About the Contest

As part of OCD’s objective of highlighting niche communities on the Hive Blockchain, this week, the focus is on the Shadow Hunters Community. The community is all about the stories that shadows tell, and you can participate too.

If you fancy participating and share your own passion, you can do so here.

Shadows

Now, this is that part of us that we are least interested in talking about. Forget talking about it, we would not even acknowledge the presence of it. But for centuries, it has shaped the way we think. Don’t believe me? Then what does – “beyond a shadow of a doubt” mean? Or “he grew up in his elder brother’s shadow” mean?

Not only this, but there are enough and more poetic and scientific versions of shadow. There is even a sci-fi version of shadow. Science fiction looks at anti-matter as a shadow of matter. So, why am I telling you all this? That’s because every shadow has its own story. That’s why.

I appreciate the story behind each shadow and hence would love to know that story. In this case, I intend to tell the story behind the shadow that I have captured at different points in time. (Ever thought that there would be something behind the shadow too? 😉)

Note: With the lockdown in place, there is hardly any movement or possibility of casting a shadow (pun intended) and hence I am not talking about a day of my current life. Rather, I am talking about a day of my life when I was touring Delhi, India. I hope that is ok.

Let’s go.

Immortalized in History | The Qutub Complex

This photo was taken during our visit to Delhi. We had visited the Qutub Complex, one of the heritage structures in India.

The Qutub Minar stands since the eleventh century. The story of the place is given in the picture above. You can zoom in and read. However, what you would have not noticed is that while taking the picture, the Sun acted as a great ink to stamp my shadow in the stones of history. As such, my shadow has merged into the past. Isn’t that a poetic thought?

When you think about it, that is one thing that I, as a human, will never be able to do. How can I merge with the past? It turns out my shadow can. 😊

Taj Mahal Complex | Shadows of Time

Here is another photo that we took during our trip. At first glance, this appears to be the passageway leading to the door that we see in the front. We can turn to the right to continue through the extended passageway or turn to the left to exit the complex. So, far so good, and it is all that we see.

But there is another story in the same picture. If you notice the shadows, you realize that it is the setting sun that casts the shadows. It is reminiscent of the complex being a shadow of its past self. The strong walls, the splendor, the soldiers marching, the guards watching, the passageway leading, the king’s chariot rumbling are all but things of the past. There are no more guards, and the kings are long gone. All that remains are the walls and a story of a long-gone splendor!

That shadow did show us what we couldn’t see!!

Not Just the Puppy | We Are There Too

This picture was taken from one side of the banks of the river Yamuna. The other side hosted one of the wonders of the world – The Taj Mahal. As we made our way to the banks of the river, we heard a yelp behind us. We moved in the direction of the voice and soon found the puppy. I think the mother was off searching for food, and the puppy was struggling to go over that slope. We capture the moment – my brother and me – and you can see our shadows representing us in the picture.

But there’s more. What neither the shadow nor we could capture was the time the doggy mom came back. And guess what she thought? Yeah, exactly. She sprang towards us, thinking that we were harming the pup. We didn’t want to find out what would happen when she came by. So, we sprinted away!! 😊 😊. That’s the only thing which was not captured. Hhahah.

And one more thing. I said that the Taj Mahal was on the other side of the banks of the river Yamuna. So, here it is.

And that’s another structure standing the test of time—no more words.

Reflection of India’s Democracy

This picture has been taken in Delhi. The pillars of democracy – the Parliament House, the North Block, the South Block are all in close quarters. Here is a photo of one of the structures. So, there is nothing much to the story unless you know that India would be building a new Parliament structure very soon.

With that background, these structures would be a reflection of our past as a democracy and a guide flowing into the new future (and structure).

The walls may change, but the spirit remains the same!!

Just for Fun | Silhouette | This One Is Just For Fun

This photo was captured on my phone.

So, what’s so great about it. Well, what happened is, I just took this picture for another article that I intended to write. My daughter saw the photo and said, hey, that looks like a full-sized vehicle. I did not realize it until she pointed it out. With no point of reference, this looks like a full-sized vehicle.

But the truth is – this is a toy. Here is another picture with a point of reference.

See how tiny it is. Now, it is obvious, isn’t it? Sometimes adding perspective is essential. 😊

That’s It

So, that’s my shadow story, and I hope you enjoyed it. I will be posting some more as I go forward. I did not know that I would have so much fun making a post in a wholly new way!! 😊

 

Image Courtesy: Own Pictures.