Adi Jain - Innocence

The famous Pablo Picasso once said “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”

This probably explains the cubism period of Picasso, where he experimented like a child.

My Jijaji (Brother-in-law) said something I will never forget. My nephew was swaying his head left to right with a huge smile as the wind blew at the beach. Jijaji said, “kids are so innocent and don’t have social obligations to present themselves in what we so call respectable manner. When a child sees/feels something he likes he/she enjoys it and show it. One would not see a grownup man sway his head left to right when he feels the breeze on his face. We would consider that crazy. When we grow up we lose that sense, we are so bound by what society expects from us.”

I fully agree with him. But why does the society expect that from us? Or perhaps why do we train ourselves to fit into the society?

I saw Adi crawling around exploring new territories, fearlessly, meeting my dog Sheera the first time while I was holding him, he would call my dog with his hand gestures, but the moment Sheera came closer Adi would cling to me. He would explore my cabinet pulling each CD, magazine, books, out dedicatedly one by one and throw them down (but not before tasting them). He would watch 9x TV with eyes wide open and clap his hands when the kaminey movie number “Aaja Aaja Dil Nichode” would play. He would light up the entire room with his smile when he sees his dad and come crawling as fast as he can to him.

I heard him try new words every day from his “Aaaaa” to the clicks he made with his tongue, I saw him play with water as if it was the 2nd most comforting thing in the world (the most comforting would be in the lap of his parents of-course). He would dip his hand in the bucket and try to gather the water and watch in wonder as the water slipped though his tiny fingers as he closed his fist, and he would do it again, or reach out to the running water stream from the tap, hold his hands as long as he can, or slap the water around in the bath tub. He would scream in agony when pulled away from his bath and wonder why his parents are so cruel and would not to let him enjoy a bit longer. I am sure he must have the feeling we grownups are so lucky to have the freedom to enjoy life.. if only he knew we envy him much more!

I saw him taste different flavours for the first time, from biscuits to chocolates. He would make hissing sounds which showed the papadum was spicy and yet would continue tasting it once more.

I watched him go to sleep as my sister sang a lullaby, one that I used to fall asleep to years years back when my mom used to sing to me. Was a different feeling listening to it after so many years as childhood memories flashed in my head.

The movie Ishqiya has a line “Dil toh bacha hai ji”, “my heart is an infant”.. So friends, be a child for a change and see life from the small eyes which see wonders all around.

The photograph is of my nephew Adi who was playing in the sand at Morjim beach.

Mumbai at night - Worli

Just loved the way Mumbai looks at night. Was travelling from Bandra to CST when I asked the taxi driver to stop the vehicle at the start of the sea link so that I can capture this view of Worli. 4 second exposure at f/6.3 200mm. You must of-course see the full view to appreciate it. Click on the image on the left to do so.

Cocktail

This is my 100th photo blog. In 11 months I have uploaded 100 stupid snaps, got about 2,000 visitors (I was ofcourse the biggest contributer for visits for my own site), got 70 comments (half were probably replies from me to those who bothered to comment), and got 90 ratings, and got banned from google images twice for my use of the word fart (not sure if I should have added this word again) and mentioning Richard Bransons book “losing my virginity”. So I decided to have a blast! A cocktail partyeee.. err blog.

I did a quick survey; sent out an email and asked some of my closest friends which cocktail they considered their best. I collected the top 5 that seemed interesting and were the most popular and have listed them below along with their recipies. I know its a silly thing, but hey I needed to write something.

- 30ml (1 oz) freshly squeezed lime juice
- 15ml (1/2 oz) triple sec
- 45ml (1 1/2 oz) white tequila
- Slice of lime
- Fine salt

- Gently and evenly rub a thin slice of lime around the glass’s rim.
- Lightly roll the rim in a saucer of salt.
- Pour all the cocktail ingredients into an ice-filled shaker.
- Shake them well and strain into the glass.
- Although the salted rim is the main garnish, you can decorate with a twist of lime, too.

- 1 part vodka
- 1/2 part Cointreu
- 1/2 part Lime juice
- 1/2 part cranberry juice

- Shake Vodka, Cointreu, Lime Juice and cranberry juice with ice.

- Strain into a chilled Martini glass and swig it wit a lemon curled.

- 1.25 oz (40mL) Captain Morgan® Original spiced rum

- 12 mint leaves

- 1 tbsp sugar

- 0.5 oz (15 mL) lime juice

- 2 oz (60 mL) soda

- Place mint leaves in bottom of glass.

- Add crushed ice, Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, sugar, and lime juice, and muddle.

- Add soda water and garnish with mint leaves.

- 2 1/2 oz (75 mL) gin
- 1/2 oz (15 mL) dry vermouth
- 1 green olive or lemon twist for garnish
- orange or Angostura bitters (optional)

- Pour the ingredients into a mixing glass filled with ice cubes.
- Stir for 30 seconds.
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
- Add a dash of orange or Angostura bitters if desired
- Garnish with the olive or lemon twist.

- 1 lime quartered
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 1 shot of cachaça (30 ml)
- 1 cup of crushed ice

- Place the lime and sugar in the bottom of a glass.
- Using the handle of a wooden spoon, crush and mash the limes.
- Pour the liqueur and ice. Stir well.

candle light photography

This shows an example where a low light source is in the frame rather then just the reflected light from the source on the subject. Notice how the viewer attention now alternates between the candle the the person, and since the lamp is more brighter than the subjects face you tend to see the image from its perspective. Compared it to the previous snap “Candle light portrait” where the attention was focused only on the subjects face.

Freddie is seen here holding the lamp at Souza Lobo restaurant Calangute.

Scary face

I once went for a Hindi movie and in one scene right after a murder, on a tree a dead body hung upside down. The camera closed on the face which was pale with the moon light falling on it. The background music was not comfortable at all. and suddenly when the camera was right next to her face, she open her eyes. The entire row shook as I trembled in my seat. I turned to look at Priya to check if she was fine, andyeah she seemed ok… she was laughing.

