ಕ್ಷಣಪ್ರಭಾ - Kshanaprabhaa

Here are some data points about the access and usage of kshanaprabhaa.blogspot.com, right out of Google Analytics, which is in place since May 2010 for the blog. Although I was planing to dig deeper and showcase better visualizations, lack of time and the urge to get this done before the dawn of 2015 makes me share pretty much the raw data: 1. The browser breakup is delightful, for the developer in me :) 2. The overall access numbers are heading in the right direction I suppose... 3. The top ten most accessed posts (they are also available as links on the right hand side widget under the name "Popular Posts": 4. Country-wise page view counts. No surprises here... 5. Major Sources of Traffic to the blog: 1. Google India 2. Google Worldwide 3. Facebook 4. Twitter 5. Facebook Mobile 6. Kshanaprabhaa 7. Google UK 8. Google Australia 9. zimcricketforums.com 10. topblogstories.com 6. Top 10 tags used on the blog (slightly curat...

You start feeling a little strange when you realize you have not done something that was very close to your heart, for a long time. The last time I did a bit of drawing / sketching / painting was about a decade and a half back. All the paintings I did back then were mostly without much professional guidance, based on whatever I could pick up by observing things around me, while the rich interest in sketching and painting within the family also probably helped me get excited about it. I had spent hours and hours behind it as I was growing up, and makes me wonder now, where did all that patience go? I can't even imagine now, focusing long hours like that in perfecting a stroke, mixing a colour, and finishing a painting. Anyway, here's an insight into a hobby that took backseat long ago (all these were done before I was 15, I think), and makes many around me (and even myself, sometimes  ) feel it could have become so much better if I had progressed further on this one... ...

Continuing from the first part of the pictures from Kerala, here are more - flora and fauna: The rare Changeable Hawk-Eagle / Crested Hawk-Eagle at the Nelliampathi forests The Green Bee-eater at Pothundy Dam You can't even plan for a picture like this. Swans in a drizzle, drinking out of a temporary waterhole at Munnar Another typical Kerala image - coconut trees and a perfect reflection in the Kumarakom backwaters Nothing gold can stay - a golden sunset at Alleppey The grand Anantapadmanabha Temple and the serenity of its Kalyani at Tiruvanantapuram A pigeon tries to find its food on the beaches of Tiruvanantapuram Inviting to meditate. A lone tree surrounded by the calm waters of the Pothundy Dam As a turtle peeps above the water at the Palakkad Fort , a dragonfly uses its nose as a temporary landing pad An enchanting little red flower at Nemmara

Got inspired by this blog post and a twitter discussion that was going on around it, and  thought of a picture quiz on Ragas of Carnatic Music. here goes. And, it is all in fun, and no offence meant :). So, take a look at the image, identify the ragas (requires knowledge of Kannada, Sanskrit and English languages) ... 1. Pretty straightforward one here: 2. Well, a bit philosophical too... 3. And a bright one: 4. Another straightforward one, or is it? 5. This can get tough... 6. And, last but not the least...

Here are some photos from my multiple visits to different parts of Kerala over the years. Part 1 is in and around Palakkad. A view of the Pothundy Dam from the road near Nemmara A view of the Western Ghats from near Nemmara   Macaques perched on a tree near Seethargund Pearl-like flow of the Seethargund Waterfalls A typical green scene from the Nelliampathi Range An old home, greenery and a lot of swans - a farm at Nelliampathi hill station Bright sunny day and a calm stream flanked with trees all around at Nelliampathi Kerala Defined: Lush Greenery of the Tea Plantations A small water body, lots of greenery, a spot one can easily miss en route to Nelliampathi Large paragraphs won't suffice to describe this tranquility at the Pothundy Dam 

This is the third and concluding part, c ontinuing on from the second part of images from my trip to Haridwar, Hrishikesh, RenukaJi and Delhi:  http://kshanaprabhaa.blogspot.in/2014/11/enchanting-sights-from-haridwar_29.html An endless row of lush green trees leading up to the India Gate at Delhi The Rastrapati Bhavan, in the typical Delhi haze at the stroke of noon. The Amar Jawan Jyoti The majestic India Gate A side view of the India Gate that I liked more than the front view Another iconic Delhi monument, the Red Fort The Bala Sundari Temple at Trilokpur, Himachal Pradesh A view of the shores of Ganga from Lakshman Jhula, Hrishikesh The skies of Hrishikesh through Lakshman Jhula Mystic evening at Hrishikesh as seen from Ram Jhula