IM Swaminathan's Photos: July 2009

launch of Swamistream.com

I used to post my blog here now I have started my own blog on my domain. Please log on to http://swamistream.com for my latest posts .

read more “launch of Swamistream.com”

Threatning to rain

Threatning to rain, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

Skies in Gurgoan captured from MY balcony. I love these nature paintings .

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 28 Jul 09, 7.28AM IST.

Rain Clouds Over Gurgaon

Rain Clouds Over Gurgaon, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

Beautiful skies shot from my balcony at Uniworld gardens. Nature can paint such a beautiful canvas every minute in our lives we sometimes just dont see it in our busy lives .

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 26 Jul 09, 5.12PM IST.

read more “Rain Clouds Over Gurgaon”

Signature Towers Gurgaon

Signature Towers Gurgaon, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

The famous Signature Towers of Gurgaon shot from my car on NH8

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 25 Jul 09, 7.25PM IST.

read more “Signature Towers Gurgaon”

What have you found

What have you found, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

Sepia shot of the kids in the village next to our complex playing .

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 24 Jul 09, 9.30PM IST.

Ganesha shot during Solar Eclipse of 22 july 09

Ganesha, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

Shot this Ganesha in the light of the sun during eclipse . It was a strange kind of morning light to shoot this.

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 24 Jul 09, 2.42PM IST.

Red Phloxes

Red Phloxes, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

red Phloxes at Garden of Five senses. Shot these sometime back

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 23 Jul 09, 9.58PM IST.

Solar Eclipse 22 July 2009

Solar Eclipse 22 July 2009, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

As promised posting a few more shots of the Solar Eclipse I shot yesterday .Shot the Partial Solar Eclipse from my balcony. Have various stages of the same .Will post them .The reason for such a hype is its a total SOlar Eclipse visible in India, though I could see only partial being on the penumbra rather than umbra of the solar eclipse . Its an experience and I am so glad i could see this once in lifetime event. This started at 5.54 India time and ended at 7.18 India time. This the longest Solar eclipse of the 21st Century and only visible in the eastern parts of the world like India, China, Bangladesh, Japan etc . Many parts of the country had monsoon clouds so not many people could see this event . I was just lucky .

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 23 Jul 09, 6.11AM IST.

read more “Solar Eclipse 22 July 2009”

Solar Eclipse of July 22 ,2009

Solar Eclipse of July 22 ,2009, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

Shot the Partial Solar Eclipse from my balcony. Have various stages of the same .Will post them .The reason for such a hype is its a total SOlar Eclipse visible in India, though I could see only partial being on the penumbra rather than umbra of the solar eclipse . Its an experience and I am so glad i could see this once in lifetime event. This started at 5.54 India time and will end at 7.18 India time. This the longest Solar eclipse of the 21st Century and only visible in the eastern parts of the world like India, China, Bangladesh, Japan etc

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 22 Jul 09, 7.05AM IST.

White flowers at garden of Five Senses

White flowers at garden of Five Senses, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

Beautiful white flowers in Garden of Five Senses .

I am not sure of the id of the flower

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 21 Jul 09, 9.40PM IST.

BW shot of the First level of Qutub Minar

BW shot of the First level of Qutub Minar, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

You can see a lot of planes flying past this monument as the IGI Airport is very close
Qutub Minar (Urdu: قطب منار), a tower in Delhi, India, is the world's tallest brick minaret.[2] Construction commenced in 1193 under the orders of India's first Muslim ruler Qutb-ud-din Aibak, and the topmost storey of the minaret was completed in 1386 by Firuz Shah Tughluq. The Qutab Minar is notable for being one of the earliest and most prominent examples of Indo-Islamic architecture.

It is surrounded by several other ancient and medieval structures and ruins, collectively known as Qutub complex. The complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Delhi.

Inspired by the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan and wishing to surpass it, Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, commenced construction of the Qutub Minar in 1193, but could only complete its base. His successor, Iltutmish, added three more storeys and, in 1368, Firuz Shah Tughluq constructed the fifth and the last storey. The Qutub Minar is itself built on the ruins of Lal Kot, the Red Citadel in the city of Dhillika, the capital of the Tomars and the Chauhans, the last Hindu rulers of Delhi.

