Monday, January 23, 2006
Photoblog : Circle of light
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The circle of light
Transept of Memorial Hall
Harvard University Campus
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Memorial Hall is one of my favorite buildings on Harvard campus. It is a gorgeous looking structure built in Ruskinian-Gothic style, with an imposing tower that looks beautiful by day and mysteriously eerie by night. And it is old, like a lot of things in Boston are. Old being a very relative-to-rest-of-USA thing, of course. But a touristy tour around town will lead to the guide (yes, that would be me) pointing out things and remarking — Looky at that li’l school right there? Yeah yeah, that black gate. That’s Haah-vad. The oldest university in the country. Or .. See that stretch of green? Bawst’n Caw-mun. Oldest cattle-grazing ground in the country. What’s that? No no, the cows will come back in summer. No really. I promise. Anyway, soon it drives people up the wall, leading to situations like this — a visiting friend and talented wiseass, pointed to a squirrel in the Harvard Yard and curiously asked if it was the oldest squirrel in the country. No, we replied. But his great-grandpa was. Died in the Civil War, he did, we said, nodding solemnly. They built a memorial for him too. And then we pointed to Memorial Hall.
Memorial Hall was built between 1865 and 1878, to honor the Harvardians who had fallen while fighting for the Union in the American Civil War. (What? You thought I was kidding about the squirrel?) The interior of the hall has a marble-floored transept with walnut paneling, large stained glass windows featuring the work of several prominent artists, and a sixty-foot-high, Gothic-style vaulted ceiling, with metal chandeliers. Yep, this is a picture of one of them, taken from directly below it.
Memorial Hall is also home to Sanders Theatre — originally a commencement hall, that has since played host to a number of notable figures like Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King in the past and the Ig Nobels in the present. And then of course, there is Annenberg Hall, one of the most impressive and awe-inspiring spaces on Harvard campus. Sorta reminds you of the main hall at Hogwarts, only Annenberg Hall is real and infinitely more impressive!
Okie, enough yak yak. Enjoy the linkfest. And look ma, no flowers!
circle of light… reminds me of “circle of life” by elton john… and he is the oldest thing that happened to pop music too… and watchout, that squirrel may be secret squirrel and morocco mole may not be too far :)
Monday, January 23, 2006 @ 12:18 AM
hmmm… nice and informative post ,,,ending your weekend partiess ????
the pic looks awesome… like an art… not like a cam pic.
how do u do that… ???
i saw other pics on your blog… … u do experiment with your cam too.. isn’t it ???
the chandilier has spokes .. ( atleast as they appear.. :) :) ) 12 … resembling 12 hours of the clock or the time at which u published ur post … 12:00 AM..
Monday, January 23, 2006 @ 1:06 AM
Damn. That is an awesome shot. I hate it, because I’ve tried to get somethign similar and missed.
May I ask what camera you use? And would you give me some details of this shot? Like time of day, speed and aperture?
J.A.P.
Monday, January 23, 2006 @ 1:34 AM
awesome snap!
what happened to the code u were gonna share :(
Monday, January 23, 2006 @ 4:06 AM
Ruskinian-Gothic style of architecture, eh? I have been wanting to learn about architecture for quite a while now. Especially after I read that book, ‘Mind Boggling Buildings’ by Michael Cox. Really informative, and very witty. But of course, I have been procrastinating, and haven’t really done much, apart from catching the last five minutes of architecture related documentaries on the History Channel, occasionally. If you haven’t already read that book, do read it.
Monday, January 23, 2006 @ 4:12 AM
Very nice picture. When viewing this at an angle where all around is completely black (without the little bit structure we see when viewing straight), it was even more awesome. Looks like a chandelier at firt but may be not…seems to be the glass dome at the center?.
By the way, I posted more pics of NH (especially the fall pics I scanned from my 4X6s) since you last visited my photo blog.
Monday, January 23, 2006 @ 9:08 AM
Awesome photo. Very well composed, very well shot.
Monday, January 23, 2006 @ 9:39 AM
[Megha] Nice… Boston has some nice places to see in the summertime I guess. Hmmm, have ta block dates on my summer social calendar. And, dunno about your ma, but me definitely glad that there are no flowers. *shivers from the recurring tulip nightmares*
[Prerona] Welcome to the club. :p
Monday, January 23, 2006 @ 12:26 PM
gorgeous shot!!
Monday, January 23, 2006 @ 10:19 PM
M&M,
That’s a great picture. We hope to see more beautiful pictures and as you know: a picture is worth a thousand words ;)
Monday, January 23, 2006 @ 10:23 PM
Too Much Wood!
Though it looks really really pretty, but I don’t think anyone would deny that a new memorial is required for the trees logged off.
