hbhatnagar

The loss of what I never knew

There are experiences that are odd enough to leave you filled with disquiet while not wholly aware of why the disquiet fills the space within and around you. This was one such experience. Patiala, an erstwhile royal city in Punjab was the place I was born. My daadi’s (paternal grandmother) parents were hereditary treasurers of … Continue reading →

Indian Grey Hornbill

The Indian grey hornbill; not a common sight where I live. It’s great to be able to click a picture and google it immediately. My avian knowledge is rather weak so “circle to search” is heaven-sent for me. 🙂

A Sufi Mausoleum

One of the most famous Sufi mystics in Indian history, whose name is forever linked to the Mughal dynasty. Akbar is said to have visited Salim Chisti, praying for a son to carry his dynasty forward. When he was blessed with one, he named him Salim, after the Chisti mystic himself; Salim went on to … Continue reading →

Memories of Lausanne

A visitor in from the rain

The monsoon rains brings in guests of every shade. This wire-tailed swallow was a welcome one too.

Up close

The Taj mausoleum, shot from close to the main entrance. The rain chutes you see near the top are probably later additions: even during Mughal times, there was rain damage to the building. There are letters from Aurangzeb to his deposed father Shah Jehan about flooding around the main dome of the Taj, necessitating repairs. … Continue reading →

The sunlit Taj

The lower one has a bit of forced perspective to straighten it out, hence the AI watermark at the bottom left. The four corner minarets of the Taj are actually tilted a bit to give a straight perspective when viewed straight.

The sunrise at the Taj

The rising sun is always a beautiful, picturesque thing. Seeing it at the Taj is to see two beautiful things complementing each other perfectly.

A morning at the Taj

There is no unique view I can share of the most photographed monument in India, but why would I let that stop me? 😀 This was early morning, before 6 AM. It meant standing in line by 5-ish, but it was more than worth it. I was at the Taj after 36 years; the last … Continue reading →

Agra fort

After he was deposed by his rebelling son Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor Shah Jehan was confined to these quarters for the remainder of his life. From this balcony which the public can no longer access (though we could back in the 1980s), Shah Jehan could gaze out across the Yamuna river at his greatest creation, … Continue reading →