Best pics 2010: Worshipping the blue waters

Here are readers' best photographs from the past year!

With 2010 drawing to a close, we invited readers to share their unique, original photographs from this past year with us -- here's the first set of responses!

First up we have this image, titled 'Worshipping the Ganges' from Varun Raj, a consultant with a telecom consulting firm in Mumbai who loves travelling and photography.

He says, "This was shot at the famous Maha Kumbha, a Hindu religious festival that happens once in 12 years. As the city was flooded with people and all roads barricaded, after walking for over 10 kms from one end of the city alongside the river Ganges, I found this sadhu worshipping serenely."

"I kept wondering as to what is it that draws people here? It is much beyond the ordinary realms of prayers or sin-resolving dips in the Ganges...way beyond that, it is pure faith in the realistic and spiritual sense, else there you would not find almost 3 percent of the Indian population flocking a small Indian town just to take a dip! Indeed, a once in a life time experience to see such a festival."

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With 2010 drawing to a close, we're inviting you to send in your best photograph of the year. We'll be posting a few every day and readers will get to vote for each one. The 20 that land the maximum number of votes will then be compiled into a 'best of' list that will be published in January next year.

Simply e-mail your photographs to travelpicsga@rediffmail.com (subject line: 'My unusual pic 2010') -- we'll publish the most interesting ones right here on rediff.com and in India Abroad. And make sure to include a little-write up of where you clicked the snap.

Remember, they could be from anywhere across India or the world, but they have to be original. Hurry and send in your entry today!

Disclaimer: The photographs featured in this series are, to the best of our knowledge, original entries submitted by readers. Rediff.com does not assume any responsibility for their originality.

Next we have this one from Vivek Arcot, who says, "Here is a photo I took on the 86th floor observatory of the Empire State Building in New York City. There are a few really fat pigeons around the observatory and it is very unusual, especially for pigeons, to be found so high in the air. This pigeon also tried to steal my cookie when I tried to eat one, no wonder they are so fat!"

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Here we have an entry from Satya N Govind (Chari), who describes himself as a professional scriptwriter/cartoonist and a photographer.

"I prefer to call myself a 'nuisance dedicated to creativity," he explains. "I have been enjoying every moment of this year writing, sketching and clicking and finally had the opportunity to click a plethora of photos while I was travelling in India. Be it the divine abode of the Lord of the Seven Hills (Tirupati) or a never-to-miss-moment in my home town, New Delhi, these pictures aren't merely pictures but stories churned with a purpose."

"This picture was shot at the New Delhi railway station, depicting the predicament of this young boy caught in the rain that had lashed the city several times. While he stood there covering his head, his sibling got candid."

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Sanith Bhaskaran sent in this photograph, saying, "This is a pic with my wife and it is clicked at Pangong Lake, Ladakh. It was awesome...the picture says it all! It's my most unique pic of 2010."

"It's for those who love adventure...Pangong Lake is an endorheic lake in the Himalayas situated at a height of about 4,350 m (14,270 ft). It is 134 kms (83 miles) long and extends from India to China. 60 percent of the length of the lake lies in China.The line of actual control passes through the lake. The lake is 5 kms (3.1 miles) wide at its broadest point. During winter, the lake freezes completely, despite being saline water. It is in the process of being identified under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance. This will be the first trans-boundary wetland in South Asia under the convention."

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"This photograph was clicked on the way to Ahmednagar from Pune," says Arunendra Mishra. "It depicts the true colours of rural India. The location forced us to stop and have a glimpse of the children having fun and working together."

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We received this one from Babu Ramabadran, who explains, "This picture was taken during a recent trip with my friend Hiro in October of 2010 to Munnar in Kerala, India. The tea estates were gorgeous. We were so happy that we leaped for joy. The picture was taken by my friend Sebastian."

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Says Rohit Virmani of Patparganj, Delhi, "I clicked this picture while on an official survey tour of a village in Jaunpur in January 2010. I saw this cow and found it interesting."

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Anand Yaligar contributed this next photograph. "This photo is clicked at my home in Dharwad. It features two people -- myself and my nephew. I was holding the camera; I asked my nephew to hold the mirror and I adjusted it so that we look like one person. The face is mine and the body is my nephew!"

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We were pleasantly surprised by this one, e-mailed in by Koushik Dutta. "I took this picture during a short visit to Varanasi, UP in February 2010," he says. "After attending a conference in Allahabad, I decided to stop by for a day to visit Varanasi -- it was an amazing experience. This foreigner was drawing a large-scale Shiva on a wall near Dasaswamedh Ghat. The painting is probably still there!"

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And finally, we have this one from Praveen Lakkaraju, who explains, "This is a picture of me, snapped by my friend in Jersey City, NJ, USA. We were checking out the new Nikon D90 that we bought and were testing its ability to capture objects in motion.The picture came out surprisingly well."

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