iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Áine Keenan

Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 4h

"Squatting in front of a neighbouring yurt, four workers, with all their might and with wands that whistle in their hands, beat smartly on some camel-wool scattered over a sheet. Rhythmically the arms rise and fall, the elbows are pulled back sharply ..." #EllaMaillart #Photography #Kyrgyzstan

'Natives Beating Felt', Kyrgyzstan, Ella Maillart, 1932

Workers lean over a striped reed mat containing wet, layered wool fibres, pressing and kneading them to bind the fibres into a solid piece of felt. A bucket and a tool handle stand beside the mat on the ground.

Practiced mainly by nomadic tribes, this laborious process of wet felting involves raw wool being moistened with water or an alkaline solution, wrapped tightly in a woven reed mat and repeatedly beaten, kneaded and rolled by a synchronised row of workers using their hands, forearms or feet.

This mechanical pressure causes the microscopic scales of the wool fibers to permanently interlock, creating durable, water-resistant sheets used for carpets, tents, clothing and blankets.

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Reposted by Áine Keenan

Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

"On their visits to one another, the women of the aul are continually spinning; or one of them, squatting on the ground may be weaving. ... As usual, every one of them is keen to handle my camera, and finds great pleasure in looking through the view-finder." #EllaMaillart #Photography #Kyrgyzstan

A smiling Kyrgyz woman spinning wool on a drop spindle with a central whorl and wound wool yarn at Ak-Shyyrak in the Tian Shan mountain system of Kyrgyzstan.

The shaft is the straight wooden rod held vertically to spin and twist raw fibres into continuous threads, whilst the whorl is the weighted, rounded disc in the middle which acts as a flywheel to maintain momentum and steady rotation when flicked.

The yarn cop is the oval bundle of freshly-spun wool fibres wrapped securely around the shaft just above the whorl.

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Reposted by Áine Keenan

Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

"Next morning, I look eagerly at this new world 11,000 feet above the sea. On a sloping glade of short grass six yurts are grouped together. Women milk the mares and tease the mute of the camp who stares at us with mouth agape." #EllaMaillart #Photography #Kyrgyzstan #Yurt

Wool Felt Making, Kyrgyzstan, Ella Maillart, 1932

Framed by the Tian Shan mountains, a Kyrgyz woman stands by a traditional yurt, a highly versatile, portable structure engineered from a wooden lattice frame covered in thick sheep's wool felt. A samovar and other utensils are placed nearby on the ground.

In the background on the right, a group of women are gathered closely on the ground, rolling and pressing wool fibres to create the felt sheets (kiyiz) used to insulate these structures against Central Asia's harsh weather.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

"Light and dark, pleasure and pain, self and other—these sustain the illusion of the waking dream. Their resolution is symbolised in Arunachala as Ardhanarishvara (Siva-Parvati)—the half-male, half-female united as God." saranagati.online/puppet_show/ #RamanaMaharshi #Hindu #Tiruvannamalai #India

saranagati.online

The Puppet Show - Saranagati

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

"One cannot put out a burning fire by pouring petrol over it. Attempting to satisfy a craving for the time being so that the passion may later be suppressed is simply foolish." - Ramana Maharshi saranagati.online/flame/ #RamanaMaharshi #Advaita #Tiruvannamalai #TamilNadu #India

saranagati.online

Adding Fuel to the Flame - Saranagati

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Francis Fay is proud to curate 'Michael Dillon: Ireland's Extraordinary Trans Pioneer' - doctor, writer, athlete, Buddhist monk and the first-recorded man to undergo gender-affirming surgery. 26 Sept–8 Oct | Outhouse, Dublin 🏳️‍⚧️ dublinfestivalofhistory.ie/event/exhibi... #SpeirGorm #trans #lgbtq

The second child of Robert Arthur Dillon, heir to the baronetcy of Lismullen, County Meath, Michael studied medicine at Trinity College Dublin between 1945 and 1951, where he also proved to be a distinguished rower. In 1946, he published ‘Self: A Study in Endocrinology and Ethics’, arguing that people should be able to receive medical treatment that would alter their bodies to match their internal sense of gender.

Weaving text, images, sound, and video, this exhibition traces Dillon’s life, ideas, and enduring influence. It explores his pioneering medical transition, undertaken between 1946 and 1950 with surgeon Sir Harold Gillies. Travelling between terms to England, Dillon underwent at least thirteen separate phalloplasty procedures, helping to pave the way both scientifically and socially for countless trans men who came after him to transition more safely and openly.

Situating Dillon’s story within wider histories of medicine, gender, identity, and social change, the exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to discover a little-known Irish historical figure whose life challenged conventions and helped shape modern understandings of transgender experience.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

"The real choice is therefore not between pleasure and deprivation. It is between two kinds of happiness: one dependent upon thought, stimulation and circumstances, and the other revealed from within when compulsive movement ceases." saranagati.online/ramana-refle... #RamanaMaharshi #Spirituality

saranagati.online

Happiness the World Cannot Give - Saranagati

The one goal sought by all, yet attained by few, is lasting and meaningful happiness. We continually pursue fulfilment, but regularly search for it outwardly—in the seen, heard, touched, tasted, smell...

