66 Trams: Part I
Going around the world in trams. This is an ongoing project. Presenting the part one.
(Covering : Austria,Switzerland,Hungary,Czech Republic, Netherlands,Belgium, Slovakia)
Following her..
Yellow trams, Budapest , Hungary
Overlooking the old Charles Bridge
Tram in Austria
Trams in old town Prague
The Divide
in Bratislava Slovakia
Returning home
Waiting
in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Brussels, Belgium
Electric Tram, Prague
Window to window.
Lucerne, Switzerland
Jama Masjid
Jama Masjid in the evening.
The following series encloses 15 photographs of Masjid-i Jahān-Numā meaning World-reflecting Mosque situated in Old Delhi, India. Built in mid 1600AD by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, its the largest mosque in India. The monument, the prime shooting location of many Bollywood movies can hold 25,000 people during prayer times. It is also close to a major ancient Indian market known as ‘Meena Bazaar’ and one of the oldest and most famous eat streets in India, the ‘Chandni Chowk’. From the Jama Masjid, one can see the ‘Red Fort’ at a distance, home to some of the most powerful Mughal Emperors of all times. Do leave your feedback if you like the series.
People washing themselves before prayer.
Sunset over the mosque
Ali wondering where little sister Alisha is, as she is not allowed inside during the prayers
Prayer Time
Alone
Sunset over the old city
Sunset from another angle
Chaos
Lights get on
Chaotic traffic in Old Delhi
Friends
A new photo angle
The image from the top of the mosque
Meanwhile in Italy
Meanwhile in Italy
1) Gelati and more.. yumm..
2. The Zimbabwean player with many birdies. #Venice
3. The view from my room #Florence
4. The view from my seat #Roma
5. Napolitan sea
6. Love in Ray-bans. 
7. And even more Ray-Bans
8. A view of Rome #Vatican
9. Happy girl.
10. Grandeur.
11. Inquisitive twins
12. Italian haircut.
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Images : Marcus Sam
Sky High
Recently Conde Nast Traveler published a post featuring images from places high up. So I thought why not have a similar post even on this blog.
Starting with an image of Paris from the top of Eiffel Tower. With the Sacre Coeur in view.
Next we look onto the city of Prague, from the Prague castle situated strategically on a hilltop making it tough for the ancient man as well as the modern man with high blood cholesterol to climb.
Lets get out of Europe and look at Dubai
Lets look down upon one of the Indian cities, the city of Kolkata.
Back to Europe, to Italy specifically, looking at the red housetops of Venice.
Next we look down upon Florence, the city after which Florence Nightingale was named. The view is secured after climbing over 400 treacherous steps through narrow pathways and dark haunting alleys all built within the Florence Duomo.
Finally we look over the city of Rome, which incidentally was not built in a day, from the top of the St Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City.
Images & Research : Marcus Sam
Contact : info@marcussam.com
Christmas Cathedral Hopping – Part III
Its Christmas time and lets dedicate this set of images exclusively to the Vatican and the St Peter’s Basilica.
Sunny side up
Vatican bird eye view
The glorious insides
Evening and Night
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Copyright : Marcus Sam (info@marcussam.com)
NB : if you like this post you can follow him on his Facebook for more. : Here
Christmas Cathedral Hopping – Part II
Its Christmas time and lets get into the holiday mood with some of the world’s most beautiful cathedrals.
Lets start part 2 with one of the eeriest cathedrals in the world, the Cathedral at Sedlec, Czech Republic.
.Next is the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, near the Spanish Steps,Rome,Italy
.Next in line is the Milan Cathedral, Italy
Next is The Church of our Lady before Tyn, Prague, Czech Republic
.Next is the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna
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Copyright : Marcus Sam (info@marcussam.com)
Christmas Cathedral Hopping – Part I
So its Christmas time and lets get into the holiday mood with some of the world’s most beautiful cathedrals.
Lets start with the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, Italy
Next is the Cathedral of St Michael & St Gudula, Brussels ,Belgium
.Next is the good old Notre Dame Cathedral from my favourite city, Paris
.Next in line is the Church of St Leodegar, Lucerne, Switzerland
.Next in line is the good old Cologne Cathedral, Germany
.The Pisa Cathedral, Italy
.the St Paul’s Cathdedral, Kolkata, India
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End of Part 1
Copyright : Marcus Sam (info@marcussam.com)
Some recently featured images on Photoburst
Photoburst.net is a daily photo competition website where big shot as well as small shot photographers compete daily for screen space.
So some of my recent images on Photoburst feature are below.
