Rust and Ice

Shopping for life

2011-09-03T15:09:00.003+05:30

Courage

2011-07-09T19:38:00.002+05:30

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

Lazing around

2011-04-15T23:31:00.004+05:30

This is like the bottom of the learning curve. I know there are people who could do a better job when they were kids.

The important thing here is today afternoon, I was sitting on a bench in one of my favourite places in the lovely town of Delft- Oostport. I opened my laptop and started playing around with GIMP. This was the result. Oh yeah, I'd be an MSc by monday 10 am if nothing unfortunate happens (which is a lot to ask given my history with getting into unexpected trouble). Hopefully, I am lucky the third time.

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

Poise

2011-04-06T12:47:00.001+05:30

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

Clarity

2011-03-13T04:46:00.002+05:30

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

When time stood still

2011-01-25T15:55:00.004+05:30

The title is up for discussion. MSc Thesis is taking up a lot of time and mindspace so my original contribution is indifferent, inconsistent and at times not up to the mark. Meanwhile relish these great pictures by Pankaj.

Original unedited pic by: Pankaj Chauhan
In the Pic : Aditya Narayan Sarangi
Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

Finding Yourself

2011-01-25T15:47:00.005+05:30

Original Pic: Pankaj Chauhan
In the pic: Aditya Narayan Sarangi

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

Dancing Queen

2011-01-01T22:48:00.002+05:30

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

Lights that dont shine

2010-12-15T03:07:00.005+05:30

The whole town is lit bright,
So dark is yet my night
'Cause one light refuses to shine
The Light that I thought was mine.

Chintan Vinod Shinde

Unedited pic Courtesy: Md Thursina Cahya, Delft, the Netherlands

Pictures from the Lichtjesavond, December 14th 2010. It is a night when all of Delft is lit up. Thanks TC for the beautiful original pic. In the picture you can see the Oude Kerk (old church) of Delft. Spectacular indeed

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

2010-12-07T20:43:00.000+05:30

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

No strings attached

2010-12-05T22:07:00.006+05:30

I have always wondered why people are reluctant to let go of their fears and take risks, set their desires free. From somewhere we have taught ourselves to be practical or pragmatic or some other word that translates into suppressing our dreams, aspirations or even our perception of ourselves. There are hundreds of tiny reasons we can pre-ascribe to the failure of a certain path before even taking that path, and yet once in a while you find a maverick who was "stupid" enough to take that impractical path. Not all of them succeed, but very few regret the thrill of letting go of their inhibitions and sailing free with the winds.

Life is right here, right now

2010-11-29T15:59:00.000+05:30

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

Last Winter's playlist

2010-11-20T14:59:00.004+05:30

This is what I wrote for IHE's winter party. Didn't intend to make it as dark. But winter is not the most motivating season.

The thought of the coming winter

Sends chills down my spine

The cold is not what scares me

But with it are memories entwined.

Last winter was a lot warmer

Than this promises to be

The cold is the same now

Familiar is the chilly breeze.

The snow is always iffy,

Whatever the Mets say.

But there was that warm hand to hold onto

Come what may.

And yet those times will never return,

Any hopes of reconciliation

Are now forever gone.

All that now remain with me

Are memories of last winter,

And your winter playlist to hum alone.

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

Loneliness???

2010-10-11T03:32:00.003+05:30

I am not sure about the title. I was going to put a man resting on the sand in the afterglow. But a man was difficult to draw. The simplest thing was to put a swing. An empty swing changes the mood of the picture. Is loneliness an appropriate title. If you have suggestions do let me know

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

Peeping through doors

2010-10-09T04:36:00.002+05:30

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

Dreams and thoughts

2010-10-07T04:58:00.000+05:30

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

A Neon Kaleidscope

2010-10-03T17:22:00.000+05:30

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

City Night Lights

2010-10-03T16:15:00.003+05:30

The streets of Amsterdam. Neon lights in Cold Nights.

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

The Conversation

2010-10-02T21:36:00.003+05:30

When I was travelling in Spain last Decemeber I was fascinated by the colours of the walls. Hence the red walls.

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

If life were a mathematical function it would be exponential

2010-08-09T10:59:00.002+05:30

Let me give you a simple example, did you know that if you don't pay it off your credit card's balance, it can double in two years, quadruple in four years and can grow to 32 times in 10 years. The same thing applies to life every little choice that you make in life will be magnified a number of times, but there is no need to be scared because making a choice is always better than making no choice at all. Every choice in life is a new experience and more often than not will help you grow as a person.

If only I taken that tennis lesson when I was 9, I might have liked it and continued playing and would have been much much more fitter at 14 and probably would have played soccor in high school and who knows where that would have taken me. If I had taken a dance lesson at 15 maybe I would have become a dancing sensation by now. But this doesn't mean if you are grown up now its too late for you, if you put in the effort now your results are going to grow exponentially even now.

