ಗೆಳತಿ!

ಅದೊಂದು ದಿನ, ಹೀಗೆ ಕುಳಿತು ಮನಸಿಗೆ ಬಂದಂತೆ ನಾಲ್ಕಾರು ಸಾಲುಗಳನ್ನು ಗೀಚಿದ್ದೆ. ಇಂದು ಅದು ನನ್ನ ಕಣ್ಣಿಗೆ ಬಿತ್ತು .

ಕಾರಣವೇನೆ ಇರಲಿ 
ನೀ ನನ್ನಿಂದ
ದೂರವಾಗದಿರು ಗೆಳತಿ


ಬಿರುಗಾಳಿಯೇ ಬರಲಿ
ನೀ ನನ್ನ ಕೈಯ
ಹಿಡಿದು ನಿಲ್ಲು ಗೆಳತಿ

 - ಅಶ್ವಿನಿ

Empty Throne! ~ Fiction.

Note: This folk tale is based out on one of my recent glass paintings.

3 Princess Glass Painting with Kundan work.[This is yet to be framed]


Once upon a time, when HarshaVardhana was reigning in PushpakaNagar a wild dream haunted him on the full moon night. He had been a great devotee of goddess Durga all his life. That night the mighty king woke up confused after what he had heard in his dream. He would be dying soon and had only a couple of weeks left in this world.


King Harshavardhana had 3 daughters all of whom had mastered martial arts, learnt various skills a ruler of a kingdom should eventually know. They were wise and extremely beautiful. When the news broke in the kingdom that their beloved king would be gone in a few days, there came a need to choose the new heir to the throne. It became difficult to choose the right one to be successor of such a mighty king Harshavardhana.
Minister Chatrapati and Maharaja Harshavardhana discussed of a plan where all the three gorgeous princess would be tested of their values and beliefs. They kept the mission a secret so that they would be able to judge them on par.

Next day, the King called his daughters Menaka, Maanvika, MaaLavika to his private room to discuss about whom he would hand over the kingdom before he died. When all the three arrived, he turned to them and said “I would like to give the kingdom to my daughter who has the most beautiful hands”. The minister told them that King would declare the best hands on the day that followed and asked them to come prepared.

His daughters were equally thrilled and happy to hear the deal. Menaka, the eldest of all, applied sandal-wood paste on both her hands, later washed it with rose water. She applied a soothing nail colour that would match her royal outfit. She was well-prepared for the show next day.

Maanvika got the best of perfumes from the land of Sumadhura Nagari and cleansed her hands with fresh fruit packs. Maanvika made sure her soft hands glittered with Gold jewels making them the best hands seen ever.

MaaLavika, a young pretty girl applied almond oil to smoothen her hands first and later washed her hands clean with water that had fresh flowers soaked in it.

Early next day all three young ladies assembled in the royal Puja room to seek the blessings of Goddess Durga Devi. The priest sprinkled holy water on all of them while chanting the mantras, that he usually did on any auspicious day. The princess bowed to him and walked towards the Royal court where King Harshavardhana was supposed to meet them.

On their way to the court, in the garden, they heard a moaning of a poor kitten. The little one had slipped and fallen in a pit dug up to plant a coconut tree. Menaka and Maanvika shooed away the kitten as they feared of dirtying their hands and loosing the chance to the throne. A soft hearted MaaLavika stopped by to rescue the kitten and thereby uniting it with the mother cat. She was very happy to see it jump and play with its siblings. Her sisters laughed at her and teased of her muddy hands. MaaLavika did not bother much about it.

When they reached the entrance of the palace where the royal hearings happened every week, a maid carrying a basket of food slipped and fell down. The curry and rotis she was taking for her husband who worked as a guard in the west-gate of the palace, fell on the ground. Menaka and Maanvika shouted at the hapless maid and mocked at her situation and hurried to the Court. The little one was compassionate and helpful in nature, gave support to the maid and cleaned the basket too.

The maid was happy and thanked MaaLavika profusely. Looking around and noticing the fact that her sisters had left her behind, she ran inside.

King Harshavardha was eagerly waiting in the court with his minister Chatrapati. Menaka and Maanvika entered with a smiling face as if they had already won the title. However noticing that the little daughter was missing, King questioned them about MaaLavika. Both replied in unison "My lord, she is delayed due to some disturbance at the entrance. You can first see our beautiful hands and decide the best among us" replied Menaka.

King obliged to the request. On seeing the pretty hands of Menaka he said " These hands are as soft as silk and they look very pretty." Next it was Maanvika's turn and she was very keen on displaying the ruby studded ring on her fair complexioned soft hands. King appreciated her hands too and turned to see if MaaLvika had made it to the hall. "Ah there she is , Dear what took it so long for you. Come show your pretty hands." said the king.
Maalavika apologized for being delayed. She initially hesitated in showing her filthy hands and later when demanded, she reluctantly opened her fist. King was relieved and praised his daughter. "These are the most caring hands I've ever seen . They know to care for the needy and help the ones in problem. They will serve a kingdom best, where people need these wonderful hands that can give all the love and care. These hands are the best one can have. Dear MaaLavika, you will be the next ruler of PushpakaNagar." declared the King.

Menaka and Maanvika were perplexed on hearing the declaration. When asked about how King chose those dirty hands to rule a kingdom , Minister Chatrapati revealed the secret mission of deliberately having the kitten kept in the garden's pit and how the king had advised the maid to slip and fall while she saw the three of you at the entrance. Menaka and Maanvika felt dejected but they had learnt a lesson to share and care.

MaaLavika ruled the kingdom efficiently. PushpakNagar was a happy Kingdom ever after.

Thursday Challenge 5 - [MOVEMENT]

dO I nEED tO iNTRODUCE yOU aLL tO tHIS sPECTACULAR mUSICAL fOUNTAIN?

Okay its the famous one that thrills every passerby once in every 30 min who walks past the Casino Bellagio on Vegas Strip. I had goosebumps all the three times I watched water curving its flow to match the music played. The evening breeze and a perfect dance of this breathtaking fountain was a no less a treat to my eyes.


Next one here is an aeroplane[probably a jet] leaving its trail in the clear sky. Love the blue!!


To view images from around the world with this theme please visit : Thursday Challenge

Complete the kahani... 1!

Many a times I would start with a story and wind up half way thorugh as I dont know how to take it forward or the plot becomes too complex, rather I am bombarded with hell lot of other stuff to do. Thats when an idea struck which is the sane reason of why am writing this post. I'll post the unfinished story here and will leave it upto you readers to finish it up. Lets see if this brings in some fun. If it does will continue else stop the kahaani marathons.

Responses are deliberately kept in moderation and you'll have to wait until I post them all on next monday. *Wink* *Wink* *Wink*
Folks we also need a Tiltle for the Kahaani ! So here you go..


"The month of July was fast approaching and GP Iyengar's apartment was filled with a mixture of feelings ~ anxiety, happiness and celebrations. Sreelatha the youngest daughter of the couple GuruPrasad Iyengar and Subhadra Iyengar, was to be married off to an NRI guy who is more than settled in the far west of America, a small town in the bay area. Vignesh Murthy the current prospect talked about, lived there from almost a decade now. Having seen the ups and downs of the market, he had also survived the worst hit recession two years ago. Murthy had met Sreelatha's elder brother Mukund in a Indian food joint "Cafe bar-India" that hosted a variety of south Indian delicacies ranging from Dosas to idlis, vadas to pakoras and what not.


Two years ago Mukund had been sent to his office headquarters located at Main street, Sunny vale. He worked in Chennai most of his tenure, but was sent to the headquarters for the annual conference summit almost every year since his joining. It was during one of those conference trips where he happened to meet Murthy in a small accident. He actually bumped onto Murthy while placing an order for a butter masala dosa at "Cafe bar-India". After apologising for the nasty quick turn he took which spilled the masala curry from Murthy's plate all over his trousers, Mukund introduced himself and offered Murthy the charge for the laundry. Murthy accepted the apologies but refused to take the money. His humble nature striked his personality and Mukund immediately shook hands with him. Little did they know of each other, however their gestures got them comfortable at the first go. They exchanged numbers and Mukund was invited over for dinner the next day.


