Lalbagh Flower Show - January 2011

Every year in the month of January and August, the Lalbagh Gardens at Bangalore hosts Flower Show. If in Bangalore around this time one should not miss the event. (Click on the image for bigger picture)

In the month of January, it is usually organized for 10 days from January 17th to 26th. The theme for this year is metro transport system. To ease the traffic in city the metro train project is currently in progress.

This year another attraction at the event is one of the original city gate towers. It is beautifully made from colorful roses.

On display were lot of varieties of Anthuriam, Orchids, Celosia and Dianthus among others.

Every day thousands people enjoy the beauty of these flowers on display. It is mostly crowded in the evening on the weekdays. Best time to be in this place is the early afternoon. I had been here on the weekend afternoon. Even though it was crowded I had enough space to take some snaps.

Very minimal entrance fee is charged for the show. No charges for camera.

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Poinsettia

The Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Bangalore the Garden City is a lush green paradise with an area of 240 acres in the heart of the city. (Click on the images for bigger view)

Recently I had been to Lalbagh with guests. As they were the plant lovers they wanted to check out the nursery. Since, it was the December month we could see the Poinsettia the Christmas Flower.

In Mexico, it is also known as the "Flower of Holy Night".

Flowering Tree - Red Bottle Brush

Bangalore (State: Karnataka) known as Garden City true to its name as lot of flowering trees on either side of most of the roads. They bloom with flowers of various colors. One such tree is Bottle Brush tree also known as Callistemon. (Click on the images for bigger view)

The flowers are bright red, and attract nectar-feeding birds and insects. The flower spikes of this tree are made of several individual flowers. The name is apt as can bee seen from the bright red flowers which have the shape of a bottle brush.

The tree grow only as big as 15 feet. They enhance the beauty of any garden. They grow superbly in the regions where the climate is warm, humid, and receive full sunlight. The flowers produces small woody fruit that contain numerous seeds.

The fine leaves and the bright red inflorescence make this tree one of the beautiful trees that enhances the landscaping of any gardens or parks.

Flowers of Cubbon Park, Bangalore

The Cubbon Park or "Sri. Chamarajendra Park" in the heart of the Bangalore (State: Karnataka) city and it occupies around 250 acres of area. (Click on the images for bigger view)

It is home for several variety of flowers.

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Festival of Lights

Deepavali is rightly called "Festival of Lights" as can be seen from the images here. It is celebrated for 5 days and on all nights the sky is lighted by bursting crackers.

The crackers light the sky with various designs and patterns.

These are some of the images on the night of Deepavali sky over Bangalore.

At this time in India the sky is brightly lighted.

Queen Victoria Statue, Bangalore

Cubbon Park in Bangalore (State: Karnataka) is one of the biggest parks in the city. There are several statues installed in this park.

In the year 1906, the Statue of Queen Victoria of Britain is installed in this park.

This statue is located at one end of the park near Mahatama Gandhi Circle.

Flowering Tree - Bauhinia Variegata

Bangalore (State: Karnataka) known as Garden City true to its name as lot of flowering trees on either side of most of the roads. They bloom with flowers of various colors. One such tree is Bauhinia Variegata popularly known as "Orchid Tree" (Click on the images for bigger view)

It is an ornamental tree grown in subtropical and tropical climates from southern China west to India. The flowers are conspicuous, bright pink or white, 8-12 cm diameter. These scented flowers have only five petals.

It is a small to medium-sized tree growing to 10-12 m tall. The leaves of the tree are broad and split in the middle.

During the season the tree is full of flowers and with green leaves and pink flowers they look lovely.

Lalbagh Flower Show August 2010, Bangalore

Every year in the month of January and August, the Lalbagh Gardens at Bangalore hosts Flower Show. If in Bangalore around this time one should not miss the event. (Click on the image for bigger picture)

In the month of August, it is usually organized for 10 days from August 6th to 15th. The theme for this year is to show respect to all the martyrs and freedom fighters of our country.

This year the main attraction is the monument India Gate, beautifully made from more than 250,000 roses, a fitting tribute to the Indian soldiers.

On display were around 260 varieties of Anthuriam, Orchids, Celosia and Dianthus among others.

Every day thousands people enjoy the beauty of these flowers on display. It is mostly crowded in the evening on the weekdays. Best time to be in this place is the early afternoon. I had been here on the weekend afternoon. Even though it was crowded I had enough space to take some snaps.

