Rains

Raindrops bring so much from within the soul that its hard for words to capture... Here are a few photographs from a rainy day, taken in my balcony...

 



You could visit my photography website And Pictures by clicking here or the Facebook page by clicking here.

चायबाज़ श्वेता (Chaibaaz Shweta)

Unbelievable! The last chaibaaz post on this blog was way back in April 2011! Not acceptable!

However to break this long break, is a beautiful photograph from an equally lovely photographer Shweta Verma, based out of Switzerland! I love going through her work, and I am sure you would do! Please do go through The Creative Lens and make sure to book a slot in the Autumn Promo she is currently running!

Thank you! Shweta for letting me use this photograph for Chaibaaz series, and welcome to the Chaibaaz family :)

Oh and if you are still reading this post (I wonder why though :) You should be on TCL already), do check out the rest of Chaibaaz posts by clicking here.

Phone Photo Phunn!

Trying out how photographs from the phone work out.. a few look nice so far..

Cha Time Photus!

Tea Time Photographs...

New Delhi And Pictures (Lodhi Garden, T3 Terminal)

Some stills from New Delhi...

From the mosque next to Bada Gumbad, Lodhi Gardens, New Delhi...

Trollies stacked together at the T3 Terminal of Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi

Chaibaaz Dithi (चायबाज़ दिथी )

My mailbox conked off, and I could not check this email from Dithi for a while, and when I finally managed to access it today, I felt so super nice reading her thoughts about Tea..

Dithi is an amazing artist based out of Geneva, and I do not have words to express how beautiful her work is! Please do visit the links at the end of this post to explore Dithi's world of mind blowing paintings!

- Why Tea?

....‘coz it makes you feel like you are home, you are warm and everything is going to be fine when you take that first morning sip. Almost 4 years in Europe (read: being surrounded by café lovers & Espresso fanatics) couldn’t take the chai lover out of me, if anything, I hold on to it more sip by sip.

- What if you had to make a flavor of tea, what would you have in it, other than Tea leaves?

Grated juicy ginger bits, crushed Cardamom/Elaichi, cloves, a couple of crushed black peppercorns, a nice ghazal and some sufi songs in a husky female voice!

- What would you do if you were given two days in a tea estate?

I would try not to get lost!! Wait, let me explain where that came from: Way back, sometime in the 70s, my parents were visiting the Makaibari tea estate and my mom and sis could not find their way back from the ladies room for a little while. That made a rather scary picture of a tea estate in my mind, of being this endless 3D maze that you never find your way out of if you get lost.

That image was crushed (phew!) on our visit to the Munnar tea estate. It’s unreal; you are surrounded by beauty and serenity. I’d like to just listen to good music, help myself to a serious tea drinking indulgence and, of course, let all that inspiration find expression in a little bit of artwork may be?

- Tea in a cup? or Tea in a steel glass? or Tea in a kulhad (earthen cups) or tea in a paper cup? or tea in a glass? and why?

Kulhad on the road, whenever possible, am a Bengali who loves her ‘cha’ in the ‘bhaand’ (Bengali name for the delightful terracotta cup). At home, I like collecting handmade ceramic cups and mugs by various artists all over the world. I also enjoy observing the various ways in which tea is served in different countries, e.g. Moroccan tea in coloured decorative glasses, Chinese tea in white or blue porcelain cups, etc., that sort makes the tea drinking experience that much more exciting and authentic.

- What is your earliest memory of Tea?

Earliest and strongest 2 memories:

1. Dad having several cups of very strong tea all through the day, he still does. He is the unparalleled tea King in the family!

2. We were not encouraged (read: not allowed) to have tea as kids.

- Do you remember when you had tea for the first time? Is it related to why you like tea so much?

Because it was such a big deal for me to have tea as a kid, I remember, one of the joys of the newly found freedom when I moved out of home for the first time to stay as a paying guest in Kolkata (while in college) was being served tea for breakfast everyday! When I went back home after that, the tea-rule changed. That was such a ‘grown-up-&-can-have-tea’ moment!

- Your favorite T-shop? and why?