Author : Marcus Sam
Halloween from an Ossuary
Since Halloween is here it would be great to have a post from one of the eeriest churches around the world ; the ossuary (a place to store bone) situated at Sedlec, a small village near Kutná Hora , Czech Republic.
In 1278,an abbot sent to Golgotha, the place where Jesus was crucified, got some of the soil from that place and sprinkled it over the abbey cemetery. In the mid 14th century, during the Black Death, and after the Hussite Wars (Bohemian religious wars) in the early 15th century, many thousands were buried in the abbey cemetery.Later on there was no more place for new graves,the bones were dug up and made into an ossuary cum church.It currently houses roughly between 40,000-70,000 human skeletons some of which have been made into artistic chandeliers and pieces of art and is rated as one of the most eerie places of worship in the world.
- Human Bones being stacked up and stored
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- The entrance to the Roman Catholic Church
- Spines been given an artistic shape by the ancient monks
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- A Cross being made with bones
- A bone chandelier that is the ‘cherry of the cake’
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- A few more ‘artistic imaginations’ of the ancient monks
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- And finally Jesus Christ himself at the end of the parade. Also an image of bones lines with coins, proof enough that u are born empty handed and you die empty handed.
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And Finally Happy Halloween !!
Research & Images : Marcus Sam
For any info contact : info@marcussam.com
Easter Friday
Good Friday: According to the gospels the Crucifixion of Jesus was most likely to have been on a Friday. Now why Good other than the fact that the only thing ‘good’ imaginable in the 21st century is the fact that its a holiday before a weekend.The fact is its pretty much unclear.While some claim that good has been derived from the word ‘God’ and it should be God Friday, others claim that Good might mean pious or holy.Some Christian traditions do take this approach: in German, for example, the day is called Karfreitag, or Sorrowful Friday or Gottes Freitag meaning God’s Friday. The Catholic Church treats Good Friday as a fast day, which in the Latin Rite of the Church is understood as having only one full meal (but smaller than a regular meal) and two collations (a smaller repast, two of which together do not equal one full meal) and on which the faithful abstain from eating meat. This is why many places have the typical ‘Fish Friday’. Many religion scholars believe Jesus was crucified by nails driven into his wrists, not hands. French physician Pierre Barbet wrote a book called A Doctor at Calvary, in which he said humans are able to bear their own weight with the strength of their bones and ligaments within the wrists, but not with palms alone and if Jesus was nailed only in his hands, he would have fallen to the ground. By the time of Jesus’s death, crucifixion had already been practiced for some 600 years and was a detailed procedure designed to be a very painful process for the victim.
The Tradition of Easter Eggs is however quite interesting.Eggs, in general, were a traditional symbol of fertility, and rebirth. Easter eggs symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus:an egg appears to be like the stone of a tomb, a bird hatches from it with life; similarly, the Easter egg, for Christians, is a reminder that Jesus rose from the grave, and that those who believe will also experience eternal life.The Easter Bunny however is German in origin. The Easter Hare originally played the role of a judge, evaluating whether children were good or disobedient in behaviour.The custom was first mentioned in Georg Franck von Franckenau’s De ovis paschalibus (About Easter Eggs) in 1682 referring to a German tradition of an Easter Hare bringing Easter Eggs for the children.
The images in the post are from the Church of Pisa, one of the most beautiful church interiors I have ever visited. Its not very large , but its very cozy, Ideal place for Jesus to stay in..Its construction began in 1064AD. Galileo is believed to have formulated his theory about the movement of a pendulum by watching the swinging of the incense lamp hanging from the ceiling of the nave.The coffer ceiling of the nave was replaced after the fire of 1595. The present gold-decorated ceiling carries the coat of arms of the Medici.
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Images & Research : Marcus Sam
For information contact : info@marcussam.com
Walking towards the light
Walking towards the light.Shots which symbolize paths that lead towards the light.
.Venice
.Milan
.Amsterdam
.Florence
.Vatican
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Prague
Images Copyright : Marcus Sam
for information contact : info@marcussam.com
Untamed Skies
Look out into the universe and contemplate the glory of God. Observe the stars, millions of them, twinkling in the night sky, all with a message of unity, part of the very nature of God ~ Sai Baba
The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web ~ Pablo Picasso
And when nature plays the job of an artist, we are all simply mesmerized.. yes we are. So I am including a few images of untamed skies.Hope you enjoy them.
