Experiences | Vivek Dhage's Portfolio and Photoblog

Wild in the Concrete Jungle

Posted on: March 19th, 2010 in Around Bangalore, Bangalore, Experiences, Weekend Trips | 37 views

Location: Bannerghatta National Park, Bangalore, India.

Eclipse

Posted on: February 18th, 2010 in Around Bangalore, Experiences, Travel, Weekend Trips | 65 views

Date: 15 January 2010. Photographed near Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu during the the longest annular solar eclipse of the millennium, and the longest until December 23, 3043, with a maximum length of 11 mins and 7.8 seconds and a magnitude of 0.9190.

All that you touch
All that you see
All that you taste
All you feel
All that you love
All that you hate
All you distrust
All you save
All that you give
All that you deal
All that you buy
Beg, borrow or steal
All you create
All you destroy
All that you do
All that you say
All that you eat
Everyone you meet
All that you slight
Everyone you fight
All that is now
All that is gone
All that’s to come
And everything under the sun is in tune
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon.
There is no dark side of the moon really.
Matter of fact it’s all dark.

- Pink Floyd – Eclipse

The Glory of Hampi

Posted on: February 4th, 2010 in Around Bangalore, Experiences, Travel, Weekend Trips | 84 views

Hampi (Kannada: hampe) is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. Located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, Hampi is the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other monuments belonging to the old city.

As the village is at the original centre of Vijayanagara, it is sometimes confused with the ruined city itself. The ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as the Group of Monuments at Hampi.

Hampi is identified with the historical Kishkindha, the Vanara (monkey) kingdom which finds mention in the Ramayana. The first historical settlements in Hampi date back to 1 CE.

Hampi formed one of the cores of the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565, when it was finally laid siege to by the Deccan Muslim confederacy. Hampi was chosen because of its strategic location, bounded by the torrential Tungabhadra river on one side and surrounded by defensible hills on the other three sides.

The site is significant historically and architecturally. The topography abounds with large stones which have been utilized to make larger than life statues of Hindu deities. A structure of historic importance appears every quarter of a mile.

The Archaeological Survey of India continues to conduct excavations in the area, to discover additional artifacts and temples.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampi

The Icons

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The Ruins

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The Landscape

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The People

Life around Bombay Ducks

Posted on: December 10th, 2009 in Experiences, Travel, Weekend Trips | 243 views

Location: Uttan, off Mumbai, India

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Info on Bombay Ducks here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay_duck

A Beach Full of Fish

Posted on: December 10th, 2009 in Experiences, Travel, Weekend Trips | 117 views

Location: Uttan, off Mumbai, India

Life

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Kids

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Bombay Ducks

The Bombay duck or bummalo (Harpadon nehereus, Bengali: bamaloh or loita, Gujarati: bumla, Marathi: bombil) is, despite its name, not a duck but a lizardfish. It is native to the waters between Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and Kutch in the Arabian Sea, and a small number are also found in the Bay of Bengal. Great numbers are also caught in the China Sea. The fish is often dried and salted before it is consumed. After drying, the odour of the fish is extremely powerful, and it is usually transported in air-tight containers.

Despite the rather unpleasant odour of the fish, it is often considered to be a delicacy by connoisseurs of Indian cuisine. If freshly caught, it is sometimes eaten fried in a batter; and in its dried form, it is commonly eaten in a curry. It is also prepared as a pickle. The bones of the fish are soft and easily chewable.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay_duck

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