Monday, January 23, 2006 @ 11:42 PM
[Rumpy] Ooh, now that’s a thought. Now that you mention it, I could have sworn I heard some furious burrowing in the background, following by a rushed glimpse of a fez, as it disappeared :)
[Sri] Busy weekend yes, but partying no :) As for the picture, I just got plain lucky. Took it in auto-mode so all credit to camera and none to me. But yes, I do like to play with it some. Very amateurish though. The number twelve has special significance in Christian architecture - it represents the twelve apostles. But the 12:00am time of posting was quite an observation! I would have never noticed it myself :)
[J. Alfred Prufrock] Thenkew. I’m sorry, I should have included the details. Here’s the exif data info on Flickr. Although I must admit, that this picture was a case of pure luck. I took the shot in auto-mode (with a gazillion screaming cousins tugging at me in multiple directions) so no credit to me, for it having turned out the way it did.
[Prerona] Yikes, I am a bad bad person :( The code is ready, but I keep putting off finishing the post that explains how to use it. Give me a few weeks? Will positively have it ready by then. So very sorry!
[witnwisdumb] Will surely look around for the book. Thanks for the pointer!
[Bhanu] Yes, it is very much the chandelier, shot from right below it. And while I haven’t commented, I have visited your blog since you’ve updated it with your winter NH pictures. Loved the shot of Lake Winnipesaukee and the one of the tree stump! My tree pictures never turn out so beautiful :( Sigh.
[Anurag] Thanks much!
[aNTi] Boston has nice places to see all year around. Some indoors, some outdoors, but there’s always something to do, winter or summer. And I am not gonna say anything about tulips. Nahin to .. hum bolega to bologe ke bolta hai :)
[Jenn] Thank you! :)
[Prashanth] Which makes this one painfully long post, eh? Yes yes, point taken. We shall try and keep our babble to a minimum next time ;)
[Vardan] Well, it was a different time and different place back then. Making room for new beginnings on a new continent and all those good things.
Monday, January 23, 2006 @ 11:49 PM
there is every chance that I am wrong but it seems (to me) that lately u r writing for the gallery..
than expressing ur thots..
Monday, January 23, 2006 @ 11:52 PM
[wanderer] As a matter of fact, yes, I do write for an audience. Humor is best done with an audience in mind, rather than as introspective soliloquy, in my opinion. This blog’s never really been a personal journal kind of place. I’ve expressed my thoughts on this in a post before, so I’ll just quote the relevant part of that post -
Tuesday, January 24, 2006 @ 12:42 AM
Only in America is a cow pasture billed as a tourist attraction. :)
When I visited the “grazing grounds”, I kicked myself for driving out of my way to get there and pay $7 for parking .. all for an ordinary park that I could have gone to without leaving my neighborhood or city. Since I am not much of a history (American) buff, the trip to Boston was a big let down for me(except of course for the drive to New Hampshire and Vermont to see the spectacular fall colors).
And the most shocking thing for me (coming from Dallas), is that you could go miles and miles without seeing any monstrous signs for fastfood restaurants along the freeways :). They were so sparse that I had to go out of my way to find some.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006 @ 1:10 AM
pretty!
Tuesday, January 24, 2006 @ 2:00 AM
Great job as always :)
Tuesday, January 24, 2006 @ 3:34 AM
Beautiful Pictures. Coming from Pancake-Texas anything looks beautiful, Boston even more!.
ha! This is where the fancy-shmancy jersey-wearing cows can be seen I believe.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006 @ 9:38 AM
[Megha] Boston has nice places to see all year around. Some indoors, some outdoors, but there’s always something to do, winter or summer. - You mean, if you can get out of your apartment that is buried in like 100 ft of snow, right? Ya, I totally agree with that :p
That is why, two months after moving to NJ/NY I still haven’t crossed the Hudson over to NYC!
Tuesday, January 24, 2006 @ 9:39 AM
[Meghs and all other bostonians] Baaaaaah… so much for Boston’s cold weather. i come up there and it is a warm 50 degrees outside… and what do I do? Roam around Harvard square and a cop car passes me thrice, with the cop staring at me like I was a member of you-know-who’s outfit. But seriously, I loved the harvard business school’s campus… was awesome!!
[Meghs only and not other bostonians] — Missing ‘em cows eh? Hopefully, they aren’t in a burger in Hardees or McD’s :D. (Thankoo, but I am jobless)
Tuesday, January 24, 2006 @ 2:26 PM
hey megha !!
awesome blog…awesoem template, and even better writings…
i read a few of ur posts, and they are damn interesting…
read my ramblings at www.neoamaan.blogspot.com
btw….that “reality is merely an illusion…..” is my yahoo signature….
its so cool to see someone else use it as a description of the blog..which univ. r u in ??
anyways…
i’ll keep coming back !
Tuesday, January 24, 2006 @ 6:37 PM
Stained Glass Paintings… one of my fav arts… we dont see them much nowadays do we?
Tuesday, January 24, 2006 @ 6:47 PM
We have been lazy in our responses lately. We apologize.
[blogman] It *was* a cattle-grazing ground, pliss to remember. Sitting on a park bench and watching people while you munch on lunch, lazing on the grass the entire day and reading a book, or sitting under a tree and typing up the opening chapters of the book you are writing - that’s what Boston Common is for. It is for the experience, not because the trees or grass look any different from other parts of the country :) Sorry to hear you didn’t have fun though.
