Art: Blue porcelain from Russia

Last week at Olavipe I came across some beauties tucked away in the archives room - the Gzhel porcelain collection my brother Jacob acquired during his stint in Moscow. What makes them unique are the cobalt blue against white background, and the motifs. Each design is handmade, and a work of art.

What I found amazing is that Gzhel porcelain is not just decorative pieces or souvenirs. They are mostly functional household items embedded with beautiful artwork – plates, serving dishes, cups and saucers, mugs, samovars and the like. The range also includes clocks, vodka containers and figurines.

Gzhel is the name of the village where these stunning pieces are crafted. It is about 60km SE of Moscow. High quality white clay is abundant in the area. That apparently was the reason why the people there took up pottery centuries back. It seems that the oldest record relating to this dates back to 1339.

Initially the artisans of Gzhel produced plain or enameled utensils and toys. In course of time they mastered the art of majolica and faience. The cobalt blue and white stream was developed in the 19c and became popular within a short span of time.

The outbreak of the First World War and the subsequent Bolshevik Revolution pushed the Gzhel porcelain industry into a crisis. But it bounced back. Today the masterpieces from Gzhel are admired all over the world and are in great demand.

I took photographs of some of the pieces. They are reproduced below. The copyright is reserved. You can click on them to enlarge.

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Also see Divine Strokes

Happy Vishu

Photos of ‘kani konna’, (Golden Shower, cassia fistula)

from Olavipe by Abraham Tharakan. Anyone may use them free

provided due acknowledgement is given.

Also see: Vishu: Did God Create Earth on This Day?

Kerala Architechture: Thekkanattu Parayil Heritage Home

Two more pictures of a Kerala Heritage Home.

Photos: TP (Copyright reserved).

Click on images for enlarged view.

Also see:
Interiors

Travel: Some Cochin photos

When I came across these lovely photographs in the Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons, thought of sharing them with you. To the best of my knowledge they are in the public domain.

Out of the twelve (?) basilicas in India, three are at Cochin. (‘Basilica’ is a canonical title of honor bestowed by the Pope on distinguished churches.) The photo here is of one of them, Santa Cruz Cathedral on KB Jacob Road, Fort Cochin. Originally built by the Portuguese five centuries back, the Dutch who captured Cochin in 1663 used it as a storehouse for weapons. During the British annexation of Cochin in 1795 the building was destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1905.
Also see: Churches on demolition line.

This photo shows the interior of the world famous Cochin Synagogue.
Also see: Cochini Jews – Dreams don’t die

This is a view of the Marine Drive on the Ernakulam waterfront. I hope it is always kept clean and picture perfect.

The terminal at the Cochin International Airport. It is a beautiful example of combining traditional Kerala architechture with modern requirements.

Please click on the images for enlarged view.

Ends.

Blog posts - an announcement

Let me once again thank all the visitors to my Blog for their support and encouragement. Please continue to visit and also tell your friends and contacts about this Blog.
Since I am about to start work on a book there would be fewer posts for some time. I plan to do three a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Hope to keep to this schedule to the extent possible.
Thank you once again.
Given below is a photo I took in Olavipe last month. It may be used free for non-commercial purposes giving due acknowledgement.

Click on the image for enlarged view.

Also see: Photo: Pots on the wall

Gardening: More photos of Kerala flowers

These photos are from Olavipe, taken earlier this month.










Photos by Abraham Tharakan. Copyright reserved.

Click on images for enlarged view.

Also see:

Photographs: Ixora Coccinea flowers

Photos: Lilies that grow in Kerala

Kerala Flowers?

Karthiki captures some Olavipe flowers

Photographs: Patterns in the sky - concludes

Photos: KO Isaac. Copyright reserved.

Click on images for enlarged view.

Ends.

Also see:

Photos: Beauty on walls.

Photos: Flowers from Switzerland

Photo: Pots on the wall

Photographs: Patterns in the sky - I

The sky is fascinating. If you look out of your window at any part of the sky at different times of the day, the patterns, the colors, the light keep changing. It often presents beautiful scenes.

I am privileged to present these beautiful photos by KO Isaac for you.

Copyright reserved.

Click on photos for enlarged view.

Also see:

Kerala photos: Village paths

Blogday thoughts

Yesterday was Founding Day for Parayil A. Tharakan Blog. It was on November 17, 2006 that I registered the blog and made an initial entry. Active blogging was to start only in January this year. Later I added the prefix, Song of the waves to the title.