Many. Dolly’s tea boutique in Kolkata, love the Fab India Organic Tulsi tea, in Geneva I love buying caddies from Terre D’oc and Teakoe.

- Your favorite brand of tea and why?

I like Tata teas for the desi masala cup, Tetley Early Grey for a flavourful cup of black and Terre d’Oc blends for an occasional designer organic tea (their spicy black from India and Earl Grey from China are super!)

- Your favorite website related to Tea and why?

Many, you’ll know why when you hop over:

http://www.rangacupofchai.blogspot.com/

http://www.chaikidukaan.com/

http://www.terredoc.com/english/Default.aspx#

http://www.teacaddy.czi.cz/

- If Tea was a person, what would that mean to you? What would that person be like?

Would be a ‘he’; dynamic and strong, yet, a much grounded person whose company would be nothing less than therapy for my often-jittery nerves.

- Your favorite T-picture please...

- Your favorite T-quote

Well, I came across this Japanese proverb recently and loved it: ‘If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty.’ So true!

- Your website/blog

www.deezden.blogspot.com

www.deezden.etsy.com

This concludes the Tea Talks series for now, except that I am to answer these questions and post them here :)

Have you checked AndPictures yet? Here is the link : www.andpictures.net

Seona

Some photographs from a recent shoot in Singapore!!! Was staying with Aseem and got an opportunity to take some photographs of Seona, Aseem and Mala's daughter who turned 1 on the 19th of January this year!!!

Happy New Year 2011

To each their own

A still from one of my favorite places in India... Old Delhi

Every saturday Hindus offer Mustard oil, and earthen lamps with mustard oil to Shani Dev in India. Shani is one of the "Navgrah", 9 planets and is the elder brother of Yamraj, God of death! Shani is probably one of the most feared ones however if placed favorably in a horoscope does wonders!

What a loss!

Lost the best of my street shots from Panaji, and some really beautiful pictures of Pooja!

Memory - 1GB
Cost - a few thousand rupees
Actual worth - Priceless!


I am so angry right now, that I don't even feel it! The photographs were just alright the last time I was viewing them on the camera, and now the bloody card just does not want to work!!! the photographs are all messed up of whatever i can see in the thumbnails... the camera freezes when I try to preview the images on it! what a loss!

On the brighter side, it gives a big reason to go back to Panaji sometime!

Grand Entry

Entry to the Basilica of Sr. Mary in Downtown Minneapolis.

The Fall has gone...

But the feeling remains!

Felt like a friday

Been a very strange week this one!

Since Monday, every day felt like Friday! not because it was festive, but something inside me really wished that the next day is a Saturday (read a holiday), and now that its Friday finally, it does not feel like one at all!

I, however, am still waiting for the saturday :)

I think I need to go dancing!!!

T-Time

There are certain times when resisting the need of having a hot cup of tea is almost impossible!!!

Some of them are

1. When it rains

2. When you have been driving for a while, and want to take a quick break

3. When you want to talk at length with a friend

4. When someone has a packet of Parle-G Glucose biscuits

5. When its really cold outside and you are sitting in a balcony enjoying the chill

6. When you just want to sit on the top of a hill watching the valley in front

7. When you don't want do much and relax in the morning

8. When you want to stop thinking for a while

9. When you want to think about something important

10. When there is a lot of work to do

11. When there is nothing to do

12. When you want to crib about things at work

13. When its a long weekend (thanks CP for the idea)

14.

15.

16....

am leaving some points for the readers to fill in! When do you like to have tea?

All photographs from a recent trip to the hills (Ranikhet, Dist. Almora, Uttarakhand)

Thanks to the visitors of CKD, here is another long list :)

* When I miss home a lot - V

* When you have a headache - Saguna

* When I enjoy looking at the hedges across the road, from my balcony - Mepretentious

* Anytime and everytime... its theraupatic... i can never say no to tea unless too sweet - Raina

* When you are writing a blog (post) - Raina

* Samose ke saath - Raina

* When you're sitting on a swing... the three-seater kind that is in the backyard or frontyard or indoors. :) - Kanan

* Chai anytime anywhere & everywhere!! - Purnima

* When you have to wake up.. - Komal-Niksha

* When you can't think or do anymore..a cup of chai almost always seems to re-enrgise you.. - Komal-Niksha

* When you want to pen some beautiful lines.. - Komal-Niksha

* When you want to go back in time.. - Komal-Niksha

Getting better!

