The Six Pix Tag

Only natural that I resume blogging after eons only to have a tag hit me almost immediately. This tag is actually a nice one - a rarity among tags in cyberland :P Thank you for tagging me on this one, Ferret :-) This pic was the 6th pic in the 6th folder of the My Pictures folder in my comp, as per the tag rules. Boy, was I relieved it was a nice pic and not something I would have to skip uploading so as to cheat on for this tag :P

This cute li'l thing was asleep when I initially spotted him/her (don't remember the gender!). I took quite a few pics from various angles and distances, and I guess eventually Sleepy-Head (SH) decided to acknowledge my efforts and looked up and posed :-) She looked even cuter awake than when she was dozing off. This shot was taken just before twilight. SH was nodding off around 6pm - unusual timing to be taking a siesta for us humans maybe - but I suppose ashram life does that to you.

SH lives at Singing Heart Ashram, Tiruvannamalai. This 5 acre plot of land is owned by a Danish woman called Jacqueline, who gravitated towards India nearly 40 years ago, felt some energy pull and stayed put since. She literally glides across the ashram in flowing robes and flowing white hair. My roommate was a bit freaked out and was afraid to fall asleep lest she get nightmares of this vision! Jacqueline is very soft spoken and highly knowledgeable on spiritual matters and is probably more Indian than most Indians today. She mostly travels through the year all around the world and lets out the ashram on lease for people who want some fresh mountain air as well as a fresh perspective on life.

Singing Heart (ironically has the same initials as Sleepy Head!) can accommodate about 40 odd people at a time in its cosy rooms. Sleepy-Head lives there with quite a few other dogs, crows and sparrows, all of whom are experts at toppling the food trash cans with a paw/beak in one fell swoop. They are a friendly bunch who scamper all over the place and entertain visitors. They are at their friendliest best  during meal times and put on their most adorable expressions, which automatically make you wanna share the food on your plate with them. The dining hall is a semi open-aired circular structure with a thatched roof. The dogs and birds (there are plenty of bees too!) hang out here the most - their favorite place where all the action is.

In the pic, SH is resting on a pile of cement and behind SH is a fave spot of visitors to the ashram - a stone bench under the shade of a grove of trees. This is a vantage point at which you can sit and reflect, write, or stare at the Arunachala mountain/other people/SH and brethren/the birds, the bees and the butterflies flitting about, depending on your mood/personal preferences. The grand ole Arunachala mountain is the primary focus of this beautiful ashram - all rooms are constructed facing it, for the beautiful view. I was the most fortunate of the entire lot 'cos I could see the mountain lying in my bed in my cottage, through the window that faced the mountain.

SH and friends would come by my cottage - called Deepti - and hang out on its cool shaded porch, and I would indulge their smiles and wags and give them a biscuit or two. Sometimes we would just sit together in silence and admire the view :-)

I hope SH and pals are fine and dandy as ever and cleverly dodging the kicks that come their way when they are up to their usual antics near the food bins.