Fostering Flora

Gundur is a small village on the fringes of Bangalore City. This hamlet and several others in the vicinity are blessed with fertile soil and favourable climatic conditions in which a plethora of fruits and flowers flourish. It was hard to believe that this place was barely a half hour drive from home. Numerous rose garders with flowers of striking hues flanked the road leading up to Gundur. I left the place feeling that pictures could not really do justice to the spectacular sight of the abundance and freshness of the crops.
Here are select pictures from that visit.


Viticulture, the science of cultivation of grapevines is a highly specialized discipline. This involves crop management, harvesting and processing and has been an ancient horticultural enterprise in many countries, including India.



The sapodilla plum or sapota as is better known is believed to have originated in Mexico. At present, India is considered to be the largest producer of the sapodilla.



India is the second largest producer of fruits. China being the first. Guava is the fourth most widely cultivated fruit in India and its cultivation extends to several states. Bihar is the leading producer of guavas.



The tropical states - Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu contribute to more than 90 percent of the total production of grapes in India. Karnataka is the only state where both green and blue grapes are cultivated.



India is the largest producer of bananas. While Tamil Nadu is the leader in banana cultivation, Maharashtra has the highest productivity. In India, mangoes are most widely cultivated, followed closely by bananas.


**To avoid flooding this post with too many pictures I have not displayed pictures of the mangoes, ridge gourds, double beans and roses that were captured during the visit.

A Special Something for that special someone

There was a time, not long ago, when accounts were captured in passbooks and memories in diaries.... The word was carried far and wide by inland letters and post cards... Every single day, the postman's arrival was anxiously waited for....
The times have changed and so have we. ATMs dispense money and pens lie in the shadow of keystrokes. Hand written letters have become a rarity. Emails are here to stay.
It's an era where the electronic marvels have become indispensable. The internet is booming and connecting with people has been made ever so easy. Most information is just a click away! Kudos to these advancements in technology.
There is, however, a flip side to this metamorphosis in lifestyle. The personal touch in invites, wishes and even gifts has reduced drastically.
Cards have always been my way of expressing affection to people near and dear. In these changing times, it's an attempt to continue an age old tradition.
Below are pictures of a few cards that I have hand crafted. The driving force behind each of these exclusive cards, is the smile that I see on the face of that special someone.


All the flowers of all the tomorrows are the seeds of today...



Variety is the spice of life!



Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting with the gift of speech.



Be the change that you want to see in the world!



Kites fly higher against the wind... Not with it!