I used to like the amazing photograph, lovely pictures, what a shot sorts of comments on my flickr page a lot! And to be honest, I really like them today as well! But I struggle to improve in absense of the comments which tell me what can I do better!

There is a huge number of extremely talented photographers who showcase their work online on websites such a flickr, and a favorite, or a small comment from them does help continue with the effort!!!

And there are people who keep you going by coming back to you work, and encourage you! Its amazing how such people keep you going, if not help you improve!

However that is not enough all the time!

Here is what I did in the recent past to work on my photography...

1. Distinguish between what I am clicking just to document that "I was there", and the photographs which show a different side to the usual

2. Reduce the number of photographs that I click! Though this is in disagreement with a lot of experts, I feel that I want to see more than I click! hence a little more time spent behind the camera, or looking at pictures, or reading about them! and reduced time clicking! Not really sure if that has helped, as I am yet to reach a significant difference in my work

3. I follow the people who my contacts follow as their favorites! So let's say I really like how Tushar clicks, I would go to his favorites page, and see what does he follow! There are chances, that what he follows is a couple of steps ahead of him... and if I like his photography, the chances that I would like what he "really likes" a lot more! so I follow both! Over a period of time, I look at images that inspire me the most!

4. Stop following groups which are just a dumping ground for digital junk! I have spent a lot of time trying to find good pictures, from large groups! And did not end up learning! Instead I spent more time doing what I mentioned in step 3 and have gained a lot of "where could I get better" knowledge! How I get better is another chapter totally!

5. Stop getting emotional about my own work! Just because its me who has clicked a picture, does not mean its a nice picture! Reviewing every picture as an independent viewer has helped me break a lot of bonds with my images, and delete them from my collection (After a backup ofcourse; you never know when you need to go back to your originals)

And that's not it! I am nowhere close to what I can be!

But I am getting there!

T-tips from Chai ki Dukaan!

When you make tea, make sure that you are smiling!!!



It helps the TEA Taste Better!!!

Photograph from a T-Shop at Jageshwar(Distt. Almora), Uttarakhand, India!

Pieces of Peace

You find your peace in pieces all over!!! Make sure to collect all of them!

Photograph from Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis Downtown, Minnesota!

"Sun"Day started with Rain

Had a perfect start of the day today!!!

Woke up at 6:45 while it was raining heavily...

Went out to get drenched in the rain, and enjoyed walking around in the water logged streets...

AND

planted 14 Jamun saplings which I had in a small pot on my balcony... All of them from the seeds I had planted a few months back!

I hope all of them grow and grow well :)

Had some amazing breakfast and lovely lunch as well!

Off to sleep early tonight, to wake up early morning tomorrow.. gotta catch a train to one of my favorite cities for a one day work trip!

Chai ki Dukaan by Fredcan

In Fred's words, "A portrait of a chai wallah (tea maker), in his shop, in Haridwar. I took this during my stay in Haridwar for Maha Kumbh mela 2010, last April. This little chai shop had become a shelter for me, when the crowds and the sadhu camp became a bit overwhelming. In a way, it was like spending time, not just in a chai shop, but at the man's home itself, as the tiny shop seemed to tell of the man's life story with photographs and objects displayed in every corner.
He said he had seen many Kumbhs in his life before, and was no longer impressed by the whole thing. Yet, he admitted that for his little business, Kumbh time was the best !"

I have been followed Fred's work for a few years now, and have not seen a lot of people capture India with such simplicity. I really admire his street work, and am thankful he allowed me to post this photograph on Chai Ki Dukaan.

Please do visit his flickr page here, and his website here.

Power and Lines

There is not much that I miss about the US except a few things such as the skies and the clouds!!!

And the Fall colors!