The Two Sides Of A Camera.

Being in front of camera is not  new , but  in a filmy way with crowd gathering around must be an experience.

Yes ,it is and author's first experience with remarks on that front-  " Yeh kaun si heroine hai , kabhi dekha nahi".

Place of Shoot : Majestic  and random galis near by , to get that true "Indian look".
Behind the Camera :  Subhash Sharma  , William ( Billy Pena)  freelance photographers
Reason : DKOM trailer clip
Kind : Two video sequences, one time-lapse

How was it : New found respect for actors . To act or stay focused , or even  stare  at those black lenses for 5 minutes continuously and still be yourself or the character is a tough  a Job !

And of course i have found a new route to bliss.Meeting new people makes one really happy .

Enjoy the frames from other side of my local Digi cam,from a local trip  to  Dandeli.
Readers discretion advised , who will eventually  thank author for some serious rofling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCyfF5HZ_VE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkRlk4mDegM

How I Met Your Father

 Author is hooked to HIMYM sitcom and going by reputation of forgetfulness , has decided to pen down some relationship gyaan.

Disclaimer1 : Some content of this post is inspired from friends experiences also and some facts are spiced up for high trp .But the fabrication is not rosy bullshit  from cliche rom-coms  , but is stark , truth .

Disclaimer2 : Author will not entertain any kind of gossip or cheesy teasing or "hollow" linkups .Mind it !!

kids, i met your uncles x,y,z......
(hmmm now i am wondering ......ummm , ok  let me stick to to-the-point fundas)

1. Execute on your crushes quick . Always start with friendship and not take the direct leap.But do take the leap before its too late.
2. Never date your best friend , NEVER.Loosing crying shoulders is pathetic.Unless....hmmm, whatever ,you will still mess it up.
3. The Flirts and Casanovas are good to hang around  when u are younger and NOT looking for commitment.
4.  Yes, all Men have "Moves" , some can just melt the toughest of you like butter , you wont even realize  when your hatred turned into adulation and that is when you might  get dumped.
5.  Do not equate "I love uou" to "I will marry you" ,  especially if they have koochi cooed it to you hundred times. If they really mean it they will say it just "once" and will do something about  it.
6. Trust me ,looks has got nothing much to do with Love , it could be the initial trigger , but as long as you have your personality  and hormones intact , chemistry is bound to happen.
7. Do not buy romantic comedies , there is no "happily ever after" . Every person changes with time and  so does every relation.
8. Men love to chase, so let them , the day you give in , the chase is reversed .
9.  Women are meant to be loved and cared . But nothing comes with life time warranty.Drop your expectations !
10. Do not play with anyone's emotions knowingly or unknowingly , coz when it breaks it hurts , bloody it hurts.
11. Time is the biggest healer.Every one can get-over anyone and can move-on , but you gotta stop at some point .
12. Some men are jerks and the worst part is they will never realize this .(Never get seriously involved with the "uncle Barney" kinds , they are mostly interested in your boobs and not what lies underneath them).Unless you are looking for similar unhooked fun.
13. Do not build on false hopes for long , they will just burn your youth years in seconds .
14. Being madly loved wins over loving someone madly . Though true love is mostly unrequited (Its always the quest and not possession which drives you towards it). Successful couples are often friends who are aware of each others unrequited fables.
15. You will have regrets , but believe me nobody waits forever .
16. Do not mess up with your friends girl/guy.
17. Start young , so that  when you really find some one later , you are not fooled in doing so or have the maturity to deal with the win or loss . ( Iss umer mein bhi khavoge dhokey,  dil to bachha hai jee... playing in the back ground)
18. Value the ones who really really loved you , give them a chance .But back off if they turn out to be obsessive /possessive kinds.
19. Believe in institution of marriage , commitment  phobia  will  make you paranoid even towards your soul mate ( btw,  soul-mate is highly overrated ). And if you are able to do so tell me HOW?
20.  In spite of above all , if you managed to get lucky ,then hold on to him/her and never-ever let go .Its rare , so grab with both your hands.

