Cocoa

These snaps I have clicked near to my sweet home, Wayanad, Kerala, on 2nd Feb 2009

The word "cocoa" is derivative of "cacao". "Cocoa" can often also refer to the drink commonly known as hot chocolate; to cocoa powder, the dry powder made by grinding cocoa seeds and removing the cocoa butter from the dark, bitter cocoa solids; or to a mixture of cocoa powder and cocoa butter
The cacao tree is native to the Americas. It may have originated in the foothills of the Andes in the Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America where today, examples of wild cacao still can be found. However, it may have had a larger range in the past, evidence for which may be obscured because of its cultivation in these areas long before, as well as after, the Spanish arrived. It was first cultivated by the Olmecs at least 1500 BC in Central America.

Immature cocoa pods have a variety of colors, but most often are green, red, or purple, and as they mature their color tends towards yellow or orange, particularly in their creases. The pods on a tree do not ripen together; harvesting needs to be done periodically through the year. The ripe and near-ripe pods, as judged by their color, are harvested from the trunk and branches of the cocoa tree with a curved knife on a long pole. Care must be used when cutting the stem of the pod to avoid injuring the junction of the stem with the tree, as this is where future flowers and pods will emerge. The pods (or the seeds extracted from them) are transported to the fermentation area on the plantation.

Hope this helps you to know about Cocoa fruit and its role in yummy chocolates

Mahe River

Mahe River is also known as Mayyazhipuzha, is a river in South India. It flows through the state of Kerala and the coastal exclave of Mahe in Pondicherry. Mahe a small town surrounded on all sides by Kerala and is officially a part of Puducherry (Pondicherry). The official name of Mahe is Mayyazhi in the local Malayalam language. The original name of Mahe, Mayyazhi, means "eyebrow of the sea". The Kannur District surrounds Mahe on three sides. Formerly a French colony, Mahe now forms a municipality in Mahe district of the Union Territory of Puducherry (based on the east coast).
This photo I have taken on 21st March 2009, on the way to Thalasseri

Sundown

Bangalore: These snaps I have clicked on 13th December 2008 between 17:28 and 17:45 from Lingarajapuram, Bangalore. It was on a fine Saturday evening. I just thought of clicking sunset, but I was not sure that it will be success with my small Sony digital camera (H10).

The night has a thousand eyes,
And the day but one;
Yet the light of the bright world dies with the dying sun. Francis William Bourdillion.

Sunset or sundown is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon in the west as a result of Earth's rotation

Coffee

Coffea canephora (Coffea robusta) is most largely cultivated plantation crop in Wayanad. Coffee based farming system is a notable feature of Wayanad. Coffee in Wayanad shares 33.65 per cent of the total cropped area in the district and 78 per cent of the coffee area in the state.
The fruits, coffee cherries or coffee berries, most commonly contain two stones with their flat sides together. In a crop of coffee, a small percentage of cherries contain a single bean, instead of the usual two. This is called a peaberry. As coffee is one of the world's most widely consumed beverages, coffee beans are a major cash crop, and an important export product for some countries. Coffee powder is prepared from roasted seeds, called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. Coffee beans are found in coffee cherries. Coffee can have a stimulating effect on humans due to its caffeine content. It is one of the most-consumed beverages in the world. These photos I have clicked from my estate, Lakshmi Gardens, Kalpetta, Wayanad.
The traditional method of planting coffee is to put 20 seeds in each hole at the beginning of the rainy season; half are eliminated naturally. A more effective method of growing coffee, used in Brazil, is to raise seedlings in nurseries that are then planted outside at six to twelve months. Coffee is often intercropped with food crops, such as corn, beans, or rice during the first few years of cultivation. There is some controversy over whether the caffeine in coffee causes headaches or helps relieve headaches. In a 2000 controlled study by the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, Illinois, revealed that adults who took ibuprofen, an over the counter pain killer, combined with caffeine or one cup of coffee had increased effectiveness against tension headaches. The study did not recommend that the caffeine and ibuprofen combination was effective against migraine headaches. A
Johns Hopkins controlled study has linked drinking coffee with addictive withdrawal headaches, even with those who drink coffee in moderation. A 2009 Norwegian University of Science and Technology controlled study claims that heavy coffee drinkers, four cups a day, are more likely to suffer occasional headaches than persons who have low coffee or caffeine consumption. The stimulant effect of coffee is due to its caffeine content. The caffeine content of a cup of coffee varies depending mainly on the brewing method, and also on the variety of bean.

