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Here are some pictures of tigers I came across during my stay near ranthambore wild life sactuary.  

A recent field trip, provided an opportunity to visit the Ranthambore National sanctuary. Famed for its tigers, I was excited at the possibility of seeing one during a morning safari. While the king of the forest did not cleary want to amuse us that day. the sights at the jungle were still worth the visit. Sunrise at the sanctuary Welcome committee   Lakeside Fort view  Still waters and old ruins First sight deer family A close up view Stern and Vigilant! Fresh pug marks Retining at the camp the day ends  

An excerpt from my morning devotional : "My utmost for His highest" by Oswald Chambers Obedience or Independence?   November 2, 2012   If you love Me, keep My commandments — John 14:15   Our Lord never insists on obedience. He stresses very definitely what we ought to do, but He never forces us to do it. We have to obey Him out of a oneness of spirit with Him. That is why whenever our Lord talked about discipleship, He prefaced it with an “If,” meaning, “You do not need to do this unless you desire to do so.” “ If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself . . .” ( Luke 9:23 ). In other words, “To be My disciple, let him give up his right to himself to Me.” Our Lord is not talking about our eternal position, but about our being of value to Him in this life here and now. That is why He sounds so stern (see Luke 14:26 ). Never try to make sense from these words by separating them from the One who spoke them. The Lord does not give me rules, b...

Here are some water color landscapes painted by my ten year old daughter!

Lord, You'll never give up on me...I know....for certain...

for all beautiful women; hope u are always 31

My friend asked me, what I missed about Darjeeling....I then started thinking of my childhood years there. I thought of the clouds that would roll up from the hills below, the 180 degrees of Himalayan mountain range that one could see form the town. the walk in the mist which would soak my eyelashes, the rain that would appear never to stop in the monsoon, the red rhododendron trees in April, the walks on lonely roads along the hill, friends, family, home... Of the many places I have been to perhaps it is the purest part of me that I carry from Darjeeling . It is my breath of fresh air, it is my bundle of precious memories, of people, wonderful times, enchanting scenes, happy days, precious friends and heartfelt music.  Darjeeling has given me the mountain beauty in my spirit. This song I grew up singing from the bottom of my heart and on the top of my voice kind of sums up my travel from Darjeeling as I joined the cities below.....  "Along th...

this may be a re-post...but it means so much to me, that i had to post it again.

The newest state of the north east India. Our closest sister, separate at birth. Now our heavenly neighbors. A song....in the language that we share! This follows the devastating earthquake in the hill state a year ago!

Some recent events have prompted me to begin reading intensely about the transformation of South Korea. It is not just events, but certain hard facts that stir me more:  that one gets to see a Samsung showroom in the smallest towns of the country, that Hyundai cars are fast out numbering other cars, that LG's list of household appliances are growing every day, and that the largest buildings of the day globally, Petronas towers and Bruj Kalifa, have Korean constructors behind them. While I am studying closely how the miracle of economic, developmental and spiritual transformation happened; I felt like sharing a few videos on the subject. They call it the"miracle on Han river", a kind of overview on the vast subject. However, on a more closer view I am reading a book called "Achievers are Dreamers" by another Korean, Kim Bun Li, whose family, beginning from his pioneering father began a transformation movement in their own dramatic way: by taking tracts of ...

Sourabhee won the country's billion hearts when she was crowned the first female Indian Idol. Hailing from far away Tripura, she came in as a refreshing breeze from a little known North eastern state of India. You may want to listen to one more song of the North eastern collection..(well, not exactly in the local language this time...but the singer Sourabhee definitely is from there).

The music of Bhupen Hazarika. Strongly flavoured tea. The land of the Bramaputra. Assam. One song from the state. Patriotic, deeply rooted, moving.

A few things I remember about Nagaland, North-East India, from my last visit there. The war cemetery in Kohima, with nothing less than a thousand grey graves of slain warriors...halting the Japanese advance into India during the second world war. The local market, complete with strangest wares for the local dishes...snails, frogs, birds...let me not go too much into the details...but would have loved being invited for a meal! The baptist church, a landmark in the town which could be seen from all around town.The Christmas there had the biggest religious gathering I had ever seen, where the devout swelled right out of the church building right into its courtyard and streets. The rice beer, always served plentifully to every guest. The smoked pork...delicious. The music...soul stirring. Here we go..a toast to Nagaland...some quaint songs to enjoy. and now a funny one in Naga accent and locally flavored English language:

In the several days we were  in Aizwal,Mizoram, of the seven sisters of North eastern India, we listened only to the local music channel on Television. On the last day there, we could not resist the compulsion to buy a few music CDs and take them home. Music seemed so perfectly suited to the rolling expanse of blue hills and the wafting motions of the mighty clouds. The people themselves were every bit of what we were not used to seeing in other parts of the country. Open, gentle, helpful, unsophisticated yet trendy, hardworking and humble, uncomplicated...simple. Last Sunday, I was even more awed by their simple practice of setting apart a fistful of rice in every meal as an offering to the Lord's table. Now with my own heartfelt thankfulness to Mizoram, may I share a soul-felt song?

They were called the seven sisters. Vivacious yet variant. Lands of music, vibrant hills, gentle people. Sisters of my own people. Tucked away in the North east of India. Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal and now Sikkim. (Sometimes I wonder why Darjeeling doesn't make it to the list!!!). I am glad to be related through friends and family to each of these states. I am delighted by the music of each of these places. I am awed by the gentle spirit and undaunted devotion of the people. Therefore this series of songs...which I have picked up from these places: Starting with a video that was presented several years ago by a family friend from Shillong, Meghalaya. While the lyrics were in a Khasi, a language unknown to me, the music was so wonderful that I listened to it...again and again.....