Like any other exponential curve life goes in a straight line for a while without much of an improvement but once it crosses the "exponential barrier" it shoots up and even a little bit of effort takes you a long way. My advice - there is an old saying in Hindi "karm karo phal ki ichcha mat karo" which means don't run after Success in life, do what you have to do and Success will come right to your door step. Don't give up; hang in there long enough and once you cross the exponential barrier you will start seeing results and your efforts will take you a long way.

- Anand

If you like doing something and you keep doing it, whatever it is, even if it is hard in the beginning will become much easier after a while. - Anand Badidey (August 2010)

Small things in life

2010-04-21T10:59:00.002+05:30

Unexpectedly today at work a bunch of restaurants had setup shop in our cafeteria in the afternoon and were distributing free food and snacks. These kind of things seem to happen regularly in Salt Lake City, restaurants want to promote themselves and what better place to get more customers than at a crowded office work place full of people trying to avoid work for any reason possible, and also slightly hungry since it has been a while since they made the last attempt to avoid work which they decided to call Lunch.

On this occasion though we also had a desi restaurant "The Himalayan Kitchen" participating and all of us got treated to some tasty Samosas replete with both sweet and hot chutney. It had been a while since I got to eat Samosas during break time at work, the last time was a couple of years back when I was working in India and it made me quite unexpectedly happy. A simple thing like eating a samosa which I can drive down and get at any time has the potential to make you happy is an unbelievable concept if grasped correctly. I left the stall smiling and also cracked a few PJs asking the waiters to come back again soon like I was sending off a house guest and also to get some tea to go with the samosas next time to add Icing on the cake.

Funny how its the small-2 things that make us happy but it is always the large and extra large things which we end up running after that disappoint us. So followers, readers and well wishers while you are busy running after your dreams and ambitions in life please use this as a reminder to stop and take a moment to enjoy the small things in life which actually make you happy, trust me this one moment of joy will take you a long way....

- Anand

Walking a mile in another man's shoes...

2010-04-13T14:15:00.000+05:30

..is really hard. To prove this point I undertook a practical experiment. I rented a pair of skis and tried walking about ten foot steps in them and to make a long story short lets just say I almost succeeded. Its not easy to walk to another man's skis which you have rented, trust me on this one. By the way did you notice that this old native American saying is sexist, it has the word man in it as if it doesn't apply to the fairer sex. I think this is a perfectly acceptable hypothesis since the fairer sex these days seem to find it hard to walk ten steps in their own shoes. This just proves that I can go to any lengths just to brag that I went skiing again, even start a philosophical battle of the sexes, and BTW if you need someone to combine skiing of all things with philosophy you know who to talk to.

Picture : Anand
Title: Moon Walker
Location: Park City Ski slope

The Michelangelo in me

2010-04-07T14:03:00.003+05:30

I seemed to have missed an entire month, was busy obeying the blind urge like our friend Henry Miller advices at the bottom of this blog, by which I mean I was busy learning how to ski which you would have already figured out from the picture. I had gone to this ski slope in Park City with a couple of friends and suddenly one of my friends slipped and fell. I turned around and the artist in me immediately spotted this Michelangelo moment and out came my iPhone immediately to capture this pic. The location for the adhoc shoot was surreal. Btw progress in life does come by following the blind urge, I learnt how to ski a little.

Picture : Anand

Location: Park City ski slope

Editing: None

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

The Animals in your Closet

2010-02-18T07:42:00.008+05:30

No this is not a sequel to Narnia as the title seems to imply, but the sign on a billboard about half a block away from my home. When I first saw it I had to do a double take, I couldn't believe anyone could be this insensitive; but what this billboard actually shows us is that there are vast cultural differences in the land of opportunities. Less than eight hundred miles away the State of California is one of the Greenest places in the world* and here in the "real" America awareness is so low that no one seems to even notice this billboard which in some countries would be considered inhumane.

Source: Billboard on Highland Drive, Salt Lake City.
Picture: Anand

Signing off
Anand

* from an awareness perspective

STanding TaLL

2010-02-12T00:00:00.000+05:30

Pic: Anand
Subject: My Shadow
Location: Somewhere on the way to Vegas...

This is a wake up call for all ye non believers out there, I would like to emphasize this point by putting this in quotes "There is only way way to live life and no other - STand TaLL.". Live by this philisophy with courage, integrity and all other such good values and I assure you, you will not be dissappointed & remember no matter where you are and what you do in life a part of you is going to be standing tall at the end of the day - your faithful shadow.

Live long and prosper

True to Tradition

2010-02-06T02:55:00.002+05:30

Photo: Anand
Subject: Ikea bedside lamp captured at 2 AM while watching the Daily Show on hulu.com

A spurt of creativity burst out of me as well and resulted in a few enigmatic photos, this one being one of the best. One more lamp added to the already extensive collection from all over the world..

For all you insomniacs out there this is a wake up call, it is not worth it to stay up a night for any reason (like the browsing that you are doing currently) other than activities which are generally done at night if you are catching my drift *wink* This is an untested theory but I have heard that staring at this lamp for a few seconds is guaranteed to make you drop asleep and if that doesn't work I would suggest that you exercise your will power and hit the sack. Some rest will make this photo a lot less appealing.

