Colors & Pixels

A Blog of Art, or something close to it.

[colorsandpixels]

The Joker: A faint likeness

In times of the Pandemic, New England, April 2020

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“Birthdays” Massachusetts, USA September 2019

Kids running around crazy on their birthdays are a special treat - mixed with part joy, part pride and part resignation at the chaos that invariably ensues. But the best part of every birthday happens right before blowing out the candles on the cake.. it is the happiness on the kid’s face when he knows he’s loved, very very much.

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“Fall Hues” Vermont, U.S.A. October 2018

It’s summer here in New England. And between the gloomy rains and the scorching, humid heat, I have been pining for the cool breeze of colorful Fall. Remembering a trip into northern Vermont with limited phone connectivity (that also happens!), we managed to get pleasantly lost, and ended up in the bosom of nature draped in her most colorful.

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“Candles for prayer” Worcester, MA, USA September 2017

Rituals, traditions and culture - always a unique experience and an adventure. Here is a one such tradition of lighting numerous “diya”-s with oil in an Indian festival celebration for worshipping a deity (Maa Durga) in Hindu mythology with fire. Remembering last year’s celebrations while waiting for this year’s festival (less than 70 days!).

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“Celebrating Crazy”  Worcester, MA, USA  September 2017

Posing is for wimps, and so is conventionality. She comes up with different ideas, for me, no how to take more memorable photos. And truly, every frame that this lil’ monster is in is always remarkable! And of course, also according to her, what’s a celebration without madness!

More like this:

Divas are born, not made

Sisters!

The Diva

Terrific Twins

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“New England Winters be like...”  Central Massachusetts, USA March 2014

Summers make me long for the winters and the snow, that can make my car unrecognizable amongst all the others (save for that sticker!). Even with the plowing and snow removal, and layers and layers of clothing, nothing beats a cold, cold winter in New England.

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“From inside the earth” Lower Antelope Canyon Navajo, Arizona, USA July 2017

A scorching summer afternoon spent inside the Lower Antelope Canyon in Arizona (which closed after us due to the heat). There are so many conventional pictures that we took inside the Antelope Canyons but this one looked up to the raging, noon sun in the startlingly bright sky from inside the much cooler belly of the underground canyons. It was a magnificent feeling crawling and climbing through the caverns in the womb of the earth, and looking up to the clear, blue sky.

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“Royalty” Kanha National Forests, Madhya Pradesh, India December 2013

In a lone, open jeep into the deep forest, traveling by a back road at dusk, we chanced upon this king, unperturbed and unconcerned as he strolled leisurely on the dirt road, crisscrossing this way and that. It was the most marvelous 30 minutes of our lives, with just the king and us in our jeep, and no one else around: face to face with my favorite animal in the world, with hearts thumping, filled with part excitement, part wonder, and a smidgen of fear. An unforgettable experience! (Picture by my Dad)

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Monsoons! Streets of Calcutta/Kolkata, India Monsoon, 2018

Miss the monsoons, the heavy downpour and the carefree days back at home! Even the water-logging, and making paper boats or walking and dancing in the rain #mycity #Kolkata #monsoon a few days back #throwbackthursday (My sister’s picture taken from the inside her dry car)

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"State of Mind"  New England, USA Winter 2017

“Trapped in a gaol of your own making.” Winters sometimes do that to people. But never me, I love the winter grays, the dusk, the cold and the intense summer is making me long for the snow!

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The Vigil Maine, USA December 2016

Somewhere on the Atlantic, the vigil continues.

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By the ocean, in the twilight Boston, USA June 2018

"This town, is my town She's got her ups and downs But love or hate it, it don't matter 'cause this is my town"

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The magnificent Indian National bird: Peacock Madhya Pradesh, India December 2013

The gorgeous, colorful, plumed bird is the National bird of India (1963). The Indian Peacock (Pavo cristatus), a member of the pheasant family, is beautiful to behold even without the full display of it plume. As children, we grew up with stories of how the peacock dances in joy when it is about to rain, with its plumes spread. The peacock is also associated with Greek and Hindu mythology, representing good things like royalty, fortune and luck. It is used symbolically in many cultures and practices to signify grandeur and prosperity. As a nouveau lover of birds (and always of colors), spotting the male peafowls (the prettier of the sexes) at the Kanha National Park were a treat for the explorer and the photographer alike.

More exotic wildlife from the forests of India at Colors & Pixels:  The Indian Roller  Barasingha aka Swamp deer

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The Indian Roller National forests, Madhya Pradesh, India December 2013

Cousin to my other favorite bird, the lilac-breasted roller, the Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis), also known as the “neelkantha” bird is supposed to bring luck according to Hindu mythology (Example of one such superstition: In the the great Indian epic Ramayana, Lord Rama is said to have spotted the Indian roller as he embarked upon his journey to kill Ravana, and its sighting is considered auspicious on Dussera/Bijaya Dashami day). My interest was more in that, that they are not easily spotted, and here I saw one calmly waiting for me in the middle of the forest. My love for forests and jungles and savannah and wildlife has also fostered in me a newfound love for exotic and wild birds. Hence, sighting this rare bird (my second of the roller species) was a highlight of my Indian safari.

More about the Indian Roller on Wikipedia 

More about the Indian Roller or neelkanth mythology according to the Vedas and other stories

More images from Colors & Pixels from forests of India

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Festivals and Traditions Durga Puja, New England October 2017

This lady is one of my favorite subjects at every festival. Her un-self-conscious smile and demeanor is more lovely, captivating and reflective of her inner beauty.

More Portraits & Compositions:

Festive Mornings!

Light Up The Universe

Indian Classical Evening

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Sisters! Durga Puja, New England, USA October 2017

My favorite girls- all decked up in traditional Indian clothes celebrating the Durga Puja. The sweet and calm elder sister holding on to her the mischievous and excitable little sister (as is quite evident from the looks on their faces). Trust me, this was a difficult shot to get, because the younger one is lightning fast!

More photos from Durga Puja and other Indian celebrations:

More of Durga Puja

Kids at Durga Puja-1

Kids at Durga Puja-2

Oil-lamps in Durga Puja

Mornings at Durga Puja

Traditions at Indian celebrations

The Small and Wonderful things of Indian Celebrations

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The Big Guy Durga Puja, New England, USA October 2017

Autumn is the month for Bengali celebrations. And the kids are the pulse of it. Dressed up in Indian clothes, they are all grown up. And very, very busy for people like me who have nothing better to do than make them sit down and pose for the camera! But this adorable nephew of mine, dressed up in kurta-salwar was kind enough to indulge me, and patiently wait for me to get it right.

More photos from Durga Puja and other Indian celebrations:

More of Durga Puja

Oil-lamps in Durga Puja

Traditions at Indian celebrations

The Small and Wonderful things of Indian Celebrations

Mornings at Durga Puja