Qutub Minar in Sepia

Qutub Minar in Sepia, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

BW Qutub MInar

BW Qutub MInar, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

Posting a BW shot of the Qutub .
Qutub Minar (Urdu: قطب منار), a tower in Delhi, India, is the world's tallest brick minaret.[2] Construction commenced in 1193 under the orders of India's first Muslim ruler Qutb-ud-din Aibak, and the topmost storey of the minaret was completed in 1386 by Firuz Shah Tughluq. The Qutab Minar is notable for being one of the earliest and most prominent examples of Indo-Islamic architecture.

It is surrounded by several other ancient and medieval structures and ruins, collectively known as Qutub complex. The complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Delhi.

Inspired by the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan and wishing to surpass it, Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, commenced construction of the Qutub Minar in 1193, but could only complete its base. His successor, Iltutmish, added three more storeys and, in 1368, Firuz Shah Tughluq constructed the fifth and the last storey. The Qutub Minar is itself built on the ruins of Lal Kot, the Red Citadel in the city of Dhillika, the capital of the Tomars and the Chauhans, the last Hindu rulers of Delhi.

Controversy also surrounds the origins for the name of the tower. Many historians believe that the Qutub Minar was named after the first Turkish sultan, Qutb-ud-din Aibak but others contend that it was named in honour of Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, a saint from Baghdad who came to live in India and was greatly venerated by Iltutmish.

Inside Nahargarh Fort

Inside Nahargarh Fort, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

Shot of Nahargarh fort from inside . You can see each door represent one quarter of one of the queens. This palace as 9 of them for each of the queens. This was also a set of a famous Indian "Hum Sath Sath hai" film whose song sequence was shot here

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 17 Jan 09, 8.26PM IST.

Gurgaon skies

Gurgaon skies, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

Hopefully with these skies I expect no rains I guess tonight its really getting hot

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 19 Jul 09, 8.33PM IST.

Skies from Balcony

Skies from Balcony, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

Sky shot from my balcony I played with the tones a bit

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 19 Jul 09, 3.39PM IST.

red Plumeria(Explore)

red Plumeria(Explore), originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

I went back to take these flowers the earlier lens did not let me take very good closeups and take these beauties. I have posted the closeup cropped as the next shot

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 24 Dec 07, 4.26PM IST.

White Ranunculus in Garden of Five Senses, New Delhi

White Ranunculus in Garden of Five Senses, New Delhi, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

The name Ranunculus is Late Latin for "little frog," from rana "frog" and a diminutive ending. This probably refers to many species being found near water, like frogs.
In the interior of the Pacific Northwest of the United States the buttercup is called "Coyote’s eyes"

Ranunculus (pronounced /ræˈnʌŋkjʊləs/)[1] is a large genus of about 400 species of plants in the Ranunculaceae. It includes the buttercups, spearworts, water crowfoots and the lesser celandine (but not the greater celandine of the poppy family Papaveraceae).
They are mostly herbaceous perennials with bright yellow or white flowers (if white, still with a yellow centre); some are annuals or biennials. A few have orange or red flowers and occasionally, as in R. auricomus, petals may be absent. The petals are often highly lustrous, especially in yellow species. Buttercups usually flower in April or May but flowers may be found throughout the summer especially where the plants are growing as opportunistic colonisers, as in the case of garden weeds.
The Water crowfoots (Ranunculus subgenus Batrachium), which grow in still or running water, are sometimes treated in a separate genus Batrachium. They have two different leaf types, thread-like leaves underwater and broader floating leaves although for some species, such as R. aquatilis, a third, intermediate leaf form occurs.
Ranunculus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Hebrew Character and Small Angle Shades. Some species are popular ornamental flowers in horticulture, with many cultivars selected for large and brightly coloured flowers.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranunculus_lyallii

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 18 Jul 09, 6.48AM IST.

