Monochrome - An artistic view :)

                      A Facebook profile of a monochrome photographer suggested by Phani, kept me in shock ( more like a happy surprise) . Well, let me tell you, black and white photography, is an art. It is more like painting your imagination by using limited set of colors. There is less respect for clarity and more respect for hidden feels in the photo. It is not something to learn, it is something.

Evening - ಒಂದು ಮುಸ್ಸಂಜೆ :)

                       Taking a color photo by predicting artistic future and then converting it to monochrome is like playing blind chess. Normally all cameras support monochrome photography, so i went for a black and white walk in early morning sunshine...! Well, beautiful green nature in morning mist looked so dull in monochrome mode. It was like a punishment for my camera to see this beautiful world in gray shades :P 

Vine ready to swallow moon - ಚಂದ್ರನನ್ನೇ ನುಂಗುವ ಬಳ್ಳಿ :)

                      But eventually, your minds starts searching for art in every action, every curve, every aspect. Sunset and sunrise look alike in monochrome - it is like death and birth can be depicted in same way ( death and birth of sun) ? happy feels behind tears can be portrayed in monochrome. You just need be imaginative enough to feel those things and smart enough to capture in frame. 

Source and blooming- ಹೂ ಕೊಳ :)

                         Lake, flower, path, leaf, butterfly, mountains, mud everything looked like independent stories connected to confuse me :P I kept taking photos randomly at first, but slowly i started to realize beauty in monochrome modes. i could spot the differences and sometimes monochrome looks perfect to capture emotions. Confusion and attention created by all colors will be nullified in monochrome, by giving much importance to the subject.

two lives - ಎರಡು ಜೀವಗಳು 

                       But one critical problem is photos i have seen in the internet, kept taunting me like haunting memories. They influence my imagination, like a doorknob, in the entrance. At the same time, they help u to find something unique. If u want to hire your imagination and pay it to work, then go for monochrome photography. You can see poetry in images, painting in captures and art in structures. Every observer looks it in a different way and a monochrome photo can be viewed from infinite perspectives.

Pondicherry - Waves of fun :)

                       It is weird and wonderful, to plan a trip during weekdays, places will be less crowded (Less people is sometimes disadvantageous , when it comes to beach). Going across a state, facing challenges with new language and culture. We successfully pulled Nag to the gang making it "classic Pandava gang with missing Droupati". Thanks to "carzoneent" :) Night cold filled with "pure veg comedy", stories, Sonu Nigam melodies, garma garam chai followed by early morning "my(i)sterious paths"" - a well defined ride.  

                     After having Idli vada, we decided to hit the beach. Dress change from full jeans to 3/4th is not a problem for boys, as one towel can serve the purpose :p ). Coconut trees welcomed us to "Auro beach", which was a typical beach theme . Stones inside the beach, make a special presence, as they stand like a warrior against the force of waves. 

Auro beach

                    Every time life hits us with waves of trouble, we learn and eventually, you reach the state of warrior, where you can face against those waves. It was really inspiring and timing photos against waves dancing across stones was really challenging. Love gestures, sand drawings and waves constantly trying to erase those words - let me tell you, beach is a surprise package.

Inside water

                     After dipping ourselves in salty water and covered by sand all over the body, we headed towards "Auroville", a spiritual place followed by "Matrimandir- golden structure". A spiritual video display and walk towards that mandir was quite peaceful, though there were some beautiful distractions :P . A Korean girl doing yoga gestures in front of golden temple took our breath away(with beauty and talent). After a lot of struggle, we finally found a veg hotel.

Matri mandir

                     Evening sunshine reflecting on paradise beach water, justified the name "paradise". Boats on sea shore, a lonely tree, sand and coconut leaves, gave an artistic view to a creative eye. We walked in sunshine with cold breeze touching our soul and waves kissing our feet. Very few people (4-5 couples and few foreigners) made us more happy as we were like Devatas in Paraise (With exception of Rambha, Urvashi etc). We immersed ourselves in water, holding hands, we traveled against waves, like soldiers in war .

 

Boat ride on sand :P

                     Booking a room wasn't that difficult. We went on to explore Rock beach and French colony. Butter scotch cone, walk on rock beach street. Bombay Mitai taking us back to childhood days, french colony architecture - a perfectly framed night. Well ride continued further in Hotel room ( don't be confused, ride to dream land ). Although everyone slept, me and nag, debated about selfishness under moonlight ( how crazy isn't it).

