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Showing posts from 2011

Purple Night Dress

It shimmers in the faint light that seeps in from beneath the closed doors. Its touch is like flowers, like clouds, like breath, and it clings and slips and makes you feel quite queen-like. You comb your hair a hundred times and you brush your teeth. You wash your face with the posh, age-defying face wash and you step out of your soft fur slippers. In a smooth, royal movement, your stately frame struts towards your queen-sized bed with its shiny sheets, covers and pillowcases. You lift the covers and crawl deep into their velvetty recesses and, then, all dressed up in your purple night dress with pink polka dot s you turn on to your side towards a blank white wall.

Meet the Street - Bhai Mian, the God Father of Kite Flying

You do not meet someone who has followed his passion throughout his life every day. So November 27, 2011 was really special in the fact that I had the opportunity of meeting Bhai Mian and his son Jamal who have spent years making and flying kites all over the world. Bhai Mian is 85 years old now and his movement is severely restricted because of Diabetes. And this was the reason why the person who had put me in touch with Jamal had woefully predicted that probably I'll not be able to meet the national awardee at all. In fact, according to him, I would be lucky to get to meet his son in person. But when I called Jamal on his mobile, he agreed to meet me at his place in the famous Delhi 6. Full of anticipation, I and my photographer friend followed Jamal through the labyrinthine lanes of old Delhi. This was the first time I was going to enter a home in Old Delhi and the prospects were exciting me to no end. My imagination had run wild and I had painted various pictures of th

Meet the Street - Daleep Singh turned 40 yesterday!

Daleep Singh has been driving autorickshaws on Delhi roads since 1993. Born and brought up in Delhi, he has seen the starting prices of a ride in the auto rise from Rs 3 to Rs. 20 now. Nowadays, he and his auto can be found plying between Central Secretariat Metro Station and India Gate. Though he's happy this way, he prefers to take tourists on Day-long trips around Delhi during which he shows them India Gate, Qutb Minar, Humanyun's Tomb, Rashtrapati Bhawan and almost all other monuments of Delhi. He earns about Rs. 1000 - 1500 for this kind of a trip. It was his birthday on Saturday November 12th and he turned 40 that day.  

When Hanuman and Taj Mahal Took Over the Delhi Sky- Delhi Kite Festival

Yes, Lord Hanuman and Taj Mahal were hovering over the Delhi sky and no one was surprised. Yes, no one! Why? Because it was the first ever Kite Festival organized by Delhi Tourism. And Hanuman and Taj Mahal were just two of the many unusual shapes that had conquered the Delhi sky today. Kite flying enthusiasts from many parts of India headed to India Gate to unravel the strings and to let their kites soar. Never before in India have I seen such unique collection of kites even though the tradition of kite flying has been a part of our culture since the time of Krishna. And, to be honest, I was expecting to see more. Lord Hanuman, Taj Mahal, and the Smiley were the only ones that were truly unique at least while I was there. But since this was the first day, perhaps I am being too harsh. Click here for more pictures of the event, some of them better than these. Gaining entry into the festival was surprisingly hassle-free and in spite of VIP presence, the participants and visitors did no

Diwali - We Love the Complexity (Article Published in TOI Jammu)

M any of us may not have seen those days and some might even find it hard to believe that those days existed. But, yes, there was a time when light strings were hardly used. A lot more candles and diyas were used instead. Decorations consisted of a simple rangoli made of rice paste, a “Happy Diwali” sign cut out of card board, and paper lanterns crafted at home.   And even sweets were made at home. Diwali must have meant a lot more hard work back then. Things have changed over the years. Instead of candles and diyas that burn themselves out, twinkling light strings are used. Gone are the hassles of refilling the oil and replacing the candles, you can simply turn the switch on and sleep peacefully. Your house will not become any less attractive to Goddess Lakshmi while you dream. Special Rangoli colours are available to counter the hassles of preparing a rice paste and then getting a simple mono-coloured Rangoli at the end. Decorations of various types and sizes are so easily available

Unusual Rituals - Windows into the Past (Article Published in TOI Jammu)

Rummaging through the market to find that one elusive ingredient required for Lakshmi Puja, putting up those flickering, dancing lights to ensure that your house stands out, purchasing those sensational fireworks that light up the sky, and   visiting relatives and friends to exchange those gifts bought at the last minute – yes, we are all caught up in this frenzy! It’s Diwali. But if you think that the way we celebrate Diwali is wild and frantic, you are in for a surprise. Consider one the traditions alive here in Himachal.   Much after the entire world is moving on after the festival of lights is over, a much darker version of Diwali dawns upon some villages of Kullu, Sirmaur, and Shimla districts. Buddhi Diwali, as it is known locally, is celebrated almost a month after Diwali on the new moon. The revelries involve dancing and singing mantras in tune with the reverberating beats of drums and other local instruments. Hundreds of cattle are sacrificed to appease deities. Gradually,

