This weekend started with the uplifting story of San Fransisco Bay area's very own Batkid getting his wish fulfilled through the Bay Area Make-a-Wish foundation

Just in time for Universal Children's Day on November 20th, a day dedicated by the United Nations to promote the welfare of and understanding between children across the world.

While Universal Children's Day is observed in many countries including Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom; in the United States, National Child's Day is held on the first Sunday in June.

India observes Children's Day on Nov 14th to coincide with the birthday of India's first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, fondly referred as chacha Nehru.

Festival of lights; Victory of good over evil; Lights of a new dawn; Spirits of Happiness; Rays of hope; Shining lights of inner awareness that helps unmask ones true self....

...There are several ways to interpret the lights that form the essence of Diwali; a festival widely celebrated this week.

Choose the meaning that matters most to you now.

Happy Diwali

For almost a year until May 2012, Marilyn Monroe's pose from the 1955 film 'The Seven Year Itch' was a central attraction in downtown Chicago 's Magnificent Mile.

Since then this 26 feet 'Forever Marilyn' statue has graced Hollywood's very own Palm Springs, arriving just in time for her would have been 85th birthday.

Towards the end of 2013, this 34,000 pound statue will journey all the way back east to New Jersey, hometown of its designer Seward Johnson.

It is an interesting anecdote that Johnson is the grandson of Robert Wood Johnson co-founder of the well known multinational 'Johnson & Johnson',  and worked there until he was fired by his uncle.

A visit to Hong Kong is incomplete without the 268 step climb to Tian Tan sitting Buddha statue at Ngong Ping in Lantau Island. Erected in 1993 across one of Hong Kong’s most important Buddhist sanctums ‘The Po Lin Monastery’, the 111 feet tall 'Big Buddha' as it is called, took twelve years to build and is one of Hong Kong’s most popular attractions; more so due to the efficient Ngong Ping Cable Car cable car ride to the top which offers breath-taking views of the mountains and the ocean.

What intrigued me at Ngong Ping was the swastika embedded on Big Buddha’s chest and also on Buddha within Po Lin Monastery. Swastika originates from the Sanskrit word 'svasti' meaning good fortune, luck and well being and is commonplace in Hinduism since the symbol originally represented the revolving sun, fire or the circle of life. In Buddhism too, not surprisingly, the swastika symbolizes auspiciousness and good fortune.

Due to the usage of the counter clockwise version of the swastika in the Nazis' flag, it has became a symbol of hate and anti-Semitism in the western world. Interestingly though in Hinduism this counter-clockwise version of swastika with the arms bent to the left called sauvastika or sathio, symbolizes night, magic, or purity, and also the destructive powers of goddess Kali. In Hinduism the swastika or sathio is used to mark the good opening or beginning of anything important; account books of merchants or entry doors to households etc.

The swastika symbol was even used by the Navajo Native Americans; who sadly discontinued its use after its Nazi association.

Christopher Columbus was perhaps not too far off when he mistook Native Americans as Indians; given the similarities in their spiritual roots. There is more to that association than meets the eye.

Winds of change are blowing hard at the grassroots level despite stalemates in Washington.

In 2012, 13.2 percent of domestically produced electricity in United States came from renewable sources. Globally, renewable energy's contribution to energy production was 16 percent. United States makes up 21.2% of world wind power capacity as of 2012.

A recent September 2013 study by U.S National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) finds that $7 billion worth of fuel can be saved by switching to wind and solar.

An earlier 2010 NREL study on wind and solar had indicated that a 35 percent contribution from wind and solar energy into existing electric power systems can reduce fuel costs by 40% and carbon emissions by 25%–45% without extensive infrastructure changes. 

As per NREL that is roughly equivalent to taking 22–36 million cars off the road. That's pretty darn significant. The alternate energy money ball is about to roll uphill.

Shankar Tucker of Shruti Box fame, performed in the San Fransisco Bay area at a concert organized by Association for India's Development (AID).  AID does some wonderful work in India. Check out their website for their genesis and for all the good work they do.

If you are new to Shankar Tucker, watch his TEDx session for some background info.

As with any stage performance, critical element is the lighting.  I don't control it but can decide how to manage it.