Gurgaon blue Skies

Gurgaon blue Skies, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

Lovely clouds from my balcony which I could not resist capturing it was calling me to shoo it

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 17 Jul 09, 9.00PM IST.

Grapes Anyone

Grapes Anyone, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

These retail in India as California Grapes , guess its one of the varieties grown in the valley. Shot these at home

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 13 Jul 09, 7.43AM IST.

More Cherries

More Cherries , originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

Cherries shot at home, love the reds in these fruits .

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 14 Jul 09, 7.20AM IST.

Cherries Anyone

Cherries Anyone, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

Shot these beauties at home before they ended in our tummies

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 12 Jul 09, 6.08PM IST.

wooden sculptures

wooden sculptures, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

Shot at Sanctuary of Truth at Pattaya. Sometimes it amazed me to see the Indian influence on these sculptures . There is not a single nail used to put the while structure in one shape .

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 11 Jul 09, 7.47AM IST.

tortoise in shade

tortoise in shade, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

this fellow was in the shade hidden from the world and more or less not to be seen from far.

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 9 Jul 09, 7.33AM IST.

angel rays in Gurgaon

angel rays in Gurgaon, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

Angel captured from my balcony window in Uniworld Gardens in Gurgaon, Haryana, India.

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 10 Jul 09, 7.11AM IST.

Turtle in water

Turtle in water, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

shot of the turtle planning to get into the water at Noon Nooch Tropical gardens in Pattaya, Thailand

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 7 Jul 09, 9.06PM IST

Statue at Sanctuary of Truth

Statue at Sanctuary of Truth , originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

There is a mix of Buddhist , Chinese and hindu influence . IN this can see Chinese statues in a Hindu scenerio.

This is still under constructions and will take another 20 years . Its a wooden structure thats worth a visit.

The Sanctuary of truth was started in 1980 by a wealthy Thai businessman who has since passed and his children carry on with the work. Built completely of carved wood it really is an amazing sight and well worth the admission price of 500 baht.

The Sanctuary of Truth is a gigantic wooden construction which covers the area of more than two rais. The top point of the building is about 105 meters high. It was constructed to withstand the wind and sunshine on the seashore at Rachvate Cape, Tumbon Naklea, Amphur Banglamung, Chon Buri Province.The building was constructed according to ancient Thai ingenuity and every square inch of the building is covered with wooden carve sculpture. The purposes of decoration with wooden carve sculptures are to use art and culture as the reflection of Ancient Vision of Earth, Ancient Knowledge, and Eastern Philosophy. With in this complex, visitors will understand Ancient Life, Human Responsibility, Basic Thought, Cycle of living, Life Relationship with Universe and Common Goal of Life toward Utopia.More at hubpages.com/hub/Santuary_of_Truth

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 6 Jul 09, 9.17PM IST.

Sanctuary of Truth

Sanctuary of Truth, originally uploaded by Swami Stream.

Shot of the Sanctuary of Truth from top before you can go down to the site.

This is still under constructions and will take another 20 years . Its a wooden structure thats worth a visit.

The Sanctuary of truth was started in 1980 by a wealthy Thai businessman who has since passed and his children carry on with the work. Built completely of carved wood it really is an amazing sight and well worth the admission price of 500 baht.

The Sanctuary of Truth is a gigantic wooden construction which covers the area of more than two rais. The top point of the building is about 105 meters high. It was constructed to withstand the wind and sunshine on the seashore at Rachvate Cape, Tumbon Naklea, Amphur Banglamung, Chon Buri Province.The building was constructed according to ancient Thai ingenuity and every square inch of the building is covered with wooden carve sculpture. The purposes of decoration with wooden carve sculptures are to use art and culture as the reflection of Ancient Vision of Earth, Ancient Knowledge, and Eastern Philosophy. With in this complex, visitors will understand Ancient Life, Human Responsibility, Basic Thought, Cycle of living, Life Relationship with Universe and Common Goal of Life toward Utopia.More at hubpages.com/hub/Santuary_of_Truth

Uploaded by Swami Stream on 5 Jul 09, 6.41PM IST.