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Friday, December 31, 2010

Women filling water from village well in India

These images are of village women filling and carrying water and also washing clothes near wells. They were shot in different places, but all scenes are from the western state of Maharashtra, India.

The first visuals are long shots of village women and girls filling water from a well in semi-rural India. Also of women washing clothes near the well. Usually it is women who do the job of filling water, not men. Water is not available on tap in most villages, or if it is, then it is not sufficient for daily chores. Often, women walk long distances from the well to their homes.

well in rural India

Here you can see women and girls with pots of water on their heads.

women filling water from well

Here are women drawing water from a well and washing clothes by hand at the foot of the well near a small village near Nasik, Maharashtra.

women at well

A close-up of the women, one in the traditional sari while the girl is in a gown. Married women invariably dress in sarees. The mangalsutra around her neck proclaims to the world that she is married. She has pulled up water in a broken plastic bucket and is using it for washing clothes. This particular well is not the place from where they get their drinking water they told me. They get their drinking water from another well, at the other end of the village.

women drawing water from well

A close-up of the girl drawing water from the well with the help of a rope and a plastic container. No pulley seems to be visible.

girl drawing water from well

This visual is a close-up of a tribal woman carrying a steel bucket to fetch water for her home. Steel buckets and metal pots are an embodiment of people who are better off. The poorest of the poor still use clay pots.The woman is from a village near Khopoli. Women in rural India tend to do hard physical labour and as a result are thin and wiry.

tribal woman with bucket on head

Related images: Tribal women in India or Rural women carrying water and firewood or Village women in Gwalior District, India

For close-ups of water wells: Inside of a water well

Tinga Tinga painting from Dar-es-Salaam Tanzania

This is a photograph of a Tingatinga painting I picked up on the streets of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. As Dar is the place where this style of painting orginated, I am sure it is genuine Tingatinga even it is in a way street art and a simple one.

large tingatinga painting


The Tingatinga painting style is named after Edward S. Tingatinga, a Tanzanian. He established this form of art in the sixties. Technically, Tingatinga art is painting on masonite using bicycle paint in bright colours, and traditionally these are supposed to be very large paintings. Nowadays this doesn't hold true, with a lot of miniatures available. The one published here is a fairly large painting around four-five feet in height.

The motifs, patterns and designs are based on East African Swahili culture. This art has influenced modern African art.



Thursday, December 30, 2010

Accident scenes - overturned and smashed vehicles photos

These are pictures of accidents of trucks, tempos, and motor cars involved in accidents in India. India has the maximum road accidents or traffic collisions in the world. A National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report statistics revealed that annually more than 140,000 deaths from road accidents occur in India - these are 2012 figures.

Deaths by road accidents are rising steadily.

This first photograph is of a truck smashing into another from the back. Heavy vehicles are most often involved in major accidents.


truck smashing into another


This tempo carrying flowers was in an accident with two vehicles, a truck and a car. The truck had been moved but the car can be seen in the photo after the next.

tempo overturned accident



This is a close-up of the same tempo.


closeup of  overturned flower tempo



This is the car which was in the accident with the tempo. Three women passing by are staring and pointing at this badly smashed car. This looks like a fatal accident. Bystanders, gaping at a smashed and wrecked car.


bystanders staring at a smashed car



A wrecked car photographed in Mumbai city. It can actually be driven and I guess that is why the people in it are so kicked.

smashed and wrecked car being driven


This Maruti van has climbed on the divider. Amazing how people drive!

van on divider



This truck lost control and went into a ditch on the side of the highway.

truck overturned in ditch



This picture, shot from inside the windscreen, didn't come out too badly. The foreground of the windshield and wipers made an interesting contrast with the overturned truck. It was a rainy day and the truck heavily loaded.

loaded truck overturned


This photo is of a smashed car. It was in an accident in the city.

smashed car on side of road

Related Images: Taxis and auto rickshaws crammed with people or Crowded and overflowing public transport or check out all images under the labels of Traffic or Transport

Photo of a railway line in India

This picture is of a rail track in India.Indian Railways has more than 64,015 kilometres (39,777 mi)of track and about 7000 stations. It has the world's fourth largest railway network. Only the United States, Russia and China have a larger rail network.

railway line in India

This is a photo of a narrow guage railway track in Matheran, India.
narrow guage railway line


For railway station interiors and exteriors: Zurich Railway Station or  London train station, platform and trains
or for Indian railways stations: Mumbai suburban railway station pictures or the heritage building of VT or CST railway station in Mumbai or photos of a platform at Mumbai Central Railway Station.



Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Birds Eye View of Paris from the Eiffel Tower

These are two aerial photographs of Paris shot from atop the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

The first picture is a panoramic view of Paris. The curve of the horizon is visible.

panoramic view of Paris

The image below depicts the river Seine and the adjoining area of its banks. The curve of the horizon is visible in this representation as well.