Saket once told me about this road on the way to the university which was haunted as many students have seen ghosts there, one claimed he saw one in the rear view mirror sitting in the back seat and when he turned around it just flew though the back of the car out in the open. Needless to say I have never driven/ridden/walked that road alone again. Thanks Saket for if it was not for you and your stories I would have not found the alternative routes to the university.

After seeing a documentary about split personality, I freak out on any scary movie. I hate it when friends gather together and start talking about the ghosts and unexplained events they have seen. They should really shut up, go and see some scary movie and don’t invite me. I am not exactly religious, but God, Devil please don’t prove me wrong by showing me anything I don’t want to see.

This was a technique I learnt from a friend. Take a very low source of light which beams more like a spot light, like the small led torch you get on a cigarette lighter. Hold it below your face at a small angle so that all the light does not focus on your face but only a part of it. It creates awesome shadows, and creates a real scary photograph. You can give a small tint of green like I did via photoshop. Neha looks really scary in this snap.

Food

A happy smiling content fat Luciano Pavarotti once said (with a burp I am sure) “One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating”. Wonder if Pavarottis power vocal secret is .. a burp? Have to listen to his concert again.

I am sure that it was a jealous wife who came up with “A way to a mans heart is through his stomach”. So lets get him fat so that he does not stand a chance with anyone else.

For the record this is what I found on the Internet which probably leads to the way the term was coined

• The shortest road to men’s hearts is down their throats.
  [1814 J. Adams Letter 15 Apr. in Works (1851) VI. 505]

• The way to many an honest heart lies through the belly.
  [1845 R. Ford Hand-Book for Travellers in Spain i. i.]

• ‘Christmas dinners will be much in request.’ ‘There’s a saying that the way to an Englishman’s heart is through his stomach.’
  [1857 D. M. Mulock John Halifax, Gentleman xxx.]

• The way to a man’s heart wasn’t through his stomach, it was through an appreciation of what interested him.
  [1975 A. Price Our Man in Camelot v.]

• What she meant was in a home she could bake things and make meals for him. ‥The way to man’s heart is through his stomach.
  [1986 J. W. Rider Jersey Tomatoes xv.]

• ‘And remember ladies—the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.’ ‘Unfortunately, you have to get it past his gag reflex first.’
  [2001 Washington Post 6 Jan. C11 (Piranha Club comic strip)]

• I’ll bet what motivated the British to colonize so much of the world is that they were just looking for a decent meal. Martha Harrison

But why stomach, why not so many other things.. Asked a few friends around for thier suggestions and this is what I got

- A way to a mans heart is though cricket
- A way to a mans heart is though his xbox/play station
- A way to a mans heart is though understanding star wars
- A way to a mans heart is though hard rock
- A way to a mans heart is by not dragging him for shopping on Sat morning!

There were some others, but I am sure google would block my site if I add those terms. As for me I hate breaking traditions so I will stick to food.

Another thought.. did the term yum-my come from Yum-Raj (the Lord of Death), it would explain why all food we term yummy lead us straight to death, we would never look a salads and say yummy. Would certainly explain the term “Death by Chocolate”!

This snap was clicked at Marriotts Goa, when I decided to try their buffet. For Rs 900 (20 USD) it was worth a try, and was really surprised at the huge variety of Veg food, Indian and Continental.

beach - photography with long exposure

For still snaps of an object or a place with low lighting conditions, its fun to do a longer exposure with a low ISO, like this one was exposed for 13 secs, at ISO 100 at Bambolim beach. I also set an open aperture (f1.8) and focused just at the spot where the sand and the waves meet, which makes the sand at the corners blurred, forcing the user to concentrate on the light and the shore line. The sky came out nice with a slight gradient color as you move away from the light source, and the reflection on the water looks nice. The tilted angle gives it an interesting perspective and I sort of followed the 1/3rd rule too, and yeah the small specks of white in the sky are actually stars! I love this snap!

Laughter

Alan Alda once said “When people are laughing, they’re generally not killing each other.”, which makes me think.. “so the solution to our terrorist problem is to catch one and tickle him?”

Jokes aside laughter is perhaps the most beautiful facial expression and being contagious it aways helps spread happiness, its evident from the laugh tracks included in many television shows. (I always thought it was to make the dumb person realise its time to laugh, remember the donkey in the zoo joke).

Even relief theory which was probably first conceptualized by Sigmund Freud basically states that laughter releases tension, and hence is beneficial for one’s health, hence the term “Laughter is the best medicine”. I am sure all of us have seen “Munna Bhai MBBS”, the role of Dr J. C. Asthana played by Boman Irani was appreciated wherein he would laugh at every disturbing thought like a gangster marrying his daughter.

An interesting article I once read narrated how the laughing Buddha that many people keep at home actually is used because the happy laughing face of a fat man beings a smile and sets a better mood in the house. hmm Interesting… wonder if it will work on my neighbours kid.

Anuja was dead serious when I was clicking this.. Told her some funny stuff to make her laugh as I quickly captured this. Thats the best deal about digital cameras, you can click 10 snaps rapidly one is bound to come good. The black and white composure of-course gives it a very soft human approach. Have never really understood why black and white snaps come out better, but perhaps its because we see beyond the color, in the sense that it does not distract us anymore and we can see the true picture behind.

Dead branch with sea background

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication!” claimed Leonardo da Vinci. This means every simple thing we see is a work of genius in the end.

It could be with respect to an invention like of the wheel, simple design, simple to make, but a work of wonder on how its made our lives easier, Imagine riding my bike with Square tires! So someone oneday must have just decided let me see how many sides I can squeeze in a convex polygon and voila a wheel design.

It could be with respect to living a simple life like Mahatma Gandhi, who became the Father of our Nation.