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

"In his How Much Land Does a Man Truly Need?, Tolstoy offers a vivid illustration. Pakhom is promised as much land as he can walk around in a single day, provided he returns to his starting point before sunset. ..." saranagati.online/teachinginbr... #RamanaMaharshi #Tiruvannamalai #Arunachala

Sri Ramana Maharshi, one of the most widely revered Hindu sages and spiritual masters of modern India. Ramana Maharshi’s path is fundamentally rooted in the non-dual tradition of Advaita Vedanta.

He taught that the ego is merely a phantom link between the physical body and pure spirit. When it is intensely examined through self-enquiry, the false individual identity dissolves.

His primary teaching method involves continuously tracing the "I-thought" back to its origin. Instead of focusing on external objects or complex rituals, seekers are instructed to internally ask the question, "Who am I?"

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

"If we don’t like what we see in ourselves or, for that matter, what we see in this strife-ridden world, then let us be the first ones to witness a new paradigm emerge within ... Let us recover our innocence using the healing power of enquiry ..." saranagati.online/paradigm/ #RamanaMaharshi #India

A hand-carved wooden sun mask featuring a serene facial expression and vibrant red-and-gold painted rays.

This piece is dedicated to Surya, the primary solar deity in Hindu and Himalayan Buddhist traditions. He represents light, warmth and life-giving energy.

The expressive, elongated eyes outlined with heavy black eyebrows signify all-seeing awareness and compassion.

The subtle swirl or third eye marker on the forehead serves as a spiritual anchor, representing higher consciousness and inner vision.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

"The egoic project is never finished—when we consider that the sense of a separate self must continually be reinforced through thoughts, reactions, moods, memories and expectations—we begin to see how extraordinarily rich everyday life is as a field for enquiry." saranagati.online/portablevich...

The Indian sage Ramana Maharshi sitting in a wicker chair outdoors near Arunachala.

Born in 1879, he attained spontaneous self-realisation at the age of sixteen. Shortly after, he traveled to the sacred mountain of Arunachala in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, where he remained for the rest of his life.

His teachings focused on Self-enquiry (Atma-Vichara) as the most direct path to liberation. Rather than advocating complex rituals or physical disciplines, he encouraged seekers to constantly trace the source of thoughts by asking the core question, "Who am I?"

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

"The one goal sought by all, yet attained by few, is lasting and meaningful happiness. ... We imagine that freedom lies in the sense domain, mistaking it for our natural home ..." saranagati.online/ramana-refle... #RamanaMaharshi #Tiruvannamalai #TamilNadu #India #Advaita #Vedanta #SpeirGorm

"The one goal sought by all, yet attained by few, is lasting and meaningful happiness. We continually pursue fulfilment, but regularly search for it outwardly—in the seen, heard, touched, tasted, smelled and conceived. We imagine that freedom lies in the sense domain, mistaking it for our natural home ..."

https://saranagati.online/

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Swear by what the Sages spoke Round the Mareotic Lake That the Witch of Atlas knew, Spoke and set the cocks a-crow. Cast a cold eye On life, on death. Horseman, pass by! WB Yeats, 20th century #Photography #Poetry #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

These are the famous opening and final stanzas of W.B. Yeats' poem, 'Under Ben Bulben' and the latter is the epitaph on his grave at Drumcliff churchyard, County Sligo, Ireland.

A Hindu funeral procession of men pass the gates of Sri Ramana Ashram, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India. The corpse of the deceased is elevated at an angle on the flatbed of a vehicle and decorated with flowers, which end up thrown all over the road by the time the hearse has reached the cremation grounds. Drummers lead the way and loud firecrackers are set off at regular intervals.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43298/under-ben-bulben

https://youtu.be/EXoM0Ze-9xE

https://youtu.be/7se5upkxLL0

https://youtu.be/4993lcJ5-0c

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

See you later alligator, after a while crocodile. Can't you see you're in my way now, don't you know you cramp my style? Bill Hailey & The Comets, 20th century #Photography #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #Ashram #India #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

A crocodile sculpture is perched on the horizontal beam above the entrance to the Samadhi Hall at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India, a building constructed with large, precisely carved granite stone blocks.

The crocodile sculpture has both a functional and a decorative purpose, serving as a rain gutter directing rainwater away from the stone walls to prevent water damage.

Devotees of Sri Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) are seen gathering inside the temple sanctum visible through the doorway.

This will be my penultimate photograph from India for some months as I prepare to visit loved ones in Ireland. Thank you for the journey we have shared. I am reminded of Rabindranath Tagore's lines:

"Now I am at the end of my pilgrimage,
I leave in the evening flowers of worship,
My salutations to you all."

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Happiness cannot be found through great effort and willpower but is already present, in open relaxation and letting go. Gendun Rinpoche, 20th century #photography #poetry #buddhism #hindu #spéirghorm #speirgorm #streetphotography #imageandverse #artofbluesky #photographersofbluesky #eastcoastkin

A sadhu (holy man) reclines majestically on his mat by the roadside as a stream of pilgrims flow by walking the 14 km circuit around the holy mountain of Arunachala at Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.

His orange clothing represents renunciation, while the extensive necklaces (rudraksha beads) are traditionally worn by devotees of Lord Shiva.

Other items for worship or daily sustenance surround him including alms bowls, food, water, a conch shell and small lamps for rituals.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Take off your shoes ... real slow Take off your dress, yes, yes You can leave your hat on You can leave your hat on You can leave your hat on Joe Cocker, 20th century #Photography #India #StreetPhotography #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

A young sari-wearing door-to-door Indian saleswoman carries in both her hands and on her head natural, long-lasting dry-grass brooms (phool jhadu) with red and purple plastic cylindrical handles.