Very minimal entrance fee is charged for the show. No charges for camera.

Aircraft at Minsk Square, Bangalore

The aircraft, Ajeet, is a single-seater interceptor with a secondary ground-attack role. It was used by Air Force from 1975 to 1991. Ajeet was later shifted to Minsk Square, where it was stationed for nearly 20 years. (Click on the image for bigger image)

But owing to the construction of Metro train route this has been shifted out of this place to HAL Heritage Museum. The image above no longer is the common sight at this place.

Lalbagh Gardens, Bangalore

The Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Bangalore the Garden City is a lush green paradise with an area of 240 acres in the heart of the city.

It was started by King Hyder Ali, the ruler of old Mysore in 1760. It was further developed by his son Tipu Sultan and subsequently by the British and Indian doyens of horticulture. In 1856, it was given the status of a Government Botanical Garden. From then onwards, it has been an internationally renowned center for scientific study of plants and botanical artwork and also conservation of plants.

Lalbagh is home for tees, shtubs, plants from all over the world. The rarest variety of trees can be seen here. The main attractions here are:

• Floral Clock
• Tree Fossil
• Glass House
• Directorate Building
• Guard Room
• Lake
• Band Stand
• Pigeon House
• Bonsai Garden
• Topiary Garden
• Bombax Tree
• Kempegowda Tower
• Pigeon Colony
• Lecture Hall
• Trees and Flowers
• Nursery
  

Flowering Trees - Indian Cork Tree

Bangalore (State: Karnataka) is slowly changing from the Garden City to concrete jungle. However, some of the trees that helped it to earned its name, still adorned the streets of Bangalore. One such tree that can be seen around is Indian Cork Tree or popularly known in local language as "Aakash Mallige". In other words it is known as "Jasmine in the Sky" (Click on the images for bigger view)

This tree grows tall and straight, with the branches covered with whitish flowers. Though the flowers of this tree are not like any other bright ornamental, they have a very nice fragrance.

The trumpet-shaped flowers are white and borne in clusters. They form a carpet on the ground during the flowering season.

The bark of the tree has deep fissures and is used as cork, hence the name. This tree can be still seen in Bangalore a lot on either sides of the road.

Flowering Trees - Jacaranda

Bangalore (State: Karnataka) is slowly changing from the Garden City to concrete jungle. However, some of the trees that helped it to earned its name, still adorne the streets of Bangalore. The beauty of these flowering trees is appreciated and cherished. It is pleasure to move on the streets of Bangalore with all the trees around you. (Click on the images for bigger view)

One such tree is beautiful Jacaranda flower tree. Mostly the tree bears flowers when the tree is leafless.

The flowers are purple colored and tubular. These flowers hang from the tree for a long time before falling off.

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Travel Photo Challenge

BlogAdda has organized a ‘Travel Photos Contest’. After a long time I am seeing a contest in my area of interest - travel and photography. So I am glad to participate in this, where I have to post 5 of my best travel photographs as I see it. (Click on the images for bigger view)

The above image is of Jaisalmer Golden Fort taken during the Rajasthan tour. Built in 1156 on the Trikura Hill it is one of the oldest forts that has 99 bastions around its circumference and is protected by three walls. Why the fort is called so, is very much evident when Sun rays fall on the fort. I wanted to capture the fort shining like gold in the night when focused by light and went around the fort to get the best possible view. The shot which was taken with film SLR camera without the support of tripod when developed was truly satisfying.

The above image is of Tanjore Brhihadeeshwrar Temple taken during the Tamil Nadu tour. This Big Temple was built during the period 985 -1012 A.D. Because of its unique architectural excellence the UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Monument. It was a pleasure to capture the gigantic temple and the big Nandi Mantappa in one frame. The size of the people around the temple gives us an idea of how huge the temple really is.

The above image is of Jog Falls taken during the Karnataka tour. The sight of river Sharavathi taking a leap from a height of 900 feet is spectacular. It is the highest waterfall in India. When we had visited the place it was the beginning of the rainy season and on the day it rained heavily with low flying clouds. It was a challenge to capture the beautiful waterfall in image because of low flying clouds blocking the view.

