In continuation with our monthly feature of Global and foreign dishes, we bring before you this photograph of an exotic piece of art of presentation along with food

Lakhon rupaiya ki naukri se chai ke dukan acchi

And we begin our issue with this candid picture by someone with the copyright Chai Ke Dukan and the caption reflects the general sentiments of the working class.

Wishes for May day and we just hope we are not marching towards another My Day of sorts.

Think Tribes, villages,  and the pictures that come to one’s mind generally are of poverty, backwardness and remote, aloof from the outer world, hard life, survival and many things to the similar effect.

Well life is certainly hard, but they make it easier to some extent.

Backward? Depends on your definition.

The photographs below are not a show of technique , nor does it boast of photography skill, rather it attempts to share some amazing facts that reinforces the statement-Necessity is the mother of invention.

Millet cultivation

1944,Apatanis cultivate millet by an unusual method. They first sow seeds in a nursery bed, like rice, and then transplant it to dry ground, including bunds of the paddy fields. Here, one woman makes holes in the bund with a pole, while the other woman places the millet seedlings in them.

“My home made tools and hands create more beautiful colours ” A lady weaving at home.

Grind and bump of life!

Formula one? or a formula that works in heavy material transportation

A baby carrier.

Fish traps. Working of an advanced mind.

Water- a life force, a formidable life force.

Hanging Bridge- Technological marvel?

If those photographs intrigued you very much and if you would like to have a more detailed view then please join Lovely Arunachal in facebook. Its a vast treasure house and we are indebted to him for letting us use his resources.

Heaven is here in Earth and it is called Nature

they name it lonely planet- but who needs company with such beauty and bliss?

Misty mornings or fog, everything brightens up

Wild, beautiful , carefree- As ecstatic as a lady in love

But there is a deeper calm and tranquility beneath the beauty of all

credits- Angshuman Patowary

Fried Eye says- Captain Amit Shankar Jha one of our regular reader and fan has sent us a beautiful poem about childhood in hindi. That along with some brilliant photography from Stephen Styris gives  the perfect picture of nostalgia and childhood. We are presenting before you the gist of the poetry in english for those who are not comfortable with the language followed by the original poem.

Captain Amit says – In this cut throat competitive world today we all are rushing towards an ‘unknown destination’. Nobody is having time to sit and introspect on the life and where we are leading to. Is this the same life what we all had dreamt of in our respective childhoods? Today ‘Money makes the mare go’ has become our sole war cry to win this battle of life, but in this ‘rat race’ we all have forgotten the real essence of joys and pleasure of day today life. A man has become nothing less than a machine and very proudly we say – we are the future. If this is the future then I wish ‘’O my Lord please send me to my past … that golden era of my life as a child. Today computer games have replaced those beautiful fables; an art called ‘story telling’ where a child used to get the wings to fly in the skies of imaginations. Every story had some hidden teachings for leading a life which the child used to decipher on his own. Those peculiar time pieces and their early morning alarm rings which not only used to wake you up but the neighbours also, are gone with the passage of time and  mobiles along with their harmful rays have crept under the pillows of innocent kids. The fragrance of the achaar-paratha in the lunch box was much tastier than burgers and aerated beverages. Kite flying and games likes ‘chupam chupai’ (blind man’s bluff) were more interesting than ‘popeye the sailor’ on cartoon network.

Those were the days when we with our parents and siblings in a family used to sit together for Sunday matinee show aired on DD1 unlike today’s 3G speed where we download our favorite stuffs and watch them alone. That was the time when pocket money used to be in coins unlike today’s plastic money. Piggy banks and gudda- guddi used to be prize-possession. We all used to enjoy watching our mothers haggling for the prices of different articles to the vendors no matter whether the amount was ones or in tens. These sky scrapers malls and branded show rooms have killed those pleasures.

Every year this 14 date in the month of November always reminds me of my childhood, so today I thought of scribbling few lines in the memories of my childhood and dedicate to all of you. Hope it touches the strings of your heart too …

The original poetry

Masheenon ki dunya hai ye,pathar kay log yahan,
Mujhay wo gaoon ki masoom suhani mehfilain laa day Jis ki aankhen mujhe andar se bhi parh sakti hon,
Koi chehra tou mere sheher mein aisa la day kishti-e-jaan tou bhanwar mein hai kaii barson se,
Ay Khuda ab tou dubo day ya kinara la day

Kyun mashino ki gad-gadahat un khilono se nahi milti hai
Ek yaadon ki mithaas toh dusri zindgi ko bezaan sa banati hai
Kyun mujhey wo mera bachpan yaad aa raha hai ,
Aaj mere beetey hue kal ki yaad dila raha hai
Jahan mera khawabon ke paron par wo sapne sajana,
Ret ke tiley pe ghar ko banana , wo raat ko dar se maa ke galey lag jana
Wo meri maa ka har subah mujhey mere sapno ki duniya se jagana
Wo school jane ke liye rijhana- manana,

meri choti si jeb main ek rupay ke sikkey ka dherey se sarkana,
wo mera muskurana aur bajuaon se apni num aankhon ka pochna ..
koi mujhey mera wo sunhari subah , wo sunhari sham la dey
maa ke aanchal ki bheeni si khusbhu mujhey koi wapas la dey

