astro

Orion Nebula - Again

Fire in the sky. Orion Nebula. My third attempt at this deep sky object. I took over 150 images of 30 seconds each and stacked them together to get a final image. The light pollution is making it more and more difficult to do any night sky observing. The universe

astro

Triangulum Galaxy

This is the Triangulum Galaxy. It is a spiral galaxy 2.73 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Triangulum. It is one of the most distant permanent objects that can be viewed with the naked eye. However, it is impossible to see it in any city or small town.

astro

Andromeda

This is Andromeda Galaxy (M31). Photographing this one was really hard for me. Many many hours to get this image. Astronomy and astrophotography is a humbling experience. What we are seeing is 2.5 million light years away. And it is still the closest galaxy to ours. This image contains

astro

Pleiades

Our lives are illuminated; sparsely, dimly. Just like pin points of starlight in the maddening blackness of the universe. Sometimes on a winter's night, it can be achingly beautiful. The Seven Sisters, or the Pleiades (M45), is an open star cluster in Taurus. Known as Parvin in Urdu and Krittika

astro

Orion Nebula

I have been wanting to combine my interests in astronomy and photography by exploring deep sky imaging. I have spent many hours getting this first image of Orion Nebula. This is a diffuse nebula in the Orion constellation. It is about 1500 light years away. About 700 new stars are

astro

Sirius

With the incredibly light polluted city of Rajkot, I continue to fail at getting any sort of deep sky objects. More than 50% moon brightness added to my misery. Even with new moon, I barely manage to see anything below 35 degree altitude. Light pollution is the least talked about

wildlife

Rosy Pelicans

On my recent birding trip in search of the winter migrants, I got this video of a large squadron of pelicans, drifting on the wetland lake. One can see the characteristic scooping action for feeding. 0:00 /0:11 1×

wildlife

Winter Birding

As winter arrives, we head out to our usual haunts in search of birds. And over the many seasons that I have been here, I have come to love the journey, the landscape, the heavy morning air, and the cold but burning sun.

astro

Morning Skies

The night side of the world Turns and starts a fire in the sky The fire then cools down By the bone chill of the night to come And in-between I see the luminous Incandescent Cinders. Venus in the east Floating in a carpet of blue and black Weaved by

astro

Sunspots

The above is the image I took on 9th September 2025. This is without any solar filters, just early morning mild sun. One can see 4 prominent sunspots. Each larger than the earth. Here is reference image from Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (NASA).

astro

Day After the Eclipse

So we had zero visibility on the day of the full Lunar eclipse on account of the monsoon storm. This was 7th September 2025. On the 8th, there was some visibility and I got some images (not of the eclipse ofcourse). This is not full moon but nearly so (99.

landscapes

Ruby, Magenta, Rouge, Scarlet

Radiant clouds at dusk First white, then drifting A fire within and furnace without Then orange burning Magenta gives way to rouge Scarlet burns the fire again The fire of life The fire of night The fire of agony The fire of mystery.

life

Temporary Suspension of Life

Life in the Indian village is always in abeyance. Put off for a while - reasons unknown. There is a different rhythm to the day. It doesn't flow like it does in the city. It is more restful. Afternoons are particularly mellow. The unnameable reticence of modernity is visible in

wildlife

Flamingos (and other birds) of Saurashtra

wildlife

Birds of Gadhka II

Sightings of this morning.

wildlife

World Wildlife Day 2025

On this World Wildlife Day, I would like to share some of my photographs from various forests of India. We are truly fortunate to be in this country, where wildlife is abundant. We still have much to learn to share our habitats. Even in our school campus, if you just

wildlife

Birds of Gadhka

February 2025 | Just 10 mins from The Northstar School, is a small town called Gadhka. On the outskirts of the town is a lake that has a thriving bird presence. It is incredible how wildlife thrives within and around densely populated areas in India. Some photos from my recent trek.

landscapes

Dreaming Trees

Dreaming trees at dawn in the jungles of India. When I was barely awake in the early winter morning, these jungle trees were also waking up from their slumber. The misty, gossamer light, golden and amber. If you're seeing this on a phone, please see in landscape mode.

Khijadiya

November 2024 | Hemant Ritu (pre-winter) has arrived, and I begin my seasonal wanderings in wetlands, grasslands, and forests. Migratory birds have started arriving in Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary (Jamnagar, Gujarat). 1st November was an in-between day; neither the last day of the outgoing year nor the first day of the new

life

Anatolia - Bir

I have travelled far on the trail Have I looked enough? Have I watched enough? Have I waited enough? I went to The Blue Camii Mirrored by that hallowed And time-worn citadel of stories Of wails and praises Of ignorance and of Sophia I have walked through the bazaars of

wildlife

Black-rumped flameback

I spotted this couple of Black-rumped flameback or Lesser goldenback woodpeckers in the Satpura National Park (May 2024).

landscapes

Solar Blaze

Forty summers I have seen Some like a touch of velveteen Others like the sting of guillotine Watching, catching Creatures of the dark like Constantine While an angel watched Like a mother from Magdalene I went searching of a tambourine Empty streets await, they said It was all foreseen How

wildlife

Common Birds of Jungles of Rajasthan

life

Colours of the Desert

While the tigers of Ranthambore are camouflaging with the dry grass landscape, the humans of Rajasthan are a tempest of colours in the blaze of the burning sky. But I see only monochrome, like in all the derelict cities and towns of the world. Squalor, utter squalor. Redeemed only by

wildlife

Birds of Prey