~ Neelavanam ~

Homemaker, poetical storyteller, raindrop hunter, runs behind butterflies, cloud spotter, searches for shades of green in the night. "NeelaVanam" is my nom de plume which translates to "Blue Sky." Authored a poetry book, "From the Anklets of a Homemaker" Take a look at my Garden Art here var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-18429329-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

[neelavanam]

[neelavanam]

A three month old beehive in the garden. A new generation of bees grew here and all flew away today. I am glad they grew up safe.#nature #garden

[neelavanam]

An afternoon walk in the garden and in my path a spider with its prey. Hanging from a single thread (which is not visible in this picture), it kept moving up and down to hold on to the insect. This went on for sometime until it found a branch to hold on to. And then I understood why spiders need eight legs.

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On sunny days, I make rainbows.

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You can spot Taigu Ryokan's poems from a distance. His words come dancing with exuberance. It springs right from his heart, dances in a few words and sits smugly on the page smiling at you. Hoping you would look at it deeply and wisely.

[neelavanam]

For children

It is a pretty sight to watch children run, dance, and prance around in a garden. Skipping along with butterflies, playing with mud, running around holding twigs like swords, and roll on the grass dreaming of flying carpets. And these precious little souls sometimes will stop, pause and tell me their dreams like how little Maya did! My second book, Maya's Garden Song is about a little girl called Maya who gives flight to her imagination while she spends time in the garden. She looks at the trees, bees, pond and clouds and pictures herself to be a bird, a flower, and............... It is a Kindle book, a children's book, a green book, bedtime and fantasy story for children who are 3-8 years old. Hope you and your children enjoy it:-) A few pages from the book,

[neelavanam]

Bathed in bathing memories

I remember as a young girl drawing water from an open well, Fresh air wrapping my naked body as I poured the cool water on self, The smell of water sweet, Dappled sunlight through mango trees, and Birds twittering as they please. A song on my lips, I was in no hurry to leave. In my village, many years ago, Today, how delightful it feels.

[neelavanam]

Good death

Nalini had a "good death" Nagaraj told me. "Good death?" I asked him perplexed. "Ya, she was watching television and suddenly complained of breathlessness. By the time, Bhaskar, her husband went to get water she collapsed and passed away. Massive heart attack," Nagaraj explained. "How is Bhaskar doing now? Is somebody with him?" I asked, knowing that the couple were living in a nearby flat and their son was studying in college in another city. "Shocked and heartbroken. Loneliness is taking a toll on him. He has got many of Nalini's photos printed and has stuck it all around the house," he replied in a sad voice. A loss is a loss. Would the scenario have changed if Nalini had suffered with a disease and then died? Bhaskar would have agonized the same watching her die in pain. It is human nature to find a consolation in death. Regardless of how the passing may be, we can still find a comforting factor.

[neelavanam]

Ten Point Twitter Gita

1. Do not be attached to your tweet.

2. Do your duty. Write your tweet. Don't expect any retweets or favorites.

3. Every time the timeline decays, I am reborn as an hashtag.

4. You can delete your tweet but not its soul.

5. A tweet cannot be cut to pieces by any weapon, burned by fire, nor drowned in water or blown away by wind.

6. Don't attach yourself to tweets. For attachment breeds desire, desire breeds anger, anger to delusion, delusion to deactivation.

7. Whatever you do, Whatever you eat, whatever you sacrifice and receive, whatever you perform, offer them to, twitter.

8. As a river flows into the brimful and still ocean without overflowing, so does your tweet flow in the timeline.

9. There is nothing in this word that purifies like knowledge. Those who manually RT links know that.

10 However men try to reach me, I post their tweet with love ; whatever path they may travel, it leads to me in the end.

[neelavanam]

Retirement

My husband's guide and mentor Prof Veni Madhavan retired from IIsc yesterday. His thirteen Ph.D students including my husband (he was his fifth student) organized a lunch and seminar in his honor at "The Capitol." There was a small felicitation program at the CSA department in IISc in the morning. Everyone who spoke, asked him to spend his leisure days ahead doing things he wanted to do, go on long walks, journeys and recreate his forgotten dreams. According to Indian philosophy, sixty five is the time to shed worldly desires and take interest in spiritual world. In olden days, one left for the forest to realize oneself. But a forest is green, filled with the beauty of its freshness. The senses become keen. Eyes look out for danger, ears sharpen themselves trying to new noises, nose smells new flowers and fresh earth. Tongue tastes the sweetness of fresh plucked fruits. The heart falls in love with the world once again... Sixty five is the autumn of life, Time to spend in a forest they say. It is spring time I think, asking one to fall in love, once again. For forests abound with blooming flowers, buzzing songs of bees, young rivulets, full moon, spreading youthfulness in its verdant green. Born to Bala and infinite cosmic sky, Dear gentle river Veni, Sixty five years is still a drop in the ocean of knowledge. Mada kai? Are you ready for another spring filled journey. Youthfulness abounds in the rapids. The plains are still far away. Veni is river. He was born to Bala and Ekambaram. His daughter is Poornima, wife is Vidya. All of them part of his life and this poem.

