Para sailing

These are photographs of para sailing. Para sailing can happen on water (sea) or on land too, like the beach. The sail is tied either to a boat or some type of vehicle on land. The person goes up due to the wind/breeze. The vehicle or boat keeps moving giving the person a ride. While coming down the rope is gently pulled in.

A shot taken from the rope end of the para sail

You might also like Adventure Sports - Valley crossing and wall climbing or  Paragliding pictures or Dahi Handi Pyramid or try any of the labels below this post.

Martial Arts from Kerala

The Kerala style of martial arts is called Kalaripayattu and it is an ancient fighting system art. It is practiced in Kerala and some parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and also parts of Sri Lanka. Here are some photos from one of their shows.

Two men in silk and red bordered lungis using shields and swords.

A graceful pose of two men practicing martial arts. They are ready to attack.

Fighting ferociously to defend themselves! They are using poles or sticks.

A man in a sword ready to pounce on his opponent. He is certainly battle ready!

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Street kids playing cricket

These are pictures of poor children playing cricket in an abandoned ground in a public place in an urban area. Cricket is very popular in India but most children don't have a place to play as most schools do not have proper playgrounds.

A child hitting the cricket ball gingerly. The dark coloured ball can be seen directly above the edge of the bat.

Engrossed in the game of cricket.

The children enjoying the camera! One of them is posing with the bat.

More Images of poor children playing, working and studying: Children playing without toys or Children playing Holi in semi-rural India or Child Labour or Working children or Photographs of children studying outdoors or Child Beggars
Or try the label "Children" for all pictures of kids on this website.

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Photos of Golfers

These are photographs of golfers, both men and women playing on the greens in Grasse, France. 

A group of golfers at their game. One of the men is getting ready to hit the golf ball. Three other players stand around watching him.

A lone golfer swings his club. He is getting ready to strike.

A woman golfer wheeling her golf cart towards the golf course.

Two women golfers wheel their golf bags on a trolley on the golf course.

More images: International Cricket Stadium Pictures or Pictures of the Mumbai Marathon or try any of the labels below this post.

Cricket Stadium Silhouettes and Sketch

This is a silhouette of a cricket stadium. The tall light towers can be seen silhouetted against a white background in this graphic representation.

A simple silhouette of a cricket or sports stadium. Black against a white background.

This is a sketch or line/pencil drawing of a cricket stadium, done on photoshop. The sketch is based on a photograph of the cricket ground at Sydney, Australia.

Actual photographs of sports stadiums: DY Patil Cricket Stadium at Nerul in India or International Cricket Stadium Pictures

Canopy Walk in the Tamen Nagera Rain Forest

The 45 meters high and 510 meters long walkway is the longest canopy walk in the world. It is in a place called Tamen Negara in Malaysia's thick rain forest. As you walk across the forest canopy you are actually walking along the top of the trees, and can the rich and diverse flora and fauna. However as they do not encourage you to stop along the way, not even to take photos, stopping to view is not so easy. Besides stopping can also result in you losing your balance and if you do, the canopy swings or you can trip. It is quite safe though due to the high ropes.The canopy walk is closed in the rainy season which is in winter.

The canopy winds its way across the trees and one gets a feel of what monkeys feel like as they hop across from tree to tree! A distance of at least 10 metres has to be kept between each person walking along the canopy in case the canopy swings.

Here is part of the long canopy. There are several sections, some long, some short, some steep.

Here you can see how narrow the actual path is. A little to the left or the right and the canopy swings wildly. Most people are able to keep their balance though and it is a cakewalk for children!

This is where the canopy walk becomes a ladder! Its fun!

Dahi Handi Pyramid

Dahi Handi is played on Krishna Janmashtami (to celebrate Lord Krishna's birth). It is a popular sport in Mumbai and Thane. Legend has it that Lord Krishna used to steal butter and curd (dahi) when he was a child. This situation is recreated by the Govindas or  Balgopals (players) who make a human pyramid to break an earthen pot (matki or handi) which is tied high in the air at public squares or in the open streets. Large sums of money are kept as a reward for breaking the handi, and the prizes go into millions of rupees.

A photograph of Govindas going to a site to compete.

These are images of a Spanish troupe practicing Dahi Handi in Thane this year. They are here to learn and to teach as well. In this first image they have started building the human pyramid. A large crowd has gathered to watch them.

The Spanish group (Castellers de Villafranca) which holds a world record for building a 10-level human pyramid, is poised to take part in the dahi-handi events in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai this year. The 240-member team is led by Miquel Ferret has been invited by people here. They will compete with the locals for the prize. There are plans to promote dahi-handi as a tourism event by the Maharashtra government.

The human pyramid is slowly building up.

A five-level pyramid is ready with children as young as five at the top of this human pyramid. Interestingly, they are wearing helmets (in orange) which not many of our locals do.

All set to climb down from the pyramid they have  built in a matter of minutes.