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

Simplicity

2010-02-06T02:09:00.006+05:30

Don't want to tarnish this picture with my words..

Retreat

2010-01-12T15:25:00.005+05:30

Picture and editing: Chintan Vinod Shinde
Location: Madrid
This is a result one short spurt of creative energy and a little bit of help from whoever makes my timetable. Lamp posts are a favourite of this blog as you all know! I am "planning" a full fledged return after easter. Meanwhile trust Anand to keep flame burning.

Rather belated wishes for the new year. Have a good year! By the way Society by Eddie Vedder is an amazingly written track. Give it a try people!

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring, through obeying the blind urge. - Henry Miller

Merry Christmas

2009-12-26T02:20:00.004+05:30

In the spirit of Christmas I give you the three trees with a mini Santa on the side.

A lot of lucky people get a day off from work on this day to get to sit at home and think about what exactly they are doing with their lives. A select few of these 'lucky' people get to be with their families on this day and pass thru the ordeal without too many scars and bruises. Monday is going to be a different world.

Pic: Anand
Editing: None

Heavens fall apart, stick to your conscience

Reflections of a modern day Photographer

2009-12-23T08:00:00.000+05:30

A regular day at work, my colleague opened the blinds of our 12th floor Downtown Manhattan office and I saw something worth capturing. The end product was of-course much more than what I had expected.

Captured by - Anand
Editing - None whatsoever

When Heavens fall apart, stick to your conscience

Until the storm blows over

2009-12-19T20:17:00.004+05:30

On a stormy evening in New York I found this lone bird perched on a beacon in the middle of the river. Kudos to his/her bravery, wish I could be a lone bird.

Original Pic: Anand
No editing

When Heavens fall apart, stick to your conscience

SPEED OF LIFE

2009-12-12T08:15:00.006+05:30

Taken while returning home late from work on a cold Thrusday evening in New York. The photo is a reminder to all of you to slow down and start looking at the little things in life because you will find out soon enough that they are as important as the bigger things. Sometimes a bigger picture of your life is not necessarily a complete picture.

Original pic: Anand
Editing: None

NEW MEMBER SPEAKS

2009-12-06T07:37:00.006+05:30

Please let me introduce myself
I am a man of wealth and taste
I have been around for a long, long year
Stole many a mans soul and faith
Pleased to meet you
hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
is the nature of my game
Just call me Anand
Cause I am in need of some restraint
So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well learned politesse
Or I'll lay your soul to waste..Seriously..

No I was just kidding.. I always wanted a big bang intro but guess i'll have to make do with "The Rolling Stones"

Yes I am subbing for Chintan while he is away trying to figure out what his crazy brain wants him to do.

Welcome to the Rust & Ice Ladies & Gentlemen.

And to stay true to tradition When Heavens fall apart, stick to your conscience

New member

2009-11-30T15:33:00.003+05:30

Rust and Ice has a new member. Since I am on a hiatus, Anand will be contributing to the blog. We may also have a few more like minded members contributing to this blog.

Unveiling the mirror

2009-11-25T04:18:00.003+05:30

Bear with the incoherence and typos. Have written this spontaneously to stop myself for changing my mind.

I had this self satisfying feeling that I was the nicest person on this planet and expected the world to treat me accordingly. I always ,therefore, had greater, at many times, irrational expectations from people. Though hardly any of those expectations got fulfilled, the least I hoped was that in the long run people would understand me. I mean understanding someone, how difficult can it be? That never happened. I always made pretenses to people that they knew me. But the fact was even I did not know the real me.

So I lived my life having a grudge on the entire world. However, on the outside I always remained the nice guy who loves to help people. But recent events have brought me face to face with the reality that had always eluded me. That behind the act of this benevolent nice guy, there is a parasite that has manipulated himself and others around him so perfectly that even he could not know this was all a charade. It just takes some circumstances to know the real you. I finally know me and I am not so proud of me. Some sides of me scare me, some are bluntly despicable. I now know I never cared about anyone and unfortunately I do not possess the ability to care about someone else. And now that I know this I can't do anything about it. I have never seen a more demanding person than myself. And people have believed my deception and tried to meet my demands because they felt "obliged" to this "naive" person. And for the record all my motivations were purely self centred.

Sorry to have hurt you people. Its a pity that most of you dont know I have been playing around with you. I am trying to get out of this hateful mess that I created over these years. But I cant have this burden on my head for a lifetime. So I am making this confession. Perhaps this would initiate the process towards a better me.

I am taking a break from rust and ice indefinitely I would return when I feel I am uncluttered enough to contribute in any creative way. Adios till then!

Moving on

2009-11-22T23:45:00.003+05:30

2009-11-22T23:21:00.002+05:30

Dont have the drive to think about the title for this.

