lifeless

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Dostea - tea, friendship, gossip

Chai.. Yaari.. Gupshup..

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Deepawali 2018

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battered truck

seen under Gachibowli flyover

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artwork from garden waste

Twigs of umbrella tree colored using water paint. The twigs are tied together at the base and planted in a mud tumbler filled with sand.

Painted pods..

 

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grass seeds

One morning Srinu and I were chatting casually in their backyard. This five pointed star was spotlit by a beam which had escaped through a gap in an umbrella tree. In the green background this grass flower stood out. Beautiful isn't it.

Then I looked around and found more stars.

The drying process has just set in for this flower.

Next I discovered a pair.. five-pointed and three-pointed.

 ..and a four-pointed star too.

 This is another variety which looks like a piece of jewelry.

 

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spiderwebs in mango tree

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Gandipet lake on a rainy day

July 7, 2018
Our wish of seeing Gandipet lake this year came true. It was around 3 PM, not many people around and the best part was rain. We were hesitant to get out then we said we cant miss this chance of getting wet in rain.. not fully though. We stepped into the rain with one umbrella. Slight wind was pushing the rainwater on to us.. it was nice to feel the cool water on our hands. We found a low wall, stepped on it and stood there few minutes taking in this sight.

It was nice to see the lake filled up, never realized it had rained so much this season.

This road runs on the dam. Vehicular traffic is banned here, people could walk around without a care.

Vehicles were allowed on this road before authorities banned it about 2 years ago.

On the other side of the dam.. hills and valleys. The pipeline runs towards Hyderbad city. The terrain down there is interesting.

One of the interesting spots in the valley is a standing rock. At the base of the rock is an ancient Hindu shrine.

The lake shore close to Gandipet village.

This road runs on the lake bund, nice place for a morning or evening walk.

Wishing more more and more rains this season. Wishing for farmers' prosperity.
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red Hibiscus

this picture was captured in Moto G2

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IPL match - Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders

May 19, 2018

I'm not a cricket enthusiast but did attend one IPL match. Pushpa likes to watch cricket and this was the first ever live match. The match venue was International Cricket Stadium near Uppal, about 24 kilometers from our home. It was an hour long drive through peak hour traffic. Having reached the stadium by 6-15 PM it wasn't difficult to find a vacant spot at the car parking lot. We passed though the security with just our phones and a bag. Close to the inner gate was a mini-stage for fans to stand with Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson.

The stadium was half filled as we entered and steady inflow was increasing the crowd. It was mostly SRH supporters, they were very excited. Being home ground, Sunrisers were all set to receive immense support, the spectators' area turned orange when the flags waved. KKR fans were sparse and scattered but equally excited.

A huge cheer went up when players entered the ground for warm up. People yelled to get players' attention but they remained focused on their workout. Then the cheers leaders entered and jogged around the ground. There were six stages setup, 3 each for each team. They looked fit and their movements in sync.

SRH won the toss, chose to bat. With few overs gone, I felt batting was slow. At the end of 20 overs the score stood at 172 for 9. The last over bowler took a hatrick. KKR batting took off well, the first 12 overs their run rate was constantly around 10 or 11. Enthusiasm waned, SRH supporters lost hope and people started leaving. In fact group of 20 was down to 7 with 5 overs to go. The last three overs were exciting, KKR lost 3 wickets and SRH actually had a chance to win. The pressure was on with 3 runs needed of 4 balls. KKR played it cool and closed the game at 173 for 5. It was a close ending indeed. SRH fans were sad but the consolation was their team was leading in overall points. Here are our souvenirs.. soft-drink cups and tickets.

Coming out of the stadium was easy and quick but driving out from the parking lot lasted one hour. The route was clogged with several bottlenecks, drivers were simply impatient. I guess many were hungry and tired. We too were famished. Reached home by 1-45 AM.
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Jasmine plant in a pot

A a small cutting planted in a pot took 15 days to sprout leaves, then it grew quickly, lot of leaves.. six months later, it gave one flower/ A year later, we pruned it and week later half a dozen buds :)

This i believe is the third flower of this plant.

The following morning i.e. 24 hours later, the petals had turned pink. This hadn't happened with earlier flowers of this plant. Strange.

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sketch on a wall

This picture was shot Sept-2015.

I found this bunch of lovely sketches on a wall close to where I live. Whoever the artist was, had a great sense of proportion. The man seems to be a teacher, the little girl's smile is beautiful, a puppy with drooping ears, a pencil, a balloon and a butterfly. This sketch remained on the wall two years, every time i passed by, it made me smile :)
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Ant trail

While we were at office.. ants attacked the wheat flour packet, carried away flour and left a trial on the kitchen platform. I can't stop appreciating ants for their pervasiveness and discipline.

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Jagannath Puri temple, Hyderabad

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