They are commonly used for sweeping floors in homes and offices, effectively collecting fine dust and debris. Some modern variations are designed to be "no dust" brooms, shedding minimal material during use.

Randy Newman wrote (and first performed) 'You Can Leave Your Hat On' in 1972. But In 1986, it was Joe Cocker's version which was used for Kim Bassinger's striptease scene in the movie '9 & 1/2 Weeks'. Fun fact: Tom Jones also sang it in the 1997 British film, 'The Full Monty'.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

The day of my awakening was the day I saw - and knew I saw - all things in God and God in all things. Mechtild of Magdeburg, 13th century #Photography #Poetry #Dogs #Mystic #God #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #India #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

A tattooed Western man wearing black trousers and a graphic design grey t-shirt with an outline of Gandhi on the front sits on a red plastic stool drinking masala chai (spiced tea).

Resting peacefully on the pavement beside him are two Indian pariah (street) dogs known for being resilient and adapting well to town and city environments.

In the background, an elderly beggar woman is sitting on steps nearby, her chappals (sandals) and a long bamboo stick by her side.

🐕

“... I look up and I see God. I look down and see my dog ...”

Wendy Francisco

https://youtu.be/H17edn_RZoY

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

They reckon ill who leave me out; When me they fly, I am the wings; I am the doubter and the doubt; And I the hymn the Brahmin sings. Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19th century #Photography #India #SpeirGorm #SpéirGhorm #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #HumansOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

An Indian woman dressed in an orange-print silk sari performs pradakshina (circumambulation) along the walkway around the samadhi shrine where the mortal remains of Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) are entombed.

The shrine features polished black stone pillars and a prominent gold-leaf plated statue of Sri Ramana in a seated meditative posture. In front of this statue, the sanctified body is enshrined in a sitting position facing Arunachala, with a sacred Shiva lingam positioned directly over his head.

Before being discontinued recently by new management, this meditative practice could be done morning and evening by devotees during the chanting of the Vedas by trainee Brahmin priests at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

For a fee, I'm happy to be your back-door man Dirty deeds, do anythin' you want me to Dirty deeds, dirty deeds done dirt cheap Dirty deeds done dirt cheap AC/DC, 20th century #Photography #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

A man in a red half-sleeve shirt and orange dhoti washes clothes at a ghat, a series of stone steps leading down to Pali Tirtham, the sacred tank next to Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Sri Annamalai Swami, under the direct guidance of Ramana Maharshi, constructed these next to the shrine where Bhagavan's mother, Alagammal, has her samadhi (tomb).

Pali Tirtham collected run-off from Mount Arunachala and Sri Ramana insisted that Sri Annamalai Swami work through the night to finish the task.

When a torrential downpour filled it within hours of completion, the tank was completely empty. Otherwise work could not have resumed for another several months.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

I wanna know did you get the feelin' Did you get it down in your soul I wanna know did you get the feelin' Oh, did you get healed? Van Morrison, 20th century #Photography #Poetry #Stunday #StreetPhotography #SpeirGorm #SpéirGhorm #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

An immensely blissful young man wearing a white dhoti (a breechcloth wrapped around the waist and legs) and an angavastram (a cloth draped over the shoulder), sits on a woven stool at a blue gateway.

One sign attached to the back carrier of his bicycle has The Matrix's red pill/blue pill metaphor offering a choice between continuing life as usual (blue pill) or taking 2 minutes to sit silently in meditation (red pill). There is an emphasis on direct experience over blind faith.

Another sign in red at the end of a pole reads, 'Know The Self, Love All, See Oneness, Awaken All'.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

There's one lesson you oughta know I've learned - when you order what you want in other restaurants, you're sure to get your fingers burned. Dana, 20th century #Photography #StreetPhotography #SpeirGorm #SpéirGhorm #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #HumansOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

An elderly woman in a red, black and white print sari with green blouse tends to a fire outside the Auro Usha Restaurant in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India whilst a similar-aged man in a white shirt and a red cloth (dhoti) stands watching nearby.

Having won the 1970 Eurovision song contest for Ireland with 'All Kinds Of Everything', Dana Rosemary Scallon later released 'Something's Cooking In The Kitchen' which one critic reviewed as "this truly awful culinary misadventure of half-baked puns, in which her lip-synching is so bad she makes Britney Spears look good."

She later served one term as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Connacht–Ulster from 1999 to 2004. Her platform centred on pro-life views, family values and opposition to the European Constitution. Her parliamentary work often focused on opposing liberal changes to Irish law, such as the 2001 proposals to amend the constitution regarding the morning-after pill.

Dana stood in Ireland's 2002 general election seeking a Dáil seat for Galway West as an Independent but failed to be elected. She also twice stood unsuccessfully as a candidate in Irish presidential elections, in 2004 and 2011.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

And when you talk to God Count up all your blessings And thank the Good Lord back You don't know Jack No you don't know Jack Luke Bryan, 21st century #Photography #India #Fruit #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

A farmer sells fresh jackfruit, both whole and cut into segments, out of the back of a truck, using a digital weighing scale to measure the weight. The largest tree-borne fruit - it can weigh up to 40 lbs (18 kg) or more - jackfruit is a tropical fruit known for its large size and sweet, fibrous yellow flesh, with a taste often compared to a mix of mango, banana and pineapple. Highly versatile, it is used in both savory dishes when raw and as a sweet fruit when ripe.