It could be with respect to having a simple meal of rice and dal.. missed it like crazy when I was away for 2 weeks.. Called my mom from the airport on my return flight and when she asked if I want something special cooked, I said yes, plain rice and plain dal.. thats all. It was the most delicious meal I had that day, my stomach was filled but not my hunger.

I crazily have clicked thousands of snaps of simple things like a cup, a toothbrush, coins, keyboard, once I followed an ant (hahaha) on a wall clicking its snap at a specific angle to get the perfect snap (yeah I am crazy) even my bata chappals.

We were at Fort Aguada Jail, when Zaver asked me to click this. A simple dead branch hanging on with the view of the sea behind. The afternoon sun was really strong above which gave a nice effect to the branch with strong light on the upper portion and a shadow below, and I had to click at 1/4000th of a sec to ensure the snap came out good. 1/4000th might seem a real small exposure especially since the ISO was 100, but it was needed because my aperture was fully open at f1.8 which shows with some parts of the branch sharp and some part blurred and the background blurred. The sharp contrast in color of the object and background also help make this an interesting snap

Sunset

Some days one gets really lucky. Was having a late lunch at Souza Lobo at Calangute, Goa when I decided to click this. The trick is to allow as less light to enter to keep the sky as dark as possible by increasing the shutter speed, as I prefer a more bloody red sky. The sky ofcourse was not as dark when I clicked this. Of Course it helped by darkening it a bit further in Photoshop.

Moments like this make me wonder how our ancestors reacted in the beginning of civilization. For a non scientific mind this would be the presence of a Divine entity, showing off His mighty power. Many religions are somewhat based around the Sun, and even the concept of God and Devil come from the concept of light and darkness. Tonatiuh, Apollo, Titan, Isis and Surya are all just different names representing the Sun God in different religions Aztec to Hinduism. Mahatma Gandhi once rightly said,

“When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in worship of the Creator”

Zaver Shroff - The devil in us

Comeon admit it! We all have a devil in us. We would watch big boss and then appear to be shocked at the behaviour of some of the participants, but we all are like them.. if you are not still convinced, let me ask you a question. How would you react if you knew there was a hidden camera every where you were, in the car, on the bike, at home, at office at the party, seeing and hearing everything you do or say. Well you will be shocked, because there are few things in our lives we consider personal, could be the way we scream at someone at home, what we surf on the Internet, we could be digging our nose, we could be nasty to our neighbours, or cheat someone for some money, quietly pickup things from the office for personal use, steal something from a shop (I have seen that happening, weird how many girls love doing that), ill-treating the poor eg servants.

We are humans. we even made a quote to justify this act of our species. “To err is Human”! How convenient. How the hell did someone come up with that quote! Who was the great genius who decided lets blame us being Human for our devilish acts.

Another thing I can never understand is when someone says “I never lie!”, that itself is the biggest lie. In this world you need lies. I lie but my frequency of lie is really low, so its all relative, everyone lies, but for some lie with every exhale, some like one meal a day plan. The problem with lie is that we do it so naturally that we don’t think we are lying.. we believe in the lie ourselves.

The earliest act I can remember I did where the shadow of a devil was upon me, was when i was really young, perhaps 5 years old. I was playing near my house next to a tree where they had kept an idol for worship with a friend, and saw an icecream man tempting me. Since we did not have money we decided to take from the universal donor, God himself. Picked up a few coins, got the icecream, and went home happily. Ofcourse when my mom asked me where I got the money to buy an icecream, I was too small to understand what I had done, and told her. Well I dont think I need to tell what happened next.

In this snap Zaver Shroff a talanted model, (you must have seen here on Tropicana, Sony or Parachute adv.. She also acted in the recent “Paa” movie) posed with these devil horns you get at the beach side, and gave an alluring look, as if to say “Come on the darker side, you will like it!”. The flame and the effect it throws on her face both create a perfect lighting condition.

Candle light portraits

Candle light offers a low light source for subject/objects which is much weaker than your flash. It offers brilliant photographs where in it reflects a glow condition, with some yellowish orange tint. Try experimenting with and without the light source as both offer a different result. One problem I usually face with this kind of snap is the extra shine if the face is not oil/sweat free. A small layer of sweat itself will break the uniform and gradual glow. Luckily this one came perfect.

I asked Tan to make a serious/sad face, while placing a candle next to her. The open aperture of f1.8 ensures a natural blur photograph with her right eye being sharp and the rest of the face gradually blurring. The light source gives life to her expression, focusing the attention of the viewer on the face and since its a weak source everything else fades to darkness.

Question of Faith

“Evolution supports God!”, Vikram remarked flatly as I argued on how religion needs to be modernised, as evolution theory by Charles Darwin questions the common belief that God created Man. Confused I asked him to elaborate. He told me how our survival skills are better if we have faith in a divine power. I had to agree to some extend with him. So for example, imagine 2 individuals, a believer in God, and an atheist are trapped in a building with no water, no food. After some effort to escape, the atheist might give up hopes, and become miserable, and slowly prefer death. Chances are he wont survive for long. A believer on the other hand will trust God, and will take this event as a test by God, will start praying which will keep him calm and peaceful, also ensuring his mental ability is not lost. There are so many survivors who are rescued and give credit to God. “I prayed everday for a sign of miracle, and got one after 5 days when i heard a muffled sound asking, ‘Is anyone in there?’”, said one of the survivors recently on TV.

Let me clarify first, I dont have a problem with God or religion. I infact give credit to it for ensuring a good way of life and of informing the society on whats right or wrong. Research has shown believers are more happy, less depressed, live a better family life, can cope with work at office, and are less likely to do drugs, smoke, or commit a crime. Recent surveys has also shown people that people without faith were less likely to help a poor or homeless person than religious believers. Which again helps the entire evolution cycle. So the fact remains that I rather have my kids grow up watching Ramayan, and Mahabharat as I did, and not South Park!