[neelavanam]

Bald faced Hornet.

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Called the Mirablis Jalapa, Andhi mandhaarai or four o'clock flower. The speciality is that it can sport flowers with different colors on the same plant.

[neelavanam]

She darkens the shadows around her eyes to brighten the dreams they carry.

[neelavanam]

The world looks beautiful through three eyes. One through the eyes of a child who frames its new world in simple words. Two, through the eyes of an aged chiseled soul, the world looks balanced. The eyes of a lovelorn soul that brings alive the hidden beauty that others have not seen is the third eye. And in all the three eyes, the heart is pure.

[neelavanam]

The hailstorm that hit South Bangalore

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This is a Tamil adaptation of Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang" from the soundtrack of Kill Bill. I wrote the lyrics for the song. All credits to Krish Ashok for believing in me. Its a joy to listen to his creative and fabulous music. An awesome rendition by Archana and magic by Mahesh Shankar makes this one beautiful song. Lyrics: Subhashini Vinay (https://twitter.com/neelavanam) Vocals: Archana Sundarachari (@mizanon) Guitar, Cello, Violin and arrangement: @krishashok Mixing and Mastering: @maheshshankar Photo credits: Denise Rowlands (https://www.flickr.com/photos/denise_rowlands/4331736018) மழைச்சாரலின் சிறைச்சாலையில் Mazhaicaralin Siraichalaiyil உறவு வளர் அந்தி மாலையில் Uravu VaLar andhi malaiyil, நிழலிலா நெடும் சாலையில் nizhalilla nedum saalaiyil, நனைந்தது வானவில். Nanaindhadhu vaanavil இணை இணை நம் கண்களில் Inai inai nam kaNgaLil சில பல என கனவுகள் sila pala ena kanavugaL சுடும் சுடும் தீக்கனலென sudum sudum theekanalena ஒரு முறை, நீ என்னைக் கண்டாயே nee ennai kandaaye மின்னலில் சுருங்கிய நிலவென Minnalil surungiya nilavena நின்றேனே இளம் தளிரென Nindreane iLam thaLirena எங்கிருந்தோ வந்தாயே engirundho vandahye நிழலென அருகில் நின்றாயே. Nizhalena arugil nindraye இணை இணை நம் கண்களில் Inai inai nam kaNgaLil சில பல என கனவுகள் sila pala ena kanavugaL சுடும் சுடும் தீக்கனலென sudum sudum theekanalena ஒரு முறை, நான் உன்னைக் கண்டேனே naan unnai kandaaye உறவுகள் ஒன்றிணைந்தது UravugaL ondriNaindhadhu முகிலென தினம் வளர்ந்தது. Mugilena dinam valarndhadhu இன்று, நிலவிலா வானம் நான் Indru nilavilla vaanam naan, மழையிலா மேகம் தான். mazhaiyilla megam thaan, நீ இல்லா வாழ்கையில் nee illa vazhkaiyil, நான் கருமையான வானவில். naan karumaiyaana vaanavil இணை இணை நம் கண்களில் Inai inai nam kaNgaLil சில பல என கனவுகள் sila pala ena kanavugaL சுடும் சுடும் தீக்கனலென sudum sudum theekanalena இம்முறை, நீ எங்கு சென்றாயோ! Immurai nee engu sendraayo? English Translation On a wet dusky evening, Imprisoned in an endless steady drizzle, Down the shadeless miles of an empty road, Walked a drenched rainbow. The first time we met, our glowing eyes did connect, like embers that gleam, You saw me as the rainbow of your dreams. Like a moon shrunk by lightning, I stood shelterless in tenderness, From where did you come, my savior? The slayer of my nightmares. The first time we met, our glowing eyes did connect, like embers that gleam, I saw you as the rainbow of my dreams. Like clouds that gather in an united wish, A life we lived in marital bliss. Today, I am a moonless night, A wandering cloud in search of life, The days that arrive have no hue, I am a black rainbow, without you. The first time we met, our glowing eyes did connect, in the embers that gleam, Why did you vanish from my dreams?

[neelavanam]

Incredible Nasa footage shows a 'hole in the Sun' that's bigger than Jupiter

Interesting article about a hole in the sun, larger than Jupiter. And a haiku comes along into my head, "This square hole in the sun~ It is perfectly normal they said~ Like the void and emptiness in a broken human heart."

Nasa has released new footage showing a square ‘hole’ in the Sun captured by the space agency’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft.