Tuesday 20 December, 2011

Mischievous Neha...

she seems to enjoy her glittery choli


neha rarely sobs while in her bath tub...cute girl
my baby is really really happy when am around her making sounds of her sort
see her face while drinking milk
she enjoys outing and seems extra happy traveling in train
and...these are her new companions...she talks a lot to both
this beautiful light ball is capable of stopping her loud cries
neha hates to wear caps..see how uncomfortable she looks
naughty baby
always tasting either her's or any-one-else's fingers

wonder is our birth, as a child, as a parent, as a guide, and finally as a memory

Monday 19 December, 2011

more than photographs!!!

slavery (or) speechless
rain rain go away!
hey cutie, am your sister
setting the strings of freedom
it was never my fault, baby
i will protect you ever after death
mommy, when will they distribute food?
actually i have more gold in my garage
temporary, but safe house
so big a black hole in space!
hey! do i resemble Russel Crowe's kid?
finally they accepted us
want to test my power !?
aah! some how i managed to hold a pen
as a mess, oil-spill
will there be more space to park my bike?
adventures-unexplained
how soothing!
fire under the rocks
take me before some one marries me
how about our baby-rider?

Tuesday 13 December, 2011

"Neharika"

 
Thought to share something about my princess. 'Princess' - I meant, my daughter. Of course, all children are prince and princesses to their mother...even I am the same to my mother. But my baby is a SPECIAL princess (as we say in 'special dosa' or 'special coffee').

Neharika entered our world on July 05, 2011, an auspicious day for me and my loved ones. A baby girl, my mother told me. I had undergone a C-section, and was unconscious and so barely saw her on her first day.

Her birth was a miracle to us, a REAL miracle. Normally people say that a pregnant lady should be very careful during her first three months. She should never have physical or mental stress. But unknowing that I am mother of a baby, I had undergone both mental as-well-as physical stress through my first three months of pregnancy. Adding to that I had engulfed 10 Modus pills also. I had PCOD's and so the doctor advised me to reduce weight in order to overcome the disorder.

I used to work for night shifts and return home by 4 AM. My husband would accompany me in my exercise routine (a real knot round my throat). I used to do jogging, sit-ups, swirling, jumping and all sorts of physical agitations. I just cant believe how my baby survived these tremors inside. It’s indeed a miracle. 

We used to get pregnancy detection kits, and each time we get a negative result, I used to break-down. I was really aggressive to see a positive result on the strip. Unexpectedly, when my baby was a three month old fetus, the doctor told the glad news to us. My husband didn’t know exactly whether to rejoice or not. The doc told us that she is not sure with the maturity of the baby and asked us to wait for two more months, until the baby develops. She seemed quite nervous. But I was confident that my baby is safe and didn’t have any fear that something unexpected will happen. That was not the case with everyone in my family.

I was advised bed rest for a month, but I barely got 10 days of medical leave. And through-out the ten months was a real battle for me. Pregnancy-related morning sickness, vomiting, leg cramps, breathing problem, heart burn were all dumped in me. All I awaited was to see the face of my healthy baby. I used to say, "My baby will be fine without any defect", but it was only my mouth that uttered those words. My mind was like a volcano that was mixing-up all sorts of negative thoughts that might end-up in a destruction.

It was told that natural child birth will not be possible for me. Finally, the day arrived and I was there over the bed in the operation-theater. It was not the first time I was undergoing a surgery. But this time it was a major one. My pressure level showed a steep increase. I started to shiver and my body was moving up and down. I felt as if I was never going to see this world again and that was the end of it. All the fear I had until then to see my baby as a normal child, began to burst out. I was shouting if my baby was fine or not. And after a few minutes, I heard a loud cry, a healthy cry, and it was from my baby. "Thank God" - the baby is out. There were around four doctors in the theater and they started a discussion regarding the child's feet if it was proper or not. You can imagine my, a mother's mind. I wished if the ground engulfs me right then. I was not able to control and was still shouting for help and the docs told me that my baby was fine. I felt it to be a regular reply from doctors. I started losing consciousness little by little. But my inner-mind was not prepared to rest. I kept on asking the nurses, if my baby was fine. All their answers didn’t satisfy me. And without my knowledge I fell asleep at some point of time, due to sedation.