My friend Anuja argued though that faith does not necessaily mean faith in God. It could be faith in ones ability to survive too. It can also be that the athesit makes an extra effort to rescue himself. I do agree to this point too, as I remember how at times doctors have told patients who have lost the will to survive knowing there is no cure, about a new drug in the market which will cure them, and although there is no such drug, the patients do respond better to the same medicines.

Well, Its a question of faith. May be in God when you do a sin, in parents when you walk in late after a party, in friends when you smash their new vehicle, in children when you embarrass them in front of their friends, in a lover when you cheat (ask Tiger Woods, he would disagree), in a new medicine when you are told you will die, or in ones own self that helps us evolve.

Anuja is seen here lighting a candle at the Basilica of Bom Jesus.

Squirrel

I am sure everyone knows “Scrat the squirrel” from the movie “Ice Age 3″. This little fellow reminded me of Scrat, zapping around fast, sniffing here there, hunting for his acorn.

Its really difficult at times to photograph animals especially the small timid ones which are camera shy. One has to approach them slowly and click snaps without flash (which means your lighting conditions have to be good) at each step, so that you get the closest snap you can get, before it realises its privacy is being invaded. Using zoom also helps but poses another problem, not only will you need steady hands as a small blur because of the movement of the camera gets magnified in zoom, but also because it makes it more difficult to follow the animal as it moves.

Clicked in the gardern at Askok Club, Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Proud old man

On the way back from Ranthanbore to Jaipur, we stopped at a small chai (tea) stall, where a group of old men were sitting and probably discussing village politics. As we stepped out of our vehicles they stared at us for sometime before offering a small bamboo stool for us to sit. During the conversation I hinted that I wanted to click a snap and he nodded. The spotless clothes, and elaborate turban, and the look in his eyes, gave a sense of pride I had not seen before.

A younger group soon joined us, and offered me tobacco, and even though I refused, started rolling one for me. They took a think pipe and stuffed something in it, and then lit it at one end and then took a deep puff, as he exhaled I started coughing, and he laughed and said it was charas. Thats when I decided enough tea, we need to move on, even as the man tried to hand me the joint he had made.

Camel

What many would consider a beautiful adornment for a camel, a flower stuck to his nose, I consider it hideous. Perhaps few lines by Anton Chekhov (considered a master in the world of literature as far as short stories are concerned) in “The Bet” (one of my all time favorite stories) explains this.

“You have lost your reason and taken the wrong path. You have taken lies for truth, and hideousness for beauty. You would marvel if, owing to strange events of some sorts, frogs and lizards suddenly grew on apple and orange trees instead of fruit, or if roses began to smell like a sweating horse; so I marvel at you who exchange heaven for earth. I don’t want to understand you.”

Clicked at Chokhi Dhani at Jaipur, the expressionless, emotionless look caught my eye and my lens.

Indian roller (blue jay)

A collage of colors, this bird is the state bird for many states in India. Its also associated with Lord Shiva, because of the blue throat (Lord Shiv once drank poison which then resided in his throat making it blue).

Hawa Mahal - Jaipur

Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) is the iconic palace symbolizing Jaipur. Was build by Sawai Pratap Singh. The facade seen here, was used by the royal ladies so that they can have a look outside without being seen thought the numerous small windows (close to 1000 windows). It gets its name because these windows allow enough air to flow though and keep the palace cool.

Stood really close to the facade and raised my camera to almost 80 degree to click this.

Million dollar smile

My eyes gazed this man as I was having my tea. He was standing few feet away, deep in conversation with someone. At first I noticed the shape he was in, wondering if he was an underpaid worker, if he had a tough day today, poor guy perhaps still has to work at his old age… but suddenly he smiled, and all those thoughts vanished from my head. All I could think was, he is happy. It did not matter that he wore a torn banyan, or if he was poor. He was to me a beautiful person now.

“I’ve never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful.”

Reflection

Charles Horton Cooley has written a lot on Social Theory and once said

“As social beings we live with our eyes upon our reflection, but have no assurance of the tranquillity of the waters in which we see it.”

Lake at Ranthambore National Park in Zone 4.

Paradise on earth

“If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it.”

Our guide halted here for few mins to listen to nature, so that it can guide him to the Tiger. This place was so calm and peaceful… so colorful.. green trees, tall yellow grass, red flowers, a dash of orange, white, black here. A crane in the center, a peacock, 7-8 ducks…

Russian philosopher and writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky once wrote

“Look around you at the gifts of God, the clear sky, the pure air, the tender grass, the birds; nature is beautiful and sinless, and we, only we, are godless and foolish, and we don’t understand that life is a paradise, for we have only to understand that and it will at once be fulfilled in all its beauty, we shall embrace each other and weep.”

The stare of a tiger

No words, no photographs, .. nothing can describe the feeling I got when this 4 year old young tiger stared into my eyes at Ranthambore less then 5 feet away, during my safari trip. I never knew I would be able to see him so close, and although I knew they are big cats, his size amazed me. I was not scared, because respect and admiration for this beautiful animal shadowed fear. There is no animal in the world, which will give you this feeling, which is so handsome, and fearful, and graceful and wild, and playful, and ferocious.. like a tiger.

“There is a Tiger inside each of us, we just prefer being a Jackass more often”

PS: Wonder if the Tiger was staring thinking, “hmm, the meat in this dude can feed me for a month!”.

Flower pot overlooking sea

I finished reading Richard Branson’s autobiography “losing my virginity” a few days back. An overall brilliant read, although towards the end it does get a bit boring. In the end what captivates you is the risks he took. He did unconventional things (at least it looked unconventional to him), he bet most of his money on ventures he hardly knew, in the end to summarize what remains in your mind is

“A person born to be a flower pot will not go beyond the porch”

Clicked at my favorite place at Anjuna. Damn, I got to remember the name! I love clicking snaps which show the perspective from an objects point of view. The flower pots perspective of the sea looks nice. Clicked with an open aperture of 1.8 (which ensured the flower pot is sharp, and the sea blurred), ISO 100 and 1/1000 sec with my new 50 mm lens.

