On An Indian Beach

You can feel the pulse of a coastal city or town on its beaches. Like stars that pepper the sky on a clear night, clusters of people swarm the beach on a clear day. Its a riot of colours, of people, of contrasts. Its amazing how each one seems to find their own space amidst the chaotic crowd. The peddlers on the beach tempt the crowd to buy the mouth-watering savoury snacks that tickle the taste buds. As the heat dies down the beach turns into a special economic zone. It is a unique experience to wade through the multitude on a beach in India.

Here are some snapshots from the Besant Nagar Beach in Chennai.


Fresh corn being roasted. The corn is dabbed with a mix of salt, chilli powder and lime.



Sad but true. A little girl made to perform stunts on a thin rope.



A bundle of joy. This is a pretty little girl who obliged to pose for my camera.



Chilli bhajjis. Its hard to go past this stall without grabbing a few steaming hot bhajjis.



The best seat. Not quite sure who was drawn towards the ice-cream stall...



Waiting for customers... Flutes on sale.



Hand in hand... A family enjoying the waves caressing their feet.



Can't beat this! Raw mangoes with a spicy masala.


Electric. A game of beach volley ball.



Take your pick. Masks for sale on the beach.



This is called "Kili Josiyam" in Tamil. The parrot will pick a card that predicts your future.

From Vine to Wine

Karnataka, follows Maharashtra and ranks second in the highest wine producing states in India.


The 2009 Wine Mela in Bangalore was an initiative by the Karnataka Wine Board. The pleasant weather and the lush greenery made the botanical garden of Lal Bagh a great location for the inaugural wine festival. Grover Vineyards, Nandi Valley Vineyards and Naka Vineyards had stalls which were doing brisk business. Sizable crowds piled up at the wine tasting outlets too. The festival was given a thumbs up by wine enthusiasts and was decried by environmentalists.