Photo Speaks

Best of 2011 by Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi

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A quite Friday morning – WysiWyc – What you see is What you click – daily passionate clicks

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WysiWyc – What you see is What you click – daily passionate clicks by Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi city view from Abu Dhabi Mall. It is extremely beautiful to view the city from the height of Abu Dhab Mall Business Towers. One gets to watch the busy life as it happens. However, in this picture, you will see the silence of the city on a Friday morning. It is more, especially being holiday season and most of the expats are on leave abroad or out of Abu Dhabi with friends and family.

Have a great evening,

Ramesh Menon
30.12.2011

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WysiWyc – What you see is What you click – daily passionate clicks – It’s time to warm up

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WysiWyc – What you see is What you click – daily passionate clicks by Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi

It’s time to warm up. Being an enthusiast of percussion instruments and playing them whenever I get an opportunity, I have a few different types of taditional Indian Ghanjira’s. As they are made of animal skin, they have to be made warm before playing to get the right notes and sound modulations. It was for the first time, I am seeing an electric heater being used to tune a similar set of percussion instruments (Tambourines)  by a local arabic performers before their performance at Abu Dhabi mall.

Have a great day,

Ramesh Menon
29.12.2011

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WysiWyc – What you see is What you click – daily passionate clicks – bright and beautiful

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WysiWyc – What you see is What you click – daily passionate clicks by Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi

A shop selling antique items and lights at Abu Dhabi Mall. Display was bright and beautiful.
Enjoy viewing and have a great day.
Ramesh Menon
28.12.2011

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WysiWyc – What you see is What you click – daily passionate clicks – Cadillac SRX

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WysiWyc – What you see is What you click – daily passionate clicks by Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi

A Cadillac SRX 4×4 on display at Abu Dhabi Mall, waiting for a Year end promotion winner.
Have a great day.
Ramesh Menon
Tuesday, 27.12.2011

This entry was posted in Abu Dhabi - Today in UAE, Autos, Daily Passionate Photography Thoughts, PassionatePhotographers, Photo Speaks, UAE.

WysiWyc – What you see is What you click – daily passionate clicks

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WysiWyc – What you see is What you click – daily passionate clicks by Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi

A foggy start to this new series, WysiWyc – What you see is What you click. Enjoy viewing my passionate clicks. Appreciate your comments.
However the authorities try, it is difficult to stop jay walking. There should be a sense of self responsibility for maintaining an accident free society. Especially, road accident free. Efforts are in by all, some distance covered, but more to cover.
26.12.2011

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Story across the Window

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Many of us have read several times an email about a patient narrating a storing from a hospital bed. It was one of the most popular email forwards with a proving thought.
The one I am writing is from my real life experience.  The window you see is from a twin sharing ICU support room situated in one of the leading cancer hospitals in Bangalore. My mother in law was in the last stage of her life and was admitted to this room. We were in the first bed which was next to the entrance and there was another bed, which was close to the window outside.
During the last week of her life in this world, she was here. As by standers, me and my wife was also there with her. She was conscious and in the adjacent bed, patients came and went. Most of them returned back to their home from there.
During the course of the day, we made friendship with them, their relatives as we discussed each others conditions. Amma was in conscious state and was able to see people coming and going. All Cancer Patients in various conditions.
On the 2nd day, there came a new patient, a Lt Colonel’s wife, and a Doctor by Profession. Her husband Lt Colonel Ray was with her and working abroad. He was a short tempered man, but witty at times with us and with his wife, giving her courage. His temperament, made her scary at many times as he interacted with the hospital staff. However, he was very nice.
Talking to him as we introduced we became very close, and discussing further our roots, we realized, we have some common friends. My school mate Sarath’s father Dr. Sudhakaran was a friend of him when he was serving with the Navy at Cochin Naval base.  After all, this world is really small.
Mrs. Ray talked to us very closely and openly whenever he was not with her. She talked a lot to our Amma. On the second day of her arrival, amma was still keeping conscious self, although her conditions were becoming severe. A sweet girl from the Yoga and meditation division of the hospital came to Mrs. Ray and was giving her a discourse of Vedas and meditation. She was narrating her several incidents from our epics to give courage and boost her morale to fight the disease, along with some simple techniques. Me and amma were overhearing it from the other side of the room. After the little girl left, she expressed a desire to my wife, I too wanted to do this course, when I recover.

That afternoon Mrs Ray was discharged after her course of treatment was finished. It rained heavily, and we were alone in the room. Amma was sad, why all others coming and going and she was still there.

