Laksha Deepam

Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple seen on a car side view mirror. 

It is time for Laksha deepam at Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram. This occurs once in 6 years. I was fortunate to witness 2 deepams with the temple tower and the surroundings in full glory. The deepam is preceded by 40 days of Mura Japam (chanting). 

Then there is the Annual Swati Sangeethotsavam n the Kuthira Malika (palace) where the atmosphere is ethereal. 

Sadly, I will miss al these this year. 

Karicharakadavu - unspoilt nature

You may not find Karicharakadavu in any tourist literature or even in any blogs. It is small village not far from Kazhakuttam. On National highway, you turn left at Kaniyapuram after the bus stand (at Althara junction) to the Chirayinkeezh road and within a few kilometers, you are at Karicharakadavu.Another left turn and a brief ride you are reach the water's edge. The waterbody you see is an extension of Murukkampuzha. Kadinmkulam is on the opposite side.  One can see a few country boats and a lone cottage used by some  picnickers. 

Loop Shop?

A 'loop' shop in Kazhakuttam.

Do they sell Copper -T and other IUD's too? 

A loop shop in Kazhakuttam

Kathak by Rani Khanam

Digital duo. A viewer snapping Kathak performance with his phone camera. 

 Rani Khanam performing. The evening performance was preceded by her lecture demonstration of "Improvisation aspects of Kathak -Laya and Bhav" in the morning

Manipuri dance by Suman Sarawgi and party at Mudra Festival

Suman Sarawgi and troupe at Mudra festival, Vylopilli bhavan, Trivandrum

Ms.Sarawgi will followup her performance on Monday with a lecdem on Tuesday on 'Tracing the origin of Manipuri dance- one of the oldest as well as a living tradition of India",  Pity I will miss it.

Odissi

Aloka Kanungo performs Odissi at the Mudra festival in Vylopilli Bhavan. Aloka has trained under Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Raghunath Dutt and Mayadhar rout. She runs Shinjin Nrityalaya

Mohiniyattam at Vylopilli

Kalamandalam Sarawathi (not in the picture), and her disciples performed Mohiniyattam at he Vylopilli Samskriti Bhavan Koothambalam as part of the Mudra dance festival.

Keechakavadham Kathakali

Keechakavadham Part I, Kathakali at Margi Theatre, Fort, Thiruvananthapuram

An evening stroll along East Fort

A stroll along the busy East Fort is always interesting for a photographer. Not having much else to do on a Sunday evening, I decided to do just that. Earlier, my attempt to photograph the Ganesas being got ready for the Ganesh Chathurthi was disappointing as the place was locked out. So East fort it was. I parked my car in the new parking lot opposite the Railway station on Power House road and walked. There was some Onam and Ramzan fare by the Supplyco, some handloom exhibition, a meeting of the united Hindu forum at the Putharikandam maidan.  Skipping all these, I moved to ' kottakkagam'. It was mostly the vendors and their ware that caught my eye. Here are the images. 

Nendran Chips

Chakka chips (jack fruit chips)

This is Peer Mohammed from Palyamkottai, TN. He runs the Padmam chip stall near the Padmanabhaswamy temple. He has got fresh Nendran and other chips ready for Onam . He has been living in Manacaud for the last 25 years. 

Lottery tickets are ubiquitous in Kerala

A blind artiste blasts out Malayalam songs. Note the buckets for the offerings and the multi-faith icons.

A vanishing tribe. An old umbrella repair man.

Dance Festival at Vylopilli Samskriti Bhavan

Some  photographs from the Dance festival organised by Samudra Arts International at Vylopilly Samskriti Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram on 20th & 21st August 2014

Vishu moon

Happy Vishu to all. Woke up early for Vishu Kani. The full moon viewed from my balcony was a treat to watch. Could'nt resist the temptation to capture it on camera. Not technically perfect but a good reminder.

1/100, f/5.6, 200 mm ISO 800 

The man who funds the Kerala government

Meet Vinod, the man who is extending credit to the Kerala Government . Vinod is a  humble fruit and juice vendor having a wayside stand in front of my housing complex at Jagathy. A couple of months ago, he won a State govt lottery  of Rs 50 lacs. However, he has not been able to collect it so far, probably due to the financial crunch the state is facing. The situation is so acute that the state government is not able to pay the salaries of the state employees. So much so, the Govt is planning to borrow money from the Devasom Board (a Govt appointed board which manages the Hindu temples). A classic example of the much touted Kerala Model. 

Vinod, with his Valiamma

Vinod has also pledged nearly RS 2 lacs to 3 temple in the neighborhood. probably that money may also come back to the state government through the Devasom Boards!  This humble vendor is not aware that he is funding the State Government indirectly. 

Who is the King of Kerala?

Kerala, bid adieu to feudalism many decades ago. Yet some organisations seem to think that Kerala is still under a King.

A Matsyafed bus on NH 47 with a 'T' missing. 'Govt. of Kerala Under aKing'

The direction in which the state is going!

The direction in which God's Own Country and The Land of Memories is going

Rains in Trivandrum

The monsoon set in in its full glory on 3rd June. Being a Monday and first day of school, there were traffic snarls everywhere. Low lying areas were also inundated. 

Shops had little business on this rainy day,  but shopfronts were convenient shelters.

Honey and Mango Festival at Kanakakunnu

Kanakakunnu is usually a beehive of activities. This time, however, there were real beehives as part of the Honey and Mango festival. A great initiative and generally well organised. The entry fee was a nominal Rs.10. However, there were the usual problems of parking, poor layout etc. The crowd was manageable on Saturday morning. Wonder what it would have been in the evening.

It was great opportunity to see, pick, taste and choose many varieties of mangoes and honey.
Next time the organisers should think of better layout and parking facilities. (or should there there be offsite parking with pick up facilities?)
Another dangerous practice was workers carrying heavy crates of mangoes through crowds of visitors. Couldn't they have separate access for loading and unloading?