Mumbai Weekend Snapshot by Krrish - 11 : Clickie Booth [ Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2015 #13 ]

I got my photos clicked here in the Clickie booth and they sent us the photos by email.

It was lots of fun.

Weekend In Black and White : 14 [Trip To Elephanta Island #9 ] # Nests In The Tree

We saw these nests on the tree while climbing up to Cannon hills to see the two cannons up here.

What you see in the background is the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, also known as Nhava Sheva. It is located in the Arabian Sea, it is the largest container port in India.

Skywatch Friday 2015 - 10 : Sky at Bandra Fort

The clear sky at Bandra Fort

Simply Mumbai - 9

A woman worker painted on the goods vehicle.

ABC Wednesday - 'H' for HOPE & Hand Cart: Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2015 #12 : Cart of Hope

The Reverie Wagon (Cart of Hope)

Hand Cart also known as the 'Hath Gadi' here in India has been an ancient handmade source of transportation. Hand carts have been mentioned in literature as far back as the second millenium B.C. The Indian sacred book Rigveda states that men and women are as equal as two wheels of a cart.

In India, we still have a large population that uses the 'Hath Gadi' and relies on it for a daily living. It is still the only source of income for scrap distributors / collectors, farmers, vendors, goods carriers and many more.

The 'Hath Gadi' is a blessing for many poor families in cities as well as rural areas. The message here, to people from different walks of life is that the 'Hath Gadi' might just be a means of transporting goods but for thousands of people in our country, who are below the poverty line, it is an angel in disguise.

By creating this, the artist wants to touch their hearts and send out a message to people that 'what looks like trash to us is astonishingly a treasure to others'.

For interesting photos of 'H' for      from across the world click below:

Our World Tuesday # 24 : Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2015 #11 : Painting

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2015 #10 : Wordless

This is a part of an art installation at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival.

What would you like to call it and interpret it as?

City Daily Photo Monthly Theme March 2015 : Aging - Elephanta Caves [ Trip To Elephanta Island #8 ]

Aging of Elephanta Caves

The Elephanta Caves and the island (originally called Gharapuri island) were named so by the Portuguese rulers after a huge rock-cut black stone statue of an elephant they found installed on the island. The statue is now installed at the Victoria Gardens (Jijamata Udyan) in Mumbai.

After climbing the flight of stone steps, you will finally reach the entrance area to the caves, and need to pay an entrance fee here, which is Rs. 10 for Indian citizens and Rs. 250 for foreign nationals. The caves are closed on Mondays - so do not buy boat tickets even if you see the sellers selling them at the Gateway of India.

This is the main cave of Elephanta Caves and called Cave 1. It is carved in solid basalt and has some magnificient stone carvings and artwork known to be made in ancient times- somewhere between the 6th and 8th century. 
The cave is a massive hall, supported by pillars and houses the famous Maheshmurti statue of Shiva in his 3-headed aspect - Creator, Protector and Destroyer. It is also in partially ruined state like many other sculptures here. The caves were regular places of worship of Lord Shiva in the ancient times.

If we could imagine what the caves and the sculptures of Hindu gods really looked like when they were formed, we can see the richness of ancient history, art and culture here.

The aging of the caves and the sculptures is natural, and due to neglect under rule of different Indian rulers and also caused by the Portuguese in the 15th Century, who did shooting practice on these sculptures in the caves. 

MAHESHMURTI AT ELEPHANTA CAVES

The Elephanta Island has more caves and sculptures, and also two old cannons at the hills called Cannon hills.

Weekend In Black & White : 13 # Vashigaon Subway

VASHI GAON SUBWAY

This is the new subway on the Sion Panvel highway near Vashi village (Vashi gaon). Still under construction and not officially open, we decided to cross the highway from this subway below. 

The subway connects Vashi gaon to the fishermen village area, near the old Shiv temple all the way to Sagar Vihar, where I clicked my best sunset so far.

This is when I convinced hubby and Krrish to come along for a photography adventure in the interior and unexplored areas of Vashi, and thats how I got my last month's theme photo of the fishing boats in the sea, near the fishermen village.

Hubby and Krrish were tired of wandering in the sun, and hungry too. See how they were making funny actions and gestures in the subway so that I stop clicking or get a funny photo in the end.

Skywatch Friday 2015 - 9 : Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2015 #9 : The Cycling Tree

The cycling tree at the Kala ghoda Arts Festival against the clear bright sky.

The Cycling Tree, 15 ft tall, 10 ft wide and with 11 bicycle wheels, is inspired by a common passion for want of greener streets, healthier lifestyles and a love for cycling. The idea is to create awareness that cycling can also be used as a means to generate power.

People were invited to ride the bicycles and see the tree lighted up.

Art by ; TAD Connect Team

(www.tadconnect.com) 

For lovely skies around the world, click below:

Trip to Elephanta Island #7 : The Way Up - Shopping, Adventure & Surprises

Before the steps that lead up to the caves, there are a few stalls having some exquisite pieces of jewellery, art, souvenirs and some also have memory cards, camera batteries and stuff that tourists might need. 
I simply loved these necklaces.

While you are shopping or looking around, Beware!!!
You're being watched.
By notorious nasty hungry monkeys. They are looking for food and could grab your handbag if they suspect or see some food in it.

And by goats and cows too.
Who want a bite of your freshly roasted sweet corn, and will walk behind you till you finish it and throw the cob away.

This hungry goat wanted the corn, and was chasing the lady all the way up. She finally turned around and tried to shoo it away.