Count the lamp-posts on the highway

Yeah yeah.. I admit the title is copied from the line “Count the headlights on the highway” in Elton Johns song “Tiny Dancer“. I first heard the song in the movie “Almost Famous”. Not only was the movie outstanding, but the moment wherein this song was played, was captured beautifully. It has since been one of my favorite movies, and one of my favorite songs.

This image is related to the image on ”Autobiography of a lamp-post and the fart“, as both are from the same spot but opposite directions.

What I like about this snap (other then the clouds), is the way the numerous lamp-posts make a lovely silhouette. The bird, right on top, adds a nice flavor too.

Count the lamp posts on the highway

At school, we were once asked to write an autobiography of a lamppost for Hindi exam, I put on my thinking cap and started something like,

“I want to reach for the sky, but have to withhold my desires to give light to others”.

I thought it was a brilliant masterpiece, half expecting my Hindi professor to come to me and pat me on my back. Unfortunately nothing of that sort happened, what did happen was that I almost missed failing. I decided that my talent could not be discovered in this small school, and was still proud of my work, perhaps I thoughtsomeone would come across this paper and realize the talent they had not explored years later… I was happy with my thought till I saw my review. Red circles all around. Eg Instead of writing, “uske baad”, which means “After that” I had written “Uske paad”, which sort of means, “His fart”. I guess that did not go too well with my professor.

This has happened to me yet again when I went for an IQ test. I went confidently, and realized I seem to be at least 1 year older then the rest of the kids. The objective questions seemed simple, and I ticked away happily. 2 days later my dad got a call from the institute that conducted the IQ, requesting that I meet them along with him. I felt, “hey now here is something. I am quite sure they must have found my IQ high”, and was very excited about the prospects of being a child prodigy. As I was about to sit down at their office, I heard the reviewer say to my dad “your kid is different”, the tone in which he said it did not sound good at all. He went on to explain how I had answered most questions right except for the mechanical wheels one (you know the ones where they ask, wheel A is attached to wheel B is attached to C attached to D, which direction would D move. The design is more complicated then it feels). He said perhaps I feel they should work differently. Indeed I do!

During my computer degree at engineering college we had the habit of hitchhiking to college. A neat car stopped once and my friend and I jumped in. Since it was a long drive I started chatting with the guy, who was running a factory at Verna. After sometime he turned to me and said. “You are a very interesting person, I may have a business proposal for you, would you be interested?”. My joy knew no bounds, I have not even finished my engineering, and businessmen want to offer me business proposals, I am unbelivable. “Of course” I said, “what do you have in mind?”. He told me he would come to my house and explain me all that in the evening. Being the polite kind, I offered to go to his place. On the way he threw some business jargons which I had no clue of, but tried to remember so that I could yahoo (google was not born then) them later. At college I rushed to the internet section, and also called few friends who were doing business studies to clear some terms.

Feeling confidant I went to his place in the evening, a big sea-facing house. He came with a big file packed with pages and slapped it on the desk, as he sat next to me. “Alright!”, I thought, “its time to do business”. As he opened the file, I stared at the words “Amway Products” (for those who don’t know, during our time at college, uncles, aunties, doctors, watchmen, drivers.. everyone was doing some sort of “direct sales franchise”, where not only do you sell some products like soap etc, but also gather more people to sell, for which you are awarded, something I got irritated with as anyone and everyone wanted to either sell you or try to make you a partner). I ran away, my confidence which was so high mins ago, shattered to the ground, and I wondered what do I tell my colleagues who were waiting to hear the outcome.

I guess in life, everyone feels at some point they are exceptional until, realization dawns on them, it did for me. Cheers!

This snap was taken some 7 hours ago on the highway to Mandovi bridge from Porvorim, amidst heavy traffic, as I was clicking this, Van Gogh’s reflection echoed in my mind.

“It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to, the feeling for the things themselves, for reality, is more important than the feeling for pictures.”

Van Gogh

I wish you all were there to see this sight rather then just view the image posted here.

PS: err .. and no the image title is not stolen from the line “count the headlights on the highway” from Elton Johns song “Tiny Dancer”

Sheera the terror

Day 1:I got my new pair of shoes. After hours of searching for one that fit my large feet the salesperson finally found one. I go home, put them under my bed, and forget about them. Next day while getting ready for office, I find one missing. I know its the monsters work, the devil himself. I walk in the garden trying to locate it, and find it half stuck in soil. A quick glance makes me realise that I need new shoes. Amidst the soil, the drool, the signs of sharp teeth of the creature of terror are clearly visible, the shoe tongue was bitten off, perhaps so that it can never tell its story, the face smashed up. Why does he not torture the old bata chappals I gave him for his birthday?

Day 2: My friend got me liquor chocolates from abroad. Its a big bar, I kept it on my desk. That night, I was woken up by the sound of a satisfied grunt/burb. My beautiful bar of chocolates had vanished,  The chocolate wrappings on the floor, lay witness to the monsters act again.

Day 3: I quietly try to sneak out of the house. Slow and soft footsteps.. my eyes on alert. Just before I reach the gates of escape, I hear a galloping sound from behind, I try a futile effort to run to the gate…. 2 secs later, mud marks all over my (what used to be) clean white spotless shirt, thick drool all over my hands, my bum bitten twice. I rush in to change and try to attempt again.

Day 4:My wallet is on the floor, credit cards, debit cards, atm cards, license, money, coins all spread across, The wallet is in 2 parts now. The devil no where to be seen.

Day 5: Am out of a fresh shower, when suddenly I feel a tug at my towel, I grab with both hands. The start of a long tug of war.

Day 6:The devil seems quiet for some time, very lazy. I don’t like it. Silence before the storm they say. 2 secs later I hear my father yell, the devil did his early morning routine right in the center of my dads bed. My father gave me a look.. as if I did it. I escaped to my room as soon as I could.