Luke Bryan is an American country music singer, songwriter and television personality, one of the world's best-selling music artists, with over 75 million records sold. He has expressed support for the LGBTQ+ community, specifically through his 2017 hit 'Most People Are Good', which features the inclusive lyric, "I believe you love who you love / Ain't nothing you should ever be ashamed of".

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

It's the eye of the tiger it's the thrill of the fight And the last known survivor stalks His prey in the night And He's watching us all with the eye of the tiger Survivor, 20th century #Photography #India #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

A devotee with a shaved head, blue shirt and black trousers meditates in the New Hall at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India before a large image of Sri Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) wearing only a kaupinam (loincloth), with a body that appeared "luminous like burnished gold", and seated on a tiger skin.

Today is the 76th Aradhana - death anniversary - of Sri Ramana, the renowned 20th-century Indian sage advocated atma-vichara (self-enquiry) as the primary method to remove ignorance and abide in self-awareness.

Henri Cartier-Bresson, the famous French photographer, described seeing at the exact moment of the sage’s passing a "vividly-luminous shooting star with a luminous tail ... moving slowly across the sky and, reaching the top of Arunachala, disappeared behind it."

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

You are here and so am I Maybe millions of people go by But they all disappear from view And I only have eyes for You The Flamingos, 20th century #Photography #Poetry #India #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

Today, this Tamil New Year Day, two older men share a moment drinking tea as they sit closely together on plastic stools at a small roadside stall in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.

The man on the right is dressed in traditional attire, including a dhoti (blue lower garment) and a rudraksha mala (prayer beads) around his neck, whilst the man on the left wears a light-coloured shirt and a similar blue dhoti.

A sign in the background reads 'ROOMS RENT'.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

The body is a bodhi tree, the mind a bright mirror stand. Always diligently clean it, and let no dust alight. Shen Hsiu, 7th century #Photography #India #Buddhism #Chan #Enlightenment #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

Next to a notice promoting a Sri Ramanasramam Commemorative Centenary Coin, minted in 99.9% pure silver, weighing 40 grams and having a diameter of 44 mm, a woman wearing a traditional Indian printed sari featuring animal motifs wipes down a black board with a green cloth dampened from the white plastic bucket at her feet.

The Fifth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism, Hongren, wishing to pass on his robe and bowl to a successor, asked his disciples to write a poem to show their understanding,

Shen Hsiu, a learned senior monk experienced in meditation, wrote the above verse advocating a gradual process of achieving and maintaining the purity and clarity of the mirror-like mind. The emphasis was on a form of practice which involved cleaning the mind (mirror) from ignorance (dust) to attain purity.

Hui Neng, an illiterate woodcutter, challenged this by arguing that in ultimate reality the mind was already pure and enlightened. The mirror was not a physical item to be polished, but inherently empty. He advocated the sudden awakening to emptiness beyond form all-at-once, instantaneously, in the here-and-now:

Originally Bodhi has no tree,
The mirror has no stand.
Fundamentally, nothing exists,
so where can dust alight?

Hui Neng's poem demonstrated a direct, intuitive grasp of non-duality and secured his position as the Sixth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Everybody wants me to be What they want me to be That's why I'm easy I'm easy like Sunday morning That's why I'm easy I'm easy like Sunday morning Commodores, 20th century #Photography #Stunday #India #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

A man sleeps in an unconventional position at V.I.P. Gardens, Ramana Nagar, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India, using a blue TVS Jupiter with a grab rail and underseat storage parked against a weathered wall as a makeshift bed.

Despite its relaxing tone, Easy (Like Sunday Morning) is actually about a breakup, with lyrics reflecting a man’s relief at the joy and ease of leaving a stagnant relationship and finding freedom.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed; His coat is dust from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed. T.S. Eliot, 20th century #Photography #Poetry #Caturday #India #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

Perhaps anticipating the rigours of a successful modelling career, Pushkin, the domestic shorthair Ashram cat with a distinctive black and white (tuxedo) coat pattern and piercing green eyes, rests on top of a metal box labelled 'MODEL:1465'. This is the secured back-up electricity generator facility for Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.

'Macavity', from T.S. Eliot's 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats' (1939), by contrast, describes a cat who is a master criminal that vanishes from every crime scene, defies laws of nature and masterminds other criminal cats!!!

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

I got brass in a pocket I got bottle, I'm gonna use it. Gonna use my arms, gonna use my legs, gonna use my fingers, gonna use my, my imagination The Pretenders, 20th century #Photography #Poetry #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #India #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

Two women are bending over to clean those brass, copper and clay pots and pans on the ground used for the daily temple rituals at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.

The woman on the right wears a red and white sari with a distinct green apple motif pattern, whilst the other with her back completely to the camera is wearing an orange patterned sari.

The window features traditional green-painted wooden shutters and white security bars. Various colorful cloths and towels are draped over the window frame and railing to dry.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

There ain’t no flies on us There ain’t no flies on us There might be flies on some of you guys But there ain’t no flies on us Traditional, 20th century #Photography #Poetry #India #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

Three flies rest without threat on the traditional cotton-blend white dhoti with coloured border of a man sitting outdoors on a red plastic chair. He is holding 'Dinamalar' (தின மலர்), a Tamil daily newspaper, in his hands.