And please please tell me you did not come all the way to Boston, ignore all the mom-and-pop places, and go out of your way looking for a Taco Bell to eat at? If you did, you should be red flagged at Logan for next time! Tsk tsk!
[m.] Thankee! :)
[Raj] Thanks :)
[gvenum] I cannot deny it. Boston is full of rich and fancy people. So yes, I suppose the cows would wear fancy clothes too :)
[aNTi] Aw c’mon now. It is never so bad. Agreed that I crib about the snow too, but that’s half the fun of it - to brave the weather and still have fun! Shame on you for not having been to NYC yet! You should go drown yourself in the Hudson in shame. But then again, you have other much bigger things to drown yourself in shame about :)
[Sriram] Given the cultural hotch-potch that Boston is, if you were singled out and given strange looks, then it must just be cos you *are* strange. I honestly cannot think of a better explanation :) And two days of 50s and we went right back to snow. So there!
[neoamaan] Thanks for dropping in and glad you liked the blog. That quote by Einstein is a favorite of mine :) Keep visiting!
[Chez] Sadly, not as much anymore :(
Wednesday, January 25, 2006 @ 12:53 PM
[Megha] You dont ever tire out of pointing it out, na?? :p Aaj se aapka shub naam hai - Mommy!
Wednesday, January 25, 2006 @ 3:52 PM
[aNTi] *innocent look* Pointing what out? You mentioned the tulips, not me. Khaali phokat I am badnaamofied. Hmpfh. And by the way, I thought you were already someone’s Ravi’s beta, no? You are gonna have a busy Mothers Day, at this rate :)
Wednesday, January 25, 2006 @ 4:32 PM
No. I asked you to post more pictures, but the guilty feeling surfaced, isn’t it? ;)
Wednesday, January 25, 2006 @ 5:40 PM
[Prashanth] I am just very aware of my tendency to babble, although this awareness hasn’t made me babble any less. So, calling it guilt is giving me too much credit, methinks ;) Will try and post more pictures. Thankoo :)
Wednesday, January 25, 2006 @ 8:57 PM
yes, you have put ur philosophy very succintly.. and I was well aware of that..
‘Every blogger, no matter what they say, started their site because they want other people to read what they have to say.’
I agree one wishes to be read when one writes.. (even if for some, less is more)..
but sometimes the audience gravitate towards the writing and at other times the writing gravitates towards the audience..
nothing wrong in that; only that the natural flow (may) breaks…
though, I must admit I am not qualified to talk abt writing styles..
anyways, happy writing..
Thursday, January 26, 2006 @ 7:18 AM
[wanderer] How much one’s audience influences one’s writing and how much one’s audience *should* influence one’s writing, are both very subjective, and very much a personal choice. My assessment of both those things could be much different from yours. And we’d both be right.
It is good to hear your thoughts on the matter though. Happy reading. Cheers!
Friday, January 27, 2006 @ 6:35 AM
OUt of curiousity…how are you related to Harvard? Are you a student there?
Saturday, January 28, 2006 @ 12:00 AM
[Smiley] Nopes, just live nearby and love the area!
Tuesday, January 31, 2006 @ 6:03 PM
Amazing pic..
Saturday, February 4, 2006 @ 11:24 PM
A dissenting opinion. Not about your post, but about Memorial Hall and Sanders Theater. I found both quite hideously ugly. This is probably a consequence of over exposure to gorgeous English campuses with lovely old buildings, but much as I love Harvard, I think the architecture sucks. If you look across the road there is that monstrosity otherwise known as the Graduate School of Design and the two identical buildings next to it, which are equally unpleasant (where I have my office!!). The grad dorms are so hideous that even the Housing Office makes fun of it, and the Science Center is a complete eyesore. So all in all, architectural wonder is a bit missing at Harvard. I’ve been told btw, that the Stanford and Cornell campuses are much prettier.
Sunday, February 5, 2006 @ 10:28 AM
[Manish] Thanks!
[Antara] Good to have you stop by! I think Harvard has pockets of good even if it isn’t perfection. But then again, I haven’t seen English campuses so I probably don’t know what I’m missing out on. The GSD does contrast rather oddly with its surroundings, I agree. My sympathies at having to watch that everyday. I like the church next to it though, forget what it is called. Also, haven’t been to Cornell, but Stanford is indeed *very* pretty.
Friday, February 10, 2006 @ 3:32 PM
Megha,
I updated the blog with some more pictures….some of them old ones that I scanned from 4X6. With Picasa it seems easier to scan as it converts to jpg straight away rather than go through the scanner software first etc. So, hope to scan even more of my pics in…
Wednesday, April 5, 2006 @ 7:43 PM
I have been reading your blogs for the last couple of years. Though am not very religious about following every post, I do visit your site on and off. Caught up on a few oldies now - Water drip, drip, Kyle.. pointless, but a lot of masti. :-) Love it, keep up the great work!
Btw, the picture on this post is not showing up, JS error.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007 @ 2:45 PM
got a similar capture in my photo stream … check it out …
www.flickr.com/photos/siddhantsingh
Monday, April 7, 2008 @ 6:41 AM