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Newasa - Encountering an unique form of Vishnu, and Sant Jnaneshwar

The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
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Skywatch Friday - Sun and Snow

When we arrived at Narkanda, the sun was high in the sky, and really bright. I cursed it at first, because I could hardly click a decent photo with the sun in my eyes....




As it turned out, we were thankful for its presence that day, even though it stayed for just an hour or so. As we forgot ourselves playing in the snow, we only realized its disappearance once we were done, and futilely wished it back!

P.S. Narkanda is about 60 Km from Shimla and is a popular skiing destination.

The photo isn't as good as I hoped, but it happens to be a memorable one. For better photos of the skies from around the world, go to Skywatch Friday


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Location: Narkanda, Himachal Pradesh, India

Comments

  1. R Niranjan DasJanuary 11, 2013 at 11:47 AM

    The rays look so piercing!

    http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in/2013/01/old-goa-of-cathedrals-churches-chapels.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 11, 2013 at 11:09 PM

      Yes, they do, Niranjan! It was so bright, I had a hard time seeing anything at first!

      Delete
  2. Mahi KashyapJanuary 11, 2013 at 12:15 PM

    Its really an outstanding click... Most beautiful day of the week...

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJanuary 11, 2013 at 12:28 PM

    A starburst of sun - how gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AsadJanuary 11, 2013 at 1:11 PM

    Great picture. I wish to be there. I must say you have disturbed a basic of photography and that is don't shoot facing light because its not that easy. But you have done well here.

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    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 11, 2013 at 11:11 PM

      Thanks so much, Asad!!It was simply a fluke! have tried to get such an image earlier, but never managed! even this time, the image could have been much better with a bit better knowledge of photography!

      Delete
  5. NishaJanuary 11, 2013 at 1:29 PM

    It's so pleasing feeling to see the Sun on a snowy day..... that too this bright ! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 11, 2013 at 11:11 PM

      Yes, Nisha! that sun was a sight for sore eyes... about the only time we saw it as bright

      Delete
  6. TeamgsquareJanuary 11, 2013 at 4:51 PM

    Cool picture .

    ReplyDelete
  7. IndraniJanuary 11, 2013 at 10:32 PM

    Fantastic shot!

    ReplyDelete

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