Onophotopoeia

UnTagged...

2006-11-01T14:14:00.000-08:00

K tagged me!
Initially I was flustered about what it meant till she herself enlightened me.
Then came the phase of research to find out how to podcast my latest playlist. GOW came to my rescue on this and finally I could put together my list!

It has a mix of English and Bangla songs. True to my blogger name, the list is peppered with my love for Floyd. It also has some jam band selections...again thankful to GOW for introducing me to them. The list begins with a Limp Bizkit number. Used to hear them back in my undergrad days. Have been reviving lost memories of late. Listener discretion strictly advised on that one!

The complete list:
1. Just like this (Limp Bizkit)
2. Shopno dekhbo baley (Moushumi Bhoumik)
3. Dance of Maya (Mahavishnu Orchestra)
4. Iris (Goo Goo Dolls)...being true to the Buffalo spirit :)
5. Wouldn't you miss me? (Syd Barrett)
6. Morile kandis na (Bangla)..that's the name of the band.
7. Learning to fly (Pink Floyd)
8. Coming back to life (Pink Floyd)
9. Pigs on the wing (Part 2) (Pink Floyd)
10. Friend of the devil (Grateful dead)

A random shot of one of my latest fall pics to go with it. This one too was shot at Letchworth State Park, Castile, NY.

Eat Frrrreshhh...

2006-10-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

This summer, while driving to Kitty Hawk, NC, a roadside farmers' market caught our eyes. Got a few colorful shots there. Here's two of them.

Autumn in New York...

2006-10-24T15:24:00.000-07:00

An ode to the most beautiful season in upstate NY.
Shots taken at Letchworth State Park, Castile, NY.

The object of my affection...

2006-10-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

In my life, rarely have I wanted anything the way I have wanted an iPod! I am a self proclaimed gadgety person who is totally in love with all sorts of electronic paraphernalia available. When someone uses a blackberry, I give him a typical " you lucky bastard" look. when someone flaunts a Canon Rebel or a Nikon D series, I cannot wait to get over with my PIGS (read...Poor Indian Graduate Student) life! PDAs enchant me, Xbox and PS2 make my knees weak and bluetooth headsets renew my desire to live longer. Yet, I have always held an iPod closer to my heart than all these.

A graduate student must necessarily be thrifty and I follow suit. I cannot imagine spending $150 to buy an iPod...beacuse as they say...dreams cannot be bought, they have to be chased! I must admit though, that I have had my moments of weakness. In those critical times I have convinced myself that at the end of the day, its an MP3 player (Naaww...you don't need that, you have a laptop...see). But I have left no avenues unexplored in order to get a free iPod. I have filled unending surveys (when was the last time you used a toothbrush?: i. a week back, ii. a month back, iii. never) , taken part in raffles and clicked on popups (Who is smarter? Bush or Rice, answer correctly to win an iPod!) but to no avail.

However, my belief and faith in Garfield's philosophy of "if you wait long enough, everything comes to you" finally proved itself to be true. I was walking out of a grocery store when a bank sign caught my eye....and breath!! "Open a checking account and get a nano free!"...it said. I couldn't believe my eyes. The bank was closed for the day though! After a sleepless night filled with nightmares (Sorry, the deal ended yesterday....) and misgivings, I rushed to the bank first thing in the morning...the deal was real and still there! I opened the account and got approved for a mandatory credit card (with a limit of $750...wtf!...and a low APR of 24.75%...not kidding) and waited with bated breath for the baby to be laid on my hands (I am the Father...can I hold my baby?) .... and then came the show-clincher from the manager. " I wish I could give you the iPod today....but that's not how it works. They will mail it to you in two months." Two months....I have to wait two months for an iPod that I legally can claim to be mine?!! That's torture.....but I guess that's life too!

As they say...time is the best healer! Sometimes only around two months can do wonders. After two months, on a Sunday when FedEx guys were working extra shifts to clear their backlogs due to the devastating snowstorm, when the majority of Buffalo was in the dark due to a widespread power outage, it finally arrived. All chic and shining enclosed in an unassuming black box. And finally, finally, we were united. All those months and years of yearnings fell away as I held the silver 2 Gig Nano in my hand. Here's a pic of my coveted possession...taken just a few minutes ago...just to share the excitement with you all :)

Boulevard of broken dreams...

2006-10-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

Another random shot taken at Lake George, NY.

When all hell broke loose...

2006-10-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

The incident:
The residents of Buffalo and surrounding places woke up to nasty surprises on the morning of October 13, 2006. The night before, the worst October snowstorm in the last 137 years lashed the area killing three people and leaving 260,000 homes without heat and electricity.

