Shutterbug's Blog

Spending more time with near and dear ones.
Buying flowers.
Trying out a new recipe.
Getting a tight hug whenever possible from loved ones.
Being silly.
Bunking office and go shopping/eating/meeting friends
Reading an old classic.
Watching cookery shows.
Going for a long drive.

This is my first harvest in our new house.
Methi is one green veggie which grows very fast and very easy to grow. The seeds were sown one week ago. Aloo methi , Tomato methi curry ,Methi roti and Methi dal are my favourite methi recipes.

We have very li’l space for plants. Yet to fill the rest of the area with red soil.

We travelled by SPICEJET Bombardier Q400. A small 80 seat plane , slightly longer than a Volvo bus. As good as a private jet 🙂 but for the cramped seats and limited food onboard .

My son sitting next to me near the window was cribbing.

Mom, why did you book tickets on this flight. Make sure we don’t travel by this again.

We took the same flight on our previous visit to Tirupathi  🙂

The wheels are as small as the size of the wheels of a small car . This pic was taken when we were almost ready to land. Lovely view of the village and fields. Seems like the place received some good rains (owing to South west monsoons) as we could see a lot of greenery ..

This is the entry point to the Ghat road that leads to Tirumala. These hills are the signature of Tirumala. All travelers have to go through a security check at this toll gate. All the baggage goes through the x-ray machine and all vehicles are thoroughly checked. I saw police rummaging bags in the open. There is no private area. Before I knew what was happening a pair of hands were all over my body. The women police were doing their duty . Hmmm…sickening !

The entry token has some interesting information. Yes , the timings. A low tech method to curtail mishaps on the ghat road due to speeding bikes and vehicles.

We checked in to our guest house in Padmavathy nagar. This board was prominently displayed . We were not aware of this restriction. My hubby had brought his traditional clothes , like always, but we didn’t pack these for my son. We asked our driver if there are any stores that sell traditional clothes. He took us to the Lepakshi store and we were happy with what we bought. I mean, my son liked them and the fit was very good

This giant squirrel seems to be welcoming all the visitors at the entrance of the steps leading to ‘Srivaari paadhalu’ . It is a wild squirrel almost 2 ft long. Was very playful and eating fruits given by the visitors.

That’s the dome under which the Lord’s paadhalu ( feet sculptured in stone) housed in a glass cage. During our earlier visit we were able to touch the feet and were not enclosed .

The natural arch formation on Tirumala hills.

View from our vehicle while driving down the hill to Tirupati on our way back. Greenery all around.

This is the River Krishna moving from Srisailam reservoir towards Nagarjunasagar . Srisailam reservoir is faintly visible at the far end in the pic.

Very often we miss out on simple pleasures in life.

One of them is to watch a flower unfurl. For a few hours my body , mind and soul were ONE.
This doesn’t happen often isn’t it 🙂

This event took place last evening ,on Mom’s terrace garden , 2 Aug 2014

Eyes focused on the flower, clicking from various angles to get the best shot. Clicking away so as to capture various stages of the flower unfurling.

Time stood still and the only important movement that mattered was the flower unfurling.

Lot of excitement and noise being made by all my near and dear ones who were watching the phenomena. In spite of all the excitement there was a sense of peace and tranquility within .

This flower ‘Brahma Kamalam’ is being touted as a divine flower and is being worshipped across the country as it supposedly brings luck and wishes are fulfilled. Native of the mighty Himalayas , it is now being grown in the plains too.
This plant may or may not be the original ‘Brahma kamalam’ but this one is truly beautiful and ethereal . The plant itself is unique. New stems and flowers grow from the nodes of the leaf. The plant flowers in and around July only. The bud starts opening up at around 7 pm and closes sometime after midnight. It was like a dance in slow motion.
The divine angle gave a new dimension to the whole event.

Thank you Mom for this beautiful experience.

I would call this Flower Meditation !

This one seems to be the original .

My favourite music.. nostalgic..reminds me of my childhood days when my dad used to play this on his stereo.

Most firms have a 6 day week and employees work at least 10 hrs each day.Add a couple of hours for travelling to and fro from home to work and 12 hrs a day is gone. Who wouldn’t want a 5 day week or fewer working hours per day wherein one gets to spend more time with family , can pursue hobbies and have a healthier wholesome happier stressfree life. This would also lead to a happier, progressive nation too.
Is it possible or impossible to ??
There is unemployment everywhere and those who are employed are slogging away all their lives.
Why can’t there be two shifts by employing more people ? The current stipulated work hours as per labour laws is 8 hours. This can be reduced to 6 hours and the offices/factories can be run in two shifts. By increasing working hours from 8 to 12 per day, by having a shift system of 6 hrs each, an employee can work much more efficiently and the organization can produce more goods. More output implies more money is available to pay salaries to the employees. Never mind even if the pay is slightly reduced per employee. End of the day what is required is to be able to sleep peacefully , stay healthy and wake up fresh and bright the next morning .