.1 (Germany)
.2 (Switzerland)
.3 (Switzerland)
.4 (India)
.5 (Switzerland)
.6 (India)
.7 (Switzerland)
.8 (Switzerland)
.9 (France)
.10 (Italy)
.11 (India)
12. (France)
.13 (France)
.14 (Germany)
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Image copyright Marcus Sam
Holi Hai
The festival of colors Holi is one of the major festivals of India, Holi is celebrated with enthusiasm and gaiety on the full moon day in the month of Phalgun which is the month of March as per the Gregorian calendar.Holi frolic and celebrations begin the morning after Holika bonfire (Days before the festival people start gathering wood and combustible materials for the bonfire in parks, community centers, near temples and other open spaces. On top of the pyre is an effigy to signify Holika who tricked Prahalad into the fire.). There is no tradition of holding puja (prayer), and the day is for partying and pure enjoyment. Children and youth form groups armed with dry colours, coloured solution & means to fill and spray others with coloured solution (known as pichkaris), balloons that can hold coloured water, and other creative means are also used to colour the targets. The event has now become an almost international event and is celebrated by people (Indians or not) around the world.
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HAPPY HOLI
PLEASE NOTE : THE IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHTED TO MARCUS SAM & SPECIFIC PERMISSION HAS BEEN TAKEN BY THE INDIVIDUALS BEFORE THE PUBLICATION, COMMERCIAL PUBLISHING WITHOUT PRIOR CONSENT OF THE AUTHOR ((ie STEALING)) IS PROSECUTABLE UNDER LAW.
(for details contact : info@marcussam.com)
Google-Motorola-Lenovo love triangle going Nexus
Background
So if you follow the technology and business news , you will be bombarded by the news of Google selling off Motorola to Lenovo for around 3 billion US$, while it had acquired Motorola for around 12 billion , almost two years back. Google had earlier sold a part of the operations to Arris Group Inc. last year for about 2 billions . Google claims to have retained most of the android patents and hence it is believed to be all happy happy.. But still speaking in strict ‘Marwari’ (Americans read: Jew) terms – You still have around 7 billion loss to fill up .
Why all the big talk ?
It is believed that maintaining Motorola was getting costlier for Google in the long run and also Lenovo after acquiring Motorola shall become the third largest player in the market , also Motorola is an old is gold kindsa brand, still why such distress pricing for such a high profit prospective brand deal?
Reading Between the Lines
We have seen how recently Google had been going all advertisement friendly after its recent campaigns on TV and on air : (Read Here) so a seemingly loss is actually a big strategy in the making. Look at the recent acquiring of Electronics companies by Google (here) . From that we can come up to three salient observations
- Google wanted to get rid of a cancerous project and concentrate more on the Android app making, blah blah etc.
- Google is a huge company and doesn’t care for a 7 Bn US$ loss,
- Google wants to laugh out loud (lol) and introduce a stronger stiffer competitor for Apple & Samsung, just for the fun of it, you know.You know if its hit, its profit would anyways soar from the copyrights etc and if its a loss,then its all in good time and good humor.
However there is a forth facet to it.
- Google wants to go all solo on the Nexus projects .(As u might know Nexus have always been like the son conceived with the help of Samsung, LG etc, different fathers, u know lol). So Google might be looking forward to be solo making the next Nexus.
The meaning of the word Nexus is ‘connection of a series of dots leading to one thing or the other’. Dont you see a Google Nexus here??
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Research & Scope : Marcus Sam
NB : The analysis presented here are solely Marcus Sam’s own.He would love to have comments and insights on what you think on this. Notable insights and comments will be inculcated with name and reference into this post.
New Year Boing Boing
So before all the photo series start for 2014, I thought it would be awesome to use this blog the way blogs are used actually, sharing and re-blogging ..So I thought how about have a few nice images that could actually act as a booster to the previous new year’s resolution post that I shared yesterday.. so lets have a few images:
Burst your ego
Just Let Go..
Hear what Muhammad Ali has to say
Just do it..
Believe in yourself..
Because remember…
And finally a little Inspiring story that might help u buckle up for your 2014..
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Mike Waudby (31) weighed 462 lbs. He was at a bar one night when a woman asked him to leave the bar because his size ‘Made her feel sick.’
He buckled up,went on a diet and started exercising regularly.And look what he made out of himself ==>>
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HAPPY 2014 PEOPLE..!! SPREAD THE LOVE…! ~ Marcus Sam
Happy New Year 2014
Happy New Year 2014..!!!
This Year
- Be happy
- Make other’s happy
- Do something you have never done before
- Stop looking at your past
- Get fitter
- Forgive and forget more easily
- Eat healthier
- Become more responsible
- Take lesser risks
- Keep following MarcusSam.com
Five interiors you cannot leave out
Five interiors you cannot leave out during the Christmas season..