Autumn sunset

2009-11-08T20:56:00.002+05:30

Sunset

2009-11-06T03:26:00.006+05:30

This is a canal on the way to my hostel. I saw a sketch of sunset over this canal in the old times, pasted on the window of a house on the road besides this canal. So decided to take a modern day picture of the same view.

Longing

2009-11-01T18:18:00.005+05:30

The park behind my hostel has a lot of inventory for this blog. I have a preinstalled software called photofilter, there is only a little I can do with it. Downloaded GimpShop but it aint working.

The premature announcement about 100 posts was not true. Apparently blogger also includes drafts as posts.

Blue Blossom

2009-10-25T04:16:00.005+05:30

Can't think of a title. Any suggestions are welcome.

Varun Reddy suggested the title as blue blossom. So it is blue blossom until someone comes with a more apt name. - chintan, 3 rd Nov

Picture and editing Chintan Vinod Shinde

The 100th Post

2009-10-21T23:21:00.003+05:30

The last post was the 100th post on Rust and Ice. When I started this blog I was sure I would stop writing in a few weeks. That is how whatever I have started ends up. But throughout the good and the awful times I almost miraculously managed to hang on to this blog. To the dozen-odd people who drop by every now and then: A BIG THANK YOU!

2009-10-16T21:23:00.004+05:30

These are some unedited pics from Delft. Some more to follow. Finding really difficult to find time to do the requisite editing. Perhaps this Sunday, I can get some free time.

The photos with the benches capture the view I get from my ground floor window at Mina Krusemanstraat

Updates

2009-10-14T15:46:00.002+05:30

Hi everybody! I am in Deflt Netherlands. Some 6000 kms from my earlier location! Will start uploading every Sunday.

Doei!

Sharan Saxena

2009-10-04T09:22:00.004+05:30

Apparently this is the best way to attract traffic onto this blog. In the last month, there has been a flood of visits at this blog after searching for Sharan Saxena. It seems that Sharan has got a big fan or a stalker. I have only one picture of Sharan in which you can hardly see him. This person has visited the same page an awful lot of times. A few days back someone commented on that post anonymously, I somehow thought it was Sharan and I replied assuming it was Sharan. But then I thought it had to be the same person.
FEEDJIT is a wonderful application by the way, it can help you track visitors and post stopgap posts like this when you have nothing else on your mind.

Having said that my next post will be from a different continent.

Doei!

Rest in Peace

2009-09-17T23:49:00.005+05:30

Since Australia is doing so well in the current one-day series in England I thought I should see the reaction Down Under.

One of the cricket blogs that I followed regularly was the one written by Amy S (http://amy-cricket.blogspot.com). She was genuinely funny and liked South Africa (esp Albie Morkel) more than she liked the Aussies. She had discontinued blogging by the end of June. We all thought perhaps she was busy with her job. So I stopped visiting the blog. Today I felt an urge to read her blog. The last post was posted on September 6th. It was her obituary. She died in July in a car accident. She was 26.

The photograph is taken from her blog.

Condolences to her family and friends. Rest in peace.

Updates

2009-09-09T21:44:00.003+05:30

After a year and a half of going nowhere, I finally am going somewhere, quite literally. One fine day I made up my mind to attend the The Masters program of UNESCO-IHE in Delft, The Netherlands. It was a tough decision. Busy with the packing and visa formalities. Have to hurry, have to leave by mid October. Rust and Ice is on a hiatus for a month. Please be patient. We will be back with a complete overhaul. Trust me.

Identity

2009-07-29T21:30:00.001+05:30

2009-07-03T08:24:00.008+05:30

A painting by Jagdish Swaminathan in some art magazine caught my eye. I have tried my hand at creating something similar.Hope you like it.

Rust and Ice may take a long break, for there are some issues to be taken care of. Do revisit the archives in the mean time. Ciao.

Archaelogy of my right brain

2009-06-28T12:28:00.006+05:30

About the picture: My friend Varun Reddy has given me some amazing photographs and therefore contributed massively to the R&I inventory। Below is one such photograph. The monument is in Lucknow, some place near the Imam Bara I guess (got to confirm though!). GIMP 2 has a wonderful tool to seamlessly tile and merge a given pic or area. That saves of lot of working with the layers. I used a lot of color and curves editing and a li'l bit of clonestamp tool too.
Courtesy: Varun Reddy

Talking of Varun and Lucknow, there is another friend of mine Varun Jethwani, who as I write this post, is happily getting enganged in Lucknow. All the best buddy. Sorry could not turn up for the event.

When Heavens fall apart, stick to your conscience

Updates

2009-06-05T10:34:00.003+05:30

Back to poetry after a long time. A bunch official letters to university officials somehow managed to spur some creativity.

Meanwhile I vow to finish Zen and the Art of Motorcycle maintenance in my train journey to Bangalore which involves a five hour stopover at Dadar (Mumbai). Was long overdue. Plus, I have to start The Kite Runner. Therefore I'd like to finish everything before I do that. Then there is Monica Ali's Brick lane which I read till halfway about three years back. Need to finish that sometime this year. Jhabwala's Heat and Dust is stuck at page 28 since long.

