This, too, is life

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When I took these pictures, all I had in mind were portraits. But when I looked at them later, I could “see” a lot more. The pain, the longing, the forlorn looks, the emptiness, the hope and, perhaps, the hunger.
These two men are among the countless millions around the world who are not only homeless, but perhaps have no family and haven’t had a good meal in a while.
It is appalling how much misery there is in this world and it is beyond me how we, being in so much comfort ourselves, can allow this to happen.
Not that my writing these few paragraphs would make a difference; I would also, in a few hours, forget this and carry on with my life, but, at some point (and soon), I would wish to dedicate myself to feeding the hungry, contributing to looking after those who need care and trying to be useful in a society that sees a lot of pain, anguish, greed, violence and a just plain simple “how do I care” attitude.
Taking care of the elderly, working in palliative care and educating children whose parents are unable to send them to school are some of the other thoughts that come to mind.
This is a “bucket list” of things I wish to do. And, the sooner the better because one never knows what tomorrow brings. And, that “tomorrow” can come at any time!

 

Farewell, another year!

ReflectionsThis week, as I complete four years of blogging and sharing thoughts, pictures and moments with thousands across the world, I look back to April 2013 when I wrote online for the first time.
In the beginning, I thought this blog would be a platform to express an opinion, show off some pictures and, perhaps, share a recipe or two. I also then pledged I would write, or post something, each day and regularly visit hundreds of other blogs, like and comment on their posts and build up a “network”.
ManamaFour years down the line, that has happened to an extent but what has also happened is that other things have overtaken the will to write, take pictures and generally maintain a presence online.
The daily writing and posting gradually became three to four times a week, then a couple of times and then, weekly. Over the last few months, however, it’s become “as and when there is something”.
BoatsBut in spite of all the “hiccups”, I have managed to maintain a presence, like and comment on some of my followers’ and likers’ blogs and “show off” some of the pictures I take.
I must confess, however, singhcircle.com has become more of a picture portal and not an opinion or a thoughts platform – and this is something I am not really comfortable with. I would once again want it to become what it was in its first few months and what I set it up for initially. This I will certainly strive for.
SunsetI thank all  followers, particularly those who read, like and comment on each and every thing that appears on these pages. There are a few who have been doing so from Day One and they themselves have awesome blogs with thousands of followers and hundreds of comments. It is gratifying to get some very nice and encouraging comments from them.
I will continue to post here as much as possible, perhaps more than what I have been doing of late, but not as much as I did in the earlier days and look forward to the support, the encouragement, the likes and the comments. I promise, also, to be on the Reader far more frequently, going through what those I follow are up to.
Meanwhile, I share four pictures I took of the Bahrain coast in the last few days. Photographs taken on the seashore often always end up with the Manama skyline in the background. These pictures, taken at different times of the evening, and night, have their own stories to tell.

The park at Al Areen

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This rather surrealistic view of a park at Bahrain’s Al Areen Wildlife Reserve conveys the feeling one gets when relaxing there on a lazy weekend afternoon. While the reserve attracts thousands of visitors, this corner, surprisingly, is deserted, with most people in the midst of the hundreds of migratory birds, for whom this place is home in the winter.