I thought may be next day, I will ask the doctor to change her to the bed near to the window, so that she will also recover and be able to come back home. But, it never happened, or I never got a chance to speak about it even.

Evening came, and as we listened to the sound of rain from our side of the room, our Amma was recapitulating the stories she listened overhearing from the other side with me. Again, she expressed a desire to learn from that girl the art of meditation technique that she explained. I promised her, I will call her the next day, for our Amma.

Unfortunately, all stories in this world do not have a happy ending. This one too.

Although, I went and booked her for coming to our room to teach our amma yoga and relaxation technique, that afternoon, she developed serious complications related to her disease. Slowly she fell into an unconscious state…. The TV programme that evening being showed was one on learning Hanuman Chalissa, and as it was aired, I felt her tapping her hand slowly and rhythmically for the first time in her life, to the rhythamic chants and narrations and explanations going on. Soon, she had to be shifted to the ICU and then to be put on ventilator as she never regained her conscious self….. Was it a farewell programme to divine world….
For so many things we do not have any answer in this world.. This is one such thing.

She never returned from there, although till the last moment of her conscious self, she was confident, she will come back safe and be with us for a long time. Her hands held close and tight mine as I stood near to her……. 

She will be there and here, forever and ever.

I am sorry Amma, it was probably one wish of yours that I couldn’t fulfill and of course my Aviyal….. Happy New Year Amma……….. I am sorry, I am helpless to control my tears…………

This entry was posted in Clicks and writes, HSE, Information - News, Photo Speaks.

Rituals at Srirangapatna

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Rituals at Sreerangapattanam

Srirangapatna (also spelt as Srirangapattana) is a small town in Mandya district of Karnataka, 19 kms away from Mysore. The entire town is surrounded by river Kaveri.
The Paschima Vaahini section of the Kaveri at Srirangapattana is considered especially sacred. People come from far and wide to immerse the ashes of the departed and perform obsequies to their ancestors in these waters.
Ammas ashes were immersed in this river.

There were many others who came to do the same. It was rainy season and the water thus was clean and good flow and whirlpools were there in plenty.

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This entry was posted in Clicks and writes, Information - News, Photo Speaks, Rituals.

Pithrutharppanam at Thirunavaya Nava Mukunda Temple

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It was our first visit to this famous temple, Thirunavaya Nava Mukunda Temple.
Thiruvanaya Navamukunda Temple, near Ponnani in Malappuram district is situated on the banks of the river Bharathapuzha.
Thirunavaya was once the capital of Perumpadapu Swaroopam. It is indeed the cradle of culture in northern Kerala. Holding immense historical importance, this is the place where ‘Mamangam’, a grand assembly of the rulers of Kerala was held once every 12 years, in olden times. This extravagant festival was held for the last time in 1755 AD.
The famous and ancient Thirunavaya Temple, known throughout the country as an ancient teaching-centre of the Vedas, was once plundered and destroyed by Tipu Sultan’s army. It was the Zamorin who repaired the temple later.
Thirunavaya is considered equivalent to Varanasi because of the presence of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma temples.
(Reference source : http://www.vaikhari.org/thirunavaya.html)
It is said to be very auspicious to do the religious rituals at the banks of this famous temple to departed souls within and after the stipulated ceremonial days associated with death of our relatives. Therefore, it was our wish to be here on the 12th day of our ammas demise.
The temple is very well organised and the priests or acharyas for doing these detailed pooja and kriyas  are fully devoted and never showed any sign of greed for money, normally associated with those doing services for such rituals.
We were recommended to meet Sri Unnikrishnan Elayath (Mobile : 00 91 9249259226) who is one of the senior most amongst them. Kriyas are done in three batches, starting as early as 5:00 am. The second batch start at 7:00 am and then the third at 09:00 am. It takes normally one and half hour to complete the full set of rituals. He does it in such a way that those who are doing the rituals really feels the presence of their close ones who left them from this world.
It should be noted to carry a coin along with you when going to perform the rituals as there are procedures to place the coin and then offer prayers. For those who do not carry them, he himself gives the coin. It is advisable to offer a nominal dakshina after the rituals and prayers associated. However, he never insists on it, and saw many leaving immediately without offering any dakshina or namaskaram to the priest.
It was really satisfying to see at least one more place of religious importance where greed for money did not rule over the rituals and sanctity associated.

This entry was posted in Clicks and writes, Information - News, Photo Speaks, Rituals.

An example of excellent hygiene – Public Toilets for Abu Dhabi Science Fair at Abu Dhabi Corniche

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An example of excellent hygiene – Public Toilets for Abu Dhabi Science Fair at Abu Dhabi Corniche

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