“Sunset is still my favourite colour and rainbow is second.”
—Mattie Stepanek
Of all the hours that ever held any magic for my soul, it is always the early break of dawn on the Eastern sky and the splash of gold on the Western one that held me in raptures every single time I can remember. It is no different now than it was in my growing up years in the hills of the North East except for the fact that we don’t see clear blue skies any more or smell the clean mountain air in this bustling pollution-ridden metropolis.
Days come and go and most of our busy lives are lived in endless tasks and chores that emerge and end with the to-do lists which run our lives. We seem to rush through the best hours of our days chasing our dreams and watching out for latest innovations to enhance our lives. And, through all of this, the spectacle of life happens to unfold itself in the countless everyday moments. Do we even have the time to stop, lift our gaze and look out of the window? Most of us don’t.
I know I have spent the best years of my life chasing happiness in the most unlikely of places and often, to my disappointment, in places where I should never have invested any time, effort or money. Well, that’s what life lessons are for! So much wisdom at a price. Alas! There is no better school than experience to teach us this. It has taken a long time but I can finally say that it is only now I realise how for the longest period of my life, I have actually experienced abundance from the one source that we hardly ever look up to for fulfilment—Nature! It makes me grateful and happy but it also reminds me that this moment is ephemeral and will not last forever.
Even today, my heart skips a beat to see a beautiful sunrise or to savour a breathtaking sunset, and because life has taught me that I need to slow down my pace every now and then, I make it a point to do so with a cup of tea and a book, relishing my few minutes of silence, to recharge myself after a long day and focus my energy into living more consciously. Perhaps, a little more mindfully too.
A couple of years back, I took to photography to explore and learn more about portraits. Sometime during the course of my experimentations, I began capturing sky pictures, and almost instinctively, I knew that’s what I enjoyed the most. The fact that I get an amazing view from my sixth-floor balcony is definitely one of the many reasons that I share sky pictures so often.
Here are some random (unfiltered!) shots taken from my living room balcony over the last couple of weeks. Hope you enjoy them as much I did clicking them. Until next time, Happy Skywatching!
Linking up with SkywatchFriday where you will find some amazing pictures shared by sky lovers from all over the world.
22 Comments
G Angela
Awesome – simply loved your pictures and for a moment I just stared at them and marveled at the sky – living in flats there ‘s no chance to sky gaze, as a child I remember as kids we used to bring our mats outside the house to sleep with all my siblings right under the sky during summer and it was such a fun. Now living in the flat my daughter doesn’t really get a chance to see the sky – occasionally when we are out we admire the moon and the stars:)
Parul Thakur
Absolutely gorgeous. Guess what – I also figured out that I need a balcony in the west to get such colors 😉 As much as I would like to watch the sun rise, the sun set is my love. I have always loved your sky shots, Esha.
Esha M Dutta
Thank you so much, Parul. Though we do have a lot of grey skies too, but, overall, the Bangalore sky colours at sunset are mostly stunning. One is lost for choice…So much possibility in those few minutes just before the sun goes down. I’d say, go for the balcony with the Western face. I guarantee you’ll be hooked to your phone camera all evening every day. 😀
Peter B.
These are stunning!! Absolutely beautiful skies and fantastic colors!
Esha M Dutta
Thank you very much, Peter. I’m so glad you like them. 🙂
Lady Fi
Wow – fabulous!
Esha M Dutta
Thank you very much, Ladyfi. 🙂
Alana
Absolutely beautiful captures and posts!
Esha M Dutta
Thank you so very much, Alana. So happy to know you like them. 🙂
Jheelam
The 3rd and the last shot is absolutely transfixing. Nature’s own VFX at work!
arv
You are right, life lessons are expensive because we can never get that time back in our lives. An irony of life, indeed!
The first shot is breathtaking, Esha!
Esha M Dutta
Thank you very much, Arvind. Yes, you are right. Often, we realise the value of the times once they have become memories. Glad you liked that shot. It’s getting a little rare to grab those shots these days, but am trying!
magiceye
Delightful captures!
Esha M Dutta
Thank you very much!
Eileen Wise
Gorgeous sunset and sky. Lovely photo. Have a happy Friday and a great weekend.
Esha M Dutta
Thank you very much, Eileen! I hope you had a good weekend too. See you again soon. 🙂
Bhavna Kaushik
so so beautiful…
Esha M Dutta
Thanka lot, Bhavna. So good to see you stop by. 🙂
klara
sigh, sigh, beautiful, envying a lot :-). we rarely have sky like that.
Esha M Dutta
Thank you very much, Klara. Fortunately, after a spell of rain, we’re getting some gorgeous views these days. I’m sharing the views here on the blog, so do stop by the blog as and when time permits and enjoy the pictures! That’s the least I can do to spread the joy. 🙂
Joyful
Fabulous sky!
Esha M Dutta
Thank you very much!