I made this resin artwork for a friend. The target was to finish this for the birthday but I guess artworks have their own way with things. I am glad it came out well finally 🙂
The failed attempts …
Happy Resin-ing!!!
“My space is small. My life is big” – Graham Hill
On our rover, we have now landed on Mars. The first part of the expedition was all about learning to breath. As were we, our polluted lungs were also in awe of the fresh and low oxygen levels. Diamox tablets and Thupka, a Tibetian noodle soup came to our rescue providing us with with oxygen and warmth.
One last look back at the road we just traversed and survived… moving on!!!
A map and guide to tell the story of how we wandered in the wilderness with wonderment 🙂
The chinar trees and snow blocked roads finally gave way to cobalt blue skies, barren landscapes and glistening lakes. Monks everywhere, traders everywhere, smiling locals everywhere and passionate bikers everywhere – that is when you know you have reached Ladakh
The statue of Sengge Namgyal, a 17th-century Namgyal dynasty King of Ladakh, from 1616 to his death in 1642. A Buddhist, he was noted for his immense work in building monasteries, palaces and shrines in Ladakh and is known as the “Lion King”
You can’t miss the spirit of bikers while you are in Ladakh…
We luckily found this heaven of a place to stay in Leh, Mangyul House on Upper Tukcha Road. With so many options I was happy we choose this. The owner is a passionate biker and runs the establishment along with his wife. The happy couple and the staff are helpful with whatever question you have on mind. Their hospitality, warm food and the chats over bonfire left us with an out of this world experience. They also run a bike rental shop – we rented a bike and were on our way to explore Leh
We were told to take it easy on day 1 of our arrival in Leh, that is why we went only to Leh Palace, Tsemo Monastery, Shey Palace and Stakna Monastery 🙂 … I guess taking it easy is not in our dictionary.
View from Leh Palace, all I had to do was changes angles to capture the gorgeous panoramas 🙂
We have a bike at hand and a wandering mind, so we were off to carve out our own itinerary.
Tsemo Gompa or Tsemo Monastery, perched atop a mountain behind the Leh Palace was built in 15th century. The monastery offers unprecedented views of the surroundings country side, Indus river and Zanskar valley. We just sat atop trying to catch our breath – couldn’t decide – was it because of the view or the lack of oxygen!
View of the Shanti Stupa from Tsemo Gompa
You could stop just about anywhere and be treated to a special view in Ladakh.
You see the hamlet out there, I wonder how they get to their supplies, do they migrate to a warmer region during winters, what happens when snow melts down from the mountains around.
Talking to the cheerful natured locals over a tea and maggi I was so humbled. They took pride in telling stories of how they battle the cold winter and how they survive on little means as the major sources of their income is the short and warm summer tourist season.
Will I be able to live here…!!!
Living in shack with a view like that. I wonder – if I get a life like this, will I thank God for the peace around me or crib about the little means I have? Living in a place like this – will my perception of things change? Is life unnecessarily complicated with floor to clean, cars to insure, loans to pay and a stressful job to keep? Am I able to appreciate this only because I know I can go back to my pompous lifestyle? Will I ever have the courage to leave things behind and spend at least some months in a place like this or a shack like this? Pondering over such thoughts .. I moved on!!
Riding on we came across yet another wonder – Stakna Gompa which was off the road and looked so majestic. Exploring it was inevitable – for first I thought it was abandoned as there was not a person in sight. Actually there was no one but I dont think it was abandoned. Yet another breath taking climb and a gorgeous panorama with Indus river flowing calmly along.
The biking skills, I dont have but still showing off…..
The view from the top – I do want to be a Ladakhi in my next life just to embrace the calmness, the beauty and peace that comes with it. Even while living in such harsh conditions you will never find one frowning Ladakhi – they are always a cheerful and smiling lot 🙂
The Shey Palace below – yet again numerous steps- maybe some other time
Now its time to witness the valor of our Indian army who fought in such harsh climates. The Hall Of Fame – A museum built by the Indian Army in honor of the brave soldiers of India who sacrificed their lives defending their motherland in the Indo-Pak wars
Threatening with a sense of humor …they’ve got style 🙂
And so do we….
One last pic before I and my lungs collapse…
Happy Exploring , Julley!!!
“In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer” – Albert Camus
Happy Resin-ing!!!