Have I professed my love for Woody Allen's works. I haven't seen Annie Hall yet. Longing to see that too.

So when life gets back on track there is lots of catching up to do.

A lover's S.O.S

2009-06-05T10:30:00.003+05:30

Have I seen the last of you
Or should I bank on fate
To make you appear before me
Before 'tis too late.

For the ghosts are too many now,
Too many echoes of, words unsaid,
And this heavy soul, sweetheart,
Is tired of being afraid.

This time let me say it all.
This time let me make it up to you.
My vacuous pride wont come in way
Of the apologies that I owe you.

Alcohol is running in my veins,
Smoke has pervaded all the way
Into this wretched heart of mine,
Which lies in various stages of decay.

Come to me and stem this rot
This time we would set things right
Come my Dawn, bring me to life,
And rescue me from this long dark night.

Chintan Vinod Shinde

Sunset monochrome

2009-05-24T13:37:00.001+05:30

Original Pic: Pushkar Singh
Editing: Chintan Vinod Shinde

Peeping sun

2009-05-13T21:30:00.000+05:30

original pic: Pushkar Singh, taken near Lake Michigan, Chicago
Editing: Chintan (only minor editing)

Pride

2009-04-22T09:00:00.003+05:30

There is no point needlessly editing such brilliant photographs. So I am leaving it untouched.

Original Photograph: Pushkar Singh taken near Lake Michigan, Chicago, IL
Editing: None

Standing Tall and Bright

2009-04-11T13:51:00.005+05:30

Another one in the lamp post theme. A few more on the way

Original Photograph: Pushkar Singh taken at Lake Michigan, Chicago IL
Editing: None

Fame 2 Warhol variant

2009-04-03T11:52:00.006+05:30

This is perhaps the worst ever attempt to impersonate Warhol. I think it is sometimes good to show failed attempts for people to appreciate the better ones.

Fame

2009-03-26T09:00:00.000+05:30

By the river

2009-03-25T21:21:00.002+05:30

Original pic: Anand

Frozen

2009-03-22T15:01:00.003+05:30

Original pic by Pushkar Chicago, IL

Sunrise

2009-03-22T14:21:00.003+05:30

Original Photo: Anand

Chaos variant 1

2009-03-21T19:23:00.001+05:30

When Heavens fall apart, stick to your conscience

Chaos

2009-03-17T00:23:00.002+05:30

When Heavens fall apart, stick to your conscience

Sailing into the Dusk

2009-03-14T00:45:00.003+05:30

original pic:Anand

Let us tear these maps and logs for once
And also throw away this compass, if we must.
Let's make this journey without directions
Without boundaries and restrictions .
Let's drift away Captain in waters unknown
Let us sail away into the glorious dusk.

Dev D and much more

2009-02-27T17:11:00.005+05:30

About a year and a half back I was introduced to the magical world of Wong Kar Wai. The Juhu chowpatty-like luminance, the pineapple tins just past their expiry date, the markets of Hong kong and the tune of California Dreaming are pretty much in my active memory as if it was only yesterday. The plot of Chungking Express is by no means extraordinary-two cops dealing with heartbreak in their very own way. But what is extraordinary is the way the colors, the music and the unapologetic naïveté of Wai and his characters combine to transform, what is otherwise a geometry shape, into a Warholesque creation.

In some ways, Dev D is similar to Chungking Express, only multiplied. It is about three suffering characters, but the betrayal is not just limited to love. Dev D has more color and more music. Here the main protagonist does not pine for pineapple tins or talk to bath soaps. He instead indulges in booze, sex and drugs. However, where the similarity totally ends is in the intentions of the director. Having repositioned, reinterpreted and remixed the Devdas aspect, Kashyap expands the scope of the Chungking aspect even further. It is no longer a sleek love story. It also attempts to be a mirror to the society showcasing its hypocrisy.

But Dev is not a forthright Mohan Bhargava (Swades) who observes the problems with the society around him and attempts to mend them. Instead he, as a nihilist and chauvinist hypocrite, is one of the problems. And for the most part he wallows in self pity. However, there is Lenny a victim of this hypocrisy herself, who smashes the mirror right in your face. (In case you’ve just watched Delhi 6, let me clarify that all the references to any mirror or reflecting entity are strictly metaphorical. They bear no resemblance to any mirror intact or broken.)

There is so much happening and so many details are thrown at you (Ex: the Kali painting on Dev’s Wall and the three dancers) that you feel everything is going to be a big mess. However, the knowledge of those details or the absence of them does not affect the narrative.

So does Anurag Kashyap pull it off? No but he falls just short. What could have been legendary ends up just short of being great. Is it better than Chungking Express? Well, let me put it this way even if it was better than Chungking that would still be 15 years behind Wai who made it in 1994. DevD clearly packs more than Chungking but it is more like Kashyap’s resume. Chungking was Wai’s art.

