Laughter and Smiles

Laughter. The best thing that everyone would like to see on other’s faces.

Smile and the world smiles with you.

Caught some of them off guard.....

Laughter in different directions.

One from Belgium where they were enjoying a live band by the Belgian Royal Navy Band. 

If the mood is right, a little spark is enough for a guffaw 

This was clicked about six years ago. (now she is a tall and lanky girl settled in Australia)

Kites

Had been to Bombay (Mumbai) recently and things were not the same. 

It was supposed to be the peak time for kite season but hardly any kites in the sky. 

Things were quite different when we were kids.

Kite flying was one of the in things those days and we almost had a sprain in the neck from constantly looking up at the sky.

The mad scramble for the kites starts when one of the kites get cut off and then that becomes the property of the boy who gets hold of it first. 

On the way down it could get tangled in a tree (like in the picture above) or it could be caught by the smartest boy in the alley. Remember Hassan in  “The Kite runner” ? He knew exactly where the kite would fall and would head in that direction.

Here was a kite which was lying on the ground …… and no takers.

These three pictures were clicked in a big housing complex where there were plenty of kids.

Could we attribute this to the present day kids who are more comfortable playing games on the TV or busy with their fancy phones /  ipad / kindle / notebook / etc and all sort of physical activities are kept aside?

Jim Reeves

Jim Reeves the singer with that velvet voice.

The only country singer whose international popularity surpassed his popularity in the United States.

He was one singer who never experimented with an electric guitar and always used a box guitar.

One of Jim’s career highlight was headlining a breakthrough concert at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall. The group flew to New York on a TWA plane renamed “Grand Ole Opry Skyliner” for the occasion. (see markings on upper left)

Jim was a popular interview subject during the annual Disc Jockey convention in Nashville. (notice the camera in the forefront with the old flash system where you had to throw away the flash bulb after every use) 

Jim at the age of 22 with his mother. Four years after this Travis (as he was then known) made his first commercial recording.

Here is Jim in 1957 with the Jordanaires providing the backup.

One of the rare records of Jim which was recorded in 1947 at Macy’s.  The song was co-written by Jim and Al Courtney, a radio colleague.

One of the print ads bought by RCA to run in the trade magazines promoting the song “Anna Marie”

Jim’s big smash hit “I love You because” which became popular all over Europe. The song written by blind songwriter Leon Payne, not only showed off Jim’s vocal prowess, but his willingness to embrace an unconcentional artist as well. Amazingly , it features a harp, unheard of on a country record, but just another example of how Jim Reeves was far ahead of his time. 

This postcard is one of the many letters and cards that were sent by Jim Reeves to the Gath family. This one he addressed to Doris and her husband Elmer as well as “Bimbo” a cute reference to their little boy Eldon.

It is said that at a stage show when he sang the song “Bimbo” he invited little Eldon to sit on his knee. But much to the chagrin of the parents the shy little boy declined !! 

The Extended Play (EP) of 45 rpm had four songs on it. Four Walls, I know and you know, The Gods were angry with Me and Look behind you. 

Even in the year 1960 Jim was paid just $750. Out of this meager amount he kept his Blue Boys on salary and paid for the road expenses like gas etc. Compare this with what some of the singers earn today. 

Jim at the Grand Ole Opry

It was tragic that his plane (which he was flying) was caught in a storm and he died in the crash at the early age of 40.

He happens to be my favourite country singer and hence I have used his name as my pseudo name in Flickr.

While writing this post I was listening to the songs by Gentleman Jim from the dedicated radio of streaming songs. What better way to put you in the right mood.

India - It happens only in India

Some of the pictures from the daily life of India – it happens only in India J

Some European tourists try their hand at pulling up the fishing net at Cochin, Kerala.

A tourist being helped by a local to tie a colourful lungi.

The musicians doing a practice run before the actual event at the temple premises.

Drummers in sync at a procession in Kerala.

The “Bhaji-Pav vala” waiting for the regular customers  

Cops “on the lookout” 

And finally a view of the Mysore palace, which I clicked about seven years ago.

Alzheimer and The Scarf

The early memories of my grandfather is very sketchy, but from what I remember, he was very upright and straightforward. He was not educated (when we relate to the present term of education) but he was very hardworking and fair in his dealings with others.

As the years went by, he had problems with his memory. It was trivial but it still showed. We as kids did not understand the meaning of it but now looking back I realise that it was the onset of Alzheimer's.

It may not be a painful disease for the one who is suffering but very painful for the loved ones whose world . . . . .  read on 

Horses

Coincidence .. . .  . ?  I had decided to use the word Horse as my topic for today and it also happens to be the birth centenary of Eadweard J. Muybridge, who was born on April 9, 1830.

A famous photographer. Muybridge is especially known for his breakthrough work on animal movement, especially of the Horse and today’s Google Doodle shows the same.

 This brings us to the commonly used term Horsepower. Just to brush up what we learned in school, if you were to lift 33,000 pounds, one foot, over a period of one minute, you would be working at the rate of one horsepower.

 Something else that reminds me of school was the text book “Black Beauty” which gave all the finer aspects of a horse growing up.

When I go for my morning walk at the race course I can see the horses zipping past for their morning training. As they run on sand, you don’t hear the click of their hoofs (at full gallop) but you can hear them snort as they come close to you. Motion in action is what you get when you click them. Here is one which I clicked.

This is a picture of a horse during the Ganapati procession that is held annually in Pune. It was drizzling and that explains the wet look.

In India (especially in north India) the groom is supposed to arrive on a horse back for the wedding, a tradition which they carry out even today, though it may be just symbolic now.

Talking about Indian horses, the Marwari horses from Rajasthan,  are supposed to be the descendents from the splendid war horses that served the ruling families and warriors of feudal India. It is said that they are the best breed in India. They even have a dedicated web site with all the details about the horses.

The horses in Europe looked prim and proper with all those decorative tufts. Tourists prefer to take these rides as they can do the sightseeing with a running commentary. The cobbled roads adds to the effect with the hoofs going clippety clop. Some pics which I clicked last year.

Giraffe

If you are on the second story of a building and if you find a giraffe peeping through the window, don’t be alarmed as that is the natural height of a Giraffe.

Surprisingly for the long neck, it has only seven vertebrae, the same as what a human neck has, but each vertebra is over ten inches long.

 Sophie la Giraffe, a teething toy created in 1961, is making a come back and is being sold in the American stores at $25 each. Innovative  advertising tactics has made this an international hit and is being stocked in high end baby boutiques around the world like Australia and Japan.

It maybe debatable, but the sad fact is that in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe it is still legal to kill these gentle long legged friends. Some pay as high as 10,000 pounds for a kill after which they pose with the kill. 

After reading an article (on the net) I just asked myself “Why did they not shoot them with a camera instead of a gun?” For those who want to read the article and see the pictures.

And more pics in the Daily mail.