Beautiful Images That Strengthen My Deep Village Connection! (Photo Story Part III)
I am really happy that my previous two posts, namely, Some Breathtaking Images From The Land Of Ganges ( Photo Story Part One) and An Interaction With Ethereal Wonder In My Village (Photo Story Part II) received terrific response from the side of readers. It really overwhelmed me because being an amateur photographer I did not expect such encouraging review. I was not able to include few images in previous two parts because having given way to strict editing I felt that these images were not as important for creating a perfect impression. Now I feel that these images should also get published, after all, judging whether an image is perfect or not cannot be the sole discretion of the photographer! And ,therefore, I take the liberty to publish some of the images related with the same tour to my village. And by doing that I feel that I am granting moksha to these images- moksha ( total liberation) from my possession 🙂

Train that steadily and slowly moved towards my station Pahara. Word “Pahara” refers to mountainous landscape which prevails in this region..

That’s the road which connects Allahabad and Mirzapur..It’s runs side by side the rail route to Mirzapur…

Most Passengers I notice are involved either in sleeping inside the train compartment or if they are not doing that they are engaged in dull activities. And so they always miss such scenes…

Pahara Station Has Two Loop Lines ..This Is The First One…Loop Lines For Passenger Train Means Delay Hours..So We Passengers Pray That Train Never Stops On Loop Line…But Passenger Trains Run More On Loop Lines Than Main Lines Courtesy Controller Sahib In Love With Express and Goods Trains 😛 😛 😛

And that’s the route I travelled to reach to my rice fields and home at Village Kanaura …That’s the route I always followed since childhood…

This beautiful muddy route, connecting Pahara Railway Station with Kanaura village, always haunts my consciousness!!!

Beautiful Birds Visit My Fields…In The Morning Time I Saw Many Peacocks But Could Not Click Their Images..However, This Fellow Got Clicked…But This One Was Not Very Camera Friendly 😛 😛 😛

It’s never easy to click the image of birds..You have to chase them for hours 😛 😛 …This one is called ” Kathphodva :P” in my village 😛

Hope greenery always prevails in form of these crops..Imagine if some calamity leads to destruction of these crops? Let’s crops always give good yield to farmers!

At Pahara Station…Dusk has prevailed and my train is late yet I am not worried…I am lost in memories of days spent at my village Kanaura…

An Express Train On Up Line Is Approaching Fast ( Main Line II) ..And you can notice that a passenger train is standing from quite a long time on loop line II 😦

Anyway, I was back in my city on the eve of Deepawali.. One of the corners of Allahabad City Right Before The Deepavali Celebrations…

Celebrating Deepawali With Cute Nieces ….One of the reasons I had to cut short my village visit so as to not miss the celebrations with them…

One of the reasons to be at Village is that it sustains my romance with nature..And one of the reasons to be in Allahabad is that it sustains my love for these cute kids ….They are not innocent as they appear 😛 😛 :P…The third one from the left is my cousin 😛
For The Readers:
All the images have been clicked by the author of this post. The copyrights of the pics rest with this author. So I request not to make use of any of the pics without prior permission of the author or, for that matter, they can be republished only after giving due credit to the author while using them in any way.
References:
Link To Part One Of This Photo Story: Some Breathtaking Images From The Land Of Ganges
Link To Part Of This Photo Story: An Interaction With Ethereal Wonder In My Village
An Interaction With Ethereal Wonder In My Village (Photo Story Part II)
I am really glad that the conscious readers worldwide made their presence felt on part I of this photo story. Although I have not learnt photography in professional way, I came to learn few tricks in company of expert photographers who also happened to be my friends. I realize photography is an excellent way to capture emotions which cannot be conveyed through words. My association with my village transcends the limit of words. It’s very very deep one. Luckily enough, I have found creative mediums to manifest the intrinsic elements of this emotional bond with my village. Indian villages are still the best place to discover real India. My village is no exception. However, what makes my village unique is the divine presence of Ganges in its full splendour. And I am sure if I venture again on this planet in my next births this alone be my place of birth and my karmabhoomi too ( a place where one is professionally involved).

This road leads straight to home built by my ancestors in the heart of villlage Kanaura. This road is right in front of my new home at the fields.

Notice my new home and the metal road that runs at a stone’s throw from it, leading straight to both my home built by the ancestors and banks of Ganges 🙂

On both sides of this road one notices Mango and Mahaua Trees…During childhood favourite past-time was to target green mangoes with stone avoiding the eyes of the owners 😛 😛 😛

That’s the most common scene you notice on village roads…Love Cows..Love their owners- the gwalas…However, what I hate is that they mix so much water in milk that when I prepare tea I do not feel the need to add water 😛

That’s the defunct canal which runs side by side to both metal road and muddy road leading to my village..I remember in my childhood it was so alive with waters of Ganges..Now no one uses it anymore! Ganges does not have sufficient waters to sustain it..

