Caught Special - 4

Once in a while I get the opportunity to click something special. An attractive frame of scenery, a rare moment of incident or action, an unusual view of a common perspective, a snap of poetic feel and depth, a picture-perfect still, or even an impressive blend of colors with a rustic or a glossy finish.  

This is a series posting such pictures I captured. The pictures are original and without any post-processing.  You can also see my thoughts about the picture and the camera used for snapping. 

Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Special' to see all postings in this series. Click on pictures to see full size view.
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Special thoughts: This is Qutub Minar, Delhi. The specialty of the first image is the angle with which I took it, resulting in an imposing diagonal posture of the tower in my frame. The other specialty of both these pictures is the nice clear blue sky as background we had that day. There were absolutely no cloud. Thirdly, the second image that shows one segment of the tower is a frame where you can click and see some of the minute details of the Arabic inscriptions and the honeycomb design on this wonder of India. This architectural marvel is the tallest (72.5 m / 237.8 ft.) in India and it has a diameter of 14.32 m at the base and about 2.75 m at the top.  

Date: 03/Oct/2005, 11:10 AM ~~ Camera: Konica Minolta, Model DiMAGE X50 

Caught Grinning - 7

Many times we come across amusing sign-boards or objects or incidents in our journey, the life. Interesting, funny, and, at times, thought-provoking too. Just for fun and pun. There is absolutely no intention to hurt or offend anybody or anyone's feelings. 

This is a series posting such pictures I captured at different places. Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Grinning' to see all postings in this series.

[Note: Click on pictures to see a bigger version for better clarity]
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Quite a few tyres are ready! 

Kuppaithotti

A Tamilnadu & Pondicherry inter-state level "Student Poets' Meet" (maann kavignar maanaadu / மாண் கவிஞர் மாநாடு) was arranged as part of Bharathidasan's centenary celebrations, at the Yadhava College Madurai, by the Madurai Kamaraj University.

On arrival at the venue, the topic given to us was Kuppaithotti (குப்பைத்தொட்டி), which means Dust-bin.

We students were to write a poem on that topic within the given 2-3 hours. Later at the meet we read it on stage and hence debut (அரங்கேற்றம்) as a Student Poet (மாண் கவிஞர்) where veterans like Shri Mu Thamizh Kudimagan, who was the Assembly Speaker in Tamilnadu at that time, and our very own Shri Kavipperarasu Vairamuthu would be on stage!!

Here is the poem I wrote there and later read in front of those giants and packed audience. I remember there were tons of students who participated in this competition. Though I did not win any prize, the metaphor in my poem seem to have been heard distinctly. Because, when Shri Thamizh Kudimagan spoke later, he even picked my line and said he saw variety in student poets' thinking and was impressed. Completely unexpected that I heard him refer my metaphor during his speech, in front of that pretty packed hall - Yes, it was surely something!

The Big Ticket

Allahabad railway station. A Sunday night.  School vacation time. Big crowd. My colleagues SR and MN, and myself were standing on the station platform. Prayagraj express train was to depart in a few minutes towards New Delhi. Hasty movement of porters, pushing-in passengers, loud send-off families, chattering children, and crying babies - maddening noise. My third colleague, RN was happily inside the 2-tier AC coach shoving his suitcase under the berth, setting his water bottle right, etc. He was happy due to the comfortable travel in AC with a confirmed berth he was going to have that night from Allahabad to Delhi. In addition, his happiness was also due to the fighting success we had attained earlier that afternoon while trying to buy that confirmed AC class ticket. An achievement in itself, given the tough constraints we had when the decision to travel immediately was made all of a sudden just that forenoon.

We had come on an official trip to Allahabad from our office in New Delhi. We were on camp at ITI Naini since the previous 3-4 days. Maintenance support work for the PCB test ATE system was exhausting and my colleagues on trip were a great support with me.

Earlier that forenoon, we received high-priority instruction from our Delhi office for RN to come back right away to attend an important customer call the next morning at Gaziabad. Instantly the issue on our hand was to manage buying a train ticket for him for one of the trains. Per company rules, he was eligible to travel by  2-tier AC. But being a Sunday, that too during school vacation time, we knew very well that it was going to be a challenge. With no online booking facilities in those days (this was ~13 years back, in 1998), tickets could only be purchased in person at the computerized reservation center near the railway station.

Caught Special - 3

Once in a while I get the opportunity to click something special. An attractive frame of scenery, a rare moment of incident or action, an unusual view of a common perspective, a snap of poetic feel and depth, a picture-perfect still, or even an impressive blend of colors with a rustic or a glossy finish.  

This is a series posting such pictures I captured. The pictures are original and without any post-processing.  You can also see my thoughts about the picture and the camera used for snapping. 

Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Special' to see all postings in this series. Click on pictures to see full size view.
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Special thoughts: This was when the toy train from Kalka to Shimla stopped on the bridge waiting for signal. The bridge is pretty old, one of the many valuable gifts by the British to us. It is one of the world heritage sites accorded by UNESCO, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to save the fixture from extinction.
 
Date: 04/Oct/2005, 8:40 AM ~~ Camera: Konica Minolta, Model DiMAGE X50