Facing against waves

                     Next day morning started with same paradise beach, but giving a new dimension to the fun. We climbed "Pancharangi pov pov" bent coconut tree, and took some insane photos. Titanic level poses on boat, collecting sea shells and finally into the water in sunshine. As we moved further facing the waves, sun started moving towards middle of the sky. Height and force combined with unpredictability of arrival makes journey more thrilling and scary.

 

Pancharangi tree :p

                     Sometimes scary is beautiful. Dolfins dancing in the sea was something unexpected and amazing, but sad to say camera was not nearby. Starfish, cold, foreigners, couples, sun, waves, friendship, photos, sand, salt water, blue sky, shadows, swimming - A combo gifted by nature. Well, even though artificial things give temporary happiness, it's the nature which can give ultimate happiness. We even thought to extend the trip just to stay inside water. I gotta tell you, Black and white artistic photography is something to explore in calm places like this. 

Black and white

                    We started return journey hoping to reach before 12 midnight, but a traffic incident delayed us. But on the way back, we had dinner at a new canteen, near Chennai. Theme, food, serving and menthya chutni gave a beautiful and stomach full ending ending to the trip. We kept facing the waves for two more days, but only in dreams ;)

Charming Chunchi Falls...:)

                           When love affair with computer starts to feel like a boring phenomenon,  mind demands for a refreshment. No tea or talk or walk can fullfill that desperation. So we decided to visit Chunchi falls and Sangama/Mekedatu. Well, in this case Chunchi falls was like a pickle during "Sangama" lunch.

 

Bike ride Begins

                           

                          Bike ride started officially from Banashankari at 8.30 AM. Well, what a combo - Yamaha FZ and TVS Victor GL.  Racing is impossible.  It is just 82 KM from Banashankari. With awesome driving skiils of Kerure and feel of going away from Bangalore, ride sounded just perfect. Tatte Idli on the way with Coffee, was enough to drive bikes and our souls. After crossing Kanakapura,  16kms before 'Sangama' , we took a left turn to the Yeleguri village to reach Chunchi falls (Though sign board is not clear enough). But entrance road looked like path to heaven. Lush green on both sides was worth watching. Background can turn any ugly photo into a beautiful art.

Path to Heaven

    

                         We started walking towards Chunchi falls after parking the vehicle. Afternoon sun was looking hot. Rock formations welcomed us to a beautiful scenery, which looked like a foreign location. We took so many photos, after all a bachelor guy's photo has some demand. Location was nothing less compared to foreign location. Like a diamond crystal in Green pearl, waterfall looked like an unreachable star. 

Reflections

                         Path was adventurous. All visitors just watched the falls from far distance and went with satisfaction. But our crazy mind was not happy. Well, after all, window shopping is not our destiny. So we decided to reach for the diamond. Path was deadly. You need to hold your breath at times. Malli's determination, Naveen's stories kept us alive. fear generating depth, Difficult paths tiny width, sharp grass, slippery sand, rock formations were enough to challenge us. But beauty of waterfalls, green paths, Inspiring butterflies - Well, more than enough to motivate us. 

Flower to bring a smile

                         Happiness kept increasing exponentially, as soon as we approached Chunchi falls. Shining like a diamond in the presence of Sunshine. After this trip, Sangama looked like pickle in Chunchi lunch. Well, life shines when there is someone to enlighten us from the top. Every travel makes us feel alive, fall in love with life and kill sadness inside heart. A place less than 100 KM away from Bangalore can take your breath away, so stop waiting and start riding.

Shining in Sunshine

Scenic Sunday at Sakleshpur...

                        

                         We 5 can re-create Mahabharatha, if we can go back in time. Though we are office mates, we got comfort zone of college friends. With such a thrilling bachelor conspiracy, we planned to visit Sakleshpur, as rain kept intimidating us and office work kept taunting us. Journey started at night and by morning 5, we were at Sakleshpur. Except Amrith, all 4 of us had driving experience only in "NFS". Bachelor jokes, crazy naming conventions and pointless non-sense kept Amrith awake.