The inspiration for my entry into the blogosphere was my good friend from Bangalore college days, Jacob Matthan (Sushil). He now lives in Finland and successfully handles about half a dozen blogs, the flagship being Jacob's Blog. I don’t know how he manages to do that. One of the mistakes I made was to start three more blogs - Articles By Abraham Tharakan, EARTH SAVE – Abraham Tharakan's Blog, and Short Stories By Abraham Tharakan - only to find that I could not do full justice to each.

Even after a few months into the venture I knew nothing about blogging. Then I happened to contact Nancy Gandhi for permission to use, for my post Armenian Catholicos in India., a photograph by her. I was so impressed by Nancy’s blog, under the fire star, that I asked her for some advice. Though we have never met, she was kind enough to give me valuable tips by email. Subsequently, it was because of a subtle hint by her that I made the change in the title. (See Change in blog name - 'Song of the waves...') Thank you Nancy.

If the saying that a good picture is equal to a thousand words is true, the credit for 75% of the content in my blog should go to my son-in-law, KO Isaac (See picture on the left.). Most of the photos I have posted were taken by him. He is the Chairman & Managing Director of the fast developing Chennai based ABL Biotechnologies Ltd., and President of Madras Photographic Society. He has created a large number of excellent photos. One of them, a picture of his wife (my daughter Rosemary), is given below:

I thank the readers of my blog; their visits to the site have given me great encouragement. Acknowledgement is also due to my family, and siblings, particularly Mathew and Hormis, for all their support.

A reader, Ronni Bennetty, said in a comment on my post Senior Citizens, blogging is a passport to good health: “Real friendships form among bloggers, as strong over time as in-person friendships. And with blogging, one's new friends might be anywhere in the world.” I have found this to be true, much to my happiness.

The Search Engines too have been kind to me except when I consciously try to create Search Engine Optimized (SEO) posts.

In conclusion, I am quite satisfied with what I have achieved during the first year of blogging. This is said with the full realization that I am still a beginner and have much more to learn.

I hope that more people would take up blogging. It is so rewarding in many ways.

Ends.

Photos: Deepam (Light)

Traditional lamp at the heritage home of Thekkanattu Parayil Tharakans at Olavipe

Click on photos for enlarged view.
Copyright: TP, KO Isaac.
Also see:

Niraparayum Nilavilakkum

OLAVIPE: Heritage Home of Thekkanattu Parayil Tharakans.

An orchid from Olavipe

I am particularly proud of this photo which I took at Olavipe last month. The credit for it, however, goes to the idiot proof camera that I used to shoot it.

Two orchids like the one in the picture were found on the rotten branch of an ancient mango tree near our western gate. No idea how old the tree is. Several of its branches had been cut down for cremating some of our Hindu neighbours when they died. But this one broke and fell down.

How and from where did the orchids come on the tree? None of us has seen an orchid of this type anywhere in the area. Anyway, since the plants were found on a tree, they are epiphytes. An epiphyte anchors on to trees or shrubs, and according to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, “derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain”. This means that they are not parasites.They grow mostly in tropical forests.

Out of the many species of orchids (estimated number 25000 to 50000) , a major portion are epiphytes. The other type is terrestrial which root in soil. There are two more categories, lithophytes which grow on rocky terrain and saprophytes (mycoheterotrophs) which thrive on decaying plant matter. A photo of a terrestrial orchid, also taken by me at Olavipe, is given below:

The size of orchid plants, depending on the species, can be anywhere from tiny to several feet in height. The general impression is that they grow only in the tropics. This is not correct. Orchids can be found in most parts of the world. Some of them however are endemic; they are seen only in a particular region. Many new species are being created on a continuing basis by cross pollination. Quite a few of such orchids are very popular.

Orchids are commercially important, essentially for the flowers. That is big business. The vanilla genus is a perennial favorite as food flavouring. A powder, made by grinding the tubers of certain terrestrial orchids is also used in cooking. Perfumers keep checking the scent of the orchids for possible use in cosmetics.

Coming back to the Olavipe orchid, we have made the aerial genus into a terrestrial one by potting it. Orchids are said to have enough adaptability for such conversion. I hope this is true.

Orchids are the prettiest among all flowers. The very word orchid is synonymous with exotic beauty. They may be rather fussy to cultivate, but the effort is truly worthwhile.

Ends.

Also see: Photos: Electric blue flowers