Growing Garlic and an Onion in an empty pet bottle.

It all began about one month ago while I was cleaning the kitchen. I found an onion giving off shoots and small garlic cloves laying around. Also, there were many soft drink bottles lying around. Suddenly an idea crossed my mind and so kept the onion, the garlic cloves and a 2 lt. empty pet bottle aside and carried on with my work. The next day, while cooking, I kept heating a sharp pointed knife on the flame and punched holes all around the green colored empty Sprite bottle. After punching holes, cut off the top portion of the bottle where its circumference begins to reduce. Now, when I finished cooking, I filled up the distorted bottle with soil and planted the onion which was trying to grow in the open on the top open portion of the bottle. Then in each of the holes punched, inserted a clove of garlic. Placed it in a shady corner of my balcony and kept watering it everyday. Viola, a few days later my garlic cloves began to grow and the onion became more leafy. I have placed the bottle where it can get its daily doze of sunlight and keep watering it everyday  and now I got a regular supply of fresh garlic leaves to season my food. I use a pair of scissors to harvest the garlic leaves and onion leaves when I require them. No doubt the garlic is not going to give heads as the bottle is very congested but just looking at them growing in such a manner makes me immensely happy.  

***Happiness and joy can be found in the smallest of things in our day-to-day lives.***

- DRK -

The mighty and grand Brahmaputra River.

Sunset as captured from the middle of  Brahmaputra River.

River bed during the dry season

The term " Brahmaputra" means "son of Brahma"(Lord Brahma is the Creator in Hindu mythology) in Sanskrit. The rivers are considered to be female in India. But the Brahmaputra is the only male river in India. The Brahmaputra River course covers three nations, Tibet, India and Bangladesh. This mighty river has its history of flow through the dense forests and tribal settlements. A seldom-run river, the Brahmaputra offers beautiful scenery, excellent big white water and great wild life in a less-visited corner of the sub-continent.

View from Umananda Island

The Brahmaputra has its source at holy Mount Kailash Mansarover in Tibet, traverses the entire Tibetan plateau, and then makes its great bend into India, cutting into the Himalaya the Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon , which is the deepest canyon in the world, a canyon which has as yet dodged away all attemptsat exploration. 
It was said that the Great Wall of China is visible from space. But to the contrary NASA astronaut “Mike Fincke” claimed that mighty river Brahmaputra and the Pyramids of Egypt can be seen from space and not the Great Wall of China. The average width in Assam is 10 kms. minimum being 1 km. and maximum 18 kms. which is on the widest in the world. 

View from Umananda Island.

In the Tibbet and Himalayan region, Brahmaputra flows at an average height of 400meters for 13000 kms. This highest for any major river in the world.
Brahmaputra is supposed to be one of the most powerful 
river in the world. Based upon the flow rate, Brahmaputra is the fifth strongest river in the world. 
The Brahmaputra is one of those very few major rivers in the world which exhibit 'tidal bore' i.e. incoming tides form waves that travel up the river against the direction of the current. This is one of the reason behind Brahmaputra's enormous strength. 'Majuli', the largest island created by a river also resides in the Brahmaputra. This river island is around 100 km in length and consists of 6 villages. 

Ferry boat going across the river. 

*Peacock Island, also in the Brahmaputra is considered to be the smallest inhabited river island in the world. Here is the shrine of Umananda(Uma - Goddess Parvati and Ananda - Lord Shiva). The temple priests are the only few residing on the island.
*The Brahmaputra along with Ganges create the largest delta in the world, Sundarban in Bangladesh. 
*Where Brahmaputra enters India is till date on the most remote and adventurous part of the world. The river flows rapidly down to the plains from a height of 4000 meters inthis region. This unknown region had trapped imagination of  British for many decades in 19th century until it was discovered.

A short evening cruise.

A cruise on the vast Brahmaputra river in Assam exposes one to exotic wildlife and wonderful wilderness. An empty world of sand spits and water with marvelous bird life and the occasional Gangetic Dolphins playing in the river entices any traveler. The cruises here also give access to a number of India’s National Parks, including Kaziranga  which is home to the one horned Indian Rhinocerous and Manas, a Project Tiger reserve on the Bhutan border. 

White sandy beach on the north side.

Mighty and grand, it is a lifeline to the people residing along its sides. 
I love this river and enjoy taking walks on the beach when the water level is low . Picnics on a deserted island is always fun. And the best part is that I get Solace and Inspiration from this majestic and grand river whenever I feel the need and go to seek!!






 ***Oh! Brahamaputra, your majestic and divine form inspires me and many a people. Let your flow continue to bless all that touches you with their hearts!***  

Leave behind all the Woes...Time now for New Hopes and Dreams! We are in 2011!!

Let us leave behind all that is unnecessary for us to carry 
& fly free like the bird in the sky of new found happiness.

Let us leave behind all the burdens of life..
Grudges, sadness, pain, fear and regrets...

Let us keep the smile and leave the tears..
Let us think of joy and forget the fear........

Let us hold the love and leave the pain.....
Let us be joyous because its the new year.

Life is God's greatest gift to us and is beautiful!

We only get it once to live it.

And once in every year we are rewarded with this magical time

When we welcome the New Year

The period between Christmas and New Year is the time
To contemplate on things gone by and to make new resolutions
2010 is over and we have stepped into the new year 2011
Its time for us now...To leave all woes behind and plan 
For the most incredible times ahead.
Time now... to fly into the new year
With New Hopes and Dreams!

***Happy New Year 2011***