Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Tomb of Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana


On Mathura Road, on the way to Nizamuddin Railway Station is the Tomb of Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana, (1556-1627) an Indian Sufi poet popularly known as Rahim. He was a poet at the court of Mughal emperor Akbar and the son of Bairam Khan, a great Turkish statesman, warrior and caretaker of Mughal emperor Akbar.

Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana was among one of the nine Navratna's of Akbar's court. He loved Indian civilization and was also an accomplished poet and an astrologer. Although he was of Iranian origin, and a Muslim, he was a great devotee of Lord Krishna. As he belonged to the Bhakti period, he wrote couplets in Hindi in praise of Lord Krishna. He also had an exceptional command over Sanskrit language.


Among other accomplishments, he  wrote two works on the subject of Astrology- Khet Kautukam and Dwawishd Yogavali, which are still referred by people interested in Astrology and also translated 'The Memoirs of Babar' from Turkish to Persian.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Lodhi Garden


Lodhi Garden; the minute one hears that a photographic shoot is scheduled here, a collective groan goes up, because for a photographer at Delhi, Lodhi Garden is a place where one has 'been there, done that'. One does not realise that sometimes visiting a place is more to meet friends and to hone your skills rather than find new stuff......


Well that is what one thinks, but then once you are there, you realise that, hey, there are new things to shoot and new stuff to capture.




 From flowers, to rainbows, the gardens are a veritable paradise.





My very first shoot at the gardens yielded me stuff, that was lovely. Later shoots were not as enthusiastic and that was reflected in the kind of photographs one took.


Then came along Photosensitive, where Shailan and Jogi make it clear that they are not looking for anything other than the best, so then the exploration started....




With new angles, and new ideas, sometimes when one is seeking, even the God's do lend a hand and offer you




awesome sunsets,



swirling clouds









and of course, a rainbow :-)





....... add this to friends willingly posing for you, as Pratibha and Rita did during the photowalk, and Lodhi Garden comes alive with the sound of clicks.