That was my first effort as a pseudo-intellectual film critic. It feels powerful to judge something that you don’t have the talent to make yourself. Screw it! I liked the movie.

Does this mean there will be more reviews on this blog? Not necessarily. But this one fits the theme of the blog and so do August Rush and Bee season.

SHNOW !!!

2009-02-21T09:15:00.004+05:30

This looks like an "end of civilisation" snap.

This is the same kind of hue that I saw in some Mark Wahlberg-Greg Kinnaer sports flick. It was mighty irritating for a sports movie to have such a sad tint. Suits the above picture though.
Original Photograph by Pushkar. Taken in the lane in front of his house, Chicago,IL

Guys, I'm urgently in need of photographs. Do send across some raw material.

PS- Please don't forget to view these in their enlarged versions.

HOW MANY TYPOS CAN ONE MAKE IN 4 LINES WITHOUT BEING LABELED INSANE? THIS IS MY FOURTH REVISION.

When Heavens fall apart, stick to your conscience

Inferno

2009-01-18T23:45:00.003+05:30

Cleaning up

2008-12-31T13:30:00.008+05:30

All pics unedited.

This is what the last three years had to offer. I had a Siemens CF75 phone (apparently with very low resolution). But there was no way i knew that would transfer those pics to my computer. It doesn't have bluetooth I could not find any cables for data transfer. My father has some Sony ericsson phone which has both bluetooth and Infrared. Sooooooooooooooooooooo, I transferred the pics onto my dad's phone and from there onto my laptop. and here they are. It took almost 3 frikkin years for me to come with that idea. How lame??!!!

After all that the world has gone thru, I thought there was no scope of further gloom. But how can Israel stay away from the festivities when US, Russia, China, India, Iraq Afghanistan, and of course the perennially trigger-happy Pakistan have had their share of armed vulgarity this year?

Anyways enough of gloom talk Happy New Year Everyone.

Anyways ... :)

Standing tall

2008-12-26T17:49:00.003+05:30

This tree is located near the AMC building (behind the health center) in IIML Lucknow. It forms a surreal picture at about the time of sunset. I was a regular visitor during my curtailed stay. And I have seen the tree thru spring and fall. Most things on this blogs are metaphors for life. It expresses itself in an astounding number of ways. I only have pictures taken thru my cellphone. So had to do an awful amount of editing to make the pic look presentable.

When Heavens fall apart, stick to your conscience

Sunrise by the lake

2008-12-23T21:35:00.004+05:30

I have a lot to say about the pics I am posting but the words are hard to come. May be tonight is not a good time for poetry and verbosity. See ya soon. Very soon.
Original Pic and Editing by me. Taken at Jalgaon, Maharashtra

When Heavens fall apart, stick to your conscience

The road you leave behind

2008-12-21T00:18:00.005+05:30

Original pic & editing: Chintan at IIM Lucknow, UP.The picture was taken in June 2006. Another of those that remained as prisoners in my cellphone

When Heavens fall apart, stick to your conscience

Sunset

2008-12-20T23:58:00.003+05:30

Original Picture: Chintan Shinde, taken at Jalgaon Maharashtra

Finally I could extract all the pictures from my cellphone. Before the new year I'll put all the pics online.

When Heavens fall apart, stick to your conscience

Too little too late

2008-11-13T22:18:00.005+05:30

Insulation

2008-11-07T23:04:00.004+05:30

original pic: anoop sharma
its me in the pic.

Crossroads

2008-11-03T10:47:00.008+05:30

Crossroads- aren't they a fair enough simulation of so many situations in life? When the road comes alive, when everyone wants to move and get home quickly, they simply make it even more difficult. Yet at times when there is no home to be found, no destination waiting for you and you wish that you would rather be at any place but home, there is not a tiny trace of resistance.

Original Picture: Anoop Sharma, Taken at Paradise crossroads, Hyderabad
Editing: Chintan

the king has left the car

2008-10-31T10:30:00.004+05:30

Source of original pic Anoop Sharma
Editing: Chintan

Serenity

2008-10-26T19:33:00.002+05:30

Original Photograph: Anoop Sharma, SDC Bangalore
Editing: Chintan

Happy Diwali

Peace: Only a state of mind?

2008-10-23T09:39:00.009+05:30

Original Photo : Anoop Sharma taken at Prasads Hyderabad
Editing: Chintan

If peace were a commodity, it would have been the second most sought after thing in the world( nothing can beat money yet). Fortunately enough it is market independent. No amount of capitalization can "diversify" or "consolidate" it. It is perhaps one of those things that are so personal that they can not be snatched, stolen, rented or mortgaged - like your freedom, your conscience, or perhaps your toothbrush.

was to unleash upon our minds.

Untitled

2008-10-22T22:56:00.006+05:30

Original Photo :Anoop Sharma taken at SDC Bangalore
Editing:Chintan
Here is something for the readers. Kindly suggest possible titles for the picture. I am short of words.

