Istanbul Airport

Our transit airport was Istanbul and it was just luck that we landed there on 23rd April as it happened to be the National sovereignty and children's day for Turkey.

There was a small group moving around the airport singing and waving the national flag.

I liked the way they were singing with full gusto.

The song was catchy and it took me some time to identify the song. It was Ismir marsi or Marsi Ismir, a song from the Turkish National movement group to create the country of Turkey. It didn't take long for the spectators to join in. Some of them were in uniform and were capturing small snippets on their mobile while waving the flag.

The special stalls put up for children's day did attract some children but most of them wanted to pose with the guy on stilts.

The juice poured out from this fancy jug did taste good and his style of pouring was unique (see video) Also his attire reminded me of the Arabian night stories I read during my school days.

The next time I visit this airport, I must make it a point to visit this museum.

The mannequin in the stalls were the silent spectators to all that was going on around them.

While being there, I overheard some of them speaking Turkish and found that some of the words they spoke did sound like Hindi.  And then I saw this written on a waste bin. In Hindi the word for paper is kagaz.

Spotted Owlet

This is a young one of a spotted owlet and he is busy having a good look at the world outside.

The parents are sitting on the opposite branch and one of them keeps a constant watch on the little one.

When one is awake, the other one is asleep (almost)

Spotted this family in Wanowrie and the hole in the big tree was a perfect natural nest for them

If you wait long enough you can see how the young one keeps changing its position in the nest

While its common name is self-explanatory, it is interesting to note that the scientific name of this small owl, Athene brama, has been derived from two divine, mythological figures: a Greek goddess and a Hindu god. In Greek mythology, Athene (or Athena) is known as the goddess of wisdom, war, and liberal arts; and the goddess holds a special bond with the bird. Brahma is a supreme Hindu god, who holds the honorary position of being the Creator.
Although listed as ‘Least Concern’ (LC) in the IUCN Red List, it is important to understand how rapid tree-felling significantly impacts this species.  Loss of trees means the loss of tree cavities for owlets.
Owls cannot move their eyes, therefore, they have to move their entire head to look around and can turn their head 180 degrees. This is possible because owls have an extra vertebra in their spine. 
I am glad we have such huge trees and hope  we humans have the good sense of not cutting down these huge trees as many birds and micro organisms depend on them and help in sustaining life on this earth. Have captured a part of their moment and compiled it into a video.
Last month I was lucky to spot the nest of a pair of the Woolly necked stork.

This was a first time for me as I had never seen them before. My camera was running when the second bird landed in the nest. 

Inspite of their size, this Is one of the least studied species of the birds in the world.

Unlike human beings, their eyelids move from front to back and they do a lot of blinking.

Here too I got some good footage and made it into a video It was nice to see them flying gracefully.

Urban Sketchers at GPO

Good to see that artists have no qualms of sitting anywhere when they want to capture something interesting.

I am talking about the Pune Urban Sketchers who had a session at the Pune General Post Office.

This artist (Harshad) sat outside the premises but the red gate gave a good contrast to what he wanted to capture.

This is one of those old letter boxes from the British era which can be seen in front of almost all GPOs in India. I remember there was a board next to it saying that all letters posted in this box will have a "special cancellation stamp" on it. Wonder why they removed that sign.

Walking around the Post Office brought back memories, like this philatelic bureau from where I used to buy first day covers about five decades ago. (at that time it was situated on the left side of the entrance)

And these segregated boxes for Airmail / Local and rest of India. There was a time when the letters were delivered on the same day (if it was local) provided you post before the first collection at 7.30 am.

The age-old method of making gum by the Post Office as a "public service" is still being carried on. 

At the rear of the post office I noticed this wrought iron spiral staircase which still stands, but not in use.

Deepali has captured this well with her minimalistic but effective drawing.

Even though it was a Sunday, the sorting activity was in full swing and somebody did sketch them in action.

Sitting in the sunlight and creating a picture has its own advantages. (creativity while soaking in vitamin D)

One young man decided to capture the steeple of the 160 year old St Paul's church which was just across the road.

Participants were from all age groups and that is one way to discover the hidden talent in the young ones.

I like the improvisation done on this tripod whereby a board is attached to hold all the required material while painting, including a  packet of biscuit :-)

I was also fascinated by the medium of creating a picture. It may be a variety of colours with the modern pen or it may be charcoal.

Many in Pune are not aware of the existence of the Zero stone which is dug right in front of the GPO. (Pune was earlier called Poona)

The mandatory group photo at the end of the session. I was not very happy with this group photo as some of them were in the shade and some were directly under the sunlight (which is against the "rules" of clicking a group photo) But then I did not try to rearrange them as I knew this was a group who would be happy in creating a picture than being "in the picture" Good to see all of them smiling. 

Captured most of them in action and compiled it into a 12 minute video. All this activity reminded me of the Urban Sketchers I captured four years ago at the Botanical Survey of India. Something big is coming up for the Urban Sketchers in the first week of December. These three slides below will give you a better idea of the event. 

Pune Oktoberfest 2022

You can dance in any style as long as it blends with the beat and the music.

I am talking of the Oktoberfest held in Pune this year and the live band.

The one on the keyboard was versatile and at times I spied him with an accordian.

Many turned up in the German traditional outfit and were willing to pose for pictures.

There were photographers galore and the bigger the camera the more willing the people are ready to be clicked.

As for these beer spouts, I wonder if they are real pressure gauges.

First time I got to see a portable Beer dispenser. Away from the madding crowd quietly dispensing the Beer.

I liked the innovative T-shirt of a Beer stall by using the local language (Marathi) Loosely translated it means,"How about having a round of drinks today"

These transparent glasses are a good way of advertisement. Keep staring at the names till the beer is over.

Meanwhile there were frequent sorties to the beer bar for a refill.

Some even had long banners unfurled to catch the eyeballs

Saw this couple enjoying the music and they were light on their feet, so I dedicated a video totally on them (and sent them the video link) Don't miss the expression on that child's face at the bottom corner

In fact I captured many in action and made three small videos. Video 1 Video 2 Video 3 There is some more footage of the band and if time permits, I will upload them too. If you see most of the pictures above in fancy colours, it is because of the psychedelic lights that were used at the venue (and a nightmare for photographers) I mean just compare the two pictures below. It is the same singer Gisele in both the cases but see the difference the lighting makes.