In the last week of December, during the annual winter break, I happened to visit Jaipur, in the company of my family. We had three hectic days of sightseeing in which we packed in as much as we could, to cover most of the key tourist destinations within the Pink City. On the very first day of our sightseeing trip, we covered the three important forts within the city – Amer, Jaigarh and Nahargarh. The evening ended on the terrace of the beautiful Nahargarh fort that overlooks the city. Having lived in Jaipur many years back, I recalled the lights at Nahargarh fort as it was located high up over the hills and was visible from most parts of the city.
Now visiting the city after so many years, I felt a sense of wonder remembering the lights that would be lit up soon after dark. Along came a torrent of memories of those magical childhood years.
This photo was shot from the terrace of the Nahargarh fort, just after darkness fell. The golden hour when the sun sets on the horizon brings in a feeling of tranquility and quiet introspection. We watched in silence, filled up with awe and gratitude for the gift of this beautiful evening coming to a close.
Today, I leave you with the famous lines from Rabindranath Tagore, the Bard of Bengal who has left a veritable treasure-house of elegant prose and magical poetry in his numerous songs and verses dedicated to the ever mystifying beauty of Nature, that surrounds us in our everyday lives.
Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.
― Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds
Wishing you a wonder-filled weekend! May you also be blessed with the magic of nature wherever you are!
(This post was written for #Skywatch Friday – a place to enjoy skies and views from all around the globe. Skywatch is only as good as the people who post here. It is a “not for profit, not for awards” fun place to post and link from. Simply take a picture which includes the Sky, post that picture on your blog and then put your preferred name and link in the relevant place. It is that simple :-))
20 Comments
Rajlakshmi
How beautiful and peaceful the sky looks… beautiful.
Esha Mookerjee Dutta
That’s what draws me in the first place! Thanks for dropping by!
JM Illinois U.S.A.
This photo is a gift to us all on SkyWatch Friday. So many memories for you at the top of that fort. Happy week-end.
JM, Illinois-U.S.A.
Soul Talk
Oh, that really does make me feel so good! Makes my weekend extra-special to know that 🙂 It is JM. After all, memories are our treasures that add colour to our mundane lives, don’t you agree?
Vasantha Vivek
Fantastic capture ….. Sky and Clouds attract me always … 🙂
Soul Talk
Thank you so much Vasantha…yes, so lovely to catch them floating about, isn’t it?
Vasantha Vivek
🙂 🙂 🙂
Alok Singhal
I have long overdue plans to visit Jaipur and those forts! I am a huge fan of nature and this picture speaks for that!
Thank you
Soul Talk
Thank you so much Alok. Jaipur is not just the Pink City that I always knew it was, it is also one of the most beautiful and cleanest cities that we have in the country right now! I was amazed at the graffiti-free, hoardings-free, billboards-free roads everywhere – such a welcome change from Bangalore! Those forts are a must-visit !!!
Alok Singhal
My resolve to visit has strengthened now 🙂
Beloo Mehra
That’s a lovely photo, Esha. And fits so perfectly with Tagore’s words. Or perhaps it is the other way round! Either way, the fit is perfect. Nothing like looking up from time to time. Who knows what gems of inspiration we will find up there 🙂
Soul Talk
Thank you so much Beloo! Tagore had that uncanny ability to write something to suit every little occasion and beauty that nature has to offer. You look it up, it is there! Inspiration is all around us – all we need is perhaps the eye to let it percolate within us!
Corinne Rodrigues
I love that quote and have written a post about it too, Esha. Such a fabulous picture. I might take up the #SkywatchFriday tag soon.
Soul Talk
Thank you Corinne! So glad to know that you are considering taking up the #SkywatchFriday tag. I am so looking forward to seeing you there 🙂
mackenzieglanville
oh I do feel blessed lately with thematic of nature, my family and I travelled through the Australian state of Tasmania and it was so beautiful. We really do love in a beautiful world we we stop and look. Your photo is beautiful and I just love the quote you shared.
Soul Talk
So lovely to hear from you mackenzieglanville 🙂 I guess we should count ourselves as blessed to be able to enjoy the beauty of nature wherever we are. Tagore’s poetry is a little encyclopedia of beautiful quotes for every occasion…you will love his collection of poems in English translated by the poet WB Yeats, called Gitanjali.
Jim
Great sky shot
Soul Talk
Thanks Jim 🙂
BellyBytes
What a great way to start the weekend. Thanks for sharing this picture
Soul Talk
Thanks a lot! Glad to share. Hope you’re having a great weekend 🙂