Lady of Lourdes Church,Trichy

As we wandered around near the bus stand, the distant sound of a bell reached my ears. I instantly started looking around to see where it came from. An old lady walking nearby seeing my puzzled face touched my arm and motioned towards the further ahead on the road. "Athu church lerundu varumma, poi paaru, atho anga irukku [ The sound is coming from the church nearby, go see it, it is just around the corner]". And true to her words, there it was, the beautiful structure standing tall amidst all the small roadside shops. The Rockfort Temple's tank was just across the road. 

We had reached the Lady of Lourdes Church in Trichy. Apparently this Church of our Lady of Lourdes is an exact replica of the Basilica of Lourdes in southern France and is over 100 years old. The architecture, style, and craftsmanship is overwhelmingly beautiful.

 The exterior is done up with intricate sculptures and the patterns are all so minute, it is amazing that people of those days had so much creativity and skill.  As we entered the church, the sheer space had us going "Wow, to think we almost missed visiting here". The pews are all arranged neatly, and there were a few sitting in silence praying.   As you look up, the stained glass panels depicting stories from the Bible are truly beautiful, and the sun's rays seem to add life to the people in the windows.  

Photo of the sculptures on the exterior taken on Canon [film camera]

Near the alter, we noticed a long pedestal of sorts with flowers and little bundles, what looked like rolled up paper. One of the priests who was there told us it was prayers left by those who came to the church, and told us that we could also leave a note and be assured it will come true! 

I did write a small note and when i was looking for something to tie it with, a woman who i spotted earlier praying gave me a piece of string, smiled and put her hand on my head "May Jesus be with you my child". I stood there smiling, almost sheepishly. 

Photo of the full facade on Canon [film camera]

A hand on my shoulder jolted me back to reality. We then wandered the corridors of the Church before making a beeline for the exit.Just as we were putting on our shoes, A man approached us asking if we had 2mins to spare. Without pausing for a breath he went on about how he was very poor & unwell and needed money to go to the doctor. An elderly man who was just entering the Church shooed the man away and told us "he comes here everyday ma, is piss drunk and takes money from people saying he is unwell only to go get drunk once again".. "have you been inside the Church? where are you from?"... 

We answered him and quickly walked across the road towards the Rockfort temple... 

Project 365 Day 79 The Blues

Yet another blue heart that was all lit up in the same store mentioned in my previous shot.. EVOLVE... Was mesmerised seeing these lights, and there were quite a few as you walk in the door...

Project 365 Day 78 Blue Heart

We were in Express Avenue, a mall in Chennai and wandering about aimlessly looking for new stores to explore. Walked into EVOLVE.. swanky funky kitsch interesting were words popping into my head with every step i took.. 

Spotted these blue hearts on the floor & some were painted on the ceiling as well, they looked like a tribal design... Blue-my favorite color, heart- well, tacky yet pretty!!!  

Project 365 Day 77 From yesterday

This is a small curio piece i found at a Coffee Central in Tnagar [Chennai]. Was reminded of the pedestal fans we had at home while i was growing up. This was much before the AC came home.... 

Three little blades bringing so much relief on a hot summer day
Three little blades whipping the wind around
Three little blades
That was all we needed... 




Coffee Central
No.11, Dr.B.Narasimhan Road (North Boag Road), 
Opp Gandhinagar Sports Club
T.Nagar,
Chennai- 17 
Pic shot on Blackberry Curve 8520

Project 365 Day 76 Row Row

These 2 men seemed completely oblivious to the blazing sun as they enjoyed a cool ride along the Pulicat Lake on a catamaran.... 

Look at the guy sitting, holding on the long pole that they probably used to steer the boat... He looked as if he was holidaying in a resort, lounging on the hammock!!! 

Project 365 Day 75 Shimmering

The water in the lake was shimmering in the sun, we could see the bed, and the little pebbles and weeds floating about.. Happily sitting in the boat, while the man who was rowing was literally pushing the boat closer to the Flamingos, i watched in awe as the river shone as if it were made of precious stones.... 

Project 365 Day 74 Reflections

Ah, how i wish i was here now.. Amidst nothing but nature, cool breeze and lush greenery all around... The Coir village, where we had fun, relaxed, and simply let go of our city lives.. Those 3 precious days... 

This shot was taken while our houseboat was doing a sort of a U turn, the 3 hours we spent on that boat, steering it along the back waters, watching the sun set, and soaking it all in was sheer magic...

Project 365 Day 74 The Sun

We were walking along the numerous passages of the Krishnapuram Palace, Kayamkulam, near Allepey... The Sun was mercilessly beating down on us through the narrow ledges and window panes... but what a beauty the palace was.... 