Birds Eye View of Paris


The sight below, part of the Trocadéro Garden, was captured from another point on the Eiffel Tower.
aerial view of Trocadéro gardens

More images of Paris: The streets of Paris in pictures
The Louvre Museum Paris - exterior and interior with pieces of art

Lido at Champs Elysees, Paris or for pictures of the actual Eiffel Tower: Eiffel Tower - free photographs
 

Sketch and silhouette portraying a gay couple

These three pictures show two men holding hands, a homosexual couple. The pictures can only be used for the web and in the sizes shown in this post as they are not sharp images. The original photo was a little blurred and it has not been put up.

The first image shows the two guys silhouetted against the sea.

gay couple silhouette

In this second image I have given a neon effect to the figures.
gay couple neon effect

This is a pencil drawing of the same picture.
gay couple illustration

Related Images: Silhouettes of Couples or try the label Silhouettes or the label Sketches for more silhouettes and sketches of people with bags, people walking and that of monuments and places.


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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Photos of Chennai Airport

Here are three pictures of Chennai domestic airport. The first one is the approach to the airport with a large sign welcoming you to the airport. The photograph has been taken from the inside of a taxi's windscreen. The effect was interesting.

approach to chennai airport

The second photograph is of the Chennai airport building
chennai domestic airport

This last picture is of the corridor at the entrance to the airport building.
chennai airport corridor

Related Images: Photograph of the Mumbai airport or Goa Airport pictures or Bangkok Airport - Pictures 

For airport tarmac images: Airport tarmac and aircraft on runaway

For images of the interior of an aircraft: Inside of an Aeroplane or inside of an airport: Airport Lounge with people waiting


Skyscraper Sketches

Here are two sketches of skyscrapers in urban India. These pencil drawings are based on actual photographs of these high-rise towers.

cluster buildings skyscrapers sketch


The drawing below is from the same group of buildings. First one is a shot taken from the ground, looking up the tall building, almost like a worm's eye view.
single high-rise skyscraper sketch



The sketch below is looking down from atop a skyscraper at the adjacent one. A bird's eye view.


bird's eye view of a skyscraper



Another skyscraper illustration, a worm's eye view again.

skyscraper view from ground


Related Images: For more sketches of residential high-rises try this post: Sketches of high-rise apartments or for sketches and silhouettes of high-rise commercial complexes try this: Shanghai skyscraper sketches and silhouette
Or for sketches of ancient Chinese Architecture: or Chinese style architecture sketches of the Forbidden City
More Mumbai high rise and skyline drawings: Drawings of Mumbai Skylines - South Mumbai, Malabar Hill and Worli  or some pencil sketches of specific high-rise buildings like Sketch of the Air India building Oberoi Towers hotel
For silhouettes of buildings and skycrapers: Skyscraper silhouettes


Monday, December 27, 2010

Daman Beach Scenes - Black Sands

These are photographs of the beaches at Daman, in Western India. Daman's beaches are not the usual sandy beaches. Instead, they are rocky and the sands tend to be black. People tend to like the scenery though and sit on the rocks watching the sea. In any case Indians are not very fond of sun-bathing which is what most people do on soft brown sands.

Daman beach


Daman beach tide out

The rocky character of the beach is visible in the picture below

rocky beach Daman

The photograph below is a sunset scene at a Daman beach. The black sands can be quite picturesque.

Daman beach sunset

For more pics of beaches try Beach Scenes or for pictures of sands: Sand and the Dubai desert or for beach headers: Nature headers of beach scenes

For other types of headers: Free Headers of Nature scenes - Lake and Trees or Sunrise and Sunsets. Or a sea scene which can be used for a header: Two boatmen in a canoe in the ocean.

Or just check out the label Headers under which you will find urban landscapes in addition to nature scenes which can be used as header images.


Manchester aerial view

This photograph of Manchester city in the United Kingdom was shot from an airplane window. Contrast was enhanced as the double glass on the window had dulled the image.

Manchester city aerial view


Images of London Monuments: Westminster Palace and Big Ben or London Eye
Other Related Images: Manchester aerial view or Free iconic scenes from London or the city of Bangor in Wales


Sunday, December 26, 2010

Ajanta Temple Paintings and Murals from Cave 2

These are photographs of murals and paintings from Cave No. 2 of the Rock Caves of Ajanta, near Aurangabad, which are fairly well preserved. The style of Art is called Ajanta. Ajanta Art comprises of different styles from different periods of time, from the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD. These paintings influenced Art in India for many centuries.

Decorative themes using both animals, plants and humans have been used.