Wo janmdin ki khushi aur meri nayi shirt ka pehenke khush ho jana ,
Kisi cheez ko pane ki zidd aur maa ka is pe pyaar se samjhana,
Wo mere papa ka mujhey fusla ke sabjiyaan khilana,
Maa ka mujhey sotey hue se utha ke doodh ka gilas haath main pakdana,
Wo kitabon ko lekar sardiyon ki subah main razai main sotey hue padhne ki naquam koshishein karna,
Kahan chut gaya wo sab is zindgi ki daud bhaag main, is rozgaar ki

maraamar main …
koi mera wo naaadan, wo anzaan sa bachpan wapas la dey

Wo jin kay saath mil ker barishoon main bhigay hum,
Hajoom e dunya say mujhay wohi meray saathi laa day
Sham kay dundlkay main gharoon say uthta duaan,
wo nischal subah,chirioon ka cheh-cha-hana,wo titlian la day

wo school me kameejo per syahi ka failna,
jisko dekh maa ka chillanaa aur mera sakpaka jana ,
wo bikhrey hue baal, wo ghutno pe chot ke nishan,
wo mehmanon ke samne apni kavitayein sunana aur unka taaliyana bajana,
wo maa ki lori aur papa ka dullar , wo behan ka pyaar … sab wapas la dey

Kuch nahi chahiye tujh se ay meri umar-e-rawan
Mera bachpan, mere jugno, meri wo charrey wali bandook la day Jis say hazaroon yadain wabasta hain ay meri zindgani Tu mujhay bas mera wo khubsurat bachpan laa day

Memories! For some it is the archaic History, while for others it

is an archive of days gone by.

Yes as a special photo feature we have dug into our own personal photo archives lovingly stored by our parents and family and brought before you a collage of memories, all in black and white shot on a 120 mm film

Nehru and Nikita Khrushcev

Memories of turbulent politics- of measured words and measured smiles. Guarded promises and restrained expectations!

The Mc Mohan line. Pic from the archives of Lovely Arunachal

Memories of misplaced trust, endless hostilities and unnecessary wars!

Memories of an era long forgotten, of a heritage still treasured.

63rd congress convention,Guwahati

Memories of celebrations and hope!

Memories of a glorious past , grand lifestyle and a greater destiny

Soviet Actress Svetlana Svetlichnaya

Memories of the the doe eyed Movie Star, of the first autograph and the star crush!

Memories of momentous moments

And…

Memories of hushed lullabies, a beautiful face and a warm heart. Memories of Ma!

Simple Beginings...

Rituals

Prayers

celebrations

Festive Divinity

Mahasthami

Shubho Bijoya

Photo Courtesy: Stephen Styris, Anjan Baruah, Himangshu Lahkar, Abhishek Hans

Once upon a time…

people used to give shape to their imagination by drawing pictures or attempted to store an image they loved permanently etyched in their mind’s eye by pictures and see what we have now? we have photographs.  Each photograph has a story and so does a sequence of photographs

Man,

Sometimes together…in love

sometimes together,…yet at a distance

Sometimes, happy in a crowd

sometimes in peace with himself

sometimes , guiding like a beacon

Sometimes, lost himself…

sometimes, calm and tranquil

sometimes in inner turmoil

sometimes enlightened

at times spiritual

while in a few moments of weakness, tempted towards the dark

Natures bounty- hills, seas the greens, almighty be praised

but nothing compares to Man- Jubilant and resilient

some like it hot

(pic credit- Rakhi Phukan)

some like it cold

(pic credit- Jayati Nath)

some (has to) like it in the pot nine days old

(Photo credit- Stephen Styris)

some have everything

(photo credit- Sanzeeta)

While Some have none

(photo credit- Stephen Styris)

The concept was build after we saw the photographs of Stephen Styris , a very talented young man and who is dedicated to the cause of eradicating hunger and spreading awareness of the global food crisis. He is doing his bit to the society. You can do yours by preventing wastage of food . That food can be nothing for you, but for some it could be everything.

Jai jawan Jai kishaan -A slogan that was made popular by Lal Bahadur Shastri. How relevant it is with reference to independence of a Nation! Independence loses its meaning if you cannot defend your freedom and you lose your respect and dignity  the day you have to beg for your food for sustenance.

let glory be yours

Today we dedicate the day and also our issue to the strongest pillars of our nation- our Jawans and the Kishaans

While one protects, the other sustains

without whom we wouldn’t be what we are

In the line of fire

A Proud Free Country!

Path of fire

The sky is the limit!

A green future

Only Pride, No Prejudice

May the country progress and come out in flying colours

Photo Credits- Maina, G. Taye, Angshuman .