What do we do?

I have a few questions. Why does our country get attacked year after year, and nothing ever gets done? Why don’t the politicians take a stand against this problem? And why do innocent Nun’s get raped and children get torched in the name of religion? Why?

So, it should come as no surprise why I have been feeling extremely angry these last couple of days. I'm pissed that this country is becoming such a soft target for terrorists. On the one hand you have America and its 9-11. It’s been seven years since that day, and they’ve not had a single incident since then. Then on the other hand, you have India. But I guess India is different. Where else have all the slime balls of society managed to get elected to office, year after year? The complete apathy of these politicians has resulted in all the terrorists feeling that they can come to India anytime they want do as they please. No one is going to do a thing.

And all that the politician will do is condemn the attack, talk insincerely about the sacrifices that the security personnel have made, and finally declare a useless reward or medal for the families of the dead. Then they’ll conveniently forget the whole episode; coming out again when the next incident happens, and this drama will repeat. How much longer will this go on?

Strangely, this one time, the two major parties don’t seem to slinging much mud at each other. But don’t let that fool you. Mr. Advani was quoted on TV to have said that when they were in power, the blasts were not of the same magnitude. Excuse me Mr. Advani; are you saying that you had a way of controlling how much damage the terrorists caused? If you did, why didn’t you stop those incidents from happening in the first place? Get serious man! Stop thinking about getting into the PM’s chair - before you die - and do the nation one good thing before you go. And no, your book doesn’t count.

And this is what I have to tell all those useless, white-shirt-clad idiots- Get serious! Do the job that you’ve been elected to do. To the prime minister- pop a Viagra before you address the nation. Better still- find someone with a stronger voice to voice-over for you.

Silhouettes of happiness...
 

Ever-so-often a moment comes looking for us, to see if we can capture it in a way that is our own. That moment came sometime ago, and is no more. But, it left me with this piece in time that I caught and am happy to be a part of.

My personal favourite...

Edit: This picture was taken by Mr.Andy. Proudest uncle of the cutest niece :)

Queen of hearts...

Orchids in my yard...

Rushing yards...

A night in New York...

Until such time that I get my other pictures developed, I think I'll continue with the New York series of pics.

Skyscrapers 
These tall structures do look nice. Dunno why I didn't think much of them till now. For a short Indian who until recently hadn't seen any structure beyond a pathetic 21 stories, these guys did torment my poor neck. Despite all that I'm still happy 'cause I like the look of this shot. Don't you? A teeny weeny, itsy-bitsy bit? :P

Twenty & eight

I don't know what the best gifts are, but to hear my niece wish me happy birthday in the morning and then see Arsenal win against Man Utd in the evening, I guess that would make it very close to the heart :)

The world in his hands...
 

This is the statue of Atlas that sits bang opposite the St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York.

I really like this statue and I think the first time I saw a semblance of it was in one of the Tom and Jerry cartoons. It felt strangely nice to stand there and take this shot.

The north-south axis of the armillary sphere on his shoulders points to the North Star as viewed from New York City. Laid across Atlas's shoulders is a wide, curved beam that displays a frieze of the traditional symbols for Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Adjacent to Earth (over Atlas's right forearm) is a small crescent symbolizing the Moon. Affixed to one of the sphere's rings are symbols for twelve constellations through which the Sun passes during the year.

Hawa Mahal...

The road ahead...


This is a picture of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in Connecticut.

Come to think of it, I've spent the last two months travelling and constantly being on the road. My journeys have taken me from the hills of Palani and Kodaikanal to the picturesque valleys of Connecticut, the glitzy streets of New York, the Benjamin Franklin parkway where Rocky ran :)) and the boulevards of D.C. I must admit that I've not travelled this long and this far, in so short a time.

So, this picture in essence serves to remind me of my journeys to new and distant lands; journeys to newer stages in life, of mine and those connected to me. A journey that I wish never ends...

By the river at dusk...


This is the Farmington River at dusk. The waters were icy cold, so I didn't venture too close. But the closer you get, you realise that there's a calming gentle melody that every flowing river lends, to an eager ear.

Sunset above Tehran


While flying over the skies of Teheran, at 37,000 feet, I saw the colours that the setting sun was lending to the night landscape. I just had to take this picture.

Berry Berry Good...



These are wild berries that were growing in the yard. They looked good and I took quite a few pictures.

But after my friend, a legendary berry specialist of wide repute asked: "you didn't taste them??"...I now wish I had. Maybe I should have, right? :-P

A glimmer of pine...

A slight hint of pine is all I wanted in this shot. But I think it looks ok the way it is.

We were driving along the hilly roads that snaked between Palani and Kodai. Thats when we saw these pine trees along the hillside reaching out to the blue expanse. Thought I'd take a shot that looked a lil' different.

In the mist...

Lotus pair...

Caught in the wake...

Reflections