Photo Blog by Rajan Parrikar » 14L II

Bridge to the Heavens

Rajan P. Parrikar — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:12:12 +0000

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A Northern Lights display on a cold night at the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river in north Iceland. See an earlier post for another assay.

Northern Lights at Jökulsá á Fjöllum in north Iceland
5D Mark II, 14L II

Cannon Boy

Rajan P. Parrikar — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 06:13:18 +0000

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Portuguese-era cannon in Panjim, Goa
5D Mark II, 14L II

Gígjökull

Rajan P. Parrikar — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 23:38:59 +0000

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Gígjökull is a tongue of Eyjafjallajökull, the icecap in Iceland that erupted in 2010 disrupting air traffic over the Atlantic. This wondrous environment of the jagged ice dragon tumbling into a field of glacial moraine conjures visions of an ancient landscape, one in which prehistoric animals roamed the earth. On the top of this slope lies the crater that opened up last year, and there’s still fire left in its belly.

Gígjökull
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 L IS II

Our superjeep at Gígjökull
5D Mark II, 14L II

Homage to the Pizzle

Rajan P. Parrikar — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 05:52:49 +0000

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The settlement of Húsavík in northern Iceland is home to the intriguing Icelandic Phallological Museum, a tribute to Nature’s designs of the intromittent organ.

Excerpt from the museum website:

The Icelandic Phallological Museum is probably the only museum in the world to contain a collection of phallic specimens belonging to all the various types of mammal found in a single country.

Phallology is an ancient science which, until recent years, has received very little attention in Iceland, except as a borderline field of study in other academic disciplines such as history, art, psychology, literature and other artistic fields like music and ballet.

Now, thanks to The Icelandic Phallological Museum, it is finally possible for individuals to undertake serious study into the field of phallology in an organized, scientific fashion.

The Icelandic Phallological Museum contains a collection of two hundred and nine penises and penile parts belonging to almost all the land and sea mammals that can be found in Iceland. Visitors to the museum will encounter fifty five specimens belonging to sixteen different kinds of whale, one specimen taken from a rogue polar bear, thirty-six specimens belonging to seven different kinds of seal and walrus, and one hundred and fifteen specimens originating from twenty different kinds of land mammal: all in all, a total of two hundred and nine specimens belonging to forty six different kinds of mammal. It should be noted that the museum has also been fortunate enough to receive legally-certified gift tokens for four specimens belonging to Homo Sapiens. Besides there are some twenty-three folklore specimens and forty foreign ones. Altogether the collection contains 272 specimens from 92 different species of animals.

In addition to the biological section of the museum, visitors can view the collection of about three hundred artistic oddments and other practical utensils related to the museum´s chosen theme.

News just in has it that the long-awaited human specimen has been mounted.

Curated by its congenial owner Sigurður Hjartarson, this shrine is not simply a parade of pickled pricks. Embellishing the gallery are objets d’art, implements, curios, paintings, poetry, and garments – all penis-themed. A Shiva lingam is currently absent from the collection; I plan to donate one to the museum soon.

And now, some photographs from an enjoyable afternoon spent here dicking around.

Phallucination in Iceland
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L

Museum members
5D Mark II, 14L II

Organ of a sperm whale
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Instrument of an elephant from South Africa
5D Mark II, 14L II

Penis Art: "Madonna Borealis" by Cheo Cruz
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Lundscape: Art by Þorgerður Sigurðardóttir (Original title: Penis-scape in Húsavík)
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Note: ‘Lund’ means penis in Hindi (albeit in the vulgar sense).

Penis humour
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Museum owner and curator Sigurður Hjartarson
5D Mark II, 24-105L

The Pilot

Rajan P. Parrikar — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:26:24 +0000

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By default, the term “pilot” in Goa refers not to someone in the cockpit of an aircraft, but to the owner and driver of a motorcycle taxi. This mode of public transportation, perhaps not found elsewhere in India, is now a relic back from the day when Goa had a civilization.

If you were going someplace solo, the pilot was a quick, convenient, affordable, and in today’s parlance, environment-friendly option. Knots of pilots are still seen in towns and villages all over Goa but their numbers have greatly dwindled. Some of the motorcycle brands I recall from my young days are: Bullet, Jawa, Yezdi.