Day 7: I reach home from office to find our flower pots broken and mud all around. Using the technique of pushing his nose/ showing him what he has done and giving a slight pat/hit on his nose I thought he will get the message, but he went to the only surviving pot, gave it a hit with his paw, and speed away before I could catch him, to let me know who is the boss.

Day 8: I need new shoes after the pair got last week were destroyed..

Loop: go to day 1.

Another snap of his is posted at Sheera – My dog.

PS: I recommend everyone to see the movie “Marley & Me”, my dog, looks and behaves exactly like Marley.

Window of Hope or Despair

The youthful green and the diminished dying leaves both seen from my window remind me of a saying “Two men look out through the same prison bars: One sees the mud, and one the stars”. I guess its meaning is well explained in Bollywood movie Deewar which shows 2 brothers moving in different directions (one becomes an honest cop, the other a smuggler) although they had the same opportunity, the same advantages and the same disadvantages. Its the road we pick, its the way we perceive things that make us what we are.

When I was young my father told me a story I will never forget. He told me of this shameless village boy who used to get a beating every day at school for not doing his homework, acting stupid, etc. So on one of the usual days as he extended his hand for his usual whip on the hand, his headmaster suddenly frowned, and had a closer look at his palm. After a pause the he told the boy to go back to his seat, the boy, used to his usual beating was curious to know why he has been spared of one today. After insistence, he was explained, that his destiny line was missing in his palm, so basically he had no future. At the boys request the headmaster explained him where the line was suppose to exist. The boy sat back quietly. Next day he comes to the headmaster with a bleeding hand, and proclaims, see master, I have cut a line across my palm, exactly where you told me it was missing. I now have a future! The headmaster embraced him and told him, “My dear son.. on destiny, no one has control over, but our karma, what we do, our struggle is something we do have control over and can bent destiny. He later became a famous person, I really don’t remember who.. guess not too famous either!… Hmm, if only I can get someone to do some chopping around, I will get a better view from my window.

Presence of God

On the many discussions we usually have among groups of friends, God, religion, faith do come up at times, and I was once told that God shows his presence in Nature, and Nature is God. I kept quiet not knowing what to answer. I am not sure if I should believe or not believe in His existence, but do realise that beliving in Him is a safer bet, at least at the time when I reach the gates of Heaven or Hell .

But still the discussions continue till this date. Shantaram explains the concept a bit more scientifically, that the begining of universe was in a simple form, and slowly with a period of time its moving towards complexity, terming the process “tendency towards complexity”. The goal which is ultimate complexity is what we call God. And our actions, good ones help this process, bad ones lead us away towards this goal. I think this explaination is perhaps somewhat closer to acceptance as compared to others I have received, although … Well like I mentioned before why take a risk.

This is an old snap I clicked, use photoshop to make the colors richer. As far as I remember this was from the window of my room on a day it was really cloudy and the warrior clouds staged the arrival of rain.

What separates me from most so-called atheists is a feeling of utter humility toward the unattainable secrets of the harmony of the cosmos.

Albert Einstein

ps: When Renita read this post she messaged “wow u write so well, impressive stuff anu”. Hmmm.. incase you are wondering about the “hmmm”, well let me ask you. Imagine you baked a cake, and after everyone had a bite they praised the cherry. haha. So thats exactly what I was wondering, why no one praises my snaps on a photography website? (And I know I my writing skills are bad) I guess realisation dawns on me slowly on how I suck at photography. Renita and I had a good laugh after I shared my thoughts with her.

Jewellery for sale - Tibetan market, Calangute

Indian culture now includes Tibetan influence, as after the 1959 Tibetan uprising, the Dalia Lama along with his followers were given shelter in India. At Calangute on the road to Baga, one comes across a Tibetan market selling their cultural art forms in many ways, from ornaments, jewellery as seen here, to musical instruments I have never seen before. Its nice to walk across and see all the stuff up for sale, and meet these peace loving people. One wonders how it feels knowing that their country is far away, and perhaps wish to be back. How does one feel, being away? They are of course Indians now, and although the sorrow of being away from ones country, or more likely the sorrow of being snatched a country is bitter pain, one hopes its some what consoled in the soothing embrace of India.

We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection.
Dalai Lama

Chapora

On the way to Ashvem, one has to cross the bridge at Chapora, which boasts of some breath taking views. The hut at the edge caught my view with a sudden burning desire of owning a hut like this someday. Amidst the cool shade of numerous palm trees, and the river bank. Only if life was that simple (or I had that money!)

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent.
It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.
E.F. Schumacker

Mae de Deus church - Saligao Vertical shot

Although I have already clicked a snap of Mae De Deus Church, I added this one to the post to illustrate how a change in perspective can make the photograph more interesting. Compare it with my post  Mae De Deus Church, Saligao, this one shows the interesting side with pinnacle tips, and a bigger portion of the sky in the background. I think all of us have a habit of always clicking snaps as landscapes, but if you try the same snap as a portrait you may find it more interesting. The background sometimes adds a flavour to your centerpiece, a cheery on the cake.

Anjuna

If I am not doing anything on a weekend, I usually head out to a beach with a book and my camera, Anjuna being the one I visit the most. The reason? Well the view from the cliff is something, the walk along it scenic. I love sitting at one of the restaurants there which is right at the edge of the cliff in such a way that its exposed from 3 sides to wind, and awesome view. You can spend hours here without getting bored. Hippies in the 60s and 70s made Anjuna one of their destination points.

On Wednesdays Anjuna hosts a flea market which is comparably smaller then the Saturday Night market at Ingos, but the restaurant “Loura” (all you hindi speaking people I have not made a typo, thats really the name) at the end of the market is a place you don’t want to miss. My last memories of that restaurant is the comfortable shade of the restaurant, the cool breeze though my hair (i.e. whatever remaining hair I have), great friends, good food, awesome view, and some hippies playing music, lost totally in themselves. Only if life could be as calm as this everyday! I don’t think i can remove that out of my mind soon.

