SOULspace

Thanks A Wandering Mind Lav's Corner My first Award and many thanks to Anu for nominating me. Any Award makes One beam with Joy and Pride, and the First is always special...Thanks Anu Then hey I spotted that Lav  has also given me an award..thanks once again. I am happy and here's the award right back at you!! Well the only problem is I could not figure out how to locate and paste the logo onto my post. So help me ladies!! Here is a smile to show you all how happy I am...:))

I look at myself and this journey and I really amaze at how things change, convolute, contort and yet remain, funnily, the same! I grew up in a suburban Chennai, and went to one of the most elitist schools that the city could boast of. We were an exclusive group, "privileged' is what we were called. While growing up the difference in lifestyle between school and home was not something we really gave much thought to. But, yes as we reached High school, I would squirm at my grandparents and their old fashioned clothes or traditions. Trying not to reveal much of how we lived at home to school mates, while at the same time trying to fit into a very Yuppie, very westernized peer group. George Michael and Jeans were sacred words that I repeated to myself, trying to understand who and what they were!! It appears in retrospect that I did myself a very good turn by changing schools for the 11th and 12th grade. I joined another school in order to score better marks, and my parents ju...

In this concrete world, if we get a chance to just get out and see some water, trees, and birds then we have to grab that opportunity. Between Kanpur and Lucknow lies Nawabgunj Bird sanctuary and the best time to visit is between November and March. We were a wee bit late having gone there in April. Yet we got to see around 24 different types of birds. Having Not packed the Bird Book (we have many but I like Salim Ali's for its clear descriptions), we had to rely on my husband who is any way a walking Bird Book. Somehow just spending 3 hours roaming around trying to spot birds and identify them through their calls, fulfills you, with a feeling of a day well spent. It was a hot day, but the green foliage covered our path. The monkeys though, gave my daughter some anxious moments. The highlight was when we spotted the black headed Oriole. In fact we heard their call( my husband pointed it out) and then we tracked them around. Finally to our delight we spotted a pair swoop...

  Just took the children to the Kanpur Zoo. As for them and me, just roaming around is great fun. The maintenance of the Zoo is to write about, but I still felt some of the animals were in good health. The pelicans, and the flamingo for one, the rhinoceros for another. The tiger looked bored, while the other animals, sambar deer and bear were looking unhealthy. It was a hot day, yet the kids could not pull themselves away. A kingfisher on the tree enjoying (and oblivious) to its relative freedom... An annoyed Jackal bared its fangs at us, I dont blame him/her, I too would hate to be in a cage, though with time we get used to that too... The Emus were plenty, wonder how they are proliferating while the others were in pairs. The orangutan was the favourite, so was the chimp...missed it as the batteries were acting up again. (Have seriously petitioned for a better camera) The zebras too were looking great, though we got a glimpse from afar, as they coyly peeped at us...

well i have been tagged! Though I have noticed it on many blogs, this is the first time I have been tagged. So thanks Mom of V . Well this means I reveal 7 things about myself and tag 3 more: * I got wet in the rain one day returning from school( yes way back then..but still, this is in high school)...took a bus, removed my glasses to wipe them ( yes I wear them)...and plonked myself on a seat...only to find in my blindness I had sat on someone's puke....grosses me even today...:)) * used to be the only one who would not drink Ganne ka ras outside our college portals... * used to drive the two wheeler (friends) on the sly...! * keep swinging as the mood goes... * got to get out of the house atleast once a day * need someone to push me to get things done:(( * get a lot of kick in a room full of kids Ok, I struggled through that...couldnt find 7 things that I wanted to reveal, that I have not already said!! Yet I will tag 3 more, so here goes: Asha , dreamsgoo...

  March 20th: World StoryTelling Day So did you tell a story? Did you hear one? Did you share one? World Story telling Day is celebrated on March 20th to coincide with the summer/spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. Reading a Katha or sharing a story from the Ramayan/ Bagavatham is part of our Indian Culture. This was usually done in the temples to the accompaniment of some music. Even without the music the teller's voice was of the most sonorous and lilting quality, and one could sit mesmerised for hours listening to stories that he would intersperse with jokes and local flavour. My memories of attending such events go back to my childhood in Chennai. During the summer holidays we would be packed of from our urban Adyar home to my grandmother's house in old Mylapore near the Kapaleeswarer temple. Evenings were magical as we scampered behind her almost every day to the temple, and invariably in the evening some Katha-kalakshebam would be there to entertain us. I...

  Well?? Is that enough water for Tulika? No, that is not a belligerent tone. In fact I am a tad disappointed at this point as I have one collage less in my collection. The Sea/Ocean I have the rain at Kanpur, the river and its wondrous fall at Khajuraho, the river- sea (Ganges) at its serene best. Yet I am sad I have not captured my beloved Bay of Bengal (Elliots Beach, Chennai). I have no pictures of my friend, philosopher, and guide. Because the days spent along Her shores are those times when the only camera we used were our eyes and the only place to save it was in our memories. But no sweat, this time when I go to Chennai, I am going to capture my memories and collage it for myself! I have so many water stories to tell, where do I start?!! I could start with the games from a time past. Land, River, Ocean, Sea, Water...have you played this game? My childhood days were spent playing this on steps at school and home. Or shall I tell you of days in the Mon...