“Running to the boarding gate is my favorite workout.” – Unknown
A trip to Mars & Moon – that is what I am calling it because that is what it felt like.
After long we packed our bags and went on an impromptu trip to Leh, Ladakh. We decided to go via Kashmir, another beautiful place which also enjoys a very important geo-political situation. I went straight from scorching 40°C (104°F) to freezing 3°C (37°F) and lower subsequently, which felt like a relief in the beginning, however later on I realized how much I missed the 40°C.
Kashmir is our own Switzerland and Venice combined. Such a beautiful place, helpful and smiling locals, rich culture, houseboats and gondola ride and serene nature.
Even though all this has been affected by the on and off terrorism and political instability in the area, however owing to the recent G20 Summit which was conducted recently we landed in a neat and clean and freshly polished Srinagar.
On my way to the hotel from airport, my charming driver pointed out to all the historic and progressive places we were crossing.
It was raining and with mystic/misty mountains in the backdrop we spent some time sipping tea and capturing the rustic charm of the Zero bridge 🙂
Time for a Shikara ride…
The Shikara(gondola) ride was a relaxing way to end the evening, there were shikara’s selling food and beverages and local handicraft items. Bhajans echoing in the valley from the Shankaracharya temple atop the hill added to the tranquility.
There were many houseboats which have now been converted to hotels and some which people still call their homes and some which are just abandoned.
Next day we were all set to leave for Leh. We opted the road transport bus over the overpriced cabs. As the bus moved slower, we would get more time to enjoy the nature around us. Our ever smiling driver was a good company and the bus was almost empty with few adventure tourists like us and a few locals. The bus was allowed to ply today(it is decided on a day to day basis, based on the snow blocked road conditions and the quickly changing weather in the area).
We started our journey to Mars via Moon on a rainy day, on a rugged terrain and a not so comfy bus.
The first view of the snow peaked Himalayas from the banks of the Sind River
I was beyond amazed by the beauty only to get more exhausted eventually. One more thing – as these were high altitudes we were going to – we had to take tablets which would help us acclimatize. I am sure they did a good job – we just pushed harder and made these tablets feel worthless and us breathless 🧐
Entering Sonamargh- “meadow of gold”. The views are nothing less than worth gold here.
A leisurely meander round the twisting river curves was a life time experience for me. This gives me hope that there will be enough water and resources till I die, I just need to be closer to mother nature.
Crossing the Zoji La mountain pass at 11,575 ft which is still the most dangerous pass, with sudden avalanches, landslides, and blizzards. However the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) work tirelessly to clear the snow and provide safe passage to tourists and locals alike.
Crossing the dreaded Zoji La safely we entered Dras which is the second coldest inhabited place and stopped here for a cup of whatever hot drink we could lay our hands on.
Next stop was Kargil where our Indian soldiers had fought hard in such harsh weather and rough terrain to keep the Pakistani infiltrators at bay. There was too much police activity so I refrained from taking pics.
With a tiny stop at Maitreya Buddha at Mulbekh we resumed our journey. Till now it felt like we were traversing through Moon and after a few meter as we entered Ladakh it felt like we are travelling on Mars.
Countries worldwide are launching rockets to reach these places and we just got here by bus 🤗
I made a friend on the bus who is a carpet seller by profession, who talked a lot and became my personal guide during the ride.
From here on we can see a set of three stupas everywhere, these represent the bodhisattvas of wisdom (Manjusri), compassion (Avalokitesvara) and fulfillment (Vajrapani).
Journey on Mars….
The journey here onwards felt like we were on a different planet itself with less vegetation, arid climate, clean atmosphere, mesmerizing views.
Some political drama… now a days there are a lot of cases of religious conversions here in the valley.
Another mountain pass – Namika La at 12,198ft was the easiest pass on this trip. You have to give it to the Border Roads Organization, popularly known as BROs in the area for their relentless efforts of maintaining the road conditions to give a safe passage to the all.
Lamayuru Monastery or the Moonland of Ladakh. It is said that if you watch this valley on a full moon, when moon light falls on the multi shaded mountains the land creates a mirror image of the craters we see on the moon. This quaint little village was bustling with monks, locals and a few tourists trying to capture the beauty of the place as much as they could.
Letters do bring joy – I wish we could go back be being less progressive in terms of technology.
Another beautiful view and monasteries. I slept my way through Magnetic Hill.
