Discarded

On the 25th of October, a neighborhood driver cum durwan, his boss - the car owner, his sister-in-law and her son were traveling via Singur, West Bengal, when a truck laden with sand ploughed into the car. The car owner and his driver died in the crash.

The durwan had a pet dog "Lalu", who I'm told, had jumped on the bonnet of the car to stop them before they drove off to their destiny.

Lalu watches patiently as the durwan's family members gather up his clothes, his bric-a-brac and discard the rest before they leave for their hometown

Mourning as he lies among his master's discarded stuff

He had not eaten anything since morning except for some biscuits from his master's daughter and still refused to do so . . . preferring to curl up among his master's discarded junk.

The pictures have been taken with a Nokia E5 and hence the quality.

Back-lit

Cosmos flower in the morning shot against the sun. An orange flower against the white sky.


Nikon D300 | Nikon 18-70mm zoom.

Bijoya Dashami - Bishorjon

So, the four day celebrations comes to an end with our ritual gathering at our grandmother’s house in North Calcutta. The bishorjon pictures are from the Nawn family puja, who are relatives from my mother’s side.

The pictures have been shot with the Nikon D300 and the Nikon 18-70mm zoom @ 1600 ASA.

Loading on to the trolley for the imersion

Tying the "Iswar Chandra Nawn Trust" banner

All set

The journey starts . . .

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Puja 2011 : Sandhi Puja

Sandhi Pujo at the New Alipore Association Puja yesterday night (or better very early morning today) between 00.50 Hrs and 01.38 Hrs. In contrast to the earlier years, the pandal seemed quite full, which was a surprise considering the time of the Pujo.

After a lot of thought, I put the D300 away and decided to experiment with the m4/3 Panasonic G1 for shooting during the Pujo. I am quite amazed at the quality of pictures that I have got. Needless to say, the VR in the lens also helped.

There you have it. Sandhi Pujo with a m 4/3 Panasonic G1.

This picture sums up the Sandhi Pujo. The 108 lamps and Debi Durga in the background during the rituals. 

The start of the Sandhi Pujo

The rituals

Another angle. The dhaakis were too loud and hence the change in position !

The rituals again

The lighting of the 108 lamps

108 lotuses used during the pujas

Still lighting the 108 lamps

Aarati

Aarati

Blessings

Puja

Puja

Puja

Puja

Durga Puja 2011 : Aastami Sandhya Arati

Gone are the days of pandal hopping. Mahaastami Sandhya Aarati at my neighbour's house was a truly memorable experience. 


Shot with the Nikon D300 and the Nikon 18-70mm zoom @ 1600 ASA.

Durga Puja 2011

I love to be at home at Calcutta during the pujas. This year – after a bout of viral fever – and with some other pending work gave the Saptami jaunt a pass.

These are the pictures taken at the New Alipore Association Puja today during the Mahaastami Pujo today morning.

These pictures are with the Panasonic G1. I am wondering whether to go with the m4/3 for the entire pujas or whether I should switch to the Nikon D300 for today’s evening pictures.

Pratima at the New Alipore Association

Astami Puja Arati

Arati