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Giant boulders galore
Giant boulders galore “Better on top than underneath,” the little bird must have thought as it alighted on this enormous chunk of granite. This must be Hampi, yes indeed. It is not only the ancient monuments of the historic capital of the Vijayanagara Empire that enchant us; the boulder-strewn landscape in which they are scattered…
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Globed breasts adorned with pearls
Globed breasts adorned with pearls Globed breasts adorned with pearls sandal-misted, wide curving hips with girdles strung with bells, precious anklets making music on their lotus feet, lit with happiness deep within women now enhance their beauty. In strophes like this Kālidāsa sings of the feminine ideal in his long poem Ṛtusaṃhāram (The Gathering of…
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Classmates
Classmates Classmates on a school outing to Hampi. Two lovely girls, each one in her own way, as so many children of this age the world over. Photo of the week: school children visiting Hampi, Karnataka, India 2014
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Miss World & Mr Universe
Miss World & Mr Universe Aishwarya Rai was Miss World, way back in 1994, after which she went on to become one of Bollywood’s superstars. And yes, the person next to her is Mr Universe, Shiva, the cosmic dancer, a title he has held for quite some time now.It’s lovely to see them standing there…
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Shiva is taking a break
Shiva is taking a break They’ve put him under the tree for the time being, until further notice, until they need him again for some procession or festival.He looks magnificent, as tall as he is, with all his usual trappings. If he hadn’t been standing there, I certainly wouldn’t have noticed the truly beautiful and…
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Béla Tarr and the seventh art
Béla Tarr and the seventh art His last and maybe final film: The Turin Horse (black and white, 146′, 2011). There is inside and outside. Outside: a deafening storm rages over the barren land. The gale blows clouds of sand and dead leaves in the air. A desolate bare tree stands on the hill in…
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Art with a wink
Art with a wink One girl is looking intently at the other, and vice versa. They are both completely fascinated by the sight of the other.I remember having, a long time ago, a booklet intended to be humorous, entitled ‘Art with a wink’, with a winking Mona Lisa on the cover.Here, it is not the…
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Model backs
Model backs Lovely loose hanging hair. An equally lovely loose hanging little dress, revealing a beautiful, delicate back. Don’t turn round angels, you may break the enchantment! A village woman from the hills. Her bare lower back betrays a slender waist and sinuous, strong body. As an animal in the wild. And then, a woman’s…
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R.C. Ex-votos
R.C. Ex-votos Here then votive offerings that accompany the requests made to the catholic Saint Francis Xavier whose preserved body is kept in the Bom Jesus church in Old Goa, India. He attracts believers from all over India and the world, and many make use of the opportunity to ask him for relieving their distress.…
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Tamata
Tamata τάματα is the Greek word for vows and votive offerings, referring to a popular practice among the faithful of most if not all religions. I have shown and written about this fascinating phenomenon earlier on this blog in a series of posts dedicated to the local Hindu god Golu Devta in Kumaon, India, and the…
καιρός remembered
… the right moment, position chosen, shoot …
καιρός remembered 