personal

सुस्वागतम 32

This entry was posted in blogs personal on by (updated 1947 days ago)

Welcome to my new abode online. All my material from the old blog is here as well. Some minor tweaking etc. would continue happening here for sometime. If you find anything amiss please let me know. In the meanwhile, taking a brief look at what all I plan to write about :

1. Hair today, gone tomorrow – hair raising tails.. long pending since eternity.
2. Photography of course. How can I not.
3. Pending tags and pending guest posts. Sorry Sakshi, the tag would be up soon. Amit, the guest post would follow soon.
4. Couple of movie reviews and photo essays.
5. My friends through the blog world.
6. Long defunct Finn times – I would surely try to revive it with travelogues and at least pictures.
7. A guest post on my new blog by my dear friend Aashish where.. err.. he talks about some rather controversial stuff about me, but for once I would let him.
8. And last but not the least – an interview I gave to NDTV’s Delhi channel.

For the real rose water spray and the real tinkling glasses of wine, one shall have to visit me in the real world in apna Gurgaon.

Anniversary! 2

This entry was posted in cars nostalgia personal on by (updated 3589 days ago)

It’s the first anniversary of the lovely association with my “gentleman”. Those who may feel disinclined to clicking the embedded link, here’s how I feel about the gentleman (taken from my first post about the same).

“My hands taper gently and effortlessly. My feet come into motion ever so lightly as if things work on feather touch. I glide as we dance to the symphony of the magical music that we make together. I get intoxicated with the handsome facade and the smoothness of noiseless movement. The gibbous moon stares at us from above as we waltz together, the waltz turning allegro at times. But stopping gracefully was never a problem. Not a sweat on my brow, not a hair out of place. The litheness is remarkable. My head is still giddy with the vitality. There’s a jig in my step and a song in my heart.

If I can nestle comfortably in the lap after a long day, get wisps of my hair blown out of my eyes, get mesmerized by the dazzle of lights when we are together – why would I even agree with a darling friend of mine who insists that a brand new car should be treated like a newly wedded bride? My brand new car oozes gentlemanliness.”

With my gentleman I have indulged in many a “bondgiri” sessions and whisked across many a highway. I have also been aided a lot in my latest obsession – photography. A lot of sessions would never have been possible without the gentleman in tow. Needless to say it has been a smooooooth ride so far and I look forward to many other such times to come.


Reflections 3

This entry was posted in personal on by (updated 6103 days ago)


“What happened?”, I asked, having received an unexpected call.
“I called just like that”, she said, making me feel an instant twinge of guilt. But then I couldn’t be blamed for being startled.
“Where are you?”, I asked, hearing the unusual noises in the background.
“I am out in the park, taking a walk”.
Pause.
“A walk? In the park? You?”, I asked incredulously.
“Yes”, she said almost sheepishly. “I even went for a walk in the morning.”
“That’s something!”, I added
“And I even had milk both times in the day”, she added in a school girlish voice. It was a rare first when I had heard her talk like this. My next impulse was to tell her that she could tell her mom – she would be so pleased to hear that!

Thankfully I curbed that impulse just in time before blurting it out impulsively. For I realised with a pinch yet again, that my nani, her mom, was not around anymore. She had passed away last year. In the absence of a maternal figure, the school girlish glee of my mom had got directed to her daughter. Me. It unsettled me a bit.

I had been maternal with her on other accounts when I had lightly chided her for not taking her health seriously, for not pampering herself, for not going to the parlour regularly like all others in her “age group”. But I had barely been faced with situations like this where school girlishly reported activities are meant to be applauded.

Some years back, one fine day, it had suddenly struck me that my mom had already been married and had had me at the age that I was then. Suddenly things fell into a very different perspective altogether. A life full of tribulations whizzed past, clear as if crystal. How it must have been to adjust into a family that was huge, joint and difficult, how it was to be married to an army man who would mostly be away on postings, and all this in days when the world wasn’t even a mesh of the densely connected dots that it is today. All this at the age I was then. Suddenly I felt as if under her skin. I could relate to her much more, understand her more clearly without having to communicate anything. But I guess that’s natural. For I am her reflection, my mother’s daughter.


Photo Exposure 2

This entry was posted in personal photography on by (updated 1977 days ago)


Not so very long ago I bought a Kodak camera (a very basic model) for around 1K. This was much after I started working and the sole reason was to photograph memories. I am pretty much a memories, nostalgia, keeping a record through visual/audio means kind of a person. That camera was used solely for the purpose of tackling the problem of time just fleeting by and my not having a record of it. Then came a desire to record memories in motion, audio and still pictures. An official Japan trip ensured that I didn’t feel the pinch that painfully, when buying a handycam from Tokyo – a Sony DCR TRV 740E (worth 30K INR then). It was the perfect gadget, clicked beautiful still shots and made beautiful movies in spite of being less than 1Mega pixel in resolution! Unfortunately it was way too bulky and I quickly lost the drive to use it for recording “day to day” memories. I ended up using it only when I was sure I would get good photo-ops or when I was sure that I would not want to miss recording certain time periods or events. Though I had gotten keen on photography by then, I couldnt have afforded to pursue this expensive hobby using Film SLR’s or even Digital SLR’s. I contemplated buying a simple point and shoot camera which would not be so bulky and would allow me my little indulgences of not only recording memories but also some composed shots or “serious photography”. Then came a Finland trip during which I managed to spill orange juice all over my Sony Handycam. It still clicks beautiful pictures but no movies and of course the pictures don’t go beyond 1 Mega Pixel resolution. Eventually I bought a Canon Powershot S2 IS.