The Chain Tree

The Chain Tree
Nearer to the gateway of wayanad we can see the big chain tree.The story says like this: An Adivasi (tribal) named Karinthandan, who discovered the route to Wayanad through the difficult mountain terrain. A British colonialist killed Karinthandan in order to get the credit for finding the route through the jungle. People believe that Karinthandan’s ghost had been haunting later travellers. It was calmed only after a priest chained the spirit to this banyan tree. There is a small temple near to this tree, people believes that the God of that temple protects them from the troublesome spirit of Karinthandan.

This place is called Lakkidi, blessed with a fantastic view and great weather. It is the border of Wayanad district. Lakkidi is a popular halt for tourists on their way to Ootty and Mysore/Banglore.
I have painted this picture in the year 2003 January for Wayanad Flower Show 2003, in the water color media, and clicked this snap in 2009.

Once this story has been telecasted by Asianet, a popular Malayalam television channel.

Team Work

Team Work

These types of ant are usually called Weaver ants, Red ants or Green ants and seen in coffee, coco, mango trees, jack fruit trees etc. This photo I have clicked on 15th Feb 2009, from a coco plant near to my house, they are looking so brighter in the sun light because of the peculiar red color and the transparent sort of body with some fluids inside.
Weaver ants are known for their unique nest building behavior where workers construct nests by weaving together leaves using larval silk. Colonies can be extremely large consisting of more than a hundred nests spanning numerous trees and contain more than half a million workers. Like many other ant species, weaver ants prey on small insects and supplement their diet with carbohydrate-rich honeydew excreted by small insects.
Construction without destruction
The weaver ant's ability to build capacious nests from living leaves has undeniably contributed to their ecological success. The first phase in nest construction involves workers surveying potential nesting leaves by pulling on the edges with their mandibles. When a few ants have successfully bent a leaf onto itself or drawn its edge toward another, other workers nearby join the effort.

The Icon

Onam Greetings to all
The Icon.
This is Onam season. I thought of conveying my greetings to my friends and beloveds by posting this painting. Kathakali is not only ‘the art of dance’ but also ‘the art of color’s. One Tuesday when I was chating with Dhanesh (my friend) in facebook, he told me that they all are expecting an Onam special painting updates in facebook. That was the inspiration to paint this. I did this painting on 18th Aug 2010, Wednesday evening. I took 3 hours for completing this painting.
Kathakali is a traditional art form of Kerala. The word Kathakali literally means "Story-Play". It is known for its large, elaborate makeup and costumes. The elaborate costumes of Kathakali have become the most recognized icon for Kerala. It is a combination of facial expressions and body movements which brings out the thought and emotion of the character.KathakaliA traditional art form of KeralaAcrylic PaintingBy Naveen.

Red

Recognized as a stimulant,
Encourages action and confidence,
Provides a sense of protection from fears and anxiety.

Grapes

The intoxication of anger,
like that of the grape,
shows us to others,
but hides us from ourselves.

Plums

I am putting real plums into an imaginary frame.

Paints.......

In 2003 January I got an offer for exhibition of my paintings in Flower show which was conducted by Horticulture department Wayanad. Most of my paintings are related to sceneries and landscapes of Wayanad. I would like to introduce some of the paintings from that and other collection.

He is Harsha, one of the most dedicated employee of Atlas.

Portrait of Rocky in freehand style. Abhay Rocky Dhir is the President and CEO of Atlas Legal Research Pvt. Ltd. Rocky Dhir has devoted his legal career to bringing value and innovation to clients. He founded Atlas Legal Research in 2001 after completing a federal clerkship. He is the first entrepreneur to establish a team of lawyers in India and train them to perform a variety of U.S. legal functions.

The Tomb of Pazhassi Raja is an important heritage site located in the heart of Mananthavady, Wayanad. The late 18th century was a time of wars for the British in India. In the south, Tipu Sultan of Mysore who also ruled over north Kerala was fighting a loosing battle against the British. It was at this time that Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja revolted against the British in Kerala. His revolt was not a freedom struggle, but was directed against the unpopular and unjust tax policies imposed by the British.

Realistic painting. In most Realistic paintings the artist attempts to represent persons, scenes, things, and facts as they are, life as it is. It will represent the reality and will be simple to convey the message. But in abstract arts it is quite difficult to convey the message to common people.

As per my experience watercolor painting is bit difficult compare to other medium like oil, acrylic etc. because it will get dry very fast and hard to rectify or hide mistakes in a watercolor painting.