As we reach close to village scenes change…The village life becomes more visible…See the “Upalis” piled up in artistic way 😛 ..They are prepared from cow-dung and are used as primary source of fuel in Indian villages…

Right now fields are lush green with rice crops…However, many farmers have “Bajra” and ” Jhunri” crops in their fields!

In my childhood sugarcane farming was popular in my village..Now very few farmers grow it in my village…Found this field having sugarcane crop 🙂

Most of the homes in my village have given way to modern style of architecture…Very few huts can be noticed in my village..Even this one is made of bricks and not mud…My own original home made of mud collapsed sometimes back due to heavy rains!

That’s the ancestral home built by my grandfather…The vacant space you see is cricket pitch prepared by me..Since childhood seen all village kids gathering here to play cricket…And even now at this age I play cricket with them with same zeal even as it leads to minor quarrels with the neighbours ! Right now some trespassers have captured it with the Upalis 😛 :P. So while playing cricket we ensure that ball hits them for maximum number of times 😛 😛 😛

My real self lives in my village at this home..And please my home number is not 65 as inscribed on its wall…It’s the highest score scored by one village kid in five overs 😛 😛 😛

The other end of vacant ground.. The home built by the ancestors was a huge one..Today nothing remains…Since I do not live here villagers use it for their personal affairs…And when I am here I remove all the encroachments and make the cricket ground bit large 😛 😛

This Neem Tree Is So Special For Me..In Childhood All My Friends Played So Many Games Under Its Shade All The Time…Today neighbours complain that its branches hang dangerously over their houses…I am in serious dilemma 😦 😦 😦

If The Tree Falls My Own Home Would Be The First One To Collapse But I Am Not Making Any Hue And Cry Like My Arrogant Neighbours..View From The Top Of My Cricket Ground 😛

Ideally my vacant space should be neat and clean this way…That’s the vacant space owned by my neighbour …See cute village kids playing on it…We have been bold enough to defy the orders of neighbour not to play cricket here..Anyway, once I start living here my first priority would be to make my vacant space as neat and clean like this one 😛

An ideal village home has such beautiful plants planted outside their homes..Me too wish to have these plants at my vacant space..Right now it’s being used by the trespassers!

And I will love to own cows..I like them so much…My ancestors had many cows and we had separate cowshed for them….After all, it fills one with bliss when one sees such scenes…

An Ideal Hindu Brahmin Family.. Misconceptions Have Been Deliberately Spread By Foreign Historians That Hindu Brahmins Do Not Promote Daughters…This Famiily Has Only Daughters ( Five Daughters) And No Sons…And Above All Very Proud Of Their Talented Daughters…Stop Painting Brahmins In Wrong Colours!

Bold And Beautiful Cow….She Was Aware That I Was Going To Click Her Image..And So Look The Way She Is Staring It Me 😛 😛 😛

That’s the most popular venue for playing cricket….And you can notice a match is going on ….I have played many memorable matches …In fact, before this match I came to play two match series Brahmins Vs Yadavs 😛 😛 😛

Although village hand pumps are working smoothly, it’s the scenario when tube well’s supply is available 🙂

On The Banks Of Ganges One Always Notices Shiva Temples…My Village Is No Exception..This wonderful Shiva Temple Greets You As You Move Towards The Ganges 🙂

This pose was asked by the one who was clicking my image ..He made me try different poses but all in vain since he was clicking image for the first time..Still he managed to click few image of mine satisfactorily 😛 😛 😛

He Is The Naughtiest Boy In My Village..Happily For Me He Agreed To Act As Photographer With Zero Nuisance Impact 😛 😛 😛

Now I Walk On This Pagdandi To Reach My New Home At Fields….From Where I Will Walk Towards The Railway Station!

Noticed This Chameleon Called Girgitaan At My Village 😛 😛 :P..It’s becoming a rare specie since most have taken birth as human beings to become Indian ministers 😛 😛 😛

The Canal Divides Into Two Parts Adjacent My New Home…And Notice That A Minor Pagdandi Runs Parallel To It…It Leads To Railway Station….

It was getting pretty dark and I had yet to cover a long distance !!! And above all, I ran the risk of missing the train as well the way I stopped again and again to capture the scenes 😛 😛 😛

Now Very Close To The Railway Station …This Beautiful Muddy Road For The Time Being Would Be In My Memories Now..

