CHANDA MAMA

ON THE MOON

The Moon - Earth's only natural satellite is an integral part of the our rich culture and myriad traditions. Hailed as Chandra Dev in the Vedic texts, it adorns the matted hair of Lord Shiva. The Hindu calendar or 'Panchang' is based on lunar movements and festivals like Buddha Purnima, Guru Purnima and Vat Purnima are celebrated on the full moon day. In the form of the Crescent, it is synonymous with Islam, India's second biggest religion in terms of numbers. It is considered as a symbol of eternal beauty, love and romance; having inspired many popular Bollywood numbers, with Yeh Chaand sa Roshan Chehra being my favourite. After the success of Chandrayaan in 2009, India became one of the few countries in the world to land on this celestial body. The following pictures of the full moon against the backdrop of the pitch dark sky, were clicked by me on Wednesday - August 21,^st 2013 from my home at the National Games Village (NGV), Koramanagala.