The first image is of art on the ceiling at the entrance to the Cave. Engravings can be seen on the doorway.

ceiling mural ajanta


The depiction of Buddha is visible on the top of the doorway.
Ajanta Art on the doorway

Considering that in ancient times there were not paint brushes as such, and artists used just twigs and animal hair, or painted by hand, the results are quite brilliant!
Ajanta cave paintings


These last two pictures are a glimpse of a wall mural inside the cave. It was quite dark inside and a dim light was shining on the beautiful canvas on the wall.
Ajanta paintings inside cave

Ajanta mural inside cave


This is a painted pillar from the cave. Sculptured decoration at the top and bottom of the pillar are also visible. Remnants of blue paint can be seen on the flower design.
painted pillar ajanta

This last painting was lying in the office where restoration work was going on. Am not sure where it came from or whether it is original Ajanta or just a copy.
ajanta style painting

More images of Buddha: Golden Buddha Statue or photos of Buddha statues, frescoes and sculptures at Ajanta Caves or photos of Paintings and Murals from Cave 1 of Ajanta
For pencil drawings of Buddha: Sketches and drawings of Buddha or simply click on the label Ajanta.


For images from Ellora try these posts: Kailashnath Temple at Ellora or Ellora Temples sculpted exteriors or or simply click on the label Ellora.




High Calorie Food - Sausages and Fries

This image is that of sausages, fries/chips and a buttered bun served in an English pub. Eat this kind of food regularly and you are sure to put on weight! The portion is fairly large and the fat or lard is visible as a thick layer. Salt is liberally sprinkled on the fries. The sausages will be high in salt as well, as salt percentages are high in all processed foods. The greens are barely visible in the photograph. If one has to choose a fatty, unhealthy meal, this would surely be a good choice!

sausages and chips

A small sausage is around a hundred calories but these look bigger, and are probably around 150-200 calories. A small portion of chips can range between 300-400 calories and the ones here must be at least 400. The bun? At least another 100 as it is liberally buttered. So this dish should be at least 1000 calories! Not to mention the salt! This type of food would make you more hungry for the next one, because you stomach has already stretched!

You might also like: Obesity statistics of the world
or more related images: Obesity silhouettes  or Sketches and images of feet on a weighing machine or pictures of Gymnasium and training equipment or Images of overweight people
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Saturday, December 25, 2010

Bonsai of the Banyan Tree

These are three bonsai of the Banyan tree, called the Vada or Vata in India. They are from my father's garden.

Bonsai banyan curved roots

Bonsai banyan tree

This tree is considered sacred by Hindus and Buddhists. The Banyan represents eternal life or immortality.
Bonsai plant banyan

Many plants and animals are considered sacred by Hindus. It is significant that Hinduism takes in its fold all life forms, not just human beings. That is why in India we still have wildlife which has long been destroyed in western countries. You can read about it here. Worshipping trees, plants and animals is a healthy way to preserve our beautiful planet and this great religion does that. Unfortunately this reverence for plants and animals is fast eroding in modern India.

More pictures of bonsai plants: Chapha the tropical flower, Plumeria in English or Bougainvillea Bonsai or  Bonsai of the Banyan tree  or a difficult to make Plaited Bonsai Plant

Charles Shobraj sculpture

If you thought that only the good guys had their statues made, think again! Charles Shobraj, the notorious half Indian half Vietnamese convicted serial killer has been given the dubious honour of having his likeness sculpted to advertise a restaurant in Goa in which he was once caught by the police. He is known to have committed at least a dozen murders for gain and is known as a cold-blooded killer. He has French citizenship due to the French origin of his step-father.

The two photographs are of the same sculpture, although from different angles. Note the chains on his wrists. As is evident from the photo, he was good-looking and sophisticated, and gave the impression of being a gentleman.

 statue charles shobraj

 sculpture charles shobraj




Friday, December 24, 2010

Free Headers of Nature Scenes - Lake and Trees

This is the beginning of series of header scenes of different types. Most of these photographs are of a high resolution and very large files. They present a panoramic view as they have been put together by combining several photographs. As sizes of headers differ for different themes, you will not find fixed or matching sizes here. The frame can be adjusted by cropping as per your requirements. Remember, the files are very large and can be cropped to most desired sizes for headers.

The scene in the following photos is just one (Kamshet lake and surrounding areas), but at the same time it is different, either because of the angle of the frame, or because a different number of photos make up each image.

The first picture is a breathtaking panorama of six different pictures. The result gave me a picture of 1.6 mb. Too large for you to view the actual size on this post but clicking on the image will take you to the actual picture.

panorama of lake


The second photograph also gives a panoramic view of the scene, but it is made up of four pictures, giving you a closer look at the lake.

panorama of lake and trees



The next photograph is made up of three stitched photos. The scene is similar to the one above but is a closer view.

scenic view of lake and tress



The last photograph is the same scene from a different angle. The trees on the right side of the lake are more clearly visible in this one as well as the little house in the trees.

lake and trees scenery

Related Images: For more free panoramic natures scenes/headers try Nature headers of a lake-side or for other nature scenes try Nature headers of beach scenes or Panchgani scene of lake and hills or Sunrise and Sunsets or  View from Ajanta - scenery of rocks, caves and hills
Or click on the label "Nature Headers" if you are looking for free nature headers for your blog.

For Urban landscapes which can be used for headers click the label Urban Landscapes. If you click the label Headers, you will find both nature as well as urban scenes.