saurabhjn

When in Langur country, do as the langurs do. The boys got proper training in #bouldering. Cool stuff.

Climbing and falling and jumping. That's all they do all day.

What do you call this? When it's early in the morning and the moon is setting. Is it a moonset?

#early #morning #boat #rides be like...

Lots and lots of birdies in a tree

The sounds of the forest and birds and the river.

Is it just me, or is this band really really good?

The view from Cabo de Rama fort is something else.

#caboderama #cola #canacona #fort #goa #travel #sea

There is a bird sitting on top of that tree. It's been there for a long time. I wonder if it is fishing, or just contemplating life.

#caboderama #goa #tree #sea #bird #nature

M1. Boating. With a headlight. On an inflatable boat we picked up five years ago and never got to use. Till today. Big day ha ha.

#boating #boat #karwar #majali #karnataka

Boaty time

This pic turned out rather nice

#boating #boat #lagoon #karwar #karnataka

And so begins the Goa Carnival 2023

King Momo surrounded by beauties

The flower girls look happier in person

Popularity is guaranteed if you're gonna chuck free onions and dried fish at people.

The random things that make a parade fun

The junk food guy was there.

So was the fresh produce guy

Some intense octopus sea life murder thing guy

This Gomes is a goner. He had a Mardi Gra-esque party going on outside his bar, with drunk ladies attracting a lot of attention... till the cops got attracted too.

I really liked this float promoting vocational education at the school level

Some scantily clad men were seen promoting the virtues of coconut oil. Women were having a field day photographing this guy's naked butt.

Groot was there, for some reason

There were entertainers of all hues

The dragon fellow was there too

We leave you tonight, with what seems like the depiction of a tourist photographing a Goenkar who has had too much to drink and is now have a siesta on their Balcao. There can be nothing more Goan than this.

Over the weekend we went #camping in #Maharashtra, by the #Terekhol river.

I wish I'd taken a nicer picture of the beautiful river and the fresh, cool water.

@sephibergerson 's lovely family invited us over and fed us yummy fresh cooked #food.

I finally found people in India who have more camping gear than me. My tribe 😁

M2 slept in late. M1 sat in a boat and looked fashionable while studying. Sephi cooked. The kids played games. I chased birds.

Everyone did their thing on a beautiful Sunday morning.

An orange moon rises over a red tiled roof.

गए तो थे हम सुबह सुबह बत्तख देखने। मगर बत्तख हमें देख कर भाग गईं तो हम भी कमल देखकर लौट आए।

Is this normal - playing two different instruments with two hands on two keys - or are we witnessing something freakishly awesome? Oh, and we're here at Mojigao for some time, if you'd care to join us.

Last night I heard Gaudi, an Italian DJ who performs dub and reggae, play the theremin and many other instruments. I've never heard the theremin performed live. It was something else.

Goa has been hosting such amazing concerts and I've been sitting at home 🤦🏽‍♂️

आज दूसरों के बच्चों को झाड़ पर चढ़ाया

Music in Goa is the gift that keeps on giving. Today we are at the Institute Menezes, as the famous pianist Karl Lutchmayer lectures and performs.

There were two things that I realised during the concert. The first was that composers are handicapped by the mechanical limitations of the piano hardware. They are also limited by the ten fingers, two feet, and dexterity of the human form. All fingers are not equal, and the two hands have trouble doing completely independent things. Orchestras have there limitations too, and two pianists in tandem do not make twenty fingers.

So it was today that I truly realised the importance of synthesisers. I always thought that synthesizers are about sounds that natural instruments cannot produce. But a simple MIDI file can produce music that a human pianist never can.

The second thing I realised was the importance of buying local. The younger one, who accompanied me today, was in the market for a (digital) piano last month. He cycled down to Furtados, Goa's go-to musical instruments store, and figured out what he needed. Thereafter, me being the miser that I am, proceeded to hunt all over the Internet and Gurgaon for a cheaper source. While deferring the decision to me, Kavin patiently pointed out that a local store means immediate delivery, checking the piece before purchase, and local support and warranty. We did eventually buy from Furtados, but only because the price difference outside was <5%.

What I hadn't factored in is that buying from a local store is like investing in the local music scene. Furtados sponsored this piano and the performance today. Kavin is there practically every week to buy Trinity papers and other things. And it has perhaps helped build quite a bit of the local music scene that we so enjoy.

Last night I encountered these two at a bar. They were having the time of their life. Both of them was so happy doing their thing, that it didn't really matter what music they were performing.

आज गोवा में हिंदी नाटक देखने का सौभाग्य प्राप्त हुआ। जामुन का पेड़, कलाकार मंदार जोग। शानदार प्रदर्शन।

It you've heard of the stereotype "Goans just need an excuse to party", I assure you that it's entirely true. I think we're just celebrating that Easter is over and all the bleeding tourists should have left by now.

The lady in the pics in Lorna. I have been properly chastised today for not knowing that in Goa, Lorna isn't just a singer or entertainer. She is an institution.

@rochelledsilvapoet doing @rochelledsilvapoet things. Waxing eloquently about her love for Goa.

The obsessive father in me: oh yeah my kid is also learning the piano; it is only a matter of time before...

Interesting music today at Baba Au Rhum. I actually worked and finished writing a technical document in this environment.

La day annuel

More dancing at the annual day

Somebody cleaned up nice today

The big boy is in the red hat at the back

Kavin made his big screen debut today, in a ̶h̶o̶m̶e̶ school video.

The part where Nilay appeared was too hilarious for me to be able to record.

Something about this gesture, of a senior student encouraging a junior through the finale performance of Imagine...

His favourite part of the Prom

They're having a prom!

(No, they haven't finished school yet.)

आप दिल्ली आएं, बारिश हो जाए, और आप Zorba में हों। और क्या चाहिए?

Yeh mile the hamein, kabhi. Abhi camera mein se nikala.

A sea eagle story. In four parts.

So, the kids went to the OG Amoeba on Church Street today

(Warning: noisy)

A lovely evening spent catching up with old friends.

Some not so drunken dancing

For too long I've shown up at people's homes, eaten their food, drank their wine, and then promptly gone to sleep on their couch. Someone finally gathered evidence.

When you buy gifts for your friends, and they love them and use them ❤️

We got to meet up with the skater girl. And watch her in action! And participate. Woo hoo.

So apparently I was out #birding two years ago, in #Pangot. Chasing angry wet #birds