Rangoli-26

It has been a while I posted some Rangoli designs. The problem is I have so many from my Mom and Grans' notes, but they are all in tatters and I have to understand them and draw afresh. While doing so I also get flashes of creativity to create my own designs. All this takes time. Then I have to photograph them. Cutting and editing them again  is rather time taking. Any ways.... Here are some.

These two designs have been drawn using 13 to 7 dots. You can see the black dots in the designs.

Hope you like them. I have still loads n loads to share. But I want to group them now like say Lotuses, conch shells, birds, swans, fishes, elephants, kites etc. So its taking time...Bear with me please....

This, That and Typhoon LAILA

I sometimes feel I am jinxed..? :) :)... First I don't have much time to blog. Then when I create some time, I have some emergencies or the other to attend to at my home front or my system crashes. Hmmmm..This time when I have taken a break to take a breather, I thought I could post on various techniques of Indian embroideries. I have done only two or three posts on them and I have much more to share with you all but could not as I have been away touring extensively and had no time at all till now.

Something happened to my internet connection and I had to run from pillar to post to get the problem rectified. This took me almost a week and I could not keep any thing for over a week. Boy I was so frustrated. I was fearing the fixing up would take much longer. Thank God.

Any way I used the time for making Mango pickles, as the season was fast ending and we had the warning for a storm. The deadly LAILA was supposed to be  much more devastating Typhoon in the past 30 years or so. But Thank God! it weakened considerably and then crossed the shore of our State of Andhra. Even then the devastation it might cause was to be feared.

We spent a sleepless night yesterday and entire day today worrying about our friends and relatives living in its path. It is raining incessantly with strong winds since past 24 hours in the coastal areas. Many places are waterlogged. Uprooting of trees, power and communication breakdowns and stopping of transport systems are being reported in the news. 

We do not know the extent of damage it is causing. But due to the much early warnings, the timely action by our Government and other agencies, the loss might be minimum. At least till now there is not much human loss. There will be loss of property and other things which cannot be avoided. Losses of  the fruit, vegetable and fish farms and other crops are feared. But then who can with stand the fury of the Nature.

We all are pooling all our available resources, to help them as the people out there might certainly need it. The first concern would be food water and shelter. Then the other necessities such as loss of their homes and daily lively hood will have to be taken care of. But it is still raining. So we are waiting to hear from them.....We are all praying for the safety of all our brothers and sisters there....

As I am typing this I heard my brother shouting out to me that LAILA is again entering the Sea..OH NOOOOO! If it happens then it will again gain strength and will hit back. But when and where is a million dollar question.Please pray for the safety of all those people there. They need it now.....

The Blooming Cassia

Recently on my travels I happened to stay in a place which was full of these beautiful Cassia trees. They bloom in the hot summers and are so beautiful to look at. I love them. Cassia Fistula-thats is Botanical name, Indian Laburnum, known as Krtamala in Sanskrut, Amaltas in Hindi and Rela in Telugu.

The fruit, seed, pulp, and  even the roots of Cassia, have medicinal properties. In oriental medicine it is prescribed as a mild purgative, reliever of thoracic obstructions, etc. These are also used for asthma, leprosy, ring worm, fever, heart problems, etc. The fruit pulp is a safe purgative for pregnant women and young children. The pulp is supposed to enhance the beauty of the skin too.

Here are the pictures.  The whole tree is filled with yellow flowers and that too in hot summers.

The whole tree is covered with blooms, we don't even find the leaves amongst them.

 

 A closer view at the flowers.

These are the fruits. I want to make Bonsai of these plants. I don't know how many years will it take them to bloom in pots. But let me try.

Hope you liked them......