The musings:
In the age of utmost technological advancements, times like this make one stop and contemplate our sheer vulnerability to the forces of nature. The major cause of the disaster is that there were too many leaves on the trees to endure such heavy snowfall at this time of the year. The wet snow that fell in the wee hours of 13th lodged on the tree-tops making them top heavy and causing them to break down on the powerlines all around the city. The devastation all around seems to underscore the fact that everything in nature happens for a reason.

The after effect:
Thousands of people are stranded without power and more importantly heat...the lifeline of Western NY residents at this time of the year. Personally, my friends and I are currently camping in my lab at the University at Buffalo where the power and heat continues to protect and warm us. At the beginning, there was a driving ban all around the place as the emergency workers toiled to clear the fallen tree limbs and repair the traffic lights many of which are still non-operational. Thankfully, the driving ban was temporary and we managed to get to the school in our survival efforts! The power supply company has indicated that power restoration in our homes may not happen until the next weekend. So here we are, living a nomadic life, sleeping in bags and eating microwaveable food that we could salvage from the depleting stocks of the local stores.

The silver lining:
Its just snow. At the end of it all, we are still thankful that it is just snow and lack of heat rather than flood waters coming into our homes as it happened with the hapless Katrina and Tsunami victims. And yes...the other lifeline of graduate students...the internet is still working on campus! We are trying to make the most of it by enjoying the sudden respite from daily classes and chores. Movies watched on desktops and the camaraderie between the fellow nomads are helping us through the seemingly never-ending wait for the power restoration.
And you know what....its nice and sunny in Buffalo now! :)

Here's to surviving the fury of another Friday the 13th! :)

Good to be back home again...

2006-10-12T09:35:00.000-07:00

The day's over
Weariness lingers on my soul...
The miles been travelled
Its just a few more yards...

To bliss...

Shot at Laguna Beach, CA.

Depolarized...

2006-10-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

I happen to live in a city which houses polar bears in its zoo!! That really goes a long way to tell stories about the weather in Buffalo....(whatever happened to the kid born and brought up in the sweltering Calcutta heat??!)
Anyway, coming back to the story, we made a field trip to the zoo for a photo project and I was particularly enchanted by the polar bears. I spent a long time trying to capture their activities. This dude...(could have been a dudette as well) ...took a long spalsh in some ice water before deciding to catch a power nap in the cool shade. In preparation for the nap, he conjured up some awesome poses which I snapped up very gratefully.
This was taken sometime in the early summer this year.

Images and Words...

2006-10-04T21:37:00.000-07:00

A random shot from a parking lot in Buffalo.

Rewind....

2006-09-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

"You run and you run
To catch up with the sun
But it's sinking.
Racing around to come up behind you again...
The sun is the same in a relative way but you are older
Shorter of breath
And one day closer to death"

I fished out this photograph taken a long time back at Moosehead Lake, Maine. Memories of a very special trip combined with the performance of my old and featureless camera make this a very treasured photograph for me.

Imagine...

2006-09-05T17:30:00.000-07:00

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

- John Lennon

Photograph taken at Prospect Mountain, near Lake George, NY.

Sentinels of the south...

2006-08-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

Every national park in the southwest has a distinct flavor of its own. Zion is no exception.

Zion National Park is a celebrated destination for southern Utah tourists. A few hours drive from the Grand Canyon North Rim, it can actually be covered in a day unless you are planning to take the hikes along the trails. If you are driving in to Zion from the North Rim, you have to take a route through the park which is hailed as one of the most scenic drives of America. The route also passes through a couple of tunnels bored into the solid rocks. Emerging out of the tunnel, you are encompassed by the overwhelming presence of sky high cliffs all around. The steep cliffs characterize the unique beauty of Zion. The road meanders through the mile high stone sentinels to the visitor center from where the tour begins.

Unlike the Grand Canyon, you cannot drive to the different trailheads and other spots of interest. There are shuttles operated by the National Park authorities that take you around. The scenery is breathtaking and overwhelming. The cliffs move close to each other as you go deeper into the park and finally culminates into a slot canyon. The last part is an optional hike where you have to wade through chest deep water.

Due to time constraints, we could not take the trail that leads to the Emerald Pond. From the abundant photographs of Zion, that appears to be the most breathtaking spot where the cliffs are reflected on clear water. Not being able to go there is a regret I am still carrying and will be the primary reason of my paying heed to the call of Zion in future. Till then...

Dangerous curves...

2006-08-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

It really is amazing to see what the Colorado river has done to the Southwest. This great river, along with its tributaries, have created such myriad landforms all over the place that at times you feel that you cannot really manage to see it all! Some of its creations are not yet popularized, yet evoke the utmost sense of awe when visited.