1) Starting with The Notre Dame Cathedral Paris
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2) The interior of the Pisa Cathedral,
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3) Inside the Cologne Cathedral (one of the biggest in Europe)
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4) Entrance to the Sistine Chapel
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5) Inside the St Peter’s Cathedral Vatican.
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Happy Holidays People..!!
Images : Marcus Sam
Calendar 2014 – Limited Edition (for Sale)
After getting many requests for prints this year (2013, which we were not providing) we have decided to come up with Limited Edition printing for the 2014 Marcus Sam Calendar.
We are keeping a break even cost of approx 19.99US$ / 14.60Euros inclusive of transportation around the world. (Please note: prices might be lesser depending on where it is being sent to).
Specifications :
*8.5inches cross 11inches
*Wall Mount
*300 GSM Paper
*Places included : Luzern,Naples,Milan,Brussels,Varanasi,Pisa,Florence,Rome,Vatican,
Paris & Venice.
*Special ‘Early Bird’ offer
*No Watermarks
*Delivery time 3-20 days depending on where in the world.
Apart from that, COMING SOON – the free Marcus Sam Calendar for Desktops/Facebook etc, for free A4 printing.
please respond on ‘ info@marcussam.com ‘ for details.
The king is afraid
The 2013 Google Zeitgeist video is picking up momentum, while u watch it, instead of doodling on the wow factor or the laments on how u spent 2013 scratching your eyes on your e-screens, rather than following the ‘world is calling, where are you’ philosophy, note how this year the stress of Google is on ‘voice powered searches’ unlike last year when the stress was on Youtube followed by Googleplus.
This also brings into our minds how Google came up with its new adverts for the desi (India,Pakistan etc) markets where it liked to influence the new age of ‘smart netizens’ or people who primarily and almost only use smart phones/tabs only to browse the web, by impressing upon the psychology – hey look, we also have a smart app for that, u don’t need to type ‘www.google.com’ all the way..The advert worked its charm the sweet way by touching upon the Indo-Pak sisterhood along with the fact that we all love our grand parents (ok most of us do, alright ok, some of us do, fine)…
The king of search seemed to be jittery after its fall flat attempts of venturing into the social media arena..Now Google wants people to know, look we came first, since neither ‘Bing’ nor ‘Yahoo’ has the search by voice option slapped on your face as soon as u type for the browser.. The emperor is getting old, he sees the horizons with his dry & scrotched eyes.For the first time he is afraid, very afraid..
The Google Zeitgeist 2013
The Google Zeitgeist 2012
The advert Google made to tap into the desi smartphone/tab use segment
And oh yeah since this is a primarily photography page, I leave u guys with the inside view of the Pisa Cathedral in the Square of Miracles – Piazza del duomo,Piazza dei Miraconi ..Have a great weekend people..!
Research : Marcus Sam
Let there be light
Amateurs worry about equipment, professionals worry about money, masters worry about light, a quote by which almost every emo newbie photographer swears by, till they graduate to a level when they have to worry about all the three..
Coming to which it cannot be gainsaid that light is almost one of the most powerful factors which determines the quality of any photograph, light natural or artificial.Photographically speaking light is the lifeline of an image, with even the most advanced DSLRs requiring atleast a minimal amount of lighting to take a photo.
Before we proceed lets have a look into what lighting has to offer over camera equipment or money for the matter.
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The above Image has been taken by me in 2007/08 using a 2megapixels mobile camera (Loc : Pondicherry ,India).
Form the above image u can see light transforms something which might otherwise look very ‘amateur’..
But then we can’t just get light willy nilly, hence we have to use camera functions to compensate for loss in ‘ideal lighting’..Now how does a camera decide what ‘light’ it needs to take a photo, generally it uses the ‘shutter’ function and increases its delay, or in simple sanskrit, it increases the time for which the shutter remains open to let adequate amount of light seep in to freeze the exposure. But then we get all those blurry images (for most photographers don’t carry a tripod 24×7). Hence we need to take the help of the ISO function, which is most under-understood by amateur photography people. Ideally a cheapo camera has the capability to deliver good images at the lowest (starting) ISO – 50/100/200 at a ‘non shake shutter speed (ideally 1/40secs range- a speed at which camera shake doesn’t matter) beyond which the image gets grainy. But even with the best of DSLRs, the highest ISO u can pump an image without killing it is around 12800. So we need to go for aperture size, a bigger aperture lets more light inside naturally, letting images to be taken under serious low lighting at good shutter speeds and somewhat high ISO..
