WISHING YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS

This is wishing all my readers a Merry Christmas and a great time looking forward to beginning the New Year with a bang.

MY SHORT STORY BOOK 'A PEARL FROM EVERY OYSTER' AT THE KOCHI INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL, KERALA, INDIA

Happy to share with you that my short story book will be presented at the Kochi International Book Festival. This is third book fair the book has been at, the first being the Chennai Book Fair and the Delhi International Book Fair last year.

I thank all my friends all over the globe for being part of this enthusiastic journey of mine. Please share this with your friends in Kerala and with all Keralites across the globe with whom you are in touch.

REVIEW ON AMAZON OF MY SHORT STORY BOOK - A PEARL FROM EVERY OYSTER

I wrote this shorty story book when my family was going through a period of great struggle. And the struggle only added more energy into me to finish the book. Each story is about a real life incident and each is different and unique, taken from the experiences of both my life and from the lives of my friends.

Parents and children will benefit alike from this book as it has stories that will recharge you when you are down.  

GREENS AND FLOWERS AROUND OUR HOME

Although the rain gods had started smiling only since last month, the greenery and flowers around our house are in good shape.

My sister and wife have been able to successfully keep them in full cry, watering them systematically. And that has been possible, only with good water management at our home.

Rains always bring a huge impact on the plants. Nothing waters them better than a shower of rain.

OUR ART WORKS ON CUPS

Sometime back, my sister and I, tried putting our art work on these cups. It was a different feel to see the art on a curved surface.

While my sister's focus was into African Masai themes mine was landscape oriented.

MOVING AROUND A ROCK STUDDED GREEN MOUNTAIN

These snaps were shot from the Trivandrum Mail somewhere on the Kerala Tamil Nadu border.  I fell in love with this green mountain. It gave a feel as though it had gray rocks studded on it.

Each view brings in a different treat for the eyes. I had to abandon shots where man made structures were too conspicuous. It spoils that natural feel of the photograph.

SAND BUBBLER CRAB ART - PANTAI BEACH, LANGKAWI

We had finished visiting all the major spots in Langkawi and we only had this place remaining. My wife was negotiating with me to give up visiting this place for some shopping that she wanted to do. But I pressed for going here.

Unlike the black sand beach that was pretty lonely, we spotted a lot of people here.

We spotted sand-bubbler crabs, at the Pantai Beach, Langkawi, Malaysia. Sand-bubbler crabs of the genera Dotilla and Scopimera produce remarkable patterns and structures at tropical beaches.

These crabs live in burrows in the sand, where they remain during high tide. When the tide is out and gone, they emerge on to the surface of the sand, and scour the sand for food, forming it into inflated pellets, which cover the sand.

The speciality of these crabs is that breathe air with their legs-Scopimera and Dotilla.