Right of Way

A right of way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes. I named it so because of the way the road slides from between these rocky mountains, as if to say that it has a right of way, wherever, whatsoever be the hurdle.

The snap had been clicked while I was coming back from my Convocation Ceremony at National Law University, Jodhpur. The place is Barr, somewhere in between Jodhpur to Ajmer.

Tranquility

Lake Foy Sagar is a picturesque artificial lake named after the engineer Mr Foy, an Englishman, who created it under a famine relief project. It is a masterpiece when it comes to artificial lakes. He created it to tackle with harshest conditions of famine under a famine relief project. This artificial lake was constructed in the year 1892. It appears as flat as a pancake, and offers the eye-catching sights of the neighboring Aravalli mountains. After years I had visited it this time, and it had changed considerably. I was sitting there observing nature in its truest forms when I clicked this snap.

Baradari, Ajmer

The historic man-made lake Ana Sagar lake of Ajmer was constructed by Maharaja Anaji, the grandfather of Maharaja Prithvirāj Chauhān, between 1135 A.D. to 1150 A.D. By the lake is the Daulat Bāgh, a garden laid out by Emperor Jahāngīr. Emperor Shāh Jahān later added five pavilions, known as the Baradari, between the garden and the lake. In the snap, you sure can see three of those five pavilions. For Ajmer today, this place is a lifeline. If you happen to visit it in the mornings, you would find people on their morning walks, in the evenings kids along with their parents are a common sight running from one end to another here.

I remember coming here often when I was a kid, but when I came after a long gap of considerable years, the place seemed changed, needing more support and maintenance from the Government. But well, like all other historical places, I think this has the same fate of running dilapidated with time and ignorance of the (un)concerned authorities.

Supporters

Its said that only the supporters make someone famous. Here what we have are the supporters in form of pillars of this structure. This is one of the five Pavilions built by Emperor Shāh Jahān, known as the Baradari, between Daulat Bagh and Ana Sagar Lake in Ajmer (Rajasthan). Behind the pillars is visible the Ana Sagar Lake.

Mehrangarh

Mehrangarh Fort, located in Jodhpur (Rajasthan) is one of the largest forts in India. The fort is situated on a lofty height, and is enclosed by imposing thick walls. Mehrangarh (etymology: 'Mihir' (Sanskrit) -sun or Sun-deity; 'garh' (Sanskrit)-fort; i.e.'Sun-fort'; according to Rajasthani language pronunciation conventions, 'Mihirgarh' has changed to 'Mehrangarh'; the Sun-deity has been the chief deity of the Rathore dynasty.

This place has been my favourite hangout while I stayed in Jodhour for my Law Degree. I still remember how all of us friends used to go there and sit for hours. This snap has been taken from the terrace of Pal Haveli, a very nice restaurant in the Old City of Jodhpur.

Impenetrable

"United We Stand, Divided We Fall"

Impenetrable! That's what these forests look like. The only reason for their looking so is their unity; cvery single tree has an identity here, but their strength is their unity. It felt so soothing to look at them, something I can't explain in words. I was on my way to Pachkund, near Ajmer, when on the way came these Naag Mountains. All covered in green due to the July rains, they looked marvelous.

Global Warming

I was travelling by road from New Delhi to Hanumangarh (Rajasthan) in the night when I saw this one. Its an old primitive technique used by farmers in Haryana (and in many other parts of India too) where they burn off the fields to clear the last crop's remains. It was the biggest fire that I've seen in my life (and am not interested in seeing another one). All the while I was thinking... Global Warming, India Burning! With all the talks about global warming on top agenda in various international conferences and symposiums, I guess the Indian Government must do something to educate these farmers too about the issue.

The snap has been clicked from quite far a distance, and that too from my Nikon L5 Digital camera, so the noise is clearly visible. Because of the smoke, the visibility around there had also been reduced, adding to the menace. But I guess still the snap would portray what I wanna convey!

