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Okame
Okame Okame is the name for the mask of a young woman with a small upturned nose and big round cheeks. It is also the name of the wife of the master carpenter who built the large hall of the Senbon Shakado temple in Kyoto where I saw this nicely illuminated mask. The story goes…
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Noh apparition
Noh apparition In a Noh museum one can expect to see Noh masks. With their painted high eyebrows (hikimayu) and other typical features, Noh masks often have a striking appearance. But this mask, emerging from the dark, looks more like a phantom, with elements of the background faintly shining through its face.Do we see here…
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The man of her heart?
The man of her heart? Dark clouds over the IJsselmeer (Lake IJssel). An expanse of water shining brightly with a silvery lustre caused by the light of a sun that’s nowhere to be seen.A woman stands on the shore, a man approaches on his kiteboard. Does she patiently stand by and watch, full of admiration…
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Rash e Jannat
Rash e Jannat Light reflections brighten the dark teak arches and ceilings of Tipu Sultan’s palace where he used to reside in summer with his royal women. Maybe that’s why it was known as the Envy of Heaven. Photo of the week: Tipu Sultan’s summer palace (1791), Bangalore, Karnataka, India 2019
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Palm pond
Palm pond I passed a pond and saw the leaves of a dark green palm inside. This made me pause and wonder. A dark plastic lined pond, filled with water, light brown rippled sand at the bottom, a thin wire grid on the surface. All this mixed with dark palm leaves and stem, and a…
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A drunk’s dream
A drunk’s dream Had the bottles been full this would have been a drunk’s paradise. Empty they’re his worst nightmare. Photo of the week: Bottle room, Mythri Manasa Sangama, near Bangalore, Karnataka, India 2019
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Admiring Chamundi
Admiring Chamundi Chamundi angrily chasing Kalabhairava is a high point during the mid-December festival at Kakotuparambu in Coorg. Chamundi is the frightening form of the Divine Mother, so we can also identify her as Kali or Durga. As is often the case when stories of the gods are enacted, female roles are performed by males.…
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Source of life
Source of life At the source of the Cauvery River: a flow of water comes out of Mother Earth, giving life to plants, animals and humans downstream. The yoni placed at this very spot, signifying the source of life, is well chosen. It calls up the painting of “the origin of the world” (“l’origine du…
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Mountain pillar
Mountain pillar Just a pillar at the site where the Cauvery River rises in the mountains of Coorg in South India. But see how the top of the pillar visually resonates with the gentle slopes of the mountains. Well done stone cutter! Photo of the week: At the source of the Cauvery River, Coorg, Karnataka,…
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Ice Cream You Scream
Ice Cream You Scream Boola-boola sarsaparoolaIf you’ve got chocolate, we’ll take vanoolaI scream, you scream, we all scream for ice creamRah! Rah! Rah! Photo of the week: Rome, Italy 1998
καιρός remembered
… the right moment, position chosen, shoot …
καιρός remembered 