Readers ,  feel free to add to the list . Those who haven't experienced even 3 of  these syndrome , not sure whether to  pity you or envy you to have been way to lucky and untouched .

PS0: Re-posted on demand .
PS1: Oh "the father" btw , is a good boy ;)
PS2: And the count down begins.......  ;)

Jaipur Rendezvous – another evening in palace

PS0: Post found in Gmail drafts dated Nov, 2009.

PS1: Yes , author needs distraction.

Third party wedding venues can also be travel destinations due to below said reasons

a)you do the noble act of attending the wedding

b)The leaves get approved easily by all parties.

c)You get to meet the myriad relatives and friends

And in the back-drop , if the rituals are already carried out at respective natives of bride and groom sides , time permits you to travel and explore venue beyond the pandals.

The author headed  ethnic Rajasthan’s heart –pink city- Jaipur for cousin’s nuptials

Wikipedia says :

(I will not copy paste the content , interested readers rather go there and read)

Author says :

Minus the shopping , the main sites i.e the killas and palaces can be covered in one day.

• Hawa Mahal

• Amber Fort

• Nahargarh Fort

• City Palace

• Jal Mahal

We started with Jal Mahal> Amber Fort> Nahargarh >City palace >Hawa mahal

Jal mahal located in the center of the lake has not much to offer , 15 minutes is more than enough and is on the way to Amber

Amber is "THE" palace to invest both time , camera and money.

2 hours is the time which includes an elephant ride to reach the top.

The rugged exteriors wrapped the most ethinic and rich and intricate interiors

• The places can be covered in 1 day , shopping can take another half.

• Save all the time for Amber and City palace.

• Other killas are mostly ruins .

City Palace

Corridors of Amber -Secret Passage

Seesh Mahal

Ganesh Dwar -Amber Fort

Princess's View from Amber Fort

PS2: Yes , it’s an incomplete draft  and  Author sees no reason to extend it .Have a nice day

Identity Crisis

They :  so where are you from ?

Me    :  (sigh  followed by a long pause) .Born in Varanasi , 25 yrs of brought up in Hyd . currently living in Bangalore and parents moved to Delhi.

They :  wow , u born in the land of nirvana ...

Me    :  I haven't even tasted  Banarasi pan till now but yes that earthiness flows in my  blood .

They (the south Indian types) : you are a Delhi waali na ? btw , couldn't  even learn Telugu in 25 years,what a shame!!

Me  : no , i am no way Delhi waali and "naku telugu lo mata-pata antha vastundi".

They (the north Indian types) : you are a complete Madrasi nai, btw what is "kuchki"?

Me   :  Anything down MP is Madras for some Northies.Nope , haven't been to Chennai ever. But ya i am more of a south Indian.

They (The generic Indian types who watch star news a lot ) : Yadav , so you are from Bihar? you don't look like .You look like a Punjabi.

Me :  Nope , Bihari n me  ?  haven't  you noticed i say "sh" as "sh" only.

Punjabi ? all i had was some diluted Punjabi friends who are settled in Hyd.

Well , frankly speaking , i don't know , i don't feel owning to any state.  

 I like Hyd,  it has memories of ma growing years  and I love Bangalore as it offered the much needed change. I am yet to learn from  Delhi to be ruthless n strong  and not get hurt by small things. I invite change  , if i am not pursuing, it comes automatically to me for that matter it comes to everyone .And i am more fond of south than north, simply because i have more to identify with.

If readers are pitying me  for  this geographical disorientation , then welcome to this post , you really need to read further.

Living in one city for many years reaps more of fundamentalism than belongings .