It is by a matter of chance, I had the oppurtunity to see the Horseshoe Bend. Travelling from the Grand Canyon to Page, AZ, we noticed an unassuming arrow by the highway pointing towards a certain Horseshoe Bend. All that could be seen from the road was a seemingly endless stretch of desert peppered with thorny bushes and cacti. With the outside temperature raging at 120's, it did not seem to be a trip worth taking.

Yet, we did go.... It was around a mile walk from the unpaved spot that serves as a parking lot. However, the hot sand and the scorching winds made it look more like 5! At the end of the day, we were thankful that we did. At the end of the trail, the flat desert suddenly gives way to a 1000 feet drop to the Colorado bed. The gorge seemingly pops out of nowhere, adding to the charm and mysticism of the place. There are no signs or railings to warn the approaching visitor of what lies ahead and a sense of chill down the spine is almost inevitable when you suddenly discover the gorge a few feet away. And then it starts to sink in....

Its one of the best meanders that you could ever hope to see. The Colorado makes a perfect U turn at this place while flowing between Lake Powell and the Grand Canyon. The refreshing green waters of the river creates a welcome contrast to the unyielding stretches of saffron rocks all around. With practically no tourists around to disturb our bliss, we discovered the silver lining part of visiting the place on one of the hottest days of an Arizona summer.

This is the best that I could capture with my wide-angle lens. Would have loved to capture the complete bend, but the rocks at the edge being overhanging ones, I might not have lived to tell the story! Another must visit if you visit the Grand Canyon area. Beware of dehydration on summer days. We could simply have evaporated had the liter of Gatorade not saved the day!

True colors shining through

2006-08-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

Finally a post after quite some time. The reason for my long absence was an unforgettable trip to the wild west a glimpse of which can be found in the photograph.

Antelope Canyon is a highly under-rated and less frequented place tucked away in a small corner of Arizona. Overwhelmed by the presence of the Grand Canyon in the vicinity, this pristine spot near Page, AZ attracts far less attention than it deserves. In geographical lingo, Antelope Canyon is a "slot canyon", carved through solid rock by the gushing waters of the flash floods that carry the rains of the Navajo valley to Lake Powell.

This place is a photographers' paradise.

Accessible only by dirt roads deep inside the Navajo (pronounced NavaHo) reservation for native Americans, Antelope Canyon offers the trip of a life time. No one is allowed without authorized guides who can be found in nearby Page. Antelope Canyon tours last for just over an hour at the most, but I assure you, you will come back with images that you will cherish for a long time to come. If you visit the canyon relatively early on a clear day, you experience the magical beauty of sunbeams falling on the canyon floor through a few small openings. This shot captures only a small part of the ethereal beauty and ambience it creates.

If you are ever in the area, I stongly suggest you to brave the heat and the $28 per person cost to visit the Antelope Canyons. You won't regret it. However, never go there if a thunderstorm is in the vicinity. Thunderstorms cause the flash floods that are responsible for the exquisite landforms. They can also kill anyone coming in their way... 11 tourists died in such a flashflood in 1997. However, with the competent native American tour guides, another such incident seems very unlikely as the canyon is closed down on the risky days.

Wouldn't we miss him?...

2006-07-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

Oh where are you now
pussy willow that smiled on this leaf?
When I was alone you promised the stone from your heart
my head kissed the ground
I was half the way down, treading the sand
please, please, lift a hand
I'm only a person whose armbands beat
on his hands, hang tall
won't you miss me?
Wouldn't you miss me at all?

The poppy birds way
swing twigs coffee brands around
brandish her wand with a feathery tongue
my head kissed the ground
I was half the way down, treading the sand
please, please, please lift the hand
I'm only a person with Eskimo chain
I tattooed my brain all the way...
Won't you miss me?
Wouldn't you miss me at all?

--Syd Barrett (1946-2006)

A small tribute to the unforgettable Madcap and his mercurial ways.

"Come on you target for faraway laughter,
Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr,
And shine..."

Road to ecstasy...

2006-07-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

So then, beach, bluff, and wave, farewell !
I bear with me
No token stone nor glittering shell,
But long and oft shall Memory tell
Of this brief thoughtful hour of musing by the Sea.

- Taken from John Whittier's "Hampton Sea"

Shot at Kitty Hawk Beach, NC

Inter-terra...

