Terror strikes Mumbai for the umpteenth time and like always, millions of eyeballs get glued to the idiot box. Yet another tragedy falls in the hands of the media, which exploits every opportunity to capitalize on it. So while the oh-so-brave Barkha asks concerned relatives a twisted 'how do you feel about this', the foolish news anchors continuously flash disturbing images followed by utterly atrocious commentary.
Ethics are thrown in a dustbin. Emotions are played with. Sensationalism sets a new benchmark.
Journalists make sure that viewers don't recover from the state of shock and panic. They showcase their intelligence by flashing live images of rescue squads, which can well be seen by the terrorists too. They sneak in dark corners, talk in hush voices to show you 'exclusive' images of a window behind which a terrorist 'may' be hiding. They pick up random celebrities (Mahesh Bhatt is always their favourite) and ask for their opinions.
Bang comes Barkha with another annoying question, "Is this our 9/11?"
They are loaded with questions, but don't know whom to go for answers. The more they know, they less they understand.
And where are the saviours of Mumbai? Mr. Raj Thackeray? Guess he'll take some action only if he's told that the terrorists are bhaiyas.
November 27, 2008
November 16, 2008
A life in letters
2 childhood friends, more than a hundred letters and a sea of emotions.
That’s “Tumhari Amrita” –
16 years ago, playwright Javed Sidiqqui penned this fabulous play, which continues to spellbind theatre enthusiasts till date. Inspired by an American play, “Love Letters”, it’s the play that broke the myth that good theatre ought to have huge sets, change of costumes and drama of light. Instead, here you’ll just see 2 chairs where the characters sit and read out the letters they’ve written to each other over a span of 35 years.
Amrita (played by Shabana Azmi) and Zulfi (played by Farookh Sheikh) exchange their first letters at the age of 8. Over the years, their letters grow longer and their relationship stronger. They share their darkest secrets, their fears, their sorrows without any inhibition. The result is a funny, poignant, melancholic chronicle of these two people who could neither live with each other, nor without.
The beauty of the play lies in the brilliant script and both the veteran artists do complete justice to it. Their characters draw more meaning with every new letter. Towards the end you cannot help but shed a tear on the tragic end of their beautiful relationship.
I watched the play day before yesterday and it will always remain an unforgettable experience for me. And I’d highly recommend it to anybody who even has the slightest inclination towards theatre.
November 09, 2008
November 02, 2008
It was the break i was looking forward to. 6 days of complete freedom - from office and all the other stuff that make life monotonous. Found these strip ads in a lifestyle magazine just before the holidays. They sure were hinting at what was to follow.
I had quite an eventful mini vacation. And though i'm all charged up, i just don't feel like going to office tomorrow :P Will post about the holidays soon. Enjoy!
October 29, 2008
Floored!
For me, the most exciting part about Diwali is making a rangoli. Everywhere you go in India, you find a unique style of floor art or rangoli. This tradition goes back to 5000 years in India. While certain designs are created for special occasions such as weddings and religious festivals, a majority of the time, the only limitation is the artists' creativity.
Traditionally there are two forms of floor art. While rangoli, characteristic of Western India (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan) is a rainbow of colours, the other side of the spectrum are the floor art of Eastern India - Bengal, Orissa, Himachal where they use Alpana, a line drawing in rice powder paste. Since I'm more comfortable with the brush, I prefer the later, though with a difference. Instead of the traditional rice powder, I make use of gheru - powdered red clay.
Ever since we shifted to the new house (some 10 years back), our rangolis have become bigger and more experimental. Afterall, floor is one of the best canvases an artist can ask for!
Here's a showcase of what I've been doing since the last few years.
I'm a big fan of warli painting and tried to use it in this rangoli.
Next year was a bigger, geometric design.
This one's done by my elder sister. She applied gheru on a chart paper and made this neat design with poster colour. The flowers and diyas completed the beautiful design.
The best part is that this design mat is reuseable!
And this one's one of my favourite. Inspired by mehendi design, I made this rising sun which made best use of the entrance space.
The mirrors, the decoupaged matki and the diyas gave it a very pretty look at night.
And this year....
my younger sister gave me a helping hand :P
Measuring 9 equal squares was quite a task
But the final product surely brought a smile on my face :)
Hope you all had a beautiful Diwali!
October 12, 2008
Do you see what i see?
It’s all a matter of perspective – the way you look at things.
A small twist, like that to a kaleidoscope, can reveal a completely new picture. All you need to do is explore and unravel the myriad layers of life that lie before you.
See what i found...
A foot-in-mouth syndrome, literally!
Happy Feet :)
Star Attraction
Enlightenment
P.S. : Pics are taken from my mobile cam, hence the not-so-great quality.
September 29, 2008
And the award goes to...
Meeeee :)
megha, an artist i truly admire recently awarded me.
For the love of blogging, i would like to pass on this award to some of my favourite blogs -
atul's gaizabonts
girish's songs of the not so innocent
jenny & patrick's chai pilgrimage
vineeta's artnlight
This is a no strings attached award. You can put the logo in your blog and pass it on to others if you wish. Thank you megha and thank you all for making blogging such an exhilarating experience :)
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