The climb up may be tiring for some, and you may want to stop and sit for a while on the rocky walls of the steps. Another option is the ride up on the 'palkhi' for a few hundred rupees - the blue seat you can see here. Once you are seated, it is carried by 4 men and within minutes, you are at the top. We saw a few senior citizens being carried on the palkhi very comfortably.

Blue tarpaulin sheets cover the whole place to protect you from the scorching sun, and get you into the mood of shopping.
There are interesting stalls on both sides and you can buy if you wish on your way up, or leave it for later.

You can also grab a cold drink or a freshly prepared vadapav from one of the stalls on the side, if you are planning lunch after visiting the caves.

ABC Wednesday - 'G' for 'Gestures' - Kala Ghoda Arts festival 2015 #8 : The Semantics of Gestures

From holding an infant in your arms, to games that bond; from fun and dance to a moment of solace found in holding someone's hand - gestures have always been an important way of sharing love and life. Trust, love, sympathy, empathy, anger, fear and a myriad of emotions can be seen, felt and communicated through gestures and touch.

There are many instances of negative touch in today's society, but positive gestures hold the potential to enhance bonding at every level. It truly has its own language - one that we are incomplete without.

Art and Description by:

Anushree Chaterjee

START World, India

Take a close look at some of the gestures:

GESTURES- CLICK TO VIEW IN LARGE SIZE

For more photos of ABC Wednesday 'G' for 

click below:

Our World Tuesday # 23 : Kala Ghoda Arts Festival #7 Jana Gana Mana : Touch Everyone's Heart

This photo is a part of the art installation 'Jana Gana Mana : Touch Everyone's Heart'. 

A Kathakali dancer from Kerala and a Kashmiri girl.

It was impossible to click the whole installation as the festival was very crowded. Most youth were not clicking pictures of art but posing themselves in front of it.

Here is how close I could get to show you the installation.

It shows the National Anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' written on the map of India. The person in the centre is Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who wrote the National Anthem. It shows the different people of India and represents 'Unity in Diversity'.

For awesome photos of Our World Tuesday, click below:

Monday Shopping & Markets : Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2015 # 6 Shopping At Kala Ghoda Festival

WOODEN CRAFT AT KALA GHODA ARTS FESTIVAL 2015

Mumbai Weekend Snapshot by Krrish - 10 : Trip To Elephanta Island - 6 # Toy Train at Elephanta Island

TOY TRAIN AT ELEPHANTA ISLAND -CLICK TO VIEW IN LARGER SIZE

We ate snacks in the boat, clicked pictures of ships and seagulls, each other too, enjoyed the cool breeze and finally reached the Elephanta Island.

As we climbed the stairs up the jetty, this cute little train was waiting for us. It is a small ride to the base of the hills where the caves are located. You can walk if you like but don't miss this cute 5 minute ride atleast one way. The train moves slowly and you can take pictures easily.

Here's what we captured along the way.

VIEW FROM THE TOY TRAIN -CLICK TO VIEW IN LARGER SIZE

These pretty wooden cars and other wooden toys were displayed in the tiny stalls along the train tracks. There were many shops selling caps and hats too.

The train turned here after a while and the track ends a little ahead after the turn here. See how far we have come from the jetty after taking a right turn. Again there are some souvenir shops just before the steps to the hill.

These interesting magnetic stickers and the wooden toys were the best buy for children. I did some shopping too :-)

Weekend In Black & White : 12 # Trip To Elephanta Island -5 # Seagulls Again

Click photo to view it in larger size

Hungry seagulls waiting to swoop down on food tossed by the boat passengers to attract them. The sad part was that they were tossing spicy chips like Lays and Kurkure that were harmful for the birds.

For interesting black & white photos from around the world, click below:

Skywatch Friday 2015 - 8 : Trip To Elephanta Island - 4 # Seagulls In Flight

SEAGULLS IN FLIGHT

We spotted a flock of seagulls who were attracted to some food that the  passengers were throwing in the air. They were trying to catch the food and I managed to get them really close.

These are my first ever proper bird shots and I'm so happy I went to Elephanta island.

For interesting skies around the world, click below:

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2015 #5 Chillin' Like A Villian

Chillin' like a villian

Live fast

Die young

Hustle hard

Keep it cool

Earn and burn

No regrets

Smile it off

Be living like a king

And chillin' like a villian

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2015 #4 Say Cheese With Your Favourite Legend

SMILE :-)

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2015 #3 - FREEDOM BIKE [Our World Tuesday#22 & ABC Wednesday-'F' for Freedom Bike]

FREEDOM BIKE by OLX, clicked by Krrish at Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2015

This motorcycle, an art masterpiece is made entirely from unique used items bought on OLX from different corners of India. These unique and vintage items were collected during the OLX Great India Collectors' Ride by two motorcyclists who travelled 10,000 kilometres for 50 days across the country.

A closer view of the Freedom Bike

OLX Freedom Bike

OLX chooses to call it the Freedom Bike as 'Freedom lies at the heart of OLX which gives users the freedom to buy and sell at the price, place and the time of their choice.'

Items such as a 60 year old railway lamp, a unique wheel clock, a typewriter and a musical instrument Esraj have been all put together to give life to the Freedom Bike. According to OLX, they represent the diversity of the OLX users, and the variety of things sold on the website.

I am linking this post as entry to Our World Tuesday meme

Our World Tuesday # 22 : Freedom Bike

and ABC Wednesday meme 

ABC Wednesday - 'F' for Freedom Bike