Entering Leh – its 7:30PM and still there is broad daylight in the Himalayas. My phone battery died and I was ready to crash too…
Happy Travels ✈️🌍
“Learn continually. There’s always “one more thing” to learn.” — Steve Jobs
I went for this Resin workshop last week and was so ecstatic. There is something new to learn always, planning to take a course on resin so you will see more resin work in the days to come. Love the shades and the glossy like 🙂
Happy Resin-ing I guess!!
This is Lippan Art, which is a traditional mural craft, using clay and camel dung. It is used predominantly in western India to keep the interiors of the house cool. I have just used mirrors, clay and some hardener material sans the camel dung for my work 🙂 . It was fun doing this project, maybe one day I will try this on my wall.
Happy Painting & Crafting!!!
Lately I read this book by Paulo Coelho – “The Witch of Portobello”. Story of a woman who was born ahead of her time and who made no secret of the fact. The question central to the story is “How do we find the courage to be true to ourselves – even if we are unsure of who we are?”
It revolves around searching for one’s true self and opening to the energies of the world and in the way also expounds a selection of philosophies. One of my favorites was Jung’s Theory of Personality which resonated with my individual progress as a human being.
There are 4 stages as per Carl Gustavo Jung;
Persona – the mask we use everyday to present ourselves in public. To become psychologically healthy, must balance between the demands of society and what we truly are. Too much emphasis on persona makes individuals alienated from themselves and shallow.
Shadow – this is our dark side, qualities we do not wish to acknowledge. To achieve the realization of the shadow one must accept the faults and wants to go forward. That is the moment, the Shadow disappears and we come in contact with the Soul.
Soul – the source of all knowledge. “Instincts become sharper, emotions more radical, the interpretation of signs become more important than logical, perceptions of reality grow less rigid. We start to struggle with things to which we are unaccustomed and we start to react in ways that we ourselves find unexpected”- Paulo Coelho
Realization(Wise Old Man\Great Mother) – where we discover that we can channel the continuous flow of energy and organize it around a solid center.
I can aim for Realization of the Great Mother in this life however will be happy if I can fully attain the Soul archetype
Happy Reading, Happy Painting!!!
Happy Doodling!!!
“Change is inevitable, but transformation is by conscious choice” – Heather Ash Amara
Did an arts and craft project this time for my aunt, these are made of porcelain. I wish I had take a better before picture to show the transformation 🙂 I had to kill my fingers trying to squeeze the glitter out of the tube however it was totally worth it
Happy Arts!
This season it was just 3 rangolis on the major festive days and that too small ones as we have moved back to the city 🙂
“Ït’s better to be late than to arrive ugly”- Anonymous
That’s the best excuse I got for now that its better to be late than to be ugly :). I started this painting exactly 5 months back. I have a penchant for detailing and self-torture probably, the reason why I keep choosing paintings with such fine details. With this one I am happy that I am done. Hopefully I will see you guys soon with another painting, keeping my fingers crossed !!!
Happy Painting!
“Beauty is the shadow of imperfection.” – Simon Van Booy
With the onset of festive season, this is my first rangoli for the season. Though the lines are crooked and imperfect it does capture the festive vibe.
Happy Shankranti to everyone celebrating it!!!
Happy Rangoli!!!
The little birdie brought me back to my colorful life. I tend to keep my promise if 2 paintings per month moving forward.
Happy Painting !
“Take only memories, leave only footprints” – Unknown
I came across this chick the other night, frightened and shivering on my stairs. I knew if I left it there the cat would eat it so I got it in. It took me on a roller-coaster ride since then. All it did was eat and climb and poo. I looked more like a tree to it and I didn’t mind 🙂 Finally after a couple of days we had to part ways….
However it brought me back to my art and I love it for that. I refer to it as “IT” becoz I couldn’t figure out if it was male or female 🙂
Stay Safe little chick!!!
“I choose to collect memories instead of things” – Elena Levon
This one is long due.
We went to Nepal in 2018 during the Dushain festival; ie in the month of October. We knew most of the establishments would be closed as Dushain is the most auspicious festival there and everyone would be on vacation and would spend time with family rather than tending to guests. However, that is what we wanted to witness and experience.
The trip was filled with a splash of red color, beautiful smiles, worshipping people and high swings.