Would have loved to live in a place as majestic, spacious and mysterious as this.. So many hidden pathways, a very cool underground water system and of course a pond with fish and turtle in it... 

Here's little but more about the Palace

Project 365 Day 73 Bright

I dont know the name of the flower

But i do know its beautiful

I dont know how tall it grows

but i do know its got attitude!!

Spotted this flower in the Bannerghatta Butterfly park, bangalore

Skywatch Friday Project 365 Day 72 Reach high

Heading back to Chennai from Kalahasthi, these clouds came along with us, as if teasing the mountains to reach for them and catch them!! :)

What fun it must have been... just like how we keep chasing our dreams, till we realise them and go on to dream further...

Project 365 Day 70 Look

A siberian husky was busy observing the other dogs around at the Dog show... These are such gorgeous creatures and were absolutely friendly.... :-))

Taken during Ooty Dog show in 2010...

Project 365 Day 69 Forever

During my ooty visit last year, while walking on the road, i noticed these yellow flowers all over. There were quite a few selling them, and i approached a lady to find out what they were..


She rattled off a name, which i instantly forgot
The one thing she mentioned that i remember is that it will last forever.... 
I felt the petals, it infact felt like paper, dry and thick... The lady saw my face change expression and assured me it was a real flower....  

I brought home some and gifted it to a friend of mine!! 


Imagine if we too had something we liked remained with us forever... How beautiful that would be!! 

Project 365 Day 68 Love

At the Ooty dog show, i saw these two doggies nose to nose and thought that was the cutest thing ever!!  They belonged to the same owner.. The Llasapso was just there, while the Lab was a winner and she was just about a year old... 

Was reminded of the good fun i had on that project that took me to Ooty for 5 awesome days.. Not only did i get to beat Chennai heat, but got the opportunity to be among dogs of various breeds, sizes and characters... What fun!! 

Project 365 Day 67 Ripples

The beautiful ripples on the sands of Colva beach... As i walked along the shore towards the ocean, these ripples felt like little bumps on the road, except they melted away in a flash.... 

Hope to visit Goa once more...


Previous posts on Goa and This 

project 365 Day 66 Fresh

White petals with a splash of yellow on them on a tree that had very few leaves left. Now, that is Frangipani for you... Saw this tree almost everywhere i went, especially in Pune at the Vipassana center. I dont know the tamil word for this flower, nor if there is an English name for it, but Frangipani it is till then! 

The very 1st time i saw this was in Delhi when we were on the road when suddenly my baby cousin, then 3yrs old suddenly yelled out "Daddy, Frangipani" from the back seat of the car... :-))

Project 365 Day 65 The Tank

A bus, a lorry, a tempo traveller, what was that? Sitting atop a house, yes, believe it!! It was their water tank.. How cool was that... 


Random person:: Say, where do you get your water from?
Owner of the house: From our bus
Random person: No, i mean where do you store your water?
Owner of the house [ semi pissed off] : Dint i tell you, from our bus? you stupid man, look up and you will see our Bus!!
  

:-) have a lovely weekend all

Skywatch Friday Project 365 Day 64 Pure

While driving back from Kalahasthi, we missed a turn somewhere and discovered we were on a road that was different from the one we had gone on earlier in the day..  After nothing but arid dry land, i suddenly spotted this massive white structure, that looked like a palace, or maybe it was a mosque, or some religious center.. No board, no people, no nothing...

Managed to take a few shots from the car while on the move.... Loved the blue skies and the white clouds against the white structure... 

For more beautiful skies, please visit Skywatch Friday

Project 365 Day 63 Colours

The lovely sweet taste.. The childhood memories that come flooding back... The little excitement and feeling that comes bursting from within....

This is a shot of a lollypop i saw at Sweet World in Express Avenue Mall in Chennai.. These lollypops have me tempted every single time, but today i decided against buying one... :-)


And this post is dedicated to my Baby cousin who turns 6 today.. Happpy Birthday Birdie..

project 365 Day 62 Glow

Last night as we walked out of the restaurant, the Buddha was glistening in the light, and as i walked closer to the piece, i noticed this one lotus that was half hidden in the dark... 

Reminded me of me, so much of what goes on in my head and mind remains within me , hidden; while only a small percentage is revealed to the world outside... 

Project 365 Day 61 Furball

While in Ooty last year, i got the opportunity to cover the Dog & Horse show for a magazine... Saw so many interesting breeds of dogs, one of which was the Chow Chow.. The dog was absolutely adorable, and friendly, and the only one of its kind in the show... 

When speaking to the owner, the lady did mention they were high maintenance, and needed to be in cool climate... But were awesome pets and this one guarded the house like as if it were a fort... 


What fun those 4 days were... surrounded by dogs across sizes, breeds, colours... Beautiful!! memorable...