Goddess or target of torture

Goddess of wealth, goddess of knowledge , goddess for target of torture

This December has been noticeable in many ways. The strongest of them all : the battle fought by the brave heart , Nirbhaya within the confines of the intensive care unit which brought about the attack on the conscience of a nation.

Named Nirbhaya by some, known as a brave heart to all , the victim of the horrific crime in the national capital Delhi has been a reason for a beginning of a sea change in the peoples movement.

Do we need such a trigger and the unjustified loss of a life to raise this issue?

The hypocrisy we face as a society is staring back at us:  On the one hand we worship goddesses and on the other, the atrocities against women are ever rising.Do we not see the writing on the wall? Do we need fear of law to safeguard the modesty of women?

Do I need to make a news article about being hassled in the bus during the daily commute to office? Do I need to wait for times like this to stand up for my safety? Do I need to be told where to go and when to go in my own country ? Do I need to be proud of my democratic and free country- A society where I celebrate independence and yet I am not free?

While the victim of the recent heinous crime has lost her life, she has no doubt led a sea change that we want to see. While the news channels and media coverage keep it alive so far, there are reservations about how far this can go on to change the mindset and the laws.

Its about changing the laws to change the mindset. Do humans need laws to behave human?

Its written all over the scriptures in all our religions because of which we worship women as Goddesses of power, wealth and knowledge...Are these forms not seen in the human woman?

And, when someone has the sense and courage to stand up against such atrocities, like in the case of Keenan and Ruben last year, they have also not been spared.

If a "living thing" doesn't realise the worth of a human being, they do not deserve to be "living". The only laws possible for such people is that they take their unjustifiable actions to another world. They do not deserve to be living while making another life "unlivable"

While the political class spit out excuses about "changing laws for more stricter punishment", its possible to see how easily the same laws are bent and broken conveniently more often than not.

We as citizens elect the policy makers and lawmakers and later succumb to the laws and policies. Its now we the citizens trying to fight the law, trying to fight the law makers, trying to fight the political class. Why do we forget that politicians and lawmakers are citizens first? Why do the lawmakers and political class forget that they are citizens with more responsibilities? Why do the lawmakers and political class forget the responsibilities and misuse the power ?


No actions, words and laws can justify what has happened and what continues to happen. The only homage and tribute to Nirbhaya will be if  the objective of the protests is not forgotten. That the battle for the dignity of a woman is continued and brings about a change the society that we live in. Where the worship is not of idols but of a thought and ideology.


　

Athens on the Spree

Brandenburger Tor

Quick facts about this famous monument in Berlin to accompany the pictures:

The Brandenburg Gate (German: Brandenburger Tor) is a famous monument of peace.

Originally built in the 18th century, it is the only remaining city gate of a series through which Berlin was once entered.

The area around the gate featured most prominently in the media coverage of the opening of the Berlin wall in 1989.

Atop the gate is the Quadriga, a chariot drawn by four horses driven by Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory. In the original version, the horses were driven by the Goddess of peace.

 

The Gate's design is based on the Propylaea, the gateway to the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.

It was the first "Athens on the River Spree" by architect Carl Gotthard von Langhans.

 

Today, Brandenburger Tor is a celebration venue and a symbol of reunification. The German Unity Day celebrated on October 03 has street performances, stalls, music, food and games around the Gate.

 

Along the River

When the summer sun shines, there's rain in Berlin.

When the cold weather engulfs the city, there's rain.

So its no surprise that every Berliner and Berlinerin has an umbrella handy and
the shops are always readily stocked too.

Even with so much rains, theres no love lost between the river Spree and the people of the city of Berlin. Spree is a river that flows through three states of Germany including Berlin.The final reach of the Spree is where it is best known. It flows through the city centre of Berlin silently flowing through the city, only to be ruffled by the tourist boat cruises private boats.

In Berlin, it forms a wide network of waterways, hence having numerous options of routes and you meeting the river often in some part of the town!

The calmness and its stoic nature is an inspiration for a healthy body and happy mind.
The row of houses overlooking the river from across the street is the perfect advantage to notice how nature works her wondrous ways.

The morning sun lending a sparkle to the surface of the river, while the winds just creating a celebration of symphony of the ripples. As the evening approaches bidding good bye to the sun, the sunset leaves its mark along the river as a blanket of orange. And then,the moonlight takes over.

Just observing the river makes u aware of life around it.

The couple sitting on the green grass alongside silently enjoying each others conversation.
The swans and ducks watched and called by the children.

The elderly lady sitting on the bench with her knitting paraphernalia.

All the benches along the river a taken in the evenings.
The family enjoying the evening sun with their favourite book, or music or simply just being there.
"Him" trying to reach the farthest distance of throwing the pebble over the water, where "she" helps in finding the pebbles.
The two friends cycling along, talking of the day gone by.
The "mommy" taking the toddler along for the evening walk.