Mukund made it right in time for the appointment. He was welcomed by a cheerful Murthy who helped him to be comfortable around. Murthy rushed to check the rice that was cooking in the kitchen He handed Mukund a glass of Californian fine prune juice to sip on until dinner was ready. Murthy had managed to buy a simple villa in the Mission hills which had great connectivity to the caltrains.The house wasn't great as one of those homes shown on famous TV shows. Yet it had a beautiful lawn, spread in front of the entrance door. The red brick wall gave a rustic look on the front view. The interiors were carefully hand-picked by him on various destination visits both while in India and in abroad. There was an antique chandelier at the center of the living room which when illuminated brought a royal touch to the space he lived in. Mukund's cell phone cut through the soothing music that filled the room. It was GP Iyengar's long distance call. Mukund picked with a "Good morning". He conveyed his schedule for the return journey, also made a note of all the goodies he needed to carry back. 

Murthy got busy with the final touches to his recepies. After his quick little chat with his father, Mukund explored the portico and viewed the sun set behind the hills. That was a best view for a photographer to click his masterpiece, he thought. Murthy joined him to see the royal sun calling it a day rather late during this period of the year. The clock showed 10 past 8 PM. They spoke about family, traditions and US most of their dinner time. Mukund left on a happy note leaving behind the number he'd be using back in India."

'Art' n 'Me'

From childhood I have an inclination towards creative activities or a piece of artistic work that can be regarded as a medium of artistic expression. In short, I have a liking to art, whatever form it may be.
Here are some of my artistic ventures or atleast the ones I have captured.
1)Diya Art from the past.

The year 2008, we decided to give a kind of makeover to the age old DeepavaLi diyas. With not having gone to any school of fine-arts I try putting up a design that just spurt out of my head. My sis and my cousin took the thick brush and painted the diyas in colors of blue and yellow. Once the paint dried I made those delicate curvy strokes using a thin brush. The end product is what you see in the picture below.









We use them as decorative pieces in the yearly flower rangoli hosted for DeepavaLi. Take a look at some of our designs.:) Glad to have the collection intact.



2) Glass Painting:
Most of you who have been a regular on my blog definitely have an idea as to what I am talking about here. I love free hand sketching no doubt, but doing them on a glass with some splash of colors is a different story altogether.

A new one is are here for you to look at.



3) Mehendi/Henna art:
Henna is a natural coloring agent which leaves a reddish-brown color when applied on skin and removed after drying. Mehndi is the application of henna as a temporary form of skin decoration. I have always wondered when I see those little lads down the street who apply such beautiful designs given that they do a full hand in about half an hours time.

Timeline - 2 yrs ago..

It was one such afternoon when I saw a mehendi cone lying on the table. I picked it up and started curving the cone with simple designs and here is the outcome.











There's another picture of my sis's hands - one hand after the dried mehendi is removed, the other hand still freshly applied design. She insisted on getting the same design on both hands.



I love the mango design.:)

4) Of late I've been getting a hang of nail art! <3

Recently on FB, one of my friend liked a page called Nail it!
That is when I got curious of this form of art. There is no harm in trying it thought I. So here are some of my first trials on my nails..


I'd love to do stitching and embroidery some day. Will keep you posted of what I'd come up with. Hope I've not loaded you with a lot.

Thursday Challenge - 4 [BEVERAGES]

Coffee shop wonderful art! ~ Random clicks at a fav cafe in Bangalore.


How about some cheers with a glass of wine?


I just pulled this out from the other blog of mine @ Unveil the Colors


To view photos from around the world who take part in this Thursday Challenge visit here

July 2012 calendar shot!


July 2012.

Its anniversary day for this calendar posting I've been doing here. I started this last year on the very same day and was just wondering how quick the days roll by, the time doesn't wait for anyone.

I'd not repeat the quick facts of each month. But give me some suggestions as to what I'd post along with this calendar shots every month.

Happy July !! Enjoy the month.


Schoolhouse in the nature~ Fiction

 In a quaint rural village nestled amidst the lush greenery of Karnataka, there stood a small schoolhouse where Teacher Radha imparted knowl...