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The above image displays a fine mix of a High ISO, High Shutter Speed and a Huge Aperture. (Loc: Mumbai,India)
Another image portraying a fine mix of ISO,Shutter Delay & Aperture. (Loc: Rome,Italy)
Now lets observe how a same place looks under different lighting conditions. Below is a series of 3 images taken under 3 different lighting conditions.Images taken in Kolkata, India.
1. Above the Bridge
2) Below the Bridge
3) Under the Water
4) Complementary image to explain ‘using exposure to render beauty’
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Lets have another pictorial example of the same from another part of the world. Images from Florence, Italy.
1) Early Morning
2) Early Evening
3) Early Dusk
4) Complementary image to explain ‘using exposure to render beauty’
Hence from the above study we can see how a mix of light , equipment and ofcourse money is essential to render a beautiful image, light being the most important followed by money to get the equipment and pay for the ‘free lunches’…
And yes its the Friday of the year, first of December so I leave u guys with some Season’s Greetings.. Have a Great Life People..!! =)
Concept, Research & Image copyright : Marcus Sam
Shubho Bijoya !!!
Shubho Bijoya Dashami..!
The term Bijoya , literally means Victory and Shubho Bijoya means “The Auspicious Victory”. Shubo Bijoya is celebrated from the last day of Durga Puja. Goddess ‘Durga’ is the nemesis of ‘Mahishasura’ or the Devil..It is believed to be a symbol of victory of good over evil.Also it is one of the earliest doctrines of women empowerment in the form of depiction of Goddess being the sole ‘Lara Croft’ figurine with powers more outreaching than any simple Hindu God..It is believed that 33 crore Gods & Goddesses of Hindu Mythology had conjured to create Goddess Durga who had been bequeathed with unmatched power in every form, from every God so that that one figurine could win over the Evil Guy Mahishasura..The celebration as a festivity had started as early as 16th century AD. and now celebrated by Hindu Indians specially Bengalis worldwide.It involves Idols of almost all major Gods hence its also one of the most important Hindu festival in India.. So today marks the end of the Durga Puja festival.
Happy Ramadan 2013
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Here are some interesting facts about Ramadan/Ramzaan.. (I had shared a few of them last year also, but this year the viewership is different so I would like to share them again..)
Happy Ramadan
Did u know a few interesting facts about Ramadan ?
☪ Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. The Month of Ramadan is also when it is believed the Holy Quran “was sent down from heaven, a guidance unto men, a declaration of direction, and a means of Salvation”
☪ It is during this month that Muslims fast. It is called the Fast of Ramadan and lasts the entire month.
☪ Ramadan is a time when Muslims concentrate on their faith and spend less time on the concerns of their everyday lives. It is a time of worship and contemplation..
☪ During the Fast of Ramadan strict restraints are placed on the daily lives of Muslims. They are not allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during fasting. At the end of the day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the iftar. In the evening following the iftar it is customary for Muslims to go out visiting family and friends. The fast is resumed the next morning..
☪ The good that is acquired through the fast can be destroyed by five things –
1) The telling of a lie
2) Slander
3) Denouncing someone behind his back
4) A false Oath
5) Greed
☪ On the evening of the 27th day of the month, Muslims celebrate the Laylat-al-Qadr (the Night of Power). It is believed that on this night Muhammad first received the revelation of the Holy Quran. And according to the Quran, this is when God determines the course of the world for the following year..
☪ When the fast ends (the first day of the month of Shawwal) it is celebrated for three days in a holiday called Id-al-Fitr (the Feast of Fast Breaking). Gifts are exchanged. Friends and family gather to pray in congregation and for large meals. In some cities fairs are held to celebrate the end of the Fast of Ramadan..
☪ Benefits from Ramadan
1. It strengthens one’s ties with Allah and trains the soul to observe duties of devotion in accordance with the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh).
2. It enforces patience and determination in the Muslim individual.
3. It promotes the principle of sincerity by keeping the Muslim away from arrogance and showing off, since it is an act between the individual and his Creator.
4. It promotes good character, particularly truthfulness and trust-worthiness.
5. It encourages the Muslim to do away with bad habits and change his/her circumstances for the better.
6. It enhances generosity, hospitality, and spending on charitable causes.
7. It reinforces feelings of unity and brotherhood among Muslims.
8. It instills orderliness and close observance of the value of time.
9. It serves as an opportunity for children to perform acts of obedience and to practice Islamic acts of worship.
10. It offers a chance to balance one’s attention to both physical and spiritual needs.
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Research & Image : Marcus Sam
Marcus Sam 