A painting of Wayanad Ghats. You can see the long view of Hotel management college Lakkidi, near to the Gateway of wayanad. This board was installed by Forest Dept indicating the impact of deforestation and to make awareness of aforestation among public. I don’t know how far it has conveyed the massage.

You can see this picture in the official webste of Atlas. http://www.atlaslegal.com/. One fine Wednesdy morning, 26th Nov 2008 as usual I reached office (Atlas) around 8:10. When I checked the outlook I was really excited to see an email from Kathy (VP,Operations, Atlas) seeking my consent to use this painting for website. The message was this......"Dear Naveen: As you know, I have been seeking artistic contributions for the new Atlas Legal website. The management in India sent us your painting. It is a wonderful piece, and we would like to display it on the home page of the Atlas Legal website. We believe it demonstrates the true spirit of our organization. Please let me know if we have your consent to use it. Once again, thank you for sharing your creative skills with us." It is a great honor and recognition for my art work.

Bandipur National Park

Some frames from Bandipur National Park. I tried to capture this scene while going to my hometown from Bengaluru. This is National Highway 212 (NH 212) passes through Bandipur dense forest. NH 212 connects Kozhikode in Kerala with Kollegal in Karnataka via Mysore. This is the main route connects Kozhikode with Bengaluru. The total distance of 250 km, 90 km is in Kerala and 160 is in Karnataka. The highway passes through dense forests.

A scene from Bandhipur National Park. Two trees in front of the lens blocked the zooming clarity of the deer. Deers are trying to escape when they heard the vehicles sound. A scene from Bandhipur National Park. below....

"Good bread is the great need in poor homes, and oftentimes the best appreciated luxury in the homes of the very rich."

Quite often scene. Moneys will be waiting for the Bangalore bus….You may think for what? The Bangalore bus (KSRTC Rajahamsa) driver used to stop the bus near to monkey zone in the forest to feed monkeys. He used to keep some packets of beard and bananas for them. The bus schedule is 9:00 o’clock morning departure from Kozhikode bus station and it reach the forest around 12 noon.

Paddy fields

Scenes of paddy field besides my ancestral home; it is exactly 2 kms from Kalpetta town trough Pinangode Road. My sweet home is very near to this place.

This is ‘Valliyettan’ an Adhivasi (traibal) laborer who has been working for a long time with us.

'Vayal nadu' : The name Wayanad is derived from the expression 'Vayal nadu' which means land of paddy fields. Most of the farmers give-up the paddy cultivation and turned to plantain cultivation, because of huge expense incurred in that and lack of laborers.

Rare scene: Paddy farmers in Wayanad have shifted to the profitable banana cultivation. Of late, most of the vast expanses of paddy fields can be seen as banana plantations in most of parts of the district.

Wayanad ghats.

I am inviting your attention to my home district, Wayanad. Wayanad is a hill station of Kerala state. This ‘green paradise’, is the border world of greener part of Kerala. Clean and pristine, enchanting and hypnotizing land has a history, mystery, culture and social epistemology yet to be discovered. This green paradise is nestled among the mountains of westernghats and is located at a distance of 76 kms from the nearest sea-shore of Calicut and 280 kms from Bangalore. The leading tourist centers of South India like Ooty, Mysore, Coorg and Kannur are around this region. The name Wayanad has been derived from the expression 'Vayal nadu' (‘vayal’ means paddy field and ‘nadu’ means land) the land of paddy fields. The district headquarters of Wayanad district is Kapletta.
These snaps clicked by me last year on the way to Wayanad from Kozhikode. The green Ghats enroute to Wayanad has nine hairpin bends, each turn taking one to a higher altitude offering a better view of the picturesque plains below. This route explored by a tribal was developed by the British. This is the main route which connects Kozhikode and Bangalore.

A misty morning does not signify a cloudy day.If we pass through this Ghats, feels like we are touching the heights of sky. The chilled breeze invites you to the green paradise warmly.

Chain tree.
Nearer to the gateway of wayanad we can see the big chain tree.The story says like this: An Adivasi (tribal) named Karinthandan, who discovered the route to Wayanad through the difficult mountain terrain. A British colonialist killed Karinthandan in order to get the credit for finding the route through the jungle. People believe that Karinthandan’s ghost had been haunting later travellers. It was calmed only after a priest chained the spirit to this banyan tree. There is a small temple near to this tree, people believes that the God of that temple protects them from the troublesome spirit of Karinthandan.