Diyas on Diwali

Visited the Qutub Minar at noon, so hopes of getting good shots were very less. Especially since, when I woke up in the morning, the air smelled of a rusty shade of winter and the sunlight, well into mid-morning was golden. Would have loved to shoot then, but it was clearly not to be. Though the light in Delhi was excellent, it was not easy to make time. There were loads of other commitments.

Qutub Minar was filled with Bengalis, Europeans and the DSLR-welding Japanese. The former seemed like a larger group perhaps because they were disconcertingly loud! The Minar is very well maintained and a fine place to spend time. Unlike some of the architectural relics in Hyderabad which could do well with some care.

Then we sped off towards Noida in the evening under a red setting sun through large open flyovers and hardly any traffic to speak of. I'll remember sitting on the 5th floor balcony overlooking the nice pool, the tennis court, and the vast space beyond them. And of course all the multi-coloured blinking lights. We lit a few candles adding our tiny contribution to the festivities.

When we returned, Diwali had begun in full swing. No remote corner was spared from deafening sounds and dense smoke! All the houses were decorated with light. As youngsters on the roads burst crackers, a lot of people decided to just watch from the relative "safety" of their balconies. I did add my share to the light but not the sound, which was already beyond all kinds of acceptable norms!

Ended the day trying to understand a bit of the fun and games and then playing a bit myself. I think I won more than I lost. Beginner's luck?