I Am Never Happy Faced As I Wait For Return Train…And That’s The Case Since Childhood….Friends Are Sarcastic About My Village Love..They Say People Leave Villages To Move Towards Cities And You Plan To Do The Reverse….I Have A Fitting Response But Prefer To Make Them Live In Their World Of Ignorance!

Happily Train Was Late…My Beautiful Station Looked Awesome As The Dusk Came To Envelop It..Sipping The Tea I Remained Lost In So Many Thoughts…

The Evening Passenger Train ( Mughalsarai-Allahabad Passenger Train) Makes You Feel Like King…See The Empty Coach..And You Would Not Believe It’s Empty Like This Through The Whole Journey 🙂 🙂 It’s A Very Romantic Affair To Be All Alone This Way 😛

Managed To Find One Passenger In My Compartment..But He Too Left Me All Alone After Two Stations…Anyway, This Sort Of Royal Feeling You Can Never Get In Jam-packed Mail/Express Trains 😛 😛 😛
For The Readers:
All the images have been clicked by the author of this post. The copyrights of the pics rest with this author. So I request not to make use of any of the pics without prior permission of the author or, for that matter, they can be republished only after giving due credit to the author while using them in any way.
Link To Part One:
Some Breathtaking Images From The Land Of Ganges ( Photo Story Part One)
Some Breathtaking Images From The Land Of Ganges ( Photo Story Part One)
Rural India retains its rustic charm. Its demography remains serene and pleasing to eyes. However, lifestyle of people living in villages has changed dramatically over the years. It has become as complex and superficial like the one prevailing in Indian cities. The lust to be in sync with the time has made innocent villagers victim of capitalist forces. That has made them oblivious of their own rich legacy. Now they have dish antennas over their rooftops but they lack the expertise to work in fields! In fact, they have now become so used to sophisticated lifestyle that they feel reluctant in working in fields.
Anyway, my village Kanaura, falling under Mirzapur district in Uttar Pradesh, is situated at the banks of river Ganges. It’s surrounded by Vindhya Hills. It’s obvious that beauty of nature has come alive in all its colours at this place. This travelogue in two parts showcases the beauty which graces my village. And yes, the train which one notices in this part is Allahabad-Mughalsarai Passenger, which runs right time in morning session but the return journey from this train is a delayed affair. It runs on every day sans Sunday.

That’s Yamunaji during morning hours…Just couple of months ago she was so furious when her waters caused huge loss…Now looks so pleasing…Anyway, railway bridge over this river is the first one as the train leaves the Allahabad station to move ahead on Mughalsarai-Howrah rail route.

The road also leads to my village but I prefer rail journey…It’s so romantic affair to be seated inside train’s compartment 🙂 …And I always prefer passenger trains for shorter journeys since it allows me to see life in totality!

That’s River Tons..It’s tributary of river Yamuna and it originates in Garhwal region of Uttarakhand.

At Manda Railway Station ….This place is associated with former Prime minister of India Vishhwanath Pratap Singh…

India is a huge country …This gets confirmed as you try to capture the distance from eyes through the train’s window!

At Vindhyachal Station….This place associated with Goddess Vindhyachal Mata is very special in the hearts of Hindu devotees…This station is unique in a sense that it has Shlokas and Verses from Ramcharit Manas mentioned on the walls of the station.

Well, life is full of episodes of various types..Something you realize as you look outside the train’s window!

Mirzapur Station Is Where I Always Get Off If I Am On Super-fast trains…Then I catch an auto for my village …However, I need not to worry since this is passenger train and it’s bound to stop at my station 😛

So beautiful Indian girl..What really impressed me was that she was lost in such deep thoughts even at this tender age!

When I was a kid and this station arrived I was always taken aback by its small size..I used to wonder hey where is the station? Now when I have grown up I still fail to treat it as a station! It makes me smile..Even the name is so fascinating : JHINGURA :P…Anyway, my own destination station which arrives after this one is not only bigger but also so beautiful 😛 😛 😛

JHINGURA 😛 😛 😛 …I feel happy when I see this station…After all, it gets confirmed that next one is mine station 😛

That’s The Road Which Goes To My Village…If I Am On Auto This Is The Route I Follow…However, I Am On Train Now 😛

These shops when I was kid did not have pucca walls 🙂 Anyway, I have my snacks here once I get off the train!