Then started my affair with photography and Delhi heritage. I would often take off to some monument and soak in the experience of another era altogether while trying to capture some of it in pixels (as could be seen in some of my posts here as well). It’s time to brush aside this elaborate bhoomika and gear up for some shameless self promotion :p. There was a photography contest organised recently by Delhi times and Canon India. Since I already had some pictures clicked with me, I sent in a lot of entries to this contest. There was a shortlisting round in which 7 of my entries got shortlisted in the Delhi heritage category. Much glee followed with this “photo exposure”. After this 6 final pictures (none of them mine) were voted for, via sms’s. Later, a ceremony duly conducted in the Ashoka hotel, got me a 2nd runners up in the women photographer category as well. The prize … is yet another camera! A canon IXUS 750!

The pictures which got shortlisted are from Humayun’s tomb, Lodhi Garden and Qutub Minar.

More lightingHumayun's tombGoing up

The viewJharokha

Exquisite nakkashi in brick.Almost wooden looking

The grand prize winner’s winning shot (voted best in the sms round) is one of my personal favourites too. He gets a Canon EOS 350D.

Today's youth

Judgement of something like photography is always subjective. Personally some of my good shots got chosen, some of my mediocre ones did too and some of my personal favourites ones got left behind like this one.
A pearl in the lotus

One would never know the criteria for the eventual selection. Some of the shots which won some ppl prizes, invited a lot of skepticism from the rest of the participants as well. However, this was a great exposure, not only because this is the first time ever I have actually participated in a contest and actually even got something out of it; but also because I got to meet a lot of other photography enthusiasts who like me are amateurs who saunter off with their cameras in tow and get trigger happy. Much joy came in the company of such likeminded people. The memories of this particular event in my life have surely been captured well :).

 


Action Heroes

This entry was posted in blank noise personal photography on by (updated 4511 days ago)


Soar High

Freedom lies in being bold – Robert Frost

Last year on Women’s day I had written this and this about my experiences which formed a part of the blank noise project blogathon. This year the blogathon is back. The theme this time is “Action heroes” where bloggers are expected to blog about the times when they fought back sexual harassment. Though I had already written those instances last time, I am reproducing them here in this post as well.

There are ways and means to tackle that colleague who talks to your breasts or that elderly relative who pretends to be fawning over you but is actually lusting (you can always tell). One sure shot way to ward of a starer is to stare back. It’s not so easy. Staring back. One feels disgusted merely by glancing at the eyes which seem to be ripping your clothes apart. But DO stare back and very piercingly at that. One’ll instantly feel the urge to cast ones glance in some other direction quickly but DON’T. KEEP at it. However obstinate a starer may be, his testosterone still does not surpass his selfconsciousnness (in almost all cases). He’ll instantly look down, beyond, or back whereever he’s supposed to be looking. Of course, one needs to weigh ones options and actions a little bit keeping in mind all odds. One does not go ahead and take pangas with a gang when one is alone. But one can definitely be alert and quick (not just physically but mentally as well).

There has happened a particular incident of ballooning around holi where the guy made the mistake of being visible while throwing the balloon. He happened to work at a local barber shop, which I immediately stormed into and gave him a piece of my mind and some of the choicest abuses I knew. A guy there (a client) egged me on to give him a tight slap as well. I quietly ignored him since I didn’t want the situation to get so heated up and that guy seemed to be egging me on just for kicks. I cant say that what I did, would have made the ballooning guy stop it for his life. But it’s always best to bring the “situation” into notice. The fear of embarrassment is enough for some to at least think twice about it next time. There was another guy who tried brushing past me on a main road while I was waiting to cross it. The whole damn road was empty, but he thought that he would have a piece of my butt before I reached the other side. That guy was unaware that he was going to get the shock of his life. Though I felt like killing him, I merely held his collar with both hands and shook him so badly that he didn’t know what hit him. He tried running for his life, but he couldn’t. I was surprised with my own grip. Eventually he managed to pull off and ran for his life. It was only when everything was over and done with, that the “crowd” asked me what happened and if he was trying to snatch my purse.

There are umpteen such situations in everyday life and they would perhaps never end. Not only is it difficult to try and give such sick men their due, it is very much a difficult thing when you are left in a doubt about the intention of someone. At times things happen accidentally and unintentionally too. But at most times they are obvious enough to be brought to public notice. Even if the “crowd” does not react (and only watches) one should definitely make sure that one does not ignore it. A confrontational attitude is certainly better than an escapist one. In public transport one can always request ppl politely to stop pushing or plainly to stand a little away. The way one does it makes sure that even the ones who did it accidentally aren’t offended by your request and the ones doing it intentionally can not just go scot free. When it happens repeatedly in spite of polite requests, it’s time to stomp that high heel onto his foot or to shove ones elbow into his balls.

The best way to actually try and reduce something like this is to spread awareness amongst women that they can actually protest against it. I have grown up watching things happen to me and around me and even though I knew it was wrong I didn’t know what to do about it (till some point in my life). One needs to ignore minor happenings but one also needs to make sure that the ones which can be avoided, are. Things can get as ugly as molestation of ones own children or marital rape. There is no dearth of the levels till which harassment can go. Be aware, be prepared, be alert and be proud to be a woman in spite of the shit that happens.