Flora Fountain

An alluring sculpture awaits one at Fort in south Mumbai. The sight is almost impossible to avoid, and moments spent admiring its beauty can go endless. The details, fine work of craft does not go unnoticed and one just wonders how it was created. Its named after the Roman goddess as far as I know. Just beautiful!

Cafe Mondegar

As mentioned before, I feel some connection when I sit at Cafe Mondegar. Neelam says perhaps I was a waiter in my previous life at Mondys (as its lovingly known). Waiter… emm perhaps. Whatever the reason might be I can spend hours here without caring for anything in the world. Its my place for peace at Colaba, and no visit to mumbai is complete, without a visit to this place. There is this sudden rush of energy when I sit here, (I cannot express it you have to be here to experience it).

Ahemdabad traffic at night

Ahemdabad traffic is like Mumbai, bumper to bumper. Just like how some places have a suicide point, which is usually a cliff, a waterfall etc, I think for Ahemdabad its the roads. People seem willing to bend rules forsaking their safety, and I think under 1 hour of drive almost 3 people just got missed embracing our lord. Its lucky that the guy driving our jeep was an army guy who kept his cool and was careful at every point. I wanted to jump and scream at everyone, but the traffic was to fast to wait for me.

Just for fun I exposed the aperture for 4 second to let it absorb the traffic light from, buildings, vehicles etc and was pleased with the results.

Leopold Cafe

Its one of the charms of Colaba, a very popular restaurant, was recently in news after terrorists attacked it in the November 2008 attacks. The fact that its started by an Iranian is very obvious when you look at the paintings, images surrounding the walls. The shot captured above is the large board above the bar, and is just perhaps 1/3rd of the actual width.

If mondegar is my favorite place in Colaba, Leopold comes close and scores a second place. There is a section above on the first floor too, which unfortunately I have never visited. The crowd here is much more quiter then the halla bulla, or perhaps it seems so because of the better spacing between the tables.

I think one of the reasons why I like coming to this place (perhaps like many others), is because its mentioned so many times in Shantaram.

Mae de Deus church Saligao

Mae De Deus Church is an beautiful example of Gothic Architecture, located at Saligaon (Sal meaning wooded, Gaon meaning village, so translates to “village in forest”), some 14 kms away from Panjim, the capital of Goa.

I consider it as one of the most beautiful churches I have seen in Goa. Build in 1873, the shrine of the Nossa Senhora Mai de deus was brought over  from the ruins of the convent of Mae de Deus at Old  Goa. Saligaon has one of Goa’s first English language schools, Mater Dei.

Chintu

Chintu was trying his best not to give me a smile, was deep asleep, and even as the mother held his hands and shook it, he was least interested to pose for the snap I was trying to click. But without his smile itself he looks very sweet, and his small hands holding his moms thumb shows the bonding and unconditional trust right from the start.

I remember a nice mothers day card I once read.

“A mother holds her childrens hands for a while… their hearts forever”

Neha - Monochrome

Black and white photographs are classic. They have a way of expression and they sometimes look much better then thier colored version. The same is true for this snap.
Robert Frank (American photographer) once said.
“Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected. Most of my photographs are of people; they are seen simply, as through the eyes of the man in the street. There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment. This kind of photography is realism. But realism is not enough – there has to be vision, and the two together can make a good photograph. It is difficult to describe this thin line where matter ends and mind begins.”

Lost in a gazal

We were at Moti Mahal, with live gazal. Saket and I were enjoying this, when I got an urge to listen to my favorite number. Called the waiter and tried to write in hindi, but gave up soon (have not written for 12 years in hindi). Saket laughed and wrote down the Gazal name. Soon they were singing “Aaj jane ki zid na karo” which was originally sung by none other then “Malika-e-Ghazal” i.e. Queen of Ghazal, Farida Khanum. Both of us were acting like real professional listeners, nodding our heads, waving our hands, “Wah, wah” on our lips. Saket seemed mesmerized in this snap, and its the same feeling I get when I listen to this number. A true master piece. Neha and Nanu thought we both had gone nuts.
“Aj Jane kii Zid na karo
Yuhi pahalu mein baite raho
Haye!! Mar jayenge Hum tho Laut jayenge
Aisi Baatein kiya na karo”

Silhouette

2 of my friends were deeply engrossed playing fifa on my system. I was trying to get this image right, and clicked around 30-35 shots when finally I got it. I wanted to keep the darkness of the room and its contents intact, while showing the colorfulness of the curtains with the sunlight behind, and the screen alive and rich. This is the only silhouette snap I have ever tried, need to try more when i get a chance.

Neelam and Manoj

3 hours before clicking this snap, I was trying to reason out with Neelam. It made no sense for me to be a ”kabab mein haddi”, but Neelam would not listen to my constant plea. Finally I gave up and agreed to go along with her. 3 hours later I am sitting here, with 2 people who dont know that a world exists outside this special zone they have created; and I am definately outside this, I was being ignored big time
I had never seen Neelam so happy, so excited, and so lost. She had not fallen in love, she had collapsed.

Dhanaulti - snow clad hill

I had seen this before! In paintings, on postcards, and always imagined it to be an artists imaginary world. Dhanaulti is a pulchritudinous hill station just 60 kilometers from Dehradun (the place we were staying). Walking was really tough on the road, my sneakers not used to the thin ice sheet which had formed. I was a bit worried clicking this shot as I was at the edge stepped in snow, a small push would have sent me …. But it was worth capturing this.

Himalayas

Is this Earth! We all seem to be asking. The first glimpse of the Himalayas at a curved road prompted all of us to step out of our vehicles to just enhale this sight. For some of us it was our first look at the “abode of snow” (Thats what it means). An almost similar sight being viewed by 6 countries (it spreads so far!) was an achievement of some kind by Nature. It nurses the highest peak in the world. A quote by Buddhist monk Bhikkhu Yogavacara Rahula will perhaps give an espy of what Himalayas is all about.