I will do an entire post to show all the beautiful places we visited, this one is dedicated to the beautiful people we saw and met during our journey and the color RED 🙂 . Red was the color of the season, people in red dresses, red ornaments, red tilak(vermillion) on foreheads, on statues, on walls….
Dashain the greatest festival for Hindus, honors a great conquest of the gods over the evil demons.
The faces are covered until the 8th day, however from day 1, there is night long prayers and bhajans.
Durbar Square – where people enjoyed feeding the pigeons, running among pigeons and a saint trying to find peace among all the chaos.
Just some random clicks of happy people
Sadhu’s at Pashupatinath temple in their exotic appearances
Sadhus are almost entirely dependent on the alms of others for survival. But, many of them also support themselves by begging, singing, serving as spiritual mentors, interpreting dreams, telling fortunes and reading palms, making amulets, tattooing, performing exorcisms, casting spells, conjuring, or selling medicinal herbs and potions.
Evening bhajan and aarti at Pashupatinath
The famous Sel Roti of Nepal – made of rice flour. it is sweet and deep fried and mostly sought after snack during festivals. The vibrant market place. People finding their future in stars. The royal guard at the Durbar Square. And finally the funky musician selling music in all forms.
Amongst all the craziness, this topped it all. You get to see a web of entangled wire all across Kathmandu. I wonder how they fix it when there is a problem!!!
Prayers to Buddha in his birth place – Lumbini
Lighting a butter lamp in one of the largest stupas – UNESCO world Heritage site – Boudhanath Stupa
Bhanjans(musical prayers) and recitation of the holy text Rama Charith Manas @ Janakpur, the birth place of Sita.
Dashain is, in fact, a festival in Nepal which reunites the families and is the ceremony of reunion and joy. Every house is filled with happiness and delicious foods. The sky is filled with the Kites, the grounds are filled with swings and the people are filled with joy and memories and so was I.
The trip was filled with long rides across valleys and river side, hot Nepali food, visit to the many durbars of Nepal, meeting and greeting smiling Nepalis, paying oblations in the various religious places, breath taking views, taking walks in the festive filled busy streets and shopping, of course… 🙂
This is my favorite pic among all !!!
Somewhere out there is Mount Everest which we couldn’t see due to fog … some other time maybe 🙂
Happy Travelling !!!
Stay Safe n Stay Happy !
So last month I met this naughty guy, Corona and without my permission he just kissed me and from there the two week romance started. Sleepless nights, loss of appetite, weakness in the body. Oh boy, I was head over heels in loathe with him. One moment of negligence and I lost 9lbs and my sanity. I realized what a fool I have been and didn’t let this love get to my lungs. So lucky me, here I am writing yet another post.
Thank God, family and friends who helped me get out of this mess!!!
Stay Safe, Stay Healthy!!!
This one I did on the exterior wall, lets see if the colors survive the summer heat. My peacock obsession continues 🙂 . I need a pot for my jade plant.
Happy painting!!!
“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need” – Marcus Tullius Ceciro
I have been bitten by the gardening bug lately hence soaking in a lot of Vitamin D in my small apartment garden. Some researchers say that gardening helps reduce stress and anxiety. Some others say that the more you involved with mother earth the clearer your skin gets :). I don’t mind having all of that !!!
Happy Gardening!!!
This is the last of the lot. I was just lazy to post it!!!
Is anyone facing problem with WordPress? My notification section doesn’t load on laptop. It only opens in mobile app.
Happy Rangoli !!!
The above rangoli represents abundance with pots brimming and overflowing with milk. The festival Makar Shankranti celebrates the Sun God entering into Capricorn(Makar) constellation thus Sun starts its journey in the Northern Hemisphere. This is also a harvesting festival(since most of our ancestors were farmers) so people pray to Sun for abundance and prosperity.
A chariot for the Sun God 🙂
Happy Rangoli!!!
Sankranti is also a festival when kids and adults alike fly kites. So I decided to make kite my theme. Actually.. the truth is I just kept making a square rangoli but still wasn’t satisfied because it didnot look complete. Then my husband came to my rescue and suggested I make the tail to make it look like a kite. If not for him I would have broken my back on day one of the festival. And for what ??? so that the cow can eat it in 15 mins. I used rice flour and flower petals to make it and the cows might have thought that I was serving breakfast …. uffff
So much for my eco friendliness!!!
Happy Rangoli!!!
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