The above image is of Qutub Minar taken during the Delhi tour. Measuring 72.5 meters is the world's tallest brick minaret. Construction of this started in 1193 and the topmost story of the minaret was completed in 1386. It is surrounded by various medieval and ancient structures. People will love to capture this monument in various angles along with other ruins surrounding it. This image is one such attempt.

Finally the above is image of Glass House at Lalbagh Botanical Gardens in Bangalore. This beautiful garden of 40 acres is home for various rare plants. It is regarded as one of the best gardens in Eastern part of the World. The glass house when lighted in the night looks more beautiful than during the day time. The shot which was taken with film SLR camera without the support of tripod when developed was truly satisfying.

India is such a wonderful treasure of architecture, nature, and wildlife it is very difficult to choose only 5 images. Each image have their own story to tell. Truly a Picture is worth a thousand words.

Beat the Heat

Lot of resorts have mushroomed in and around Bangalore. This mainly serve corporate customers. Some of the companies take the employees to these places for a days outing once in a while. Apart from food they provide lot of facilities like games, swimming pool and host of other amenities. (Click on the images for bigger picture)

These resorts have also started to cater to the family crowd.

With the temperature going as high as 36 degree centigrade in Bangalore, these places are ideal getaways for a fee. My family along with my friends family ventured to explore one such resort on a weekday.

Luckily on the day we were the only people in the resort. We had good fun with the kids spending more than 5 hours in the pool. The place had water slides, pools of various sizes, play area.

Hailstone Showers in Bangalore

Few years back Bangalore had the best climate in the country. In summers the temperature never used to raise beyond 30 degree Celsius. It was a paradise in all seasons. But it has been changing since couple of years at a rapid phase. The Mercury has been steadily raising every year in the summer. In summer now it is hovering around 35 degree Celsius. This year it has recorded the highest temperature of 37.6 degree Celsius in the past 25 years. (Click on the images for bigger picture)

But, last week has been a pleasant surprise. Parts of Bangalore witnessed sudden and heavy showers for a period of one hour.

With it arrived this year’s first hailstones. They were fast and plenty. Entire road got covered by small hailstones. The white spots in the above image are hailstones falling down. By enlarging the image they are clearly visible.

Vidhana Soudha Domes Front View, Bangalore

Vidhana Soudha houses the State Legislature for Karnataka, and is the largest Secretariat in India. Below is the picture of the front view huge central dome of the building. (Click on the image for bigger picture)

Save our Tigers

Tiger is India's national animal. But sadly it is becoming endangered because, it is poached for its body parts to cater to an illegal market. Another reason is habitat loss due to depletion of forest cover due to interference of humans and encroachment of forest land by people causing fragmentation. Famous Bengal tiger is already declared as endangered species.

By conserving and saving tigers the entire wilderness of ecosystem is conserved. Conserving wilderness is important and crucial to maintain the life support system. Today approximately 1400 tigers are surviving in India. There are several Tiger Reserves in India but man's greed even crosses those boundaries. Please join Save our Tiger initiative. (Click on all the images for bigger picture)

Above snap of tiger is taken at Bannerghatta National Park. This park is at a distance of around 21 kms from Bangalore city.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

Born on 23rd January 1897 in Cuttack, Subhas Chandra Bose is one of the greatest freedom fighter who fought for independence of India. He studied in Fitzwilliam Hall of the University of Cambridge, and passed with high scores. He was elected president of the Indian National Congress for two consecutive terms. He advocated complete freedom for India at the earliest which differed from views of other leaders of India. He was popularly known as Netaji (Respected Leader). (click on all the images for bigger view)

Statue of Netaji near Vidhana Soudha, Bangalore

During the Second World War, he traveled to the Soviet Union, Germany and Japan, seeking an alliance with the aim of attacking the British in India. With Japanese assistance, he led the Indian National Army, formed from Indian prisoners-of-war and plantation workers from British Malaya, Singapore, and other parts of Southeast Asia, against British forces. With Japanese monetary, political, diplomatic and military assistance, he formed the Azad Hind Government in exile and regrouped and led the Indian National Army in battle against the allies at Imphal and in Burma.

Statue of Netaji with Vidhana Soudha, Bangalore in the backdrop

It is believed that he has died on 18 August 1945 in a plane crash over Taiwan. However, contradictory evidence exists regarding his death in the accident. There are theories that state that he was traced in India in the late 1990. Hie death is still a mystery.

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