Raja Ravi Varma

Here is a web resource I came across about Raja Ravi Varma.



Intro: Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906) was born in Kilimanoor Palace as the son of Umamba Thampuratti and Neelakandan Bhattathiripad. At the age of seven years he started drawing on the palace walls using charcoal. His uncle Raja Raja Varma noticed the talent of the child and gave preliminary lessons on painting. At the age of 14, Ayilyam Thirunal Maharaja took him to Travancore Palace and he was taught water painting by the palace painter Rama Swamy Naidu. After 3 years Theodor Jenson, a British painter taught him oil painting.

Most of his paintings are based on Hindu epic stories and characters. In 1873 he won the First Prize at the Madras Painting Exhibition. He became a world famous Indian painter after winning in 1873 Vienna Exhibition.

Source: http://www.cyberkerala.com/rajaravivarma/index.html

The website also offers a medium resolution downloads of his works.

Save the Garuda birds from extinction ...

I am very helpful to you,
Now I am on the brink of extinction mind you
I soar high in the sky in search of food,
I clean the Earth from the dirt as you understand
Clear sight and high flight
Carcass is my food just right
Parsees need me for their dead
You can save me from my last breathe
Jatayu was my king in Ramayana epic
I save you from the danger of epidemic.
Day by day my population is in down-trend
I am the blessing to the Eco-system and your friend
I know you hate me, as I eat carcass
I am the cleansing agent of the Earth’s surface
Vulture is my name; I belong to Gyps family
Eagle, Hawk, Buzzard belong to my family
Diclofenac is the killer drug for me
Do not use it please save me, please save me
Population of yours are increasing fast
Industrialization and deforestation are vast
We are in loss of food and loss of habitat
Now their will be ‘Tit For Tat’
You live and let us live
We can make the world wonderful place to live.

By
Sonali Patnaik

Taken from here: http://www.bolokids.com/2008/0538.htm

More information about Garuda birds here: http://news.boloji.com/200701/00770.htm

My pri'MATE'

I was on a road trip recently, when I ran into this opportunity to snap this ancestor of humanity. I had to keep his interest and pose by luring him with cream biscuits and plenty of my time and patience.

He was opening the cream biscuits, scraping and eating the cream first, then munching the two plain biscuits - much alike the kids do!