On 6 April 2026, India’s most advanced nuclear reactor reached a self-sustaining stage that marks a major leap for the country’s atomic energy programme, and takes it a step closer to cutting dependence on uranium.

The prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu reached criticality – the stage at which a nuclear chain reaction can continue on its own.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/7/indias-nuclear-leap-why-its-fast-breeder-reactor-success-matters

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

I keep a close watch on this Heart of mine I keep my eyes wide open all the time I keep the ends out for the tie that binds Because You're mine, I walk the line. Johnny Cash, 20th century #Photography #Poetry #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBluesky #EastCoastKin

Pradakshina (circumambulation) along the walkway around the samadhi shrine where the mortal remains of Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) are entombed at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India is a highly revered spiritual practice.

The sanctified body is enshrined here in a sitting position facing Arunachala, with a sacred Shiva lingam positioned directly over his head. Devotees often walk around the shrine in a clockwise direction—commonly 3, 5, or more times—usually in silence, meditation or chanting to experience peace, reflection and connection with the sage.

Before being discontinued recently by the new management, it was particularly popular during the daily chanting of the Vedas and Tamil Parayana, during which many devotees walked continuously around Sri Ramana's samadhi shrine.

The lyrics come from Johnny Cash's first number-one hit which remained on the American charts for over 43 weeks. Bob Dylan described it as "... a song I'd always considered to be up there at the top, one of the most mysterious and revolutionary of all time, a song that makes an attack on your most vulnerable spots, sharp words from a Master."

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

You must remain your own witness, marking well everything that happens, never shutting your eyes to reality. You must come to grips with these terrible times. Etty Hillesum, 20th century #Photography #SpéirGhorm #SpéirGorm #India #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

I'm too sexy for my shirt too sexy for my shirt so sexy it hurts I'm a model you know what I mean and I do my turn on the catwalk yeah on the catwalk Right Said Fred, 20th century #Photography #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #SpéirGorm #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

A man wearing a saffron dhoti (unstitched loincloth) and angavastram (shoulder cloth) sashays past a large busstop billboard advertising 'Saravana Stores Super Jewellery' and featuring four women displaying the retail outlet's gold and diamond selections.

The juxtaposition between these ostentatious displays of wealth and the large pile of tender coconuts in the background is jarring.

These humble fruits are consumed by pilgrims for their nutrient-rich natural water and delicious soft pulp as they walk barefoot the 14 km girivalam around Mount Arunachala, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

Die while you’re alive and be absolutely dead. Then do whatever you want: it’s all good. Zen Master Bunan, 17th century #Photography #India #Stunday #StreetPhotography #SpeirGorm #SpéirGhorm #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #HumansOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

Two vibrant Bougainvillea trees grow together at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India, featuring both brilliant pink and warm orange bracts and producing thorns which help them climb and cling to a beige wall.

Trees growing together over a grave is a natural phenomenon known as inosculation. The trunks, branches, or roots of two or more trees touch, graze and eventually graft or merge to form a single intertwined structure. They often represent a living memorial, symbolising the continuation of life and the bonding of the departed.

The Celts believed trees held souls and planted them on graves so the tree could protect the deceased and provide a new vessel for their spirit.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

I have lived on the lip of insanity, wanting to know reasons, knocking on a door. It opens. I've been knocking from the inside. Rumi, 13th century #Photography #Poetry #India #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #India #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

A grey-haired devotee wearing traditional orange headscarf and dhoti, as well as a contemporary blue shirt, looks out behind a a closed collapsible channel (scissors) gate. It is constructed from stainless steel for corrosion resistance and strength and operates on a horizontal sliding mechanism to expand and contract like an accordion.

There are five frangipani flowers resting on a textured concrete surface on the other side of the gate, recognisable by their waxy, five-petaled structure with a white outer edge and yellow centre. Here too a sign on the wall reads:

OM SRI ARUNACHALAM
SRI RAMANASRAMAM
SRI MATHRUBHUTESWARA MAHASANNIDHANAM FOUNDATION LAID BY BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI ON THURSDAY THE 15TH DAY OF AVANI IN THE YEAR PRAMADI（1-9-1939) AND CONSECRATED ON THURSDAY THE 4TH DAY OF PANGUNI IN THE YEAR SARVADHARI (17-3-1949)
NIRANJANANDA SWAMY SARVADHIKARI.

This is the New Hall at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India the centerpiece of which is a statue of Sri Ramana Maharshi on a throne-like sofa carved out of a single block of green stone surrounded by railings, and on the wall is an old Victorian-style clock. When Bhagavan was told that this new carved, granite sofa was for him, he remarked, "Let the stone swami sit on the stone sofa. If we look for our comfort, is it not at the expense of the sufferings of others? Squirrels, monkeys, cows and others have no chance of coming here." Reluctantly, he eventually agreed to be taken out of the Old Hall (Meditation Room) and made to sit on the stone couch covered with red velvet cushions.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Yeah, my friends are gone and my head is gray I ache in the places where I used to play I'm just paying my rent every day in the tower of song Leonard Cohen, 20th century #Photography #India #SpeirGorm #SpéirGhorm #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #HumansOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

A tall, narrow multi-story concrete frame construction is surrounded by traditional bamboo scaffolding for exterior finishing. The building features small, repetitive square ventilation grilles and circular decorative concrete panels on its facade. A set of bright yellow pipes runs down the exterior of the adjacent building.