All this and more.

So if you've had a long day at work, or just want to relax your mind and self,you are lucky to be in one of the nice towns called Berlin.

I guarantee that at least one of these many things will surely make your frown upside down.

 

Travel diaries - Berlin Olympicstadion

Berlin,
I have come to learn is an international city, with its share of technological innovations as well as the quaint areas alongside the river Spree.
The summer attracts hordes of tourists from all over Europe and around.

On one of my touristic ventures, I visited the "Olympiastadion" on a sunny afternoon.

Here's some quick Wikipedia info about it :

The current Olympiastadion was originally built for the 1936 Summer Olympics, triggered by Hitler and his associates to use it for his propaganda.





Aside from its use as an Olympic stadium, the Olympiastadion has a strong footballing tradition also being one of the venues for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.


The building itself is closely circled around the stadium.






Another interesting fact is the Olympic Bell.
It used to be atop a bell tower, 77 metres high. From its peak could be observed the whole city of Berlin.
The tower was the only part of the stadium destroyed in the World war-II
The Olympic bell which was in the tower, fell the entire height down when the tower was destroyed.
Today it stands as a memorial.


The stadium has also been used for music concerts, and from Wikipedia, it seems that artists like Madonna, MJ and Guns n roses have played at this venue.

 

Picture this : Simply September

Like a flower bending....

 

Lets start September with a bouquet of blooms : Fresh floral mixed well in various shades of blue.

To add to the summer giving way to the season of fall, heres a bunch of colorful summer-y happiness

 

Weekend storyline

Heres a little story told mainly in pictures.
A picture does speak a thousand words;
I have added a few words to a nice weekend story that I heard recently through these pictures!

Starting the morning with a good breakfast of piping hot idlys,sambhar and chutney,

the weekend weather was nice and bright to venture out to the mall.

It was nice to watch people go about shopping or simply window shopping. Some of us could just sit there and watch the world go by.

There was something for all in the mall.

For HER: shopping treat and temptation in the form of a sale :

For HIM: a visual treat in the form of a dream on wheels:

So while some notice that there's a 70 % discount at a sale, some cannot take their eyes off the engine visible from the glass in the Audi!

Picture this - May

 ANCHOR :
The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα (ankura )

 

Anchor is symbolic of positive connotations:
• Hope,Safety, Fidelity, Stability, Security, Good Luck, Steadfastness, Ocean/Sea/Waters


1. (n.) anchor

a heavy device dropped by a chain, cable, or rope to the bottom of a body of water for restraining the motion of a vessel or other floating object.

2. (n) A source of security or stability.

Picture this - April

I missed my milestone in April for posting a picture.

Heres one for April:
In a recent trip, I found this beautiful landscape which was enhanced by the River Elbe.
Summer in Hamburg is entertaining.

(Keeping the Earth day in mind)



Finkenwerder- from the ferry stop.



Picture this - March

Here's a picture that caught my eye on a recent visit to a temple:



The picture seems to be half in "black and white" and half in full blown colour!
The grey-black push cart and the all colourful pillar.
And to top it is the dog in its afternoon siesta totally undisturbed by the sculpted snake overlooking it (in the pillar !)


The picture doesn't speak much about the place, so a nibble of info on the place:
Kotilingeshwara temple is in Kolar about 3 hours drive from Bangalore.
Dedicated to Lord Shiva, as the name suggests, there is remarkably huge number of "Lingams" spread over an open ground.
As we move through rows of these varied sizes of lingams, we come across many enclosures dedicated to various other deities.
Mostly known for the lingams, this place is also frequented for film shootings (mostly dance sequences I hear!).
And the commercial aspect is noticeable with the shop lined walkway to the entrance of the temple.

Here are pictures of the biggest lingam and the surrounding ones:

Picture this- February

In my pursuit to improve my photography skills by taking the easy way out of simply clicking and capturing moments around me, let me start by sharing a picture for every month .

Heres a happpy beginning with Fabulous February:



This one is from the Lalbagh flower show-2012

Dance of the flowers

I visited the flower show at Lalbagh on a weekday in the hope that it would not be very crowded, but I was wrong.

Going by some of the pictures, you see that almost all of them have people in the background. And they are not intended :)

The theme of display was creative. It was dance forms from different states of India.
Dollu Kunitha, Kamsale, Bhangra, Bharatanatyam to name a few.
The diversity of colours of the flowers blended well to create the unity of the various regions of India.








The morning newspaper carried an article about the holiday rush at the flower show for the republic day, but the weekday or the afternoon sun did not deter visitors.

Wishing the organisers loads of luck for the clean up act after the huge amount of litter thanks to the public picnics and all the commercial stalls set up.

Would love to go back to Lalbagh when its more peaceful even without much of the colour in the glass house.