Start of Green Mile

                     Little droplets of water gave clue about essence of rain ahead. After 4 hours of journey from Bangalore, we reached Sakleshpur Via Hasan. Hot tea, cool breeze and touch of rain drops - As per guidance from Chai-wala, we headed towards our first destiny- Kadumane estate. Early morning blue sky gave an artistic touch to the trip .

Early morning Blue Sky

                      Ride to Kadumane is like journey in fairyland. We literally stopped for every 10 minutes. We went ahead , then came back, then took a wrong route. But who cares? Even wrong route was beautiful. Every surrounding is a green mile.

Road to Heaven

                       Crazy photoshoot on a beautiful bisecting road was something to remember in the beginning. "Swap Naveen" (Name comes due to many swaps in shift at office), went crazy in that road. He was jumping like a frog in rain. Selfie with scenary, instant upload on facebook - well, technology is like a drug!.

Bisecting Road

                           Kannada songs can make any trip romantic ( don't take me wrong :P ) .With soothing sonu nigam songs,mist covered roads, paddy fields, water droplets slowly moving down the car window, rain falling in love with green - Even god feels jealousy about his own creation. A small waterfalls in the green looked like a diamond ring with Green pearl around - A Gift of god to mother nature.

                        Home made chapati by Kurkure ( Kurkure is nick name - not a snack :P )- A million thanks to his mom. We kept looking at war happening between rain n umbrella. Entrance gate towards Kadumane looked like a gate to heaven shown in Epic movies. View of Kadumane from the top looked like well Machu Picchu. Just once you can forget your existence and let your memories in rain.

Top view from the entrance gate

'

                         With thunder of cold feel piercing through sweater and wonder of rain drops meeting our inner soul, we kept walking through tea estates. You can hide under tea forests and world will never know. Every row is parallel and looks like a world made of green. Can you imagine having green tea in Green tea forest holding umbrella in one hand ( You can replace umbrella with a girl and can get a romantic feel) or you can hold your hands together and pretend like you are with someone :P

                      We walked in those paddy fields. "Peace trials" as one of my friend calls it. You can simply take any photo, it looks awesome in one or other way. Naveen had desire to take photos with tea forest workers in their costume. Permission granted to some extent. Some crazy photos, some romatic photos, some single photos, some weird poses -camera cried and no one noticed it because of rain!

On the way to Kadumane

                      Smell of tea kept haunting as we reached near tea manufacturing industry. Owner of 54 estates came in Bermuda and royal shoes. We wished at least he could give us one estate! Man at the entrance explained about manufacturing of tea, though we made our own stories and invented a new process out of it! But the smell, i can still feel it when i think about it.

Tea manufacturing unit

                        Our next destiny was " Manjarabad fort " , a star on earth. You can Google it and fort looks like a "star". Bush kept making some archaeological predictions about structure and purpose of every structure - Though most of his predictions were " Multidimensional" or to quote " out of this world". Who can forget " Paravashanaadenu" song, with gorgeous Deepa Sannidhi, in this fort. We had an argument about owning Deepa Sannidhi. We argued like once we decide, she will come with us.

Manjarabad Fort

                      20,30,40,50,60 - Different numbers given by people when we asked about how much far Bisile Ghat is from fort. We stopped asking as parameter seemed like a variable. Clock kept moving faster than car, because road looked like it is made of small rivers and oceans :P With 2.5 hours journey , we covered 40 km and we found that constant!

                         After walking for a while, we reached Bisile view point, though due to mist , it looked like an infinite invisible white void. To tell franky, it seemed like 4th dimensional view.But one guy told that, as time is 5 PM already, you go further and reach Subrahmanya, it is just 20 km. He was drunk, but looked sensible. By saying an end to Chapatis, we headed further.

Bisile View point

                      Oh dear god! that 20 km journey had hell lot of adventure. No one had ever experienced that before. Forest kept getting deeper and deeper. It was a scary forest. Every step had one waterfall and it was covered with trees. Sound of birds, water, car, wind mixed all together to give various kind of feels. Sometimes scary, sometimes beautiful.