Moon Rise over Hussain Sagar, Hyderabad

2008-10-21T00:39:00.006+05:30

original

original foto: Anoop Sharma

Editing: Chintan

When Heavens fall apart, stick to your conscience

Sadness

2008-10-13T02:08:00.004+05:30

The chaos within

2008-09-27T15:38:00.004+05:30

This one should go with the introspection theme.
I have tried to paint the woman's mind in the background. A stark contrast to the poise and composure held by the woman. We are such great actors. We so often paint a lucid picture of our lives in front of even our closest friends. To such an extent that there are no friends only acquaintances of varying degrees.

Be transparent. Be Known!

Eclipse by the sea shore

2008-09-27T15:18:00.003+05:30

KINDLY VIEW IT IN THE NIGHT WITH THE LIGHTS OFF. Nothing spooky just that the shades wont be visible in the day time. The colors of night are hard to reproduce. I once tried that in a kids painting competition. All I could manage was to turn the entire white paper into patches of different intensities of black. It looked awful. Photoshop makes life so simple :).

Can there be a lunar eclipse around the horizon? I wanted to see a lunar eclipse at the horizon. So I made it happen ;).

updates

2008-09-16T18:13:00.002+05:30

The blog smells of inactivity. Cant help it. With no internet connection at the place where I have holed up indefinitely and the professional crisis I find myself in, this is the best I can do. Meanwhile I have made some rapid stides in my culinary pursuits. Made my first rotis today. They were awfully out of shape but since i was the only consumer, there was nothing to be embarassed. Well this is no match to what some people I know are doing. Anand has Uploaded a video while sky diving from about 14000 ft. I could nt see it though. No video vertigo, just that the cycafe I surf from can not provide such luxuries as video streaming.

Ohh I almost forgot... Some of my terrorist friends had a bloodfest in the capital. This is my only message to them .!.. ..!.

Kashmir et cetera

2008-08-29T19:48:00.007+05:30

Since everyone's talking about about Kashmir (and Jammu of course). Here is my two cents. There is no denying the fact that there have been gross human rights violations in Kashmir(ask the UN and you would know). Whether or not Kashmir should stay with India or not? Well, the answer to that question does not lie with the government of India or the pseudo-government of Pakistan. It is with the people of Kashmir. And by Kashmiri people I mean the original demographics of Kashmir and not the skewed current demographics. We also have to make sure that this answer gives "aazaadi" to all constituents of the demographics. Well that was simple, wasnt it?

I frankly do not understand India's allergy to third party mediation. If somebody does kindly enlighten me on that. A mutually agreed third party cant get any worse than the respective administrations of India or Pakistan. And I am sure Russia and China will not be mutually acceptable. Anyways they aren't champions of human cause either.
I congratulate Arundhati Roy for speaking her mind. It is immaterial whether what she said is "right" or "wrong". But I heard a few people calling her a traitor. Well, you fucking metro-bred, Armani-clad indifferent fools, how many times did you pay your taxes on time???

It is about time we evolve as a mature democracy than being a naive jingoistic one. It takes maturity to see an issue as it is. I mean frankly, how can anyone blindly trust our government on an international issue when its competency and efficiency of dealing with national issues is, to say the least, appalling. Some say it is a matter of pride. Think of how many soldiers and civilians have died for this self-flattering pride. If more blood is the price we have to pay to retain Kashmir, I'd say you are dealing in the wrong currency. Certainly inappropriate for a piece of land we never "had" since last 61 years. If the same ignorance continues we would soon have another Kashmir in NorthEast.

As far as terrorism is concerned, excesses in Kashmir and Gujarat are bad excuses. A better excuse could be that you are vampires or cannibals with an insurmountable craving for blood and dead meat.

Meanwhile in the "Azaad" India, people are being butchered (before you call me a pseudo secularist let me clarify that includes Mr Sarawati) in Orissa and swept away in Bihar. Thankfully, the hoarding-Marathification has been called off.

Some random post

2008-08-19T19:30:00.007+05:30

A lot has happened since I last blogged. India won an Olympic gold. Bindra became "Goldfinger", "Goldmember", "Man with the golden arm" or something like that depending upon which newspaper you read. By the same logic Phelps should have been christened Uncle Scrooge or even "Goldfish". Now my friends would have one more GD point to boast in favor of the enormous development this country has achieved.
Look we have now also won the gold medal. We are indeed the next superpower. No its not only the gold medal we have also won the T20 world cup. Can't you see the number of malls that have opened?

Meanwhile Ahmedabad got bombed.
Surat went phoos.
Georgia played host
To the mighty Rus.
Kashmir burns
While we say good bye to Mush.
Peshawar got bombed today
Yet Goody is the Breaking News!

For those who are clueless about my whereabouts, I am in Hyderabad.

