The 1st month in the new year is always one that people look forward to and are excited about. As days go by, the excitement wears off making them seek motivation and push in other places.  But February, the 2nd month has a special significance to a few.. This is when they see a change in their lives, romance blossoming, and dreams coming true…  Aarthi, a lecturer is now moving on to a new phase in her life. She is tying the knot and looking forward to a whole new life, sharing it with someone she has known for a while, loves and cares deeply about. She shares a few photographs that symbolize this new chapter in her life..

The chief beauty about time
is that you cannot waste it in advance.
The next year, the next day, the next hour
are lying ready for you,
as perfect, as unspoiled,
as if you had never wasted or misapplied
a single moment in all your life.
You can turn over a new leaf every hour
if you choose.

~Arnold Bennett [British Novelist]

Although time seems to fly,
it never travels faster than one day at a time.
Each day is a new opportunity to live your life to the fullest.
In each waking day, you will find scores of blessings
and opportunities for positive change.
Do not let your TODAY be stolen by the unchangeable past
or the indefinite future!
Today is a new day!
~Steve Maraboli

In a year, we all try to accomplish as much as possible.. but, alas, the days are numbered and the year draws to an end and our list remains half done! Wouldnt it be wonderful if we all just took a moment, recollected the days that have gone by, made a plan for the remaining few days and went out to live it up? Well, that is exactly what Dinesh Kumar has done. Taking a break from routine, he took off a few days, travelling to the backwaters of Kerala to soak in nature and press the Refresh button on his life…

Enjoying a lazy stroll around the garden in the resort we were staying at, i noticed a butterfly fluttering about, as if looking for that one perfect flower. I followed it silently, making sure not to give myself away till it found the flower, and gently enjoyed the sweet delight….

Towards the afternoon, we decided to go for a drive, and like a sudden flash of lightening, i saw a few men almost walking on water. Drawing the vehicle to a stop, i hopped out to get a better glimpse of these men.. There was nothing bey0nd, but water and the small mountains afar… Nearly half an hour i stood there, trying to make sense of their actions, but with no luck. Decided to see if they were still there when we made our return journey!

The most amazing aspect in Kerala are the backwaters, and you can see people using these as we use our roads. They commute on them to get to office, children all dressed up in school uniforms ride the small boats to get across and make their way to school, and then there were the fishermen who travelled along these waters multiple times during the day. They made it look so easy, but for us visitors, these backwaters are a maze…

What a way to end the year….

Among the festivals of September, the most colourful is Onam, celebrated by Malayalis across the globe. It is a festival where we find colours in Rangolis, floral decorations and in Onam Sadya- the feast. 

Onam is a harvest festival that falls in the Malayali month of ‘Chingam’, which is between the months of August and September. It is celebrated over a period of ten days, which culminates with a grand celebration on the last day, which this year falls on Friday- Sep 9th. The festival also marks the annual visit of the Asura King Mahabali ..

Archhana Kombrabail takes us on a vibrant journey through the various Rangolis they do at home during Onam. She says ” most families create rangoli with flowers, and these take shape over a period of 10days, with a layer being added each day”.

Here are some of the rangolis she had done with her family in their Pune home…

M: Aarti, this is the Common crow... They seem to be romancing and lost in their own world 

Me: oh yes, how pretty… I dont think i’ve seen these before.

Ani who was walking ahead with her son exclaimed..  ‘Hello, we see the common crow all over back home, what is wrong with you both” *gave us a stern “stop being children” look*

Me: Ahem, Ani, this is not a crow… this is a butterfly di.. it is called the Common Crow

Ani: Oops.. my bad, was wondering why you girls are gushing over the boring crow…

During our brief stay at the Coir Village Resort, we saw quite a few Butterflies, but i remember the Common Crow, which is quite uncommon in other parts of the country.. It became a game of sorts, we would keep a look out and start signalling for the others to join in whenever we spotted an interesting butterfly, bird, insect, or bug. At the end of the trip, we dint know who was a child, the actual 2 year old or us 4

The beautiful butterfly called ‘Common Indian crow” we saw quite a bit through our stay at the Coir Village Resort in Kerala.

Wiki: It is found everywhere in India, right up into the mountains till 8000 feet. Occasionally it swarms in the low, wet jungles of South India due to the abundance of its food plants which are spread over three orders of plants.

Every day is a brand new day, one that lures people into making the most of it and exploring their lives through. Aarti Krishnakumar, a freelance writer from Chennai shares some of her fond memories from her travels across the country….

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”
~ Carl Bard

While in Kerala, we visited the Krishnapuram Palace in Kayamkulam. The palace is a replica of the Padmanabapuram palace in Trivandrum. As the sun was beating down on us, i managed to capture a shot of the Palace from beyond the pond, catching the reflection of the palace in the waters…

Krishnapuram Palace, Kayamkulam

As the road wound around the cliff, the ocean below lashed against the mountain as if trying to grab our attention. We looked down to see the mountain covered in plants and moss, amidst which a flight of stairs caught our eye. We decided to sneak away and walk it down to get a closer look at the ocean… What a sight it was.. Totally worth the risk!

Varkala Beach, Kerala

After the long walk on a hot summer day, we had finally reached… Auroville, few kms ahead of Pondicherry! The place was infamous for the Matri Mandir and various boutiques in the center of the place.. These days, they dont allow visitors to enter the Matri Mandir without prior permission. So, we picked up our tickets, and walked the 1.5kms to the view point and soaked in the place with several others vying for a piece of the place..

Matri Mandir, Auroville, Pondicherry

Time to say Good bye.. Until next time.. I wonder where the road takes me next..!!