The ironic lyrics of 'The Tower of Song' are a self-reflective enquiry into the songwriting craft which Leonard viewed as a form of imprisonment where he is "tied to this table" by "twenty-seven angels". Originally titled 'Raise My Voice in Song', this is considered a keynote work that captures the blend of pain, passion and wit that characterised his career.

https://youtu.be/nceRfJJZcP4

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. J. Krishnamurti, 20th century #Photography #India #StreetPhotography #SpeirGorm #SpéirGhorm #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #HumansOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

A sari-clad street vendor walks house-to-house through the bylanes of Ramana Nagar, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India, balancing on her head a large stainless steel bowl filled with fresh leafy greens and other garden vegetables such as 'keerai' for sale.

On 3 August 1929 at Ommen, Holland, Jiddu Krishnamurti dissolved the Order of the Star in the East, a global organisation of 75,000 members founded to support him as the 'World Teacher', marking his break from the Theosophical Society. He rejected the role of messiah and returned all associated money and property, including a castle in the Netherlands, declaring:

"I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. That is my point of view, and I adhere to that absolutely and unconditionally. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organised; nor should any organisation be formed to lead or to coerce people along any particular path."

https://youtu.be/E6DZUsIBt4A

https://youtu.be/oYLei31eEB0

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

You won't find another fool like me, no, you won't Sometimes I can't understand What makes me the fool I am You won't find another fool like me The New Seekers, 20th century #Photography #Poetry #Music #SpeirGorm #SpéirGhorm #India #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

Two men transport a vintage-style red bicycle on a motorcycle to a roadside bicycle mechanic for repair, puncture fixing or maintenance. Such bicycles vary in price from roughly ₹5,000 (€46) to over ₹13,000 (€120).

They are on a Suzuki Avenis 125 scooter powered by a 124cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled, fuel-injected engine and featuring a Suzuki Eco Performance (SEP) engine designed for fuel efficiency and performance. Key specifications include a maximum power output of 8.7 PS and 10 Nm torque. The Indian price starts from Rs 83,793. (€775)

The background shows a street-side food stall ("ரோட்டு கடை உண" - Street Food Shop) on Chengam Road, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

I am you, you are me you are I, I am we We are one, split in two that makes one, so you see You got to kill you if you wanna kill me Ren Gill, 21st century #Photography #Poetry #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #India #Dogs #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

An intelligent, alert and largely self-sufficient light-coloured street dog stands with sacred Mount Arunachala in the background at Post Office Road. Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India. Millions of stray dogs live on the streets of India, often struggling with extreme heat and limited resources. When encountering them, it is generally advised to remain calm, avoid direct eye contact and not run away.

Mount Arunachala and Ramana Maharshi are considered inseparable, representing the unity of the Guru and the Self. Sri Ramana described his connection to Arunachala as one of total surrender, often signifying that the sage and the mountain are not two, but one entity, embodying absolute silence and knowledge. Indeed, in The Marital Garland Of Letters he wrote, "Let us enjoy one another in the house of open space, where there is neither night nor day, Oh Arunachala!"

Hi Ren (2022) is a conversation between Ren Gill and his 'inner demons', illustrating that his darkness and light are inseparable parts of one unbroken whole and emphasising a need to accept both rather than battle them. The lyrics argue against fighting the "negative voice" within and instead promotes the acceptance of duality to overcome internal and external battles.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

When I was just a little girl I asked my mother, "What will I be? Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?" Here's what she said to me ... Doris Day, 20th century #Photography #Poetry #India #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

A woman dressed in a blue uniform shirt and a traditional white sari with a gold border holds a sign on which 'Silence' is written in multiple languages.

She engages with a young girl in a multi-coloured floral print georgette maxi dress styled as an Anarkali gown and carrying an empty green bottle.

There is lush green foliage and a staircase in the background here at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.

'Que Sera, Sera' (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" was introduced by Doris Day in Alfred Hitchcock’s film The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1956. Written by Jay Livingston (music) and Ray Evans (lyrics), the song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

There is a really deep well inside me. And in it dwells God. Sometimes I'm there too. But more often stones and grit block the well and God is buried beneath. Etty Hillesum, 20th century #Photography #SpeirGorm #SpéirGhorm #Stunday #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

A Brahmin priest wearing a traditional cloth wrap (veshti or dhoti) at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India operates a wooden well mechanism to draw water in an earthen clay container (kalasam) with the traditional rope and pulley (yatam) system. This is an essential part of religious ceremonies involving purification rituals and the preparation of materials without modern contaminants.

When Ramana Maharshi's mother was interred at the foot of Arunachala, earth was scooped out for a platform around her samadhi. When water in the crevice did not dry up, Ramana asked them to dig a pit three feet wide and three feet deep. Once done, water began flowing and the excavated site revealed itself to be a perennial spring which never dried up, eventually grew to become a full-service well.

As Ashram water needs mounted, the well was further deepened and broadened and, in time conventional quarrying techniques were used in such efforts. Eventually parapet walls of stone and mortar were raised, and a hand-pump was fitted into the well to pump water into a masonry tank. Pipes from the kitchen were fitted to the tank for daily access.

In 1967 further digging was done until the well’s depth reached 45 feet. In 1988 two bore wells were drilled at the Ashram to try and meet the ever-increasing demand for water, especially acute in the summer months. Submersible electric pumps were installed with a large overhead tank. Finally the municipality began providing water service to the Ashram and pipes were laid from Pali Thirtham to provide for the flower gardens.

