Category: Photography

Den of the Lion

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Address plaque

Stumbled upon the house of Thiru T N Seshan, the former Chief Election Commissioner of India, the man credited with safeguarding India’s democracy through his electoral reforms. He may be no more, but his legacy still lives on. Nearly three decades after leaving office, he is still held as the epitome of an honest and fearless Chief Election Commissioner.

Location: Chennai

Date: 18th August 2025

Ozymandias

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Came across this postbox at Raja Annamalaipuram during my evening walk. Reminded me of Shelley’s Ozymandias. The mighty postbox which over the years served as a portal that kept millions of relationships in tact looks like a superhero during his twilight years. The postbox’s fate is worse than the statue of Ozymandias which survived while nothing around it remained except the desert sand. The world around the postbox has flourished and moved on relegating the postbox to a relic.

Location: Chennai

Date: 14th August 2025

Car-free Sundays at Elliot’s Beach

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The Roads at Elliot’s Beach, Chennai are notoriously prone to over speeding and reckless driving. The problem gets aggravated further on Sundays due to increase in the number people coming to the beach. When I went to the beach for my morning walk today, I was hoping to see a mad scrambling for parking space. Instead I came across a different problem. The road leading to the beach road was barricaded and a policeman informed me that none of the vehicles have access to the beach road as it was Car-free Sunday. I parked my scooter in a different road and went about my morning walk.

The ‘Car-free Sundays’ initiative started in October 2015. From 6 AM to 9 AM on Sundays vehicles will not be allowed on beach road at Elliot’s Beach and the roads would be used for community activities. I had read about this initiative in newspaper but somehow I forgot about it today.

The scene at the road near the beach was welcome change from what one used to witness every day: Vehicles parked along the stretch of the road, the Vroom-Vroom sound of silencer modified bikes, vehicles coming to a screeching halt had all given way to sounds of laughter and encouragement. Youngsters were playing or competing with each other; elders were either applauding or taking snaps using mobiles.

Kids were even drawing on the road using color chalk. A bunch of Tai Chi students were even giving a demo of Tai Chi under the watchful eyes of their master near Cozee restaurant. A couple of youngsters were even displaying their whistling skills to a small but receptive audience. All along the beach stretch and the roads leading to the beach front, policemen were present in adequate numbers. Overall the Elliot’s beach resembled a carnival ground today. Hope this nice initiative continues in the weeks ahead. Three cheers to all those who were responsible for making ‘Car-free Sunday’ a reality.

Admiring the Sunrise on January 1, 2016

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In January 2015 I read the post ‘New Year: My One Word for 2015 and Why I Can’t Leave 2014 Behind’ by Lily Ellyn. Lily started the blog post by narrating a practice in Korea. Quoting from Lily’s blog: ‘In Korea people don’t stay up until midnight to ring in the New Year. Instead, they get up in the middle of the night and they hike a mountain. They climb through the dark, snowy pre-dawn hours and when they reach the top they stand with their faces to the sky to greet the first sunrise of the New Year.’

On reading this post I got inspired to not to stay awake until midnight on December 31st 2015 but wake up early morning on January 1st 2016 and witness the sunrise at Elliot’s Beach, Chennai. Somehow the thought stayed in mind throughout 2015. I have enjoyed viewing many a sunsets at Marina Beach, Elliot’s Beach (both at Chennai), Hussain Sagar Lake (Hyderabad), Pennar River (Nellore), etc. but have witnessed very few sunrises, being a late riser. I have been trying for quite some time to wake up early but have not able to implement it. By the second half of 2015 I was waking up early but not as early as I wanted to.

As the New Year approached I was doubly determined to view the sunrise on New Year’s Day. On 29th December one of my friend who is settled in Abu Dhabi called me and informed that he is in Chennai. We decided to meet for Dinner on December 31. Our families met at his place at around 7 PM and from there proceeded to a restaurant at 8.30 PM. Our respective families were meeting after more than 2 years and it was a wonderful get together. My daughter and my friend’s daughter enjoyed each other’s company very much. Post dinner as we were getting back home, the traffic jams due to mad rush of bikers proceeding to beach fronts for mid-night celebration ensured that we got back home only around mid-night. I think I slept around 12.45 AM but set the alarm for 5 AM but was not sure whether I will wake up so early.

However to my pleasant surprise I woke up at 5 AM, got ready and proceeded to Elliot’s Beach. A lot of morning people had already gathered at the beach front to witness the sunrise. But a thick blanket of clouds was playing spoilsport and ensured that there would not be a perfect sunrise. The sun which emerged from behind the clouds for a brief moment was very beautiful in reddish orange color. I took a few snaps at the beach front. Then I proceeded for my morning walk.

As I was returning home on my bike, I was determined to wake up early every day. When I reached home, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my wife had drawn a very nice New Year Kolam/ Rangoli at our flat’s entrance. I used a photo of the Kolam for my New Year Wish Blog Post. As the year progresses I am hoping to continue to wake up early and go for morning walks. Best Wishes to all of you for achieving all your goals and dreams in 2016. Have a Wonderful Year.

Note: I cam across a wonderful sunrise picture from January 1, 2016at Derwentvalleyphotography Blog. Enjoy the awesome sunrise photo.