Glimpses of An Indian Summer :)

Remembering my Indian Summer :)

{Monsoon rains}

 {Rath Yatra}

 {My Aunt's Rooftop Garden}

{Dahi Phuckha = MAGIC!}

{Changing Summer Skies}

{Summer}

:)

Stormy Skies

bhige bhige din
Originally uploaded by ~ladanseuse

I'm sitting at my desk, studying for my exam. A light breeze, bringing along the scent of wet earth and rain, drifts in through my window. It instantly transports me to India -- where my memories of monsoon lie :)

Scenes From a Wedding

Small glimpses of my cousin's grand wedding this July, in Kolkata India. This was the first full, traditional Bengali wedding I attended in over ten year! So, of course, I took nearly 2,000 photos! The bride looked gorgeous, the groom was practically bursting with happiness, and the whole thing was so darn traditional that I loved it!
Here are a few glimpses of that wedding -- more to come later :)
Enjoy!

 

Boron dala, or a blessing tray, for the turmeric ceremony (gayey holud)

 

Sindoor daan, or the bride getting vermilion on her forehead. This marks her as a married woman.

 

Bridal henna!

The groom holding the container with the sindoor, or vermilion on it.

 

Henna on the bride's feet! 

 

The bride getting ready to do the seven circles around the groom.

Glimpses of Shantiniketan

While in India, we travelled to Shantiniketan, a small town 180 kilometers from the city of Kolkata. Shantiniketan is where Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore grew up and wrote some of his most acclaimed work. Shantiniketan has turned into a university town, and attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Here are a few glimpses of Shantiniketan.

{Vendors selling handmade crafts all over the town}

{A temple with gorgeous glass walls}

{The instruments of a baoul, or wandering minstrel}

{A bell hanging in the shade of a banyan tree}

{The rope-like branches of a banyan tree}

{an old house -- remainders of a period of grace and elegance}

Starry Night

You would not believe your eyes
If ten million fireflies
Lit up the world as I fell asleep...
I'd just stand and stare

Take the song as you will, but tonight I saw a sight that could only be described by these words. My brother and I found our backyard a lit with hundreds of  fireflies flitting all over. It was quite a sight to behold - an endless, fluorescent dance of sorts. Our backyard looked like a sparkling, shimmery canvas of dark blues and blacks, lit with tiny wisps of bright yellow. A tantalizing, gorgeous part of summer :)

I couldn't get a photo - my camera isn't strong enough for things of this sort, but I found a picture that sums it up perfectly --

{Fireflies}

Image Source

A Little bit of Serenity Under the Stars

I'm blogging from my porch - my feet up on the wooden railing, surrounded by soft, dusky light, fireflies, and the heady smell of summer flowers. A perfect way to end a long, hot, and tiring day :)

The Little Things :)

Finally, I'm all done with school!! I came home yesterday to find my garden and porch abloom with a riot of colors. Take a look!!

Do click on the photos to see them larger. Hope all of you have an amazing start to your summers!!

:)

An Indian Summer!

Super exciting news: This summer I'm going to India! Lately it has been super rainy, cold, and dreary here, so I've decided to make a little collage (you could even call it an inspiration board!) of all the things that remind me of hot Indian Summers :)
*mangoes, lychees, and jaam fruits
*my grandmother's shiuli flowers
*old havelis
*lattice screen windows
*monsoon rainstorms
*silk sarees
*the cheery interiors of my grandma's house


Click on the collage to see it bigger.

*Note: not all of these photos are mine!