Anyone visiting my village shall be asked to take this metal road to reach my village Kanaura..However, I avoid this road since it makes the distance long..I prefer the muddy road exhibited in next picture 🙂

That’s the muddy road ( Pagdandi) moving along the defunct canal which takes visitors straight to my village Kanaura…Since this road moves side by side the canal it’s easily traceable amid so many other smaller muddy routes 😛

I have seen more than two decades of my earthly existence but really happy that this muddy road to my village remained the same 😛 ..I love leaving my footprints on it since childhood 😛

Finally, when I reached my new home near my fields at my Village I slept peacefully to wake up again after couple of hours to notice setting sun over my fields enveloped with lush green rice crop!

Another view of my fields from my rooftop 🙂 The vacant space you notice is meant for growing potatoes :p

That’s the way morning sun greets me at my new home in village…I have an old home also built by the ancestors but it will appear in part II of travelogue!

The huge Peepal Tree (Ficus religiosa) outside my home during early morning..Its leaves make lots of scary noise in the night time 😛 😛 😛

Early morning scene outside my modern home in village 😛 …Interestingly, if I take a morning walk on this road it leads to my old ancestral home…This roads ends at my old home…After that nothing else prevails other than huge banks of Ganges 🙂 🙂 🙂

The part two of this travelogue will have such breathtaking scenes at my village….That’s the way banks of Ganges greet me when I am at old home in my village 🙂 …Hope Ganges never loses her divine lustre 🙂
For The Readers:
All the images have been clicked by the author of this post. The copyrights of the pics rest with this author. So I request not to make use of any of the pics without prior permission of the author or, for that matter, they can be republished only after giving due credit to the author while using them in any way.
Vindhya Hills Haunted By Rocks, Rivers,Temples And Super Souls (Yogis) (Photo Story Part II)
The terrific response which the part one of the travelogue generated really overwhelmed me. It confirmed the sentiment that travelogues, loaded with good photos, leave an everlasting impression on all the sections of people, no matter to which nation they belong.
Photographs are like time machine since the flight of imagination, after viewing them, transcends the normal course of time to move either backward or even forward in an unusual way. They record the present moment for the posterity. That’s why the same photograph viewed at a later stage tells a different story to each viewer. That’s one of the reason why I am pretty conscious when I am dealing with camera. I was sad that I did not use a good camera, but in the aftermath, I felt happy that somehow I managed to get real good pictures.
The part two of this travelogue has awesome views of Siddhnath Ki Dari, a place one kilometer away from Shakteshgarh Fort; glimpses of landscape around that place; images of ancient Goddess Durga temple and images of Ganges flowing by the side of Chunar Fort. Although Part II of the travelogue unleashes some personal sentiments, it nevertheless never misses to create an universal appeal.
Like to inform the readers that Siddhanath Ki Dari is a place known for its huge waterfall, which comes alive in rainy season. However, it belonged to a Yogi (saint) named Siddhanath who in ancient times used to meditate here. I shall not forget a hilarious incident which occurred at this place, when my friend and I were held hostage by lots of monkeys. They did no harm to us but left us only when their gang leader came to us, searched our pockets and got in possession of few mangoes which we had kept inside our pockets! The gang leader did that in a very smart fashion without harming us!
I had no time left to have the photographs of Chunar fort, which as per legends was built by the king of Ujjain Maharaja Vikramaditya in 56 B.C. for his brother Bhartihariji- a great yogi who took samadhi inside the fort! The fort later came to be associated with Babar, Humayun, Shershah Suri, Akbar, and finally it came under the rule of Britishers. Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of Bengal, came to take refuge here for quite some time. It’s a matter of pride for me that my mother’s residence is adjacent to this fort situated on the banks of Ganges.

Railway Tracks Make Me So Excited. I don’t know why! Anyway, That’s Route Of Train Leaving For Chopan From Chunar. Trains Like Swarna Jayanati, CCM And Moori Express Run On This Beautiful Hilly Route!

My Friend Wajir Who Helped Me A Lot During This Trip. He Just Could Not Click An Ideal Image Of Mine On These Tracks. However, I Got A Picture Perfect Of His, Which Also Highlights The Beauty Of Rail Tracks So Well!

My Friend Was Really Worried That Someone Does Not Come To Steal The Petrol! So As Soon As He Got An Opportunity He Rushed To Check The Petrol Level. Oil Matters ..Ha..ha…ha… 😛 😛 😛

Now It’s Time To Bid Adieu To These Fascinating Turns…But Will Love To Move Again And Again On These Routes!