I have some additional pictures below, set to Shankar's 'Moments and Centers'.

Hope you like it.

The next few days are festive in many Indian homes, towns and villages, marking a well celebrated Hindu festival in India: Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Ganeshutsav in Western India. In cities like Mumbai, devotees throng to various suburban sites to catch a glimpse of diverse creative renderings of the Ganesha deity.  At the end of the festival which can go up to 11 days, thousands of these idols are immersed into the waters of the ocean, lakes and ponds nearby.

While there are popular mythological stories for this celebration, I find Vedic scholar Sri Vivek Godbole's explanation to be spiritually grounded and realistic. Mr. Godbole frames Ganeshutsav as part of a series of seasonal festivals ('Maati che Tyauhaar' - Festivals of Earth) celebrating Mother Earth. These included other festivals like Bedur (honoring farm animals) and Naag Panchami (honoring the  role of the snake in mantaining ecological balance) etc.

Ganesha's visual depiction symbolized an intelligent mind (hence an elephant head) that is capable of understanding things in detail (hence a mouse is often represented alongside the Ganesha idol to show that knowledge needs to be broken down for easier understanding, similar to how a mouse breaks food down to smaller particles).  It also symbolizes humanity's connection and dependence on Earth's other living beings throughout their lives.

The making of the Ganesha idol got more creative in communities near rivers and water sources. Easy access to clay allowed for creativity to have a spiritual expression. Ganesha idols which used to be made of clay was later immersed in oceans, rivers or lakes to dissolve in water. This was perfectly in tune with nature due to biodegradability of clay. 

At its core, spirituality in Hinduism involves honoring and appreciating the five elements (Space, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth) that form the basis for any matter in Nature. Similar to many purpose built Hindu Deities represented in idol form, Ganesha was meant to be a visually creative representation of our dependance on Water and Earth. 

With the spread of commerce, popularity of Ganesha idols has now evolved to be based on the competitive size and splendor of the artifacts around them. Some large size Ganesha idols can go over 20 feet in height. Cost and durability also gained as 'value' criteria for buying and manufacturing decisions and Plaster of Paris became the material of choice rather than clay.  Plaster of Paris is essentially gypsum plaster which is a fine, white powdered calcium sulfate hemihydrate and is a common industrial manufacturing by-product.

While environmental awareness is seeing a resurgence, Ganesha Idols made of Plaster of Paris continue to be in high demand. due to their lightweight and low purchase price in comparison to clay based models.  

The significant downstream ecological cost burden that Plaster of Paris puts on the Earth and its living beings when these idols are immersed in the local waters is not factored in the overall cost of making the Ganesha deity and hence not reflected within the price that people pay for the idols.

This does raise some ensuing questions: How many devotees understand the underlying nature friendly spiritual value system that these festivals are based on? More importantly how often are these spiritual values put in practice in their decisions; and in policy decisions?

Since I was a kid I have admired street artists for their Grit. I am constantly intrigued  by their ability to take it one day at a time against all odds while still focusing on their talent and skills.

Last week we were at Victoria in British Columbia, Canada walking along the Victoria Inner Harbour. While I was shooting some pictures, my family kept themselves busy watching a spray paint artist at work. An hour had gone  by before I strolled back to join them. 

By then it was past 10 pm at night and the crowd for this artist's show had dwindled to just my family. They had  already struck up a conversation with the artist Norman Jay Seagrave who was impressed with the curiosity and interest shown by our kids to hang around and watch him in action for over an hour. He had decided to create his last spray painting for the day as a gift to our kids. 

Jay's action also had a touch of personal sentiment to it. It was Jay's last day at the harbour. The city had served him an eviction notice.  

At that time, there was only one way I could think of thanking  Jay for his graciousness: Make a small photo essay of the 10 min work of art he was about to create. Jay's last performance at the Victoria Inner Harbour.

Jay, thanks for your work and for the gift. It was most precious and was safely brought home by the kids.  Wish you the very best for the future.
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PS: It has been a while since I did a 'day in a life' type photography and I enjoyed this 10 min low available light photo shoot. All photos were shot with a 50 mm / f1.4 prime lens. No flash. No tripods.