January Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Hometown Pride” — Want something? Just go ask Shiva! Who’s Nandi, you’re asking? Nandi is Shiva’s sacred bull and is an iconic character in Hindu mythology. Nandi means giving joy and symbolizes purity, justice, faith, wisdom, virility, and honor. The Nandi in this pic — our hometown pride — is in Chamundi Hills, Mysore, and a major tourist attraction…

Summer Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Shine!” — You can count on me, always! That is the message from Ganesha! India is celebrating the 10-day Ganesh Chaturti from today. Ganesha is the remover of obstacles, which is why all prayer — regardless of which deity is being worshipped — begins with an invocation to him. He shines hope on us. Happy birthday, Ganesha! This is a festival…

January Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Hometown Pride” — …Find someone with vodka and party! Well, I have never actually done that. When life gave me lemons, I made juice or pickled them, or simply stored them in the fridge to use in cooking. The iconic Malleswaram market is one of our greatest ‘hometown pride’. People from all over the city, nay, even nearby towns…

Are YOU ready? : “December Freestyle” — Picking up Santa from the airport So — this is one of my favorite photos. Each year, for the five years my son studied on campus, I would accompany him back after his winter break a week before the January semester began. I enjoyed staying in their campus hostel rather than their official guest house. …

Summer Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Shine!” — Earth. The only planet with chocolate! We returned home from one of our trips with a BIG box of exotic chocolates. There was one flavor with chilies — it was spicy and delicious. Each chocolate was beautifully wrapped and of course, since I’ve never really grown out of doing certain things, I smoothed out the wrappers…

Summer Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Shine!” — Always ready! Take us home now! And indeed they are. The month of August heralds many festivals in India, beginning with Raksha Bandhan on 11 Aug, Varamahalakshmi Puja on 12 Aug, Krishna Janmashtami on 18 Aug, and Ganesh Chaturthi on 31 Aug. Thereafter, we’ll celebrate Diwali, Navaratri — all of which last several days. …

SWPSC: “Collecting Smiles” & Freestyle Stories — November Conclusion — My son smiles — my heart sings. Children have the gift of appreciating the little things. They look in wonder at the world, marveling, joyful. Even a small gift seems like a big thing to them because they have the knack for living in the moment. I have enjoyed numerous moments like these with my son. Every…

Summer Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Shine!” — Irresistible combination: wise, fun, compassionate, romantic! Today, India celebrates Krishna Janmashtami, the birthday of the naughtiest, most beloved, AND revered deity. Children grow up listening to stories of his antics. He is depicted as kind, wise, compassionate, loving, loyal — someone who always keeps his promises. We believe that all children below 5 are little Krishnas…

Sweet Sparrow At My Window: “December Freestyle” — Not on Twitter, but always tweeting! During my childhood, we would see sparrows everywhere. A window in our living room was a free-for-all for birds, especially sparrows. They marked a corner of the ceiling where there was a wooden ledge to build their nest. …

November Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Collecting Smiles” — Why Blend In? Stand Out Instead! My family thinks I am just a little crazy — because I tend to notice minute details. Oh, sometimes the details are not so minute — they’re obvious, like in the photo above. And of course, they shhh me all the time. …

January Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Hometown Pride” — My hometown is freshly ground heaven Legend has it that, Baba Budan, who was on a pilgrimage in 1670, managed to smuggle seven coffee seeds through customs (or whatever they had those days) to India from Yemen. Yep — ordinary people weren’t allowed it in their luggage. …

Summer Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Shine!” — Behold the sight, flag shines bright! India became independent on 15th August 1947 when she became free from British rule. Independence Day is a national holiday celebrated with great pomp and pride across India and by Indians everywhere in the world. In our condo, the residents gather in front of the building at 7 am to…

Summer Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Shine!” — Striving to be better than myself “And if you can’t see anything beautiful about yourself, get a better mirror.” — Shane L. Koyczan Back in 2004, my mom and I watched a TV show about a woman who is a devoted mother, dutiful wife all her life — who has put her ambitions on hold even…

November Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Collecting Smiles” — Did this make you smile today? Back in 2003, when I started blogging, I realized I would need to eventually brand my writing, give it a tagline and build it in a focused manner to achieve my goals. …

November Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Collecting Smiles” — I’m an actor, I’m a star! Just in case you need a who’s who in that photo, L to R are actors Madhavan, Vidya, and Aamir Khan, from the 2009 blockbuster movie “3 Idiots” which won worldwide fame and several awards. 3 Idiots is a Hindi coming-of-age comedy-drama film that follows the friendship of three students…

Summer Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Shine!” — Never too old to wear bangles One of the loveliest sights in our local market is that of street vendors selling bangles, among other accessories. Women and girls flock to them, wanting to try on different types — glass, plastic, metal, some embellished with sparkles, and other add-ons like tassels. The best part is the expertise…

November Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Collecting Smiles” — Busy collecting smiles in my tummy The year 1997 changed my life. Why? My son was born and I became a mother. I still remember the day I got my pregnancy test results. Sury and I walked out of the clinic, holding hands, a little shocked. I mean, we were going to be parents. And although…

Summer Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Shine!” — A six-year-old’s promise, nineteen years later I remember when we bought this beautiful Tanjore doll. We had gone for a walk to the market with our then 6yo son. We were always wary of bookshops and “exhibitations” (his word for exhibitions). Bookshops were especially big issues, as that meant hours and hours of getting stuck there…

November Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Collecting Smiles” — . . . when my roti smiles at me If you’ve known me for a while, you probably know how close I was to my mom. In fact, it is safe to say that she’s responsible for my (sometimes annoying) cheerful attitude. “Turn that frown upside down” was her mantra, because she truly believed that it is pretty hard…

Six Word Photo Story: Freestyle — When Om Is Just Not Enough The Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath is a lovely art campus in our city that has wonderful handicraft exhibitions and other artsy events every year. Besides the art galleries, their Art Mart, and museum, it also houses the College Of Fine Arts offering a long list of exciting courses. In fact, every…