It’s Hard To Believe That Priyanka Can Dare To Roam In Such Wild Places 🙂 Anyway, I Admire The Guts Of Priyanka To Open A Photo Studio In This Jungle 😛 😛 😛

Don’t Be Confused! That’s Not The Prasada Offered At The Temple! It’s Delicious Makuni Ki Litti Which Was Being Sold At Dhaba Close To The Temple. I Ate One Piece And Found It Tasty. Well, this is prepared by filling the flour with stuff called Setua and then fried in the oil. Then it’s served with mashed potato mixed with other items like tomato etc.

Notice The Building Made Of Stones…The Way Stone Has Been Arranged On The Walls Reminds Me Of The Walls That I Noticed In Peru’s Ancient Heritage Sites!
The Place Intimately Associated With Me During My Childhood…Now It Lies In Tatters….I Remember In My Childhood The Place Was Full Of Lively People! The Owners Left This Place And Now It’s An Abandoned Place!

Really Sad That My Mother’s Place Which Was Once Upon A Time Such A Terrific Place Is Now In Such A State!

That’s The Courtyard Which In Our Childhood Was Site Of Naughtiest Activities Even In Scorching Summer!

The Building Has Collapsed But Pillars Are Intact. Anyway, The Small Space You Notice Behind The Pillars Was Used By Us To Play Indoor Games In Childhood!

One Would Find Hard To Imagine That In Such A Small Space Two Groups Of People, Four Persons In One Group, Were Always Involved In Playing Cards! I Was Also One Of The Member 😛 😛 😛

The Dangerous Stairs…As A Kid I Fell Down From These Stairs Many Times..However, Except Minor Bruises I Never Got Hurt Badly..That’s Was The Case With Other Kids Too 😛 😛 😛

That’s The Eden Garden Of My Childhood…I Played Many Great Innings Here On This Pitch….Anyway, That’s The Front Portion Of Mother’s Residence 🙂

The Entrance Of The Lord Shiva Temple Loacted At This Ghat…A Temple That’s Closely Associated With My Childhood…I Used To Sit Here For Hours Alone Or With Other Kids…
My Tryst With Vindhya Mountains: An Interaction With Breathtaking Beauty Of Deep Jungles! ( A Photo Story)
Writing is a hugely taxing affair, especially if you are doing it in unfavourable conditions. I always meet tough resistance from so many forces during penning of important posts. That makes it imperative for creative souls to venture into isolated corners away from the maddening world. That not only refreshes them but also tunes their mind to receive new insights. No wonder when writing affair starts turning into a routine affair, instead of being a source of joy, I take a short break and get lost in unheard corners of mother earth. Usually, I visit my village and mother’s original residence since both these places being set against great scenic backdrop offer solace needed by my soul.
However, this time I decided to move into valleys formed by Vindhya Mountains. “The Vindhya Range (Sanskrit: विन्ध्य) is a range of older rounded mountains and hills in the west-central Indian subcontinent, which geographically separates the Indian subcontinent into northern India (the Indo-Gangetic plain) and Southern India.”
I came to visit Shakteshgarh, located in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh, nineteen kilometers away from Chunar, which is mainly known for Swami Adgadanandji’s Aashrama. He is a well known saint in this area, who has penned a commentary on Srimad Bhagvad Geeta known as “Yathartha Geeta”. The localites informed me that a visit during the monsoon period is more appropriate since gorgeous waterfalls falling in these region come alive at that point of time. Anyway, I found that even during the odd period, the places like Siddhanath Ki Dari, one kilometer away from Shakteshgarh, which encaptures the the charm and the seduction of a huge waterfall, appear so breathtaking.
During the end of this very beautiful and memorable journey into awesome valleys, full of mystic appeal, I came to capture beautiful images of Ganges flowing by the side of Chunar fort, adjacent to my mother’s residence in Chunar. Over all, the visit really uplifted my sagging spirit. For my readers, I have captured this beautiful images from not so good camera, yet I feel they would come to realize photographic sense is not dependent on a costly camera! You need mind’s eye and not a very costly camera to click a good image! I hope they also come to realize that India is really so beautiful that we need not to venture outside the nation to trace real beauty. The area I visited was haunted by Naxal terror, yet in the end only divine beauty prevailed in form of ancient temples like Durga Temple and etc.

The Shloka from Srimad Bhagvad Geeta points out types of devotees engaged in bond with Lord: Aarta, Arthaarthi, Jigyasu and Gyani!

My Friend Vajir Who Provided Me Great Support During This Trip! Also Clicked Some Real Good Images Of Mine 🙂

Spotted This Strange Fruit Inside The Fort! No Clue Regarding Its Real Name But Someone Called It Bael Fruit (Aegle marmelos)
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