from her blog, of her first movie"Manjadikuru" (Lucky red Seeds)which has made her famous.I eagerly wait to watch it given an opportunity.

Here is an excerpt of what it says

"Today is the day before Onam. On any other year, today would be filled with the excitement of the festival, the homecoming of the family, the flower patterns and of course the onakodee- the new dresses or sarees gifted. But this Onam, I am swept away in a totally different direction…

"I don’t exactly know when or where my journey as the writer of this screenplay began… perhaps it was when I found my first red seeds at my tharavadu; or perhaps it was when the first line of the script slipped out onto paper before me. Somewhere started this exploration of my childhood and that of many others with relation to the land we no longer inhabit. The land that holds our roots and our origins. Nostalgia, childhood, reminisces… all these words tend to usually total upto plenty sentimental mush. But beyond those rose-coloured memories- there were others… that shaped the way we thought, the way we sensed and in general the way we grew up.

The touch of moss, the new born puddles, the alert mynas, hot payasam on banana leaf, the hunchbacked sweeper, the baby kittens- I could go on and on… and so I did go on and on and when collated on paper- it turned into some sort of a script. A script that told a story so different from what we usually see on our screens."

The images of its movie posters also rekindles fond memories...

I loved the way the  script is written..even i am thinking of the flower carpets,the crisp white and golden bordered sarees,Sambhar,Aviyal,kalan,puliserri,olan,the hot semiya payasam,the small yellow bananas and boli that went with it,the kai varuthathu,the chakkara upperi..the Onam special movies on TV...missing it all...

these images do comfort me,do hug my memories to a great extent ...and hope all you will have a wonderful Onam !

Images courtesy:Mrs Anjali Menon.Manjadikuru

Text courtesy:Anjali Menon

It Rained in Shekhawati

Yes,its raining here..
As i sit here,the small windows of the apartment open..

looking down to the greenery,the park thats flooded with water..
Some frames of a rainy day in the magical city of Shekhawti..
Everybody might not believe it,but it rained wherever we went:)-

Images:Lakshmi Arvind
Please do not copy images  nor steal images without permission

Evenings at Pushkar

It looks like it was yesterday,that we were in Pushkar.

Rememberance of the cold evenings out there ,the rythmic beating of the drums as the sun sets ..

The soothing folklore from the ektaras.

The golden glow on the white washed ghats.

 People seated on the steps,waiting patiently for the Sun God to set.

Numerous frames and views captured

.All Images Courtesy:Lakshmi Arvind
pl do not save images nor use them anywhere without the prior permission of the author