After a while, I felt my husband near me. My mother showed me my baby and said, "a beautiful baby girl for you". I didn’t know if I should smile or cry. She was like a little rose bud, which was ready to bloom. I was barely able to utter a word. I asked my husband if my baby was fine without any disabilities. He told that due to the improper seating of the baby in my uterus, her leg was little titled and it will by fine after a few days. I got my life back. I had the world in my hand. I felt to be worth living.

I am damn sure that I was unable to put all my feelings I underwent, in my writing. Its unexplainable. After that I realized a fact that GREAT is the birth of mother. I started to admire my mother like I never did before.

Here are some pictures of cute "Neharika". She is five months old now:












wonder is our birth, as a child, as a parent, as a guide, and finally as a memory

Friday 9 December, 2011

Raja Ravi Varma - The Royal Highness of Travancore (India) - Facts


People referred to him as 'Prince Painter'. He was born in an ancient royal family (Indian Warrior Clan), yet modern and rational in his thoughts.

His work was recognized worldwide after he won an award for an exhibition of his paintings at Vienna in 1873 AD. His paintings on Gods made people pray from deep with-in their soul. Utmost elegance filled the faces of ladies in his portraits. All we know is the brighter and cherished part of this great painter, but little is our knowledge about his darker side.

The Raja was tortured in court, for his paintings on Gods, which had striking resemblance with 'Sugandha', a widow (his lover). She was the model for most of the Raja's paintings and this led to the upper caste extremists wanting him behind the bars. However, the Raja won the legal battle, but pitifully lost when Sugandha committed suicide doubting if the Raja would lose. She lost her life on his lap, and the agony was left-over his entire life.
 
Some of his great works that inspired me are:

There comes Papa: Lady with Child
(Oil painting on canvas - 1893 AD - Displayed at Kowdiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala)

 The lady in the picture is the Raja's daughter Rani Mahaprabha, (mother of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi (who later became Maharani of Travancore)).Each and every bit of the picture make us feel to be alive before us. The innocence in the face of the child and the kind look of the mother are very well extracted through the paint on brush. Every bit of the stroke that the painter has marked adds a mark on our mind.
Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi portrays the baby in the picture.


Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi
 


 
Lady in the Moon Light
(Oil painting on canvas - 1889 AD - Displayed at SriJayachama Rajendra Art Gallery, Jaganmohan Palace, Mysore, Karnataka)

 
 This is yet another favorite of me among the Raja's collection. The moon light falling on the lady adds beauty to her gorgeous skin tone. The queenly gesture, as though she expects someone, is well pictured by the artist. Also the light on the pool and the shaded sky explains things to us more sharper than what a photograph could do. 

Looking into the Mirror - undated


 
The mother who tries to calm down her mischievous child by showing the reflection of his face in the mirror. The pious nature of motherhood is well depicted in this painting. The toys in the picture and the wooden wall adds traditional touch to the work. This is one more magnificent work by the Raja.

Kamsa Maya
(Oil painting on canvas - 1890 AD - Displayed at Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum, Lakshmi Vilas Palace, Baroda, Gujarat)


 
Kamsa trying to kill the child, shown Maya by Goddess Durga. The sketch portrays a scene of the great epic - 'Mahabharata'. This brilliant work is an awesome reproduction retaining the quality and standards of first art. Don’t this picture bring the scene before us?

Malabar Lady
(Oil painting on canvas - Displayed at Sri Jayachama Rajendra Art Gallery, Jaganmohan Palace, Mysore, Karnataka)


 
Raja Ravi Varma is often criticized for the traditionalism and Indian culture that he floods-with in his illustrations. The imagination he has for an imaginary scene or myth or whatever you call is fantastic and awesome. But I wonder how people could pass negative comments on such wonderful art collection. These paintings very well showcase his love for colors and beauty. The Raja was an admirer of beauty and that made him highlight women in his work, foremost.




wonder is our birth, as a child, as a parent, as a guide, and finally as a memory