Mumbai Meets Dilli at India Habitat Centre

Humour, art and literature are perhaps the most effective ways to reflect upon a society. A society that cannot laugh upon itself loses out on growth, maturity, and health. While I was in the UK, I got enough opportunities to attend stand-up comedy shows because some of my batchmates from MA were regular performers. Most of the shows were good but they only just met expectations simply because British are known to have a sauve sense of humour so expectations were accordingly high. Ashish Shakya Ever since I came back to India, I was desperate to attend a stand-up comedy show in India. The expectations were again high because I've seen a considerable improvement in the standards of our comedy shows on the television. "Tarak Mehta ka Ulta Chashma" and "Lapataganj" are just two examples. I wish the same could be said about our movies. So when Tanmay tweeted about "Mumbai Meets Dilli" scheduled for 5th and 6th of November in Gurgaon and Delhi, I immed

World without Bhupen Hazarika

( Attribution: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-L0216-0033 / Katscherowski (verehel. Stark), / CC-BY-SA) The first time I came across Bhupen Hazarika's name was 18 years back when his soul-touching music and voice floated in the background while Dimple Kapadia in her Rajasthani attire denuded her body of all jewellery. It was Rudali, not exactly a favorite amongst the teenagers back then but truly artisty in every other sense. What made Rudali special for me was nor the breath-taking acting by the cast neither the off-beat, heart-wrenching story. In fact, it wasn't even the silky-smooth voice of Lata Mangeshkar bringing those rustic, alluring lyrics to our homes. It was that coarse, broken, seemingly untamed male voice that sang Maula O Maula, Dil Hum Hum Kare, Samay O Dheere Chalo, that stood out even to my untrained ears. But of course, Bhupen Hazarika is (and in spite of his demise yesterday, I still say 'is') much (and much) more than Rudali. His singing career started as

हमारा शहर उस बरस (Hamara Shehar Us Baras) - A Play at NSD

Drama is closer to life than movies, simply because there are no retakes. And that is why, whenever I watch a play, I'm filled with admiration for the skills and passion of the entire team involved. While there are some who do come in the limelight, it is only the tip of the iceberg that is visible. Most of the team remains hidden, behind the stage, merging seamlessly in the background. But the play is the result of a symbiotic relation between these various players whose only motivation is to make the play a success, to charm the audience enough to earn a spontaneous applause on that emotional scene or that part of passionate speech. There's no better way to picturize the success a team that works well together can achieve. Therefore, when my friend invited me to watch a play at the National School of Drama, I readily accepted. This was only the second play I was watching at the NSD and I was looking forward to it because the first play "बेगम का तकिया" had touched

Poetry

When I was a child, I found it lying in the streets abandoned. I picked it up and pampered it. And now like a friend,  through clouds and through mist its genderless voice leads me  to that naïve sapling that has raised its head too soon from the snow and then goes right back in,  enlightened, frightened, and wise beyond its years.  It sighs with me at the wrinkled, entwined hands of lovers when they walk each other  from this street to that, from this shop to that  from this year to that. Holding my hands,  it has taught me to walk on this mystic road  towards  a word  greater than truth. They laugh and they say it’s all in my head. But yet, when I least expect, it talks to me.

Gaiety Theatre - A Step Forward

The restoration of Gaiety Theatre in Shimla couldn’t have come at a better time. During the last decade, the lifestyle of Indian middle class has seen a tremendous shift from the ‘earn and save’ mode to ‘earn, save, and spend’ mode. They can now afford to use their hard-earned money for recreational activities. There was a time, not too long ago, when theatre, art-exhibitions, and museums were thought to be the pastimes of rich and were never a part of our day-to-day lives. People have started waking up to the importance of arts and literature in the growth of a country. As a result, you can find more and more youngsters visiting art galleries, photography exhibitions, and dramas and studying these subjects as part of their formal education. But this change would have been pointless and self-defeating if the society and the Government had not supported it. And the restoration of the Gaiety theatre is a commendable step in this direction. When the Gaiety theatre opened for

How to make friends or alienate people in an English office...

...A lot can happen over a cup of coffee. Before I go any further, I should mention that the title of this post was my friend David Wadieh's idea. Coffee and tea are indispensible when it comes to offices. And in English offices especially, getting tea or coffee is an elaborate ritual. If you are going to work for an English office for the first time, this post may actually be a life-saver for you because I’ve tried to break the ritual down to three short and simple steps with clear guidelines of what to do depending upon whether you want to make friends or alienate people: 1) Ask people whether they'll like tea or coffee       To make friends - Ask everyone. Even go to the remotest end of the office to ask that grumpy dude you never talk to.       To alienate people - Don't ask that girl who always refuses anyways. This will be the one time she simply needed that cup of coffee. 2) If you do not already know how they like their tea or coffee, ask them.       To make

Dear Newcastle - I'll Miss Thee

And that is weird because I've never come as close to being banished from my home ever in my life. The toon (as in Geordie-talk) has given me some weird memories to ROFL about. If you do want to know more (I can't see why you would), read on at your own risk: Crows Nest To say that I love this pub will be an understatement. If I could, I would carry it with me to India. Staff, who are our best friends by the way, Decor, everything. It is right next to the Uni and serves superb food. Fish and Chips, Chicken and Bacon Sandwich (without Bacon if you like), Cod Fish Finger Sandwich, Tuna Melts, Diet Pepsi (not coke!) everything tastes wonderful here. But what makes this pub a winner is that it is 'reasonable'. And  this website confirms it. You can get a drink and decent amount of food within 5 GBP pp if you choose your food intelligently. And the pub also has a hygiene rating of 5 stars if you are as fanatic about hygiene as we weren't. Our frequent afternoon lunch