2008-07-12T13:10:00.002+05:30

Visitors at a ghat

2008-07-11T19:45:00.008+05:30

The Original Pic taken by Abdul MotinOstagar

Himalayan Horizons

2008-07-08T19:42:00.011+05:30

The edges of the mountains were not distinctly visible because of the clouds.Tried to do something. Did not come out right. Will work on this again.

ORIGINAL PICTURE BY ASHISH MANAGALAMPALLI.
Taken at Leh, J&K, India.
Correction: Ashish pointed out that the photograph was taken at
TANGLANG LA PASS

When Heavens fall apart, stick to your conscience

The Beatles

2008-06-26T23:39:00.002+05:30

Original Pic

When Heavens fall apart, stick to your conscience

Stranger in the dark

2008-06-18T08:58:00.006+05:30

In the pic: Sharan Saxena

I had this pic with me since long. The pic was taken in the dark without flash so didnt come out right. So I tried to salvage something out of it.

When Heavens fall apart, stick to your conscience

The Wonder Years- A tribute

2008-06-15T12:09:00.005+05:30

I just finished watching the Wonder Years last week. Growing up has been a great journey. The Wonder years paid tribute to one of the most important aspects of the miracle called life. This is my tribute to the series that helped me rediscover my lost childhood. With every passing second we lose a part of the child in us. The Wonder Years made me realise, how important it was to retard this process. I'll leave the reader with the parting lines of Kevin Arnold.

Things never turn out exactly the way you planned. I know they didn't with me. Still, like my father used to say, 'Traffic's traffic, you go where life takes you' and growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you're in diapers, the next you're gone, but the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. I remember a time a place, a particular fourth of July, the things that happened in that decade of war and change. I remember a house like a lot of houses, a yard like a lot of yards, on a street like a lot of other streets. I remember how hard it was growing up among people and places I loved. Most of all, I remember how hard it was to leave. And the thing is, after all these years I still look back in wonder.

The free human Spirit

2008-05-19T19:54:00.003+05:30

I had asked myself what freedom really is. I was seeking answers. I now realise that I am really close to the answer. It is the ability to truly admire own spirit. No matter what people see you as, it is you who really know who you are. You know where you have disappointed yourself and where you have triumphed. When you with your full senses and your own scales of right and wrong realise that you can respect yourself for what you have been, You are free.
This respect comes from knowledge that you have been roughed up in every means possible and your conscience and beliefs are intact. It comes from the desire to continue your drive towards excellence without bothering about how foolish you or your acts may seem to the outside world. It comes from the belief that the future may not hold any demons that your free spirit may not match up to.

Random unedited thoughts. Yes the freedom theme continues. Sorry for the aberrant rants of frustration in between. The blog is meant only for poetry, philosophy and colours.

The good bye

2008-05-18T12:22:00.002+05:30

I may return to IIM Lucknow for one last time sometime in June. I have had great realtionships in Hell. The trees, the rain, the roads, the setting sun, the basketball court (where I never visited in the public eye) and, yes, the Lamp posts! All of my faithful buddies. Not that I dint have any real realtionships, but real relationships seldom result in poetry!
My good bye to these companions has turned to be a rather abrupt one. However, I wish to associate some romanticism with landmarks and paraphernalia from HELL, when I return to it for bidding a final adieu.
Thanks for everything.

2008-05-18T11:55:00.003+05:30

2008-05-16T12:15:00.001+05:30

So marooned yet so free.

2008-05-01T23:31:00.003+05:30

The photograph resembles most situations in life. We are all stranded like these birds; surrounded by deep waters from all sides. We all go through times when there is no hope in sight, no ray of light, no fucking semblance of getting it right. And yet somehow we wobble and hobble, dabble and paddle till the time the realisation dawns we have wings in the form of hope and faith, brain and heart. The joy is not from the flight but from the discovery of our mental limbs and the path towards finding them.

The Original photograph was taken from one of Vikas's albums from his trip to the Niagara Falls.

The conversation

2008-04-02T16:33:00.003+05:30

Is freedom a consequence of an act or a state of the mind which is expressed by that act? Is lack of freedom forced upon us or do we happily surround ourselves with stone walls and abdicate this right? These are few of the questions which I asked myself sitting in front of the sun (who has been a patient listener over the last year). That sunset marked the end of two grueling years in hell and a start of a new life that would be on my own terms regardless of what happens from now. If everything goes my way I'll be in my official second year at IIML else I'll be permanently kicked out, based on what I have written in the exams. Either way I am free. And I would not be free because of the events that unfold but because I have now learned that events are only incidental. The real struggle for freedom lies within.

Always a woman

2008-03-07T18:47:00.006+05:30

There is a story behind this. Anand, out of the blue, mailed me the lyrics of this song. He said that the song suddenly made a lot of sense. Everyone who knows Anand well enough would testify that there is a reason behind whatever he says or does. I'm sure this time the reason is a beautiful one.

P.S. Happy Women's Day

Source of Original Pic not Known

Editing by me.

Paint my nights red

2008-03-02T22:59:00.006+05:30

As promised lamposts for a month.