2006-07-06T06:56:00.000-07:00

I had been planning to visit Luray Caverns, VA for a long time. I had heard aplenty about the wonders of the place, yet I had not imagined anything like what actually greeted me. The privately owned caverns begins from an unassuming entrance situated almost in the middle of nowhere. The exterior however belies the unbelievable natural architecture cradled deep inside the caverns many feet below the surface. In spite of being the fourth longest caverns in the world, Luray Caverns has been hailed as the one housing the most diverse and exquisite formations of stalactites and stalagmites. Some of the formations are simply unbelievable...like the one pictured above. The authorities have also gone to great lengths to amplify the wonderous natural creations...some parts of the caverns are filled with water and illuminated in such a way that the formations in the ceiling are perfectly reflected from the water surface, thus increasing the sense of awe manifold!
The above photograph was shot in such a place inside the caverns...I leave it up to the viewer to deduce the boundary between the actual and the reflection...or maybe I should say the real and the surreal!

Eternity and a Day...

2006-06-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

There is a Vision which
Exists without an end, and
In one eye she has a huge sky
In the other she boasts a land.
Whatever is in that land
Is etched inside the eyeball
There's a river and a hill
Draped in green overalls.
There's dew upon the green
Fallen from the eye's sky
The Vision dreams it every day
On dew dwells her eye.
When from close or afar,
The eyes look on the dew
The dew drops, dream-drenched,
Become clouds and bid adieu.
The eye's sky to the eye's land
A team of cloud has sent
Clouds bring on rainy thoughts
The eye's tearful lament.
When the eye's tears will soften
The music of the eye's land
I'll call the land of the moist eye
By the name of Eye-land.

- Suman Chatterjee
(Translated from original Bengali by Sudipto Chatterjee)

And btw...the model is my 9 year old niece who can turn any photograph into a piece of art.

Life in the fast lane...

2006-06-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

Zoar valley is a relatively unknown place in upstate NY. The entrance to the massive gorge is tucked away beside a small village and very few people actually go there. As a result this place is far more pristine and exciting than most other hiking trails scattered in the area. An hour and a half long hike leads to a waterfall which offers an ultra-soothing natural jacuzzi. More than that...the hike itself offers breathtaking views of the gorge and the river. This photo was taken near the falls (in fact its just around the corner). I thought good ol' B&W did more justice to this photo than its colored counterparts...

The memory remains...

2006-06-23T11:13:00.000-07:00

This is an old photo from my archives. Took this quite some time back in in NYC. This cross is located at Ground Zero...at the location where the twin towers once stood. Made from the original steel beams of the WTC, this cross speaks of the terror of 9/11 in a graphical way. Some parts of the WTC facade show in the background. All the debris along with the parts of the broken facade have been cleared away now...but the cross and the memory still remain.

Euphoria...

2006-06-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

As long as the seagulls do not create a ruckus, they are truly an embodiment of grace and beauty. This photogenic dude here provided me with an elegant pose so that I could get some good shots...
Taken at Niagara Falls, NY.

Writing on the wall...

2006-06-15T12:04:00.000-07:00

Another one from the Central Terminal, Buffalo. While scouting around, I managed to find a stairwell with an "Off-limits and dangerous" sign guarding it. Venturing up the spooky tower of the building, I was greeted by this scene straight out of a horror flick! This is a glass door on the 4th floor with ancient papers strewn across the floor on the other side. Once important documents, these papers are all yesterday's news now. The "4" scrawled in red paint on the glass door is guaranteed to send a chill down your spine...especially in a desolate tower! Yet, the scene attracted me in an eerie way...I will never know what stories those documents had to tell...this is all that I could capture and bring back with me.

Wheels of time...

2006-06-14T14:46:00.000-07:00

This shot was taken at the Central Terminal, Buffalo. Once a bustling and magnificient rail station that echoed the grandeur of the Grand Central Terminal, New York City, this sprawling piece of architecture has decayed to death. The Central Terminal was commissioned into service in 1929 ans served the Buffalo region for 50 years till the last train chugged out in October 1979. Since then, the wheel of time has come to a standstill. Sold to private owners, the grand station was gradually stripped of its ornate interiors. A few weeping windows, rusted wagons and the vast expanse of the main concourse remain to tell the story of its halcyon times.

This photograph epitomises the state of affairs at the Central Terminal. There will be more to follow in some later posts.

Good times...

2006-06-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

My obsession with the glass continues...
To resolve the Coke-Pepsi issue, decided to go with club soda this time!
"Bujhaye bas pyaas....baki sab bakwaas!"
Well ok...it was Sprite!

Kaleidoscope

2006-05-24T14:26:00.000-07:00

When he locks the door...
And throws away the key...
And that someone in your head is not you...

Let this be thy salvation...
The light at the end of the tunnel.

Another one from the "cokaholic" series.