Related Images: Indian cities lit up at night with Diwali lights

For images of Ganesh Idols lit up with decorative electric and psychedelic lights see this post: Ganpati at Night or try this one: Ganesh Pandal decorations on the streets  

More related Images: Priest performing a Pooja or Hanuman Temple

For religious symbols from Hinduism: Swastika graphics from India or Paduka or Guru's feet or or Shiva Pindi or Lingam

Adventure Sports - Valley crossing and wall climbing

Some photographs of people crossing a small valley using thick ropes and gear in Matheran, India. This man is smiling as he crosses a small valley with the blue sky as the background. You don't need any training before you do this!

A man silhoutted against the sky as he crosses a valley. He is harnessed by ropes.

A group of youngsters watch as their friend tries his hand at valley crossing.

This is a sport which mimics rock climbing and is an activity at most of the adventure resorts. The person is tied with a rope harness and has to climb a sheer vertical wall only by using small metal protrusions. It's quite difficult as one has to pull one's whole weight upwards. This photo was taken at Durshet, a small resort between Mumbai and Pune.

Related Images: Paragliding pictures or Dahi Handi Pyramid click on any of the labels below this post.

DY Patil Cricket Stadium at Nerul

These are photographs of the DY Patil Cricket statium at Nerul which has been built as per international cricket stadium norms and can seat 60,000 spectators. The stadium also contains 9 tennis hard courts, 4 indoor badminton courts and an Olympic sized swimming pool but these are not in the photos. The photographs here are of the facade of the stadium building.

This picture is of one of the main gates of the cricket stadium. The gates and part of the stadium are silhouetted against the evening sky.

Here is a close-up of the high walls of the DY Patil cricket stadium.

The cricket stadium is transformed and comes alive when cricket matches are playing there. The crowds outside this huge stadium are difficult to manage.

Related Viewing: International Cricket Stadium Pictures or Free Photos of Indian cricket players or  Sachin Tendulkar Wax Sculpture 

Paragliding pictures

These are photographs of people paragliding near Panchgani, India, over the western ghats or mountains. The blue sky with clouds can be seen in the background.

Here two flyers are gliding over the western ghats or mountains on the western coast of India, in the state of Maharashtra.

International Cricket Stadium Pictures

Here are a few pictures of an international cricket stadium which can be used for blogposts on cricket. The photographs are of The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and taken by a friend.

This one shows the spectators at the cricket stadium and to the right of the picture the score board can be seen. A part of the cricket ground is also visible.

In this photograph the spectators are to the right of the picture and the ground to the left. The wide curve of the stadium is visible, and the audience can be seen enjoying the cricket match.

This is a smaller photograph and shows the spectators and cricket players from a distance. The men in white, the cricketers, can be seen playing on the greens.

This is a shot of the cricket scoreboard.

This one is a small photo of a cricketer in batting position. Should be used only in this size, but will add colour to any post on cricket.

Related Images: Cricket Stadium Silhouettes and Sketch
Or images of the exterior of DY Patil Cricket Stadium at Nerul in India.
If you are looking for pictures of Indian cricket players try this post: Free Photos of Indian cricket players or Sachin Tendulkar Wax Sculpture  at Madame Tussauds.

Free Photos of Indian cricket players

Here are some photographs of Indian cricket players and one of a group of Australian players as well. All of the images are copyrighted to me. They were shot at The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) during an international cricket series by a friend of mine. If you are writing a blogpost on cricket or anything about the coming World Cup matches, these pics will be useful. All you have to do is attribute and use them.

This first one is of Virender Sehwag, one of the better batsman that the Indian cricket team has.

In this photograph Virendra Sehwag is seen sipping a hot drink as he watches the match on a laptop. He is waiting for his turn to bat. He also seems to be munching something.

Harbhajan Singh, popularly known as Bhajji, is one of the  best bowlers in India today. Here are two pictures of his taken at the Sydney Cricket stadium. Here he is seen shaking someone's hand a trifle reluctantly.

This is Harbhajan giving autographs to his fans. He is signing a toy bat for a fan.

This photo is of Sachin Tendulkar walking off the field after getting out. As he walks into the stadium rooms fans try to touch him and some are taking his photographs. An attendant at the stadium ensures that the fans are kept at bay.

Anil Kumble may not be in the Indian cricket team playing for the World Cup anymore but he was at one time one of the foremost bowlers in Indian cricket and was also a captain. In this image he can be seen signing autographs for fans. Some people are capturing him on camera. The background is the Sydney Cricket stadium.

This one is of Yuvraj, again signing autographs for fans. Some people are taking his photograph.

In this photograph Saurav Ganguly is looking resigned. The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) with a match on is the background. The photograph is a result of combining two images, both shot at Sydney on the same day. Saurav Ganguly was one of India's best batsmen and most successful captain but now he is out of the race. This photograph captures the resignation that he must feel at being left out in the cold. At the same time there is a shine in his eyes and even a small smile as he looks forward to a different future, showing optimism.

This is a picture of Australian cricket players taking a break. Most of these players are not playing today. The pictures were shot in Sydney, Australia.

Related Images: Sachin Tendulkar Wax Sculpture or International Cricket Stadium Pictures