A beautiful lake

                       We saw a lake on the way. Water was so clean, we lost belief that we are on earth. Though me and bush felt like we should stay there for while, Naveen kept calling us. Our next stop was a bridge. We parked car and took some photos. Forest ahead looked like end point of this world. It was scary, it was awesome, it was unbelievable, it was unforgettable. It seemed like we cannot reach other side before dark.

To the end of world

                       One can see strain in Amrith's eyes, as driving in that road was like a hell-ride. I took a video of that ride,as a proof to myself in future :P A smile of relief appeared as we saw a forest house, and yes, it was end of that 20 KM journey, which kept us spell-bound. It was like Amazon rainforest and yes, trip like this once in a while keeps our energy alive... 

" Antbook "- A new Social Network...

                       Don't kill me by seeing a start like this. As soon as June approaches, my camera feels like it is getting new life ( It's pity that i can understand how my camera feels). As monsoon approaches earth, camera approaches my hand. Long before monsoon, i  got curious about ant mimicking spiders, as me and Sumukha had some crazy discussions. Ants are literally everywhere. So normally i don't observe them much.

                      When first rain hits earth, nature falls in love with rain drops (Now u feel like killing me , because again i'm taking you guys in rain. Please save me for love of rain). It's the purest form of love. It's an active day for critters. It's like festival for insects. They start ramp walk on green carpet created by nature and dress designed by God. As i kept walking in rain, at first i found a red ant artillery. So many red ants completely involved in their work. Their hard work, dedication and co-ordination is just phenomenal to observe.

 

Red ants in action...

                    As i was happily enjoying the view, with a well known" falling mechanism" where insects fall from leaf in order to protect from predators. When i tried to touch an ant, it fell like a water drop. It was fun to observe. When i touched one more ant, it hanged in between leaves instead of falling. I was shocked! i failed to notice that red ant mimicking spider. How amazing na? it was a spider which mimics ant, so that it can catch some ants! I failed to spot the difference in thousands of similar looking ants (they looked like tiny version of Korean people - so identical). This is  not it. I found a silver ant and a golden ant with spines all over the body - which was so gorgeous.

                                Silver spiny ant - Polyrhachis Sp.

                       Sometimes i wonder why ants fail to notice a spider in their territory. May be it's possible. In-spite of having so much of intelligence, we fail to notice intruders among us. But how ants identify themselves? do they have names for each other? Do they have relations like cousin, sibling etc? Do they marry ? Because they all look like they want to say something :P They behave like they have so much emotions . can they spot differences between them? They all look similar to our eyes :P

                

                  Ants are freakishly strong as you all know. But it is shocking to know that their total biomass is equal to biomass of humans combined. To me communication between ants looks like a social network. Something like Facebook :P  

Golden Spiny Ant - Polyrhachis Sp.

                        Assume ants are defined in their own social network per say "Antbook " :P They have lot of groups like Super silver ants to showoff,  Patriotic soldier ants who strive hard to save the community , Carpenter ants who discuss about building stuff, Thief ants who discuss about stealing stuff etc. ( FYI, all thse kinds of ants really exist- Google it if u wish to). There comes some talented ants who have their own page with some awesome skills - such as leaf-cutter ants.  Some ants are celebrities like Panda ants with page likes from all over the world. There comes a spider in the group just to ruin the group and invade its privacy. They post their photos with different titles. They go for travelling and upload an album in Antbook :P They do give some funny poses. They often do politics - just not as bad as humans.

                

                       Now let us look at ants in different perspective. Sometimes i feel like their life style is similar to humans. To them butterflies are like airplanes. They just feel like flying and curse god for not making them like birds.  They build their own house .They bring food. Scientists believe that communication and networking between ants is similar to TCP-protocol. They share their food. They send elders to protect the young. They often do signalling via ""Pheromones"" .

Carpenter ant - Camponotus Sp.

                 Ants are so innocent you know? They do everything to get " honeydew". Sometimes insects take their advantage and let their children to be raised in ants territory - free of cost :P  "Formica ants" have slavery concept, which still exists in Humans. By getting luxurious accommodations, ants repay by protecting plants. Ants form super-colonies , something like a big queue in Tirupathi temple.

                

                    It is so amazing that our life style is not something we discovered out of intelligence. Everything existed in nature. We just adapted and inspired from aspects of nature. When you try to observe nature with open mind, you feel like it is just reflection of our lifestyle. More intelligence made us unique and powerful.