In 2005 a water treatment plant was installed behind the Veda Patsala which serves to recycle all Ashram grey water for garden use. Today Ashram water needs are stable and the Ashram Well is once again being used exclusively for abhishekam at Sri Bhagavan’s Samadhi Shrine as well as in the Mother’s Temple.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

We're having a baby, my baby and me Our future gets brighter But definitely We're having a baby We're having a baby We're having a baby My baby and me Desi Arnaz, 20th century #Photography #Caturday #SpeirGorm #SpéirGhorm #India #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

Ti-Puss stands on a tiled pavement next to a potted plant, illuminated by bright sunlight, the lighting creating a strong contrast with prominent shadows and a greenish lens flare effect across her face.

A domestic tabby cat, she has a distinctive orange/ginger and darker brown/black striped coat pattern, her tail raised and curled, and eyes partially closed in the bright sunlight.

A terracotta pot containing several small green plants or herbs is partially visible in the background, the damp surface suggesting recent watering.

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were a legendary Hollywood couple who starred in the groundbreaking 1950s sitcom 'I Love Lucy'. They had two children (Lucie and Desi Jr.) and divorced after 20 years of marriage, driven by his chronic infidelity, alcoholism and high-stress work life which Ball described as a nightmare of mental anguish.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Everybody was Kung Fu fighting Those cats were fast as lightning In fact, it was a little bit frightening But they fought with expert timing Carl Douglas, 20th century #Photography #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #India #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

Martial arts schools are gaining in popularity across India for fitness and self-defense. These two karate students proudly pose in their white jacket and trouser uniforms (gis) worn for ease of movement during exercises.

Their orange belts suggest an intermediate level of training and kyu rank, often earned after mastering basic techniques and kata.

Next to them is a sign pointing towards the Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram, a revered Indian mystic also known as 'Visiri Samiyar' (the fan saint).

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

I love the free in thee, my bird, The lure of freedom drew; The light you fly toward, my bird, I fly with thee unto ... George 'AE' Russell, 20th century #Photography #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #PalacesAndGardens #UnexpectedEncounters #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

A peacock is perched on the roof of the samadhi shrine at Sri Ramanashramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu next to a dome-shaped Dravidian-style vimanam tower (shikhara).

This is directly over the inner sanctum (garbhagriha) below which enshrines the sanctified body of Sri Ramana Maharshi entombed here in a sitting position facing Arunachala, with a sacred Shiva lingam positioned directly over his head.

The vimanam tower denotes the highest spiritual point and a link between the devotee and the divine. In the Dravidian style of temple architecture, the dome is capped with the kalasha, a finial with an inverted lotus flower shape in between. There are also lotus petals at the top, before the kalasha narrows to a single point, or bindu.

George 'AE' Russell (1867-1935) wrote:

Freedom

I will not follow you, my bird,
I will not follow you.
I would not breathe a word, my bird,
To bring thee here anew.

I love the free in thee, my bird,
The lure of freedom drew;
The light you fly toward, my bird,
I fly with thee unto.

And there we yet will meet, my bird,
Though far I go from you
Where in the light outpoured, my bird,
Are love and freedom too.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

It used to be so natural to talk about forever Now you don't bring Me flowers You don't sing Me love songs You hardly talk to Me any more Barbra Streisand, 20th century #Photography #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #India #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

A woman with long dreadlocks tied up in a bun and adorned with small white flowers wears a bright orange dress paired with a patterned scarf featuring a leopard print design.

She stands at the sacred grove or 'kaavu' just inside the entrance to Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India which features stone murtis of nagas (serpent deities often associated with fertility and protection) wrapped in yellow and orange cloth at the base of a sacred bodhi ('peepul') tree (a 'sthala vriksham')

Such images represent moments of daily worship (puja) where devotees offer flowers and prayers. Worship practices often include daily 'shringar' (adoration/decoration) rituals. They are frequently adorned with offerings such as flowers, bilva leaves, water, milk and other sacred substances during rituals.

Added structures with deities such as Ganesha, as seen in the foreground here decorated with floral garlands of orange and yellow marigolds and other white flowers, are also typically present.

A small, black stone structure is used for lighting lamps ('diyas'), a common practice in shrine worship.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Raindrops are falling on my head And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed Nothing seems to fit Those raindrops keep falling on my head B.J. Thomas, 20th century #Photography #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

In a covered temporary retail stall with a metal shutter background and blue plastic chairs, a man sleeps on a makeshift bed next to Arunachaleswarar Temple, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.

He lies underneath large, decorative, paint-splattered yellow balloons and a green mosquito net to protect himself against vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever.

The large, pear-shaped balloons are sold for decoration and festive occasions, and are often featured in satisfying balloon blowing or popping videos online.

A 1969 song written for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head' won the Academy award for Best Original Song. It later appeared in a montage in Spider-Man 2 (2004).

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

wabi-sabi, 侘寂: an intuitive response to beauty that reflects an acceptance of the impermanent, imperfect and incomplete nature of things. #Photography #Haiku #Japan #India #Buddhism #Hindu #StreetPhotography #SpeirGorm #SpéirGhorm #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

A traditional plain green roll-up bamboo chick blind fading in colour and with its woven natural slats beginning to disintegrate is used as a window screen to filter sunlight from the Old Hall, Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.

