Healthy Aging

With improved health care system and modern medicines people are living long.  People are working and learning new skills in later part of their lives.  Previously most lived a sedentary life after retirement from employment.  Of course, there are a lot more who have to work without retirement for ends to meet.  Here I am talking about those lucky ones who are employed by state or in reputed private sectors and have retirement with certain benefits and can lead a leisure life.

Yes.  After working tirelessly for long years to spend leisurely life is worth it.  But is sedentary life a happy life?  Retirement and sedentary life makes one feel the impact of biological age and boredom of inactivity leads to impassive life.  To have a happy and healthy post retirement life it is good to learn some new skill or start doing the activities one always felt like doing in younger days and could not due to pressures of family and its progress. 

Recently I had gone on a photo tour and met Ms. Aruna Berry.  She retired from state academic services few years ago.  On retirement her daughter presented her a DSLR camera and took her out for photo tours.  And now she is a passionate photographer and takes wonderful pictures.  She is also got trained for marathon races and often participates and wins.  I was very much impressed with her attitude towards life and being always bubbling with enthusiasm to learn new skills.  We had gone for Tiger’s nest monastery in Paro.  This is located at mountain cliff at 3,120M above Paro valley.  Most said that it will take at least 2-4hrs trekking up and coming down.  Aruna Berry along with her daughter and others took about 3hrs to reach and another two hours to come down.  I along with my husband took five hours to reach monastery and four hours to come down.  I understood her training for marathon races made her compete with youngsters. 

I have seen another woman who could easily be a septuagenarian at Arnold Arboretum in Boston.  She is working as tour guide here.  As she was guiding us through the important areas in the arboretum, she was moving so fast that it was difficult for me to keep pace with her.  Regular physical exercise makes one fit and healthy whatever is the age.

PC - Abhishek Singh, Professsioonal Photographer, Artist, Teacher

So whatever is the age one should strive to maintain physical fitness with good diet, physical exercise and healthy lifestyle to live happy and peaceful life till last breath.

Kaleshwaram

Shri Mahadeva /Shiva Those people who do not enter the temple can have darshan of Shiva outside the temple

Kaleshwaram is a village in Bhupalpally district of Telangana, India.  This village is famous for its temple – Kaleshwara Muktishwara temple on the banks of river Godavari.  Here river Godavari merges with its tributary Pranahita. 

People taking bath before performing certain rituals

It is believed that underneath this area of merger is Mystical River Saraswathi flows.   This makes it confluence of three rivers, hence called ‘Triveni Sangamam’ – confluence of three rivers giving it greater sanctity. 

A view of the river

This temple complex has temple of Shri Ganesha, Shri Mahadeva and Shri Yamadharmaraja.  People believe that worshiping Yama and Shiva together will lead them to moksha. 

Boating in the river.  Diya lit and let in water in reverence of  deceased ancestors

This temple mainly devoted to Shri Mahadeva in picturesque location on the banks of river is one of ‘Trilinga temples’,  the other two - one is Srishaila Mallikarjuna Swamy in Srishailam and Bhimeshwara Swamy in Draksharamam, both being in Andhra Pradesh. This temple is about 277Km from Hyderabad.  It can be reached by RTC buses or own vehicles.  The journey through forest areas will be pleasant.  Temple dormitories provide rooms for night stay.

In Hindu culture it is believed that after death of a person if his ashes are mixed in river he will attain moksha.  In Telangana most people visit Kaleshwaram and after special rituals and sanctification of ashes in the urns, the ashes are immersed in the river at Triveni Sangamam.

Sanctification of ashes

Offerings to deceased ancestors.  They are made of rice flour and after appropriate ritual will be offered to cow or dropped in river or lake

. 

Carrying ashes for immersion at Triveni Sangamam

In Telangana most people visit Kaleshwaram and after special rituals and sanctification of ashes in the urns, the ashes are poured at Triveni Sangamam.

This family looks like have come for a jolly trip.

The visit to the temple gives peace and calmness to the mind and soul.

These are made alongside the banks in reverence to Shiva, decorated and worshiped

AIADMK

All India Anna DMK will remain as one or will be All India Anna DMK (AIADMK -1) or becomes All India Amma DMK (AIADMK-2) we have to wait and see.  One or two who owns what only time will decide.  Whom will people support -  Anna's Amma or Anna's Anna, or Amma's Amma or Amma's Anna is a suspense.

Landscapes of Ladakh

I happened to visit Ladakh in the last week of September this year.  I had strong desire to be in the mountain ranges of Himalayas at least once in my life time.  When Nikon School of photography announced ‘Advanced Landscape Photography workshop in Ladakh’ I grabbed the opportunity to visit the place.  Though I was meddling with the basics of DSLR I decided to join the group to travel through picturesque Ladakh and pick up few tips from some of the best photographers in India working with Nikon School.

The mentors team was good and helpful.  There were four of them.  They were all friendly, helpful and enthusiastic in teaching the techniques of photography.  I did grasp few points and understood how manual settings in photography can help towards becoming a better photographer.

Here are few photographs of travel through Ladakh.

Though the greater part of journey was on well laid road

occasionally we had to travel on rough terrain

At Khardung La

This is supposed to be highest motorable road in the world

                         

Nubra valley - Cold desert with sand dunes and water bodies

formed due to melted snow

Photographers trying to capture landscapes in twilight

Shyok river

Kids waving as we are passing from a School in

Nubra valley

Maitri Budha at Diskit

Diskit Monastry

A scene in Turtuk village, the last village in India bordering Pakistan 

Pangong Tso lake

The mystic lake between India and China

Night Skies at Pangong Tso

Trying to capture morning colors

A restaurant at Pangong Tso

Clear waters of Pangong Tso

On the way from Pangong Tso to Tsomoriri

through Tsagala and Chusul

Black necked crane

The only shop seen on the way to Tsomoriri

Tractor with a flour mill at Tsomoriri

Early morning view at Tsomoriri

Tsomoriri lake in dawn

Tsomoriri village

Marmot native to mountain ranges of Himalayas

At Tsokar Lake

Photographers trying to capture Nature, Wild life and Landscapes

The person lying down is one of the mentors. 

May he wanted to capture some unique feature of horses!

Army memorial at Chusul

Last capture with NikonD on the way back to Leh