Karengga ant like Spider - Myrmarachne Plataleoides

                        Next time when you look at ants, observe them. There are lot of stories. There is dedication, there is love, there is coordination, there is a family commitment, there is generosity, there is smartness, there is politics but there is respect and hard work. We are here for a purpose, there is lot to learn from nature. There are some things that exist outside Google. Surely you can find some of them in nature.

Some reference links to images and story :

Golden Spiny Ant - Noah Link

Carpenter Ant - Noah link

Ant mimic Spider- Noah Link

If you want to know more about Spider ant mimicry, Please consult me. 

Innocent eyes...

                       Though people think we are insane, our mind keeps digging some crazy thoughts. One night, Nag pinged me with a question  " what u will do if you are the last man alive on earth" ? ...In spite of multiple chats, questions like this keep all other thoughts on hold. I replied him " it depends on whether I know I'm the last man or I don't know. Coz if I don't know, I'll spend entire life in hopes of finding another human companion" ! .

                      Well, let me take you back in time (may be on a virtual time machine). Rain took a break and gave me an opportunity to go for photography. I will be waiting on my toes to visit native during rainy times. Shimoga is like a green paradise during monsoon. I  kept walking on muddy paths. Dance of frogs in all directions,  A cool breeze, cold touch of leaves, a blue mind beetle shining all over the place, small drops of water,Ahh...

A typical view in my native

                         Sometimes I wish I was a drinker. I could have kept a small pouch of rum :P As I kept walking in search of beauties of nature, I tend to be more biased towards moths, beetles and spiders. I saw a tortoise beetle, with wings opening like that bird in Avatar movie (Pardon me, it's that macro mode which makes everything look monstrous). An outstanding mimic of a mammal by an insect is always phenomenal to observe. I was unable to photograph as beetle saw my camera n flew away. I got disappointed , For god sake it was golden tortoise beetle!

Missed tortoise beetle - Got it later!

                       Well, in the middle I saw this cutie. A frog. It's like you go after Sonia, and you end up with Sania :p Those innocent eyes kept me spellbound. Her entire body is like a painting made of dots. It's like I could sense the fear, anxiety and sadness in her eyes. And to be frank, I don't know how to console a crying girl, how can I console a sad froggie? I named her "dottie" in my mind and took some snaps. She gave poses like a professional model who is waiting for a break! I just had a feeling that she is special.

My dear Dottie

                       I uploaded the photo on Project Noah. Yes, my feel was right. Dottie is(was) special. She is an endangered species. She is unaware of the fact that she has been featured as spotting of the day in Noah, She doesn't know she appeared on Biologia top 10 Amphibians, She doesn't know her existence is near the end because of super intelligent race who took her photo! Many appreciated her cuteness! but does she knows that? Does it matter to her?

                                                                   Small gliding frog - Rhakophorus lateralis

                       Yet her eyes kept telling so many stories. Stories of truth, Stories how super intelligent human evolved, Stories how he took advantage of his intelligence and started destroying the nature. It may be hard to digest, but yeah, it is equal to killing your own mother inch by inch. Scientists say by 2100, half of the current existing species will become extinct. Extinction is taking an exponential rate. It is sad to say that human is the major reason for extinction. Natural causes and diseases are just reasons for sake.


                     Now do you think Nag's question has something to do with Dottie? If dottie knows she is endangered, she is feeling the worst feeling in the world. Just imagine yourself in Dottie's position. For the world, she may be a cute frog. But for her race, she is a lone girl, who is trying fight for her religion. Every species is an astounding gift of nature and we need to respect that. Everything is inspired from nature and we need to respect. She is a brave girl, who builds her own nest above the ground. She misses companionship. She feels it. Her eyes tell it all.

Innocent eyes...

                       I don't know what I can do by writing this article. But it is just my feel that I can make few people think towards conserving nature. If we start feeling nature, we will fall in love with it. And like in real life, where we tend to save our loved one's, we start thinking about saving our precious nature.

                       I've not done anything big to talk about global warming, effect of population growth on nature, conservation concepts etc. But yeah, I can make you fall in love with nature and then we can start thinking about saving it. Just come with me for a walk, to feel the feel of every creature, to fall in love with amazing nature.