Motorcycle pilot Menino D'Cruz of Panjim
5D Mark II, Zeiss 50mm f/2 Makro Planar

At the launch pad
5D Mark II, 14L II

Trolls

Rajan P. Parrikar — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 07:54:34 +0000

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In downtown Akureyri, Iceland -

Trolls in downtown Akureyri
5D Mark II, 14L II

Troll
5D Mark II, 14L II

The Painted Heavens

Rajan P. Parrikar — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 00:16:45 +0000

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It was crisp and cold tonight in Mývatn in north Iceland and we were treated to a spectacular display of the Northern Lights.

Northern Lights over Lake Mývatn
5D Mark II, 14L II

Northern Lights in Mývatn
5D Mark II, 14L II

Northern Lights over Lake Mývatn
5D Mark II, 14L II

Pastoral Parsem

Rajan P. Parrikar — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 21:53:52 +0000

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The quiet village of Parsem in north Goa remains frozen in time with its echt-Goan character and spirit intact. It is proud of its quirky heritage: the unusual façade of the ancient temple of Goddess Bhagwati, the nearby banyan tree said to be the largest in Goa, the magnificent old sculptures of Brahma, Vishnu, and so on.

For a place this obscure, Parsem has world-class achievements under its belt. The all-women’s professional theatre company formed here in 1917 was among the earliest of its kind. One of India’s finest musicians and the greatest Hindustani violinist of the 20th C, Sridhar Parsekar, was born in the shadow of the Bhagwati temple. He died tragically young but the villagers of Parsem haven’t forgotten him; an annual classical music festival is celebrated in his name. He also composed for Hindi and Marathi films. For more on Parsekar and his music, go here.

The title of this post is taken from an essay by Alister Miranda, and you are encouraged to read it for a better appreciation of the photographs that follow.

Note on pronunciation to non-Konkani speakers: The ‘m’ in the ‘sem’ syllable in Parsem denotes a nasalized ‘se’.

The deepastambha is characteristic of Goa’s Hindu temples but this paired arrangement at the Bhagwati temple is unique.

Temple of Bhagwati devi in Parsem, Goa
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

Bhagwati devi of Parsem
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Notice the kaavi art (sgraffito) on the temple walls.

Temple of Ravalnath, Parsem
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Pastoral Parsem
5D Mark II, 14L II

Subsidiary shrines adjacent to the Bhagwati temple host inestimable treasures such as these images of Vishnu and Brahma.

Vishnu at Parsem
5D, 85L II

Brahma at Parsem
5D, 85L II

Ageless Parsem
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Halldór Laxness

Rajan P. Parrikar — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:05:27 +0000

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Halldór Laxness (1902-1998) was among the great literary figures of the 20th C and Iceland’s only Nobel Laureate to date. His home, Gljúfrasteinn, located in Mosfellsbær just outside Reykjavík, is now a national museum. A multimedia presentation on Laxness’s life and an excellent self-guided audio tour of the house are available.

Laxness responded to beauty in all forms, and Western classical music was an especially abiding obsession. His was a romantic life that even included an unsuccessful stint in Hollywood. An assessment of his oeuvre is found here.

Gljúfrasteinn is surrounded by great natural beauty. The visitor can today enjoy the many walking trails that so delighted and inspired Laxness.

Home of Halldór Laxness in Mosfellsbær
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Mosfellsdalur: view outside Halldór Laxness' home
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Halldor Laxness' 1969 Jaguar
5D Mark II, 14L II

Grænavatn

Rajan P. Parrikar — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:41:58 +0000

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Located in the Reykjanes peninsula close to an active geothermal area, Grænavatn (“Green Lake”) is of volcanic origin, its green colour a consequence of algae and minerals present in its water. Different hues of green are observed, a function of lighting conditions, character of the sky above, as well as viewing location and angle. The entire Reykjanes area has an eerie ambience which makes it all the more enchanting.

Grænavatn in Reykjanes, Iceland
5D Mark II, 14L II

Grænavatn
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Candid shot of an Icelandic boy at Grænavatn
5D Mark II, 24-105L