Deep Ties

  Credits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Buildings Every country has its centres of political life, and the Union Buildings in Pretoria form the official seat of the government of South Africa. These are located at a picturesque spot at the highest point of Pretoria and are considered a tourist attraction as well an emblem of democracy. These impressive buildings made of light sandstone also house the office of the President of South Africa. Sir Herbert Baker was the architect who designed them in the English monumental style. When we (again the four grandparents) went to visit Union Buildings, visitors were prohibited from entering it. Hence, we stood outside and gazed at the imposing building that loomed ahead of us as the bright sun shone down relentlessly, making it almost impossible to take clear photographs. What crossed my mind was how similar this appeared to our own Rashtrapati Bhavan which constituted the abode of the Indian President and the adjoining North an...

                                                                    Pinterest I have always believed in the above quote, ever since I read my first few books by Enid Blyton and was transported into her world of pixies, elves and adventure. That is when I realised that books can only appeal to you if they tickle your senses and pique your curiosity. There is no use in reading weighty tomes to impress others. Even the simplest book has lessons that are begging to be learnt, if you know where to look for them, much akin to how the knights of yore went searching for the Holy Grail.                                                                       F...

  InternetPoem.com It is only when we move outside India that we realise the significance of time zones. Johannesburg is three and a half hours behind India and by the time we wake up in the morning here, it is already almost noon back home. That is when things like phone calls must be timed right, unless we want to wake up people or, on the contrary, be woken up at unearthly hours. It is for that reason that I keep my watch on Indian Standard time just so I know what time it is in India. The other reason is that when I participate on writing challenges, where one has to write every single day, I need to keep track of midnight, which is when daily challenges end, which is 8.30 pm in Johannesburg. Hence, I finish my daily poetry challenge early in the morning, preferably the moment my eyes open and my A to Z blog posts sometime in the morning. That way I can finish my writing early enough and have the rest of the day to do all the interesting things like travelling, shopping, eati...

Pinterest Art has always been a significant part of human society since the beginning of time. It makes one come alive and awakens the finer emotions in one’s being. The heart thrills to see the perfect painting, while the mind strives to make sense of it. Two days ago, we (two sets of grandparents) visited the famous Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria which commemorates the Great Trek by the Afrikaners right up to the Anglo-Boer War. I will be writing about this impressive building in another post. Today, I intend to showcase the breath-taking artwork that nestles within this wonderful monument.   Willem Herminus Coetzer - Still Life Artist The WH Coetzee Hall is a delight to browse through. We strolled around, our eyes getting wider and wider as we tried to take in the magnificence of the stunning art work. Scenes from the savannah, the exotic landscapes of Africa, the majesty of the animals and the picturesque beauty of human faces - the themes were as impressive as the Africa...