Silhouette

The best thing in capturing a sunset or a sunrise is that it comes good automatically, without much efforts at the photographer's end. My intent was not simply to capture the going-down sun or the shadows, but to capture the sun in a window formed by these leaves. The pic's been taken from the terrace of my home at Ajmer (Rajasthan), and I had to sit for 7-8 minutes waiting for the sun to go down the right depth.

Journey

Hmmm... I'm attached with this pic a lot, and the reason why its tagged as Journey is not because of the straight road merely, but because I clicked this snap during one of my life's best journeys. Anyways, for particulars, the road is N.H-15, and the stretch is from Bikaner to Hanumangarh in Rajasthan.

Analyzing

I was on my way to Pushkar, and the way is so full of monkeys all over. I stopped at a point to click this guy- He was staring at something, so keenly, unperturbed by the fact that I was so near by, as if he was analyzing something and calculating his probabilities. To tell you the truth, I'm so scared of monkeys that I didn't intend going too near him, so I just took my car absolutely close to him, zero distance, and then pulled down the window, took my Nikon in one hand, and my other hand on the power window button to pull up the glass in case of any emergency (so immensely foreseeable).

Anyways, for all the animal rights activists, let me assure that everything was done in peace with no monkey being harmed, whatsoever.

Where Next?

Where Next? With the amount of growth in population, sustenance is an issue. Its an abstract to denote what I Want to convey.

This snap has been clicked from Mehrangarh, the magnificent Fort of Jodhpur, sprawled across 1125 metres high Pachetiya Hill. From the top, it can be noticed that majority of the houses in the old city area are painted in blue. These blue houses belong to the Hindu Brahmin Caste of Jodhpur. The blue houses are an outcome of the extent of caste led beliefs that dominate the Indian psyche. Brahmins housed themselves in these blue homes to differentiate themselves from the members of other casts and belief systems in the past- A tradition that, despite the slow weakening of the caste system, has remained.

P.S- Do not make up your mind about Jodhpur from this snap. The city is not so conjusted as it seems here.

Pushkar

Pushkar- a small town in Ajmer (Rajasthan). Pushkar means born due to a flower. In Hindu mythology it is said that the Gods released a swan with a lotus in its beak and let it fall on earth where Brahma would perform a grand yagna. The place where the lotus fell was called Pushkar. It is one of the five sacred dhams, and has in recent years become a popular destination for foreign tourists. Pushkar lies on the shore of Pushkar Lake, and well, it is a beautiful site.

This pic has been clicked from Sunset Point (those who've been to Pushkar definitely know this place, and for those who haven't been to, you're missing something!). Pushkar Lake is surrounded by 52 bathing ghats, I donno how many could I capture here. I really had to zoom out the lens to 18 mm before I could click this wide angled pic. The place has its own aesthetic sense which really attracts everyone. Visit it for once at least!!

Serenity...

Gulmarg (J&K) is a must visit for people who want to see the mighty Himalayas. The majestic mountains stand in front of you and you feel awed with their sheer beauty, but you can't help... the serenity puts you under a spell that ain't easy to break! This pic might seem to have been taken from a short distance, but its only the unpolluted air there that makes it possible; with high visibility, photography is pure pleasure in high altitudes.

Wings

I was at Mehrangarh Fort (Jodhpur) when this Imperial Eagle [Aquila heliaca] flew next to me, and I was jealous of the way she could fly, and I could not. That is where I decided the tag for this pic- Wings! It was a bit hard to click this snap, because a normal digicam is not an SLR , with a shutter speed not good enough, capturing moving objects is not that good an option.

Rajasthan

I could have written anything to describe this pic, but why Rajasthan? Well, firstly, am a proud Rajasthani... attached to everything that belongs to my land, and secondly because of the portrayal of Rajasthan to the whole world as a lifeless Desert. Agreed we're a Desert State, still, we know what clouds look like, and Yes! We do have trees and greenary too. I was a kid when someone said- "The moment you name Rajasthan, I can feel sand under my feet". I guess this pic's an apt reply of what Rajasthan is...