A Morning Celebration.

Today 26th January, 2012. The country celebrates the Republic Day. 

Where I live, it is celebrated at the Gymkhana Grounds with march pasts by security personnel, senior cadets, school children and small kids, the latter making a sincere effort as the band plays. Awards are presented, the flag is hoisted by the head of the institution. 

Our gymkhana grounds are next to some hills.

An unusual feature of our Republic Day is the simultaneous flag hoisting done on the hill top by students as the flag goes up at the gymkhana grounds followed by the national anthem.

For very small children it's a morning with balloons and playing on the grounds while others listen to speeches.

 Some others too, seriously contemplate the proceedings.

 

 Great choice of seat for a better view of the parade.

 Some serious athletes playing on the basketball field trying to send the balloon up through the hoop. Who says it must go only down through the hoop !!

 The flag hoisted on the hill top.

 

JAI HIND!!

Tough & Standing.

My maternal grandfather(Appa)'s ancestors came from a village in Kokan, much inland from the coast.  History is available, for  7 generations before my grandfather. 

We travelled to this place to pay our respects .

The house is situated away from  the road, sloping down into the rice fields below. Surrounded on three sides by wide green rice fields, and coconut and mango groves  in the distance, the house stands facing it all.  5 generations lived there. And the last 2 generations  moved to the big cities of Mumbai and Pune.  

Facing the rice fields, is the samadhi (memorial)  of the  person who is considered the  original ancestor, and everyday, a lamp is lit in an alcove at the memorial.

Something tough and resilient about the structure, that has seen ups and downs, good days, bad days, bad weather, torrential rains, , and possibly, hundreds of years before,  a full running house; there is even a lock hanging  above one of the doors.

Today,  it stands, watching it all,  completely overrun by the  greens....

(The above has been written for me by my mother.She had visited it,  first 52 years ago with my grandparents ,  and now with me,  and was able to explain the history to me)

Taken on Canon A530 point & shoot camera....