A few months after Sri Ramana Maharshi's death in April 1950, a fire broke out in this deeply-revered meditation space where he had lived, received visitors and taught, but fortunately there was no serious damage.

In the 1970s, when termites were detected in the Old Hall, efforts were made to eradicate them but within ten years the insects had impregnated the walls and the roof, resulting in severe leakage, flooding and perpetually dampened walls that increasingly showed signs of severe stress and major cracking.

By the mid-1980s structural engineers determined that the deterioration of the building due to age, weather, and insects was so extensive that the entire building would have to be reconstructed. Great pains were taken to produce an exact replica of the original building and of the original fixtures and tiles (that were intact) were incorporated into the new building.

The renovated Old Hall was dedicated on the 5th December, 1986 and it remains a powerful, silent and authentic place for Self-Enquiry

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

One of the main points about travelling is to develop in us a feeling of solidarity of that oneness without which no better world is possible. Ella Maillart, 20th century #photography #spéirghorm #speirgorm #streetphotography #imageandverse #artofbluesky #photographersofbluesky #eastcoastkin

Maariyammal, a heavily-wrinkled elderly woman with matted grey hair and wearing a blue and yellow patterned sari and dark green blouse, joins my South American friend and I to sit on a plastic stool by a roadside chai stall.

She wears holy ash (vibhuti) on her forehead and neck, as well as gold bangles on her wrists and a nose-ring.

In the background, rickshaws and motorcycles bustle by oblivious to this perfect location across from Agni Tirtham, Chengam Road, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu with a direct view of Mount Arunachala.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Thanks for silence with me Thanks for silence with me Thanks for silence with me Thanks for silence with me Sinead O'Connor, 20th century #photography #poetry #spéirghorm #speirgorm #india #streetphotography #imageandverse #artofbluesky #photographersofbluesky #eastcoastkin

Strong metal gates lead from the New Hall at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India through a meticulously-carved wooden door, and into the samadhi shrine (tomb) of Sri Ramana Maharshi's mother.

Following Azagammal's death in 1922, her body was buried on the southern slopes of Arunachala and a sivalingam installed on her samadhi (tomb). Between 1939 and 1949, a granite temple was built over this shrine under the guidance of Vaidyanatha Stapati and consecrated as Matrubhuteswara, 'God in the form of Mother'. Pujas and other rituals continue here to this day.

Sinéad O'Connor's lyric comes from the 1994 album Universal Mother, a hymn of gratitude for being seen, heard and loved through tough times, culminating in having a "strong, strong heart". She had been estranged from her mother Marie who had died in a car crash on her way to Mass, the car skidding on ice and colliding into a bus.

https://granta.com/universal-mother

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

If there's something strange In your neighborhood Who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters! If it's something weird And it don't look good Who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters! #photography #poetry #spéirghorm #speirgorm #india #streetphotography #imageandverse #artofbluesky #photographersofbluesky #eastcoastkin

A barefooted man in a red half-sleeved shirt, rolled-up orange lungi and blue scarf covering his hair uses a yellow 16-litre backpack pressurised sprayer with a long wand each morning to disinfect courtyard tiles and concrete walkways at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Citric insecticide is distributed liberally to reduce mosquito populations and control vector-borne diseases such as dengue, acting as both a repellent and a larvicide (killing larvae).

A visitor dressed in white and wearing a yellow scarf seems somewhat bemused (and confused) by the absence of protective clothing or safety procedures when handling or being exposed to such sanitising agents or pesticides.

Sri Ramanasramam is located at the foothills of Mount Arunachala, a sacred abode of Lord Shiva and a renowned destination for meditation due to its serene ambiance and spiritual energy. The Ashram promotes self-enquiry and meditation, and many pilgrims come for spiritual growth and inner peace.

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

You will not find me in stupas, nor in Indian shrine rooms, nor in legs winding around your own neck, nor in eating nothing but vegetables. Kabir, 15th century #Photography #Poetry #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #India #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

Amma's highly-popular roadside street food stall (thattukada) across from the Dakshinamurti Temple on Chengam Road, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.

From 6 to 10 pm each evening, she sells deep-fried local snacks with a crispy texture and spicy flavour such as mirchi bajji made from fresh green chili peppers, cauliflower fry and other battered items in her shallow iron pan (kadhai) filled with cooking oil.

Pakoras are made by coating vegetables such as onions, potatoes and spinach in a seasoned batter made with gram (chickpea) flour. The coated ingredients are then deep-fried until golden brown and crispy.

My dirty little secret is the deep-fried potato balls she makes me in a seasoned batter, a cholesterol bomb which would most certainly not impress my doctor. 🤫🤫🤫

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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

I was on the inside when they pulled the four walls down I was looking through the window, I was lost, I am found I walk away, walk away, I will follow U2, 20th century #Photography #Birds #SpéirGhorm #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin

A woman wearing a traditional white cotton sari with a decorative orange border and matching dupatta watches a vibrant peacock walking on a paved pathway leading to the rear of the Mother Shrine at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.

She has her hair in a bun and an orange bag over her right shoulder. In the background are mature trees and a low white wall with decorative archways.

The opening track from U2's debut album, Boy, lead singer Bono wrote the lyrics in tribute to his mother Iris Hewson who died when he was 14 years old.

It explores themes of devotion, grief and childhood innocence, and is often interpreted as following a loved one even into the grave or representing a divine connection.

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