The rains return!
We had thought that monsoon season was already over, due to some version of global warming, or perhaps a curse of some irate god. It had not rained for over two weeks, and the air was looking like Los Angeles: thick brown soup which tickles the throat and burns the eyes. But last night the clouds formed and grouped into tumbling dark armies which charged one another and hurled lightning bolts from horizon to horizon, rending great holes in the very welkin through which tumbled rain blessed rain. So today the dust is all settled and transformed back into its natural state of mud. And I can breathe freely again...

my favourite spot in our apartment complex

i swim almost every day. the pool is clean, and the water temperature is perfect: just cool enough to be refreshing.

holy man on the holy hill

the press of the crowd on the holy mountain of tirumala was rather too much, so i walked out to the edge of the temple area and found this fellow meditating and asking for alms.

climbing sacred steps

this set of steps is anointed by pilgrims on their way to see Lord Venkateshvara at the most visited shrine in the world on the holy mountain of tirumala, just outside of tirupati, some 270 km away. there are over 4,000 steps on the path, which is around 12 km long. i walked the entire path bare-foot, as is the custom. it was a brilliant walk, even though i was not able to see the Lord Venkateshvara this time. next time perhaps...

next-door neighbors watching a volleyball game

these guys were chased out of our gated community, so they went next door to watch the humans play.

some local color

i took my science class out to see what was in the field: we found an orgy of beetles! ain't they dressed fancy?