Little Ones !!

A baby elephant at the Kodanad Elephant Kraal. Taken in March 2007. There were some 5-6 baby elephants caged or chained like the one in picture. Its a pleasure to watch them bathe in the dry mixture of mud, hay, palm leaves and dry leaves. The one in picture should be less than 12 months old and less than 6 feet in height.

Kodanad, a beautiful and charming semi-rural village situated on the south bank of river Periyar, about 50 kilometers east of Kochi(Cochin), Kerala, South India. Kodanad is the only elephant training centre in Kerala specialised for training stranded baby elephants from the forests across the region. This itself has become a unique attraction in recent times as at least 5-8 baby elephants are brought in and trained every year.

Twelve Apostoles

An off site trip from Melbourne during January early this year. The lonely rocks caught the imagination of early settlers and the road builders. They named them aptly as 'Twelve apostles' reviving the idea of apostolic missions made some 2000 years ago.

The Twelve Apostles are located along the spectacular Great Ocean Road. They were originally named the 'Sow and Piglets'. Located near Loch Ard Gorge, the Sow was Muttonbird Island, with the piglets being the smaller surrounding rocks.

The Great Ocean Road (known as the Surfcoast Highway between Geelong and Torquay) which stretches along the South Eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Geelong and Warrnambool is one of Australia's great scenic coastline drives.

The Twelve Apostles were formed by erosion of the original coastline. The constant action of the sea on the limestone slowly wore down the rocky cliff, gradually leaving individual rocks. The cliff is still being eroded at a rate of about 2cm each year, and in the future is likely to form more 'Apostles' from the other rocky headlands that line the Victorian coastline.

Sultry evening in Lucknow. Photo is taken minutes before we start the barat. Rahul looks great in his bridal groom dress. Suri has an attire to match the occasion.
May 11, Lucknow