A little about two schools of music close to my heart. if that interested you there is a longer version of the second video:

A song for a lazy day...more later... Lyrics in English (1)My eyes are kissed, By the fresh morning rays, The sound of the bells, Hinders my dreams (2) I must wake up, or should I? And do things the right way? But I am soaked in laziness, And let me rejoice in its lap. (3) It’s soaring, The laziness in me, To muster the heights of laziness, My mind feels lazy. (4) I want to be lost in this laziness or should I? Or should I stretch myself into its comfort? But I am soaked in laziness, And let me rejoice in its lap.

A glimpse of home...is all I need. Barfi, well, thanks... I was all of sixteen when I left home. The last I remember well is a snowy morning. It had snowed all night and I woke up to a white wonderland. The short excursion outdoors was halted by a large tree that had fallen on the main road. While I could not venture too far in the snow, the visually delightful panorama of the hill town, my home, the Darjeeling of that day, got frozen in my memory. Then came North Bengal, not too far from home, with the hills always in the background. Yet, a different scenic delight! Rice fields, meandering rivers, cycle rickshaws, green swaying fields of harvest and the music of the village plays "the jatras" that resounded well into the night. Next stop, Kolkata: its many little lanes and by lanes, crisscrossing ancient mansions. The city, shrouded in an air of past grandeur and glory, yet weighed down by its innumerable, countless citizens....many falling out of thes...

A lovely song that I wanted to share. The words and melody have been haunting me.Reminds me that the most beautiful songs come from most tiring and difficult situations.

Psalm 119;105 A little light is all we need, as we discover but one step at a time. enjoy;

Burdened by the load of my weaknesses, troubled by the turmoil within, overwhelmed by the sense of alienation from God's righteousness, I cried.  Healing came swiftly. Restoration came through the Holy Spirit inspired lyrics and music. "Blessings" by Laura Story lifted me up. Brought sunshine in the rain, brought healing in the pain.

Are we being so soft spoken that we have been missing the whole point? May be here are some of the answers.....

Felt like sharing this poem which came as a comment to my earlier post "Quietly". I believe the Spanish  original is even more beautiful.... It pleases me your silence because it is as though you are absent, and you hear me from afar, and my voice cannot touch you. It seems that your eyes had flown, and that a kiss had sealed your mouth. As all things are filled by my soul, you emerge from such things filled with my soul. Butterfly of dreams, you are like my soul and you are like the word melancholy. It pleases me that you're still and that it is like you are distant. It is as though you are saddened, butterfly of lullabies, and you hear me from afar, and my voice cannot reach you. Let me grow still with your silence, and let me speak to you with your silence; it is clear like a light, simple like a ring. You are as the night, silent and with eyes of stars. Your silence is like a star's, so far away and unadorned. It pleases me your silence because it is as th...

Another song by Sarah Groves caught my attention....it speaks of what I need to do well...wait!!!! here are the lyrics and the song.... "I'll Wait" I can't run with the horses If I can't keep up with men I can fight all these forces On my own and never win I can take it from here And have nowhere to go I could take it for years And have nothing to show I can work like the devil Build a tower to the sky I can work for my possessions Till they empty me of life I can build my own house And be building in vain I can plant a seed But I can't bring the rain I'll wait for you Now more than ever I see it's true Now more than ever I’ll wait for you now I can take my own vengeance Make a war of all my pain I can get my own insurance Find a way to lay the blame I can win the whole world And lose my own soul Holding on for dear life Spinning out of control I'll wait for you Now more than ever I see it's true Now more than ever I’ll wait for you now I ...

To my wife, You always knew it. Didn't you!!! I hope the church hasn't lost it!!!

Pranav Mistry brings the future closer to the present: where the digital world, bereft of computers, enters the real world. I think I had a sixth sense about that! Check it out:

I grew up in being quiet. Often lost in my own thoughts, preferring to be in my world, my room, my books, pictures, letters. I married an extrovert. gregarious, outgoing, tremendously loving and a "people person" person.When I would prefer to stay in, she would want to go out. When I wanted to reach in she would want to reach out.We understood each other. We always have. She reciprocated all that I wasn't, while I became  the "ying of her yang"! She taught me "the one who speaks, gets his wheat sold"! Tonight, listening to another introvert, I empathize with her words and thoughts. I agree. That is how I am made! Yet, one thought rises up above all others. The thought of "my wilderness". Tonight I am beginning to understand that my going out in the wilderness is not about being a recluse. It is about my "quiet time". My hour of conversation with "The Ruach". My time of delving deep into "The Word". A ti...

Is forty years a time to start hurrying? Sometimes, I feel there is so much still remaining for me to do. I become acutely aware of my own ticking biological clock. I get impatient to go ahead with the Lord's work in my life.  Surprisingly, God does not work that way. In my quiet time, He reveals that there is still a lot of ME that has to be dealt with. He seeks my heart, my plans, my efforts and my striving all to be surrendered, before He takes me away from this wilderness and places me in some certain corner of His grand master plan. Below are some of the conversations from my quiet time. Preamble 1: 40 years in the wilderness Deuteronomy 2:7  For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing. Deuteronomy 8:2  And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wild...