Beach Scene : Bay of Bengal

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The Bay of Bengal is a bay that forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered on the east by the Malay Peninsula, and on the west by the Indian subcontinent.
On the northern tip of the "bay" lies the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh, thus the name.
The southern extremes reach the island country of Sri Lanka, and the Indian Union Territory Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Many major rivers of India flow west to east into the Bay of Bengal: in the north, the Ganges River (or Ganga), Meghna and Brahmaputra rivers, and in the south Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri (sometimes written as Cauvery) rivers. The Sundarbans mangrove forest is formed at the delta of the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. The Irrawaddy River of Burma also flows into the bay.

Major Bangladeshi ports on the bay include Chittagong and Mongla. Major Indian ports on the bay inlude Chennai (formerly Madras), Vishakhapatnam, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) and Pondicherry.

Cox's Bazar, on the northeastern coast of the bay, is one of the longest unbroken natural beaches of the world.

Airmail : Sunset over Udaipur

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Sunset over Udaipur is truly gorgeous, gold, then ochre, then red, then brown and finally shadow. Udaipur is a cool oasis in the dry heart of Rajasthan,birds flock over the lake adding to the air of romance. Rajasthan is Indian desert at its most glorious.
India is an multifunctional masterpiece. To the north Kashmir and the Himalayas, glaciers and frozen canyons. To the south the lush tropical green backwaters of Kerala. To the east beaches and towns like Pondicherry, rich with their French Heritage, matched on the West coast by Goa and its Portuguese history. The middle has mountains and flood plains, caves, hill stations and IT capitals galore.

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Beach Road Mahabalipuram

A view from Issac's old shop.
The shop was decorated with jasmin.Unfortunately it got destroyed in 2003 and is no more.
Stone carving and masonry is very much alive in Mahabalipuram, and each shop shows off its artisans' work, from small soapstone paperweights to massive marble shrines of Hindu gods.
it is impossible not to notice the constant chipping of stonemason's tools on rocks of all sizes.
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Holy Cow : You looking at me?

Few people revere the cow like the adherents of Hinduism. Since the faith first evolved near Asia's Indus River more than 3,000 years ago, respect for animal life has been a central theme in Hindu life. While many scholars say early Hindus ate beef, most ultimately came to see the cow as a sacred animal to be esteemed, not eaten.
Mahatma Gandhi, India's legendary nonviolent leader, once wrote.
"If someone were to ask me what the most important outward manifestation of Hinduism was, I would suggest that it was the idea of cow protection,"

Although Hindus follow no single set of rules, reverence for cows can be found throughout the religion's major texts. Some trace the cow's sacred status back to Lord Krishna, one of the faith's most important figures. He is said to have appeared 5,000 years ago as a cowherd, and is often described as bala-gopala, "the child who protects the cows."
Another of Krishna's holy names, Govinda, means "one who brings satisfaction to the cows." Other scriptures identify the cow as the "mother" of all civilization, its milk nurturing the population.

Traditionally, Indians had cows in every household. They were part of the family, with names and personalities. Just like one would not hurt/eat their pets, the Indians did not hurt the cows and respected them.

I got several pictures of the same cow, all with an enquiering expression, which i might post later.
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Rice Girls : Tamil Nadu

Came across these rice field workers on morning while travelling from Mahabalipuram(Mammalapuram) to Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu.
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Giggles : Biggest Little Bookstore in Madras

Giggles : Biggest Little Bookstore in Madras
Bookworms should not miss the tiny Giggles Book Shop at the Connemara Hotel.A treasure trove the size of a couple of cupboards run by a chatty, intelligent lady.More Photos at the Apple Gallery

Sleeping Beauty : Lemon Yellow

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Udaipur is a brilliant kaleidoscope of narrow lanes flanked by fairy-tale palaces, lakes, bright stalls, gardens and temples.This romantic city of palaces and lakes in southeastern Rajasthan is often described as the Venice of the East.It still retains an easy small town athmosphere.
James Tod in his Annals and Antiques of Rajasthan described Udaipur as the "most diversified and most romantic spot on the continent of India".

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