“A Himalayan trek is a metaphor for life itself. On a trek we are searching for a majestic peak or high plateau, a beautiful stream or waterfall, or a shrine or monastery. The destination or goal serves to quench our thirst, our desire. It provides a short respite from the rigors of the trail, a brief “One Night’s Shelter.” Then we have to descend, move on. We cannot stay there.”

House or a Lodge? Marshall House, Colaba

As I guided the taxi guy to this place with the phone held tight to my ear and my eyes searching for my friend waving out on the road, I came across this huge rock solid 100 year old building. I saw my friend tumble out and we quickly picked up my stuff and approached a colossal door, as my friend pushed open the door, a huge corridor revealed itself with doors on the left, around 10 doors atleast. Seeing a huge pile of neatly kept footwear on the right, added to my belief this is a sort of a lodge arrangement, and probably my friend stays in one of these rooms. Was in for a shock when I came to know that this entire place is just for them. Its such a lovely place to live in.

I had clicked another snap in which the light rays enter the room. Unfortunately a bit blured. See below

Marshall House, Colaba

Umbrella window - Cafe Mondegar

Cafe Mondegar (or Mondy as its more popularly known) is my favorite place in colaba to hang out with friends. It pumps energy in you right in the start as you have to yell to have a conversation with your friends, amidst the loud music being played by a jukebox (which is constantly used) and the halla bulla at all the other closely packed tables that somehow fit into each other randomly. Walking across is a serious effort and I do think twice before I have to get up to go to the bathroom.

I tried to capture one of the many simple things which make it a memorable evening. A window with a unbrella cover, on which there is a small fan, it looks awesome with the light focused on it.

Balloons

This was at a friends sons party. I was requested to get my camera along, unfortunately, not feeling well, I had to leave soon. I clicked some shots of the place. The colors are a bit pastel shade, reminding me of… hmmm.

Towering mumbai

This was amoung the first set of snaps I clicked from my first camera. What was before a jungle was being transformed slowly. City-scapes were changing with time.. Bombay was not the same anymore.

I cannot decide what I like more: the soaring building with pimples of AC’s, or the almost fragile branch, showing its last signs of existance. I listen to one of my favorite songs of Pink Floyd everyday to and fro from office called “Wish you were here”. The fist part of the lyrics are below.

“So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell,
Blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?”

Sheded tree

The snap cameout like a painting after a little touchup. This was at Jim Corbett early in the morning when the light was still dim.

Fishing boat at morjim

We were sitting at the banks of a river at Morjim, when I clicked this. Colorful red and blue

Goa - Red, green, blue, yellow

A view point in Goa, next to NIO, Dona Paula. Its these colors which make this snap nice.

Whats on your mind?

Although photographs revel a lot of information… like how did the person look, what was he/she wearing, the surroundings etc.. some are intriguing… they leave you with many questions . I think this one makes you wonder what on her mind… did she get a bad news, is she bored.. or perhaps…. Nothing special actually.. its not so complicated, Priya was deciding the what to order while someone was holding up the menu for her when I captured this.

Burning Sky

I took this in Dehradun when I was at my uncles place, I saw it from the kitchen window and wowed it so much, that they suggested the terrace for a better view. The problem was it was raining and I did not want the camera to get damaged. My cousin brother suggested that he will shelter the camera by leaning over it while I quickly click. He even reminded me the “rule of thirds” for landscape photography while I was clicking it. So too many factors came into making this photo.

Candid Neha

I like photographs which are spontaneous, where the subject is not conscious. Neha here was laughing at a joke (definitely not mine) when I captured this. Gave it an aged look later and it looks nice I think. It has some noise because of a high ISO, since it was clicked in a low lighting condition without flash.

Peeking Sun

This was from my balcony at our old house at Altinho. Altinho is a small hill located in Panjim, Goa. It gets its name from a Portuguese word which translates to Altitude as far as I know. Very peaceful place, and very less traffic, which made the stay there enjoyable.

Zippo

Did you know it was based on an Australian design. Its popularity increased in World War II when the company started producing this soley for the US army. It was prefered bacuse the design allowed it to be windproof and face harsh weather. I saw this one at a friends place, who was crazy about this. It has quite a cult following it, and the number of designs are endless. There is a museum in Bradford, which keeps rare ones including I guess the ones initially made of brass.
I kept a timer again for this one and exposed it for few seconds and was blowing away the flame in other directions to get a small burst feel, while it was exposed. I also used photoshop a bit to give it more depth of field, my first try at doing so for a photograph. Nothing great, but had to put this one up purely on the basis of popularity.

Moonstruck

Being an amateur I was struggling with this snap, till after few shots I realised I had to keep the shutter speed to 1000th of a second. Not spectacular, but its my first shot at the moon!

Onset of a storm

On the way to office I saw this. Luckily I had my camera. It was like God Himself was telling me… go home son, not a good day to work. I was almost tempted.

The Ent

Previous title: Creepy tree
ok ok, I do admit I click crazy snaps at times, but I loved this one. Its fantastic. It looks like from some … “The Lords of the Ring” scene. Almost whispering .. “Go away”.. ok I better go to sleep now.. Its late.

23/03/2009 – I got a lot of compliments for this snap, some posted comments, some emailed me, some even called me. Vinod suggested I changed the name to “The Ent” (google it if you want to see what it means) which fits the description and I feel silly or not thinking about it especially since I mentioned in the blog it reminds me of “The Lords of the Ring”.  Thanks Vinod. I almost can see one branch reach out like an arm. Brr… should not have stood so close to this one.. one never knows…

Smokin' Mountain

Almost looks like this one loves to puff a few! Felt I was in paradise… its Rotang pass again. We all made plans to come back to this place again next year and this time do a motorbike expedition as far as we could. This path later leads to “Khardung La” which is the world’s highest motorable road at 18380ft/5600m. But ofcourse… we lazy guys never made this trip.