I often encounter exemplary southies  stating their hatred towards northies and vice-versa . The classification is not just limited to north-south divide of compass ; I had a  Marathi roommate who openly stated her dislike towards Telugu people ; Punjabi friend complained  about  Tam politics In Satyam ; A konkani friend annoyed of Delhities obvious  rash, show off  behavior ; a UP friend warning guys of  Bong girls -"Jadugarnian " stay away from dating them .A bong roommate terming Punjabi men as women beaters ,ecetera,  ecetera .....
Harsh -blunt , generalizing , unfair statements .we all  might have passed a few.

However, for some strange reason , in all these conversations  i ended up defending the accused region.Being a"civilian" defense kid ,  my growing years made me mingle with local Indian migrants   .This makes easier for me to  be able to gel , understand and get along with cultural diffusion. Not that others are devoid of this exposure but social  DNA  i feel  defines its roots during  adolescence .Later people just network ,bonds and  emotional notions embed  much younger.  Of course exception exists , youth is subjective  term  and learning is a life long process.

Affinity is obvious because of years of association but acceptance and  giving space is necessary for one to see beyond typicality.Once conquered , one can see beneath the layers of external  facades of  culture :  the beauty of being just human , of being just naked self.

Where Author Derives Poetry of Her Quote

Naap taul ke jiye zindagi ,
Kamay samajik maan
Bin pehchaan, usi bheed mein gum ,
aam aadmi, sahma  nadaan

- Yours truly


PS0: Oh ya , the quote
"The biggest risk of my life is , i played it very safe"

PS1: Oh ya , the dedication
To those who dared , ...in negation

Broken Mirror

Tute kanch si , bikharoon har raat
Dhimey se sulgay, koi ehsaas
Ret si phisaloon , simtey mein aag
Subha samet sub, phir nikaloon mein app
 
Tutey kaach si bikharoon har raat ....

 -Yours Truly 


PS: I like it :D

Tremors , Tigers and Tommy

1.  Latur was my first and Friday night was my second experience with night earth quake tremors.First time, i felt it was a dream and a big rat is moving my bed vigorously (you know a kid i was then).We ran downstairs .
This time it wasn't thaaat shaky  and i wondered - is it  those newly married couple moved in below flat  or is it  heavy duty trucks passing by the main road , triggering.
We didn't ran  ( do not invest in skimpy night wear , never know when you gotta run for your life)  and sat with my handbag ready  and eventually crashed into sleep.

2.  Save tigers and spread awareness .Fine, how ? by liking pages on FB , wearing "Aircel" sponsored t-shirts ,interviewing celebrities who talk page 3 crap "Ya we should all  join hands against it ",   talk big words , post fancy posters  , show senti videos... etc etc and spread cognizance. Bullshit !
Yeah, i did the same without actually being aware,went with the flow.
Where are stats? where is actual  information ? Is it  reaching the people who can do something about it? Forest officials , law makers and traders .They don't  use the same channels through which we usually  campaign.Sigh

The Indian add campaigns though highly creative and touchy are not demographic(just look at Nat Geo videos).Here the irony is ,to appeal  and to reach  the masses they are tailored to be more  emotional than informative .Vicious!
The intention is genuine and right and may be working to certain extent -to reach out in numbers , but with all this noise  in the media and networks  i still felt  ignorant  until i saw this AWESOME National  Geography  documentary  on TV where an undercover agency EIA busted the whole trade .Now this is what i call awareness to the point.The idea is to make the right noise.

Tiger population dropped more than 70 % in a decade because of  poaching  for below quoted illegal trading reasons , carried out in enlarged scale.
So what exactly are they being  killed for beyond food chain cycle norms?

•  Tiger skin- sought for  home decor, taxidermy, bribery and as  traditional clothing by  Chinese  and Tibet communities .Single skin can cost from 12000 to  20,000 $
• Tiger bones - used in ancient Chinese medicine .In spite of ban  flows freely in the markets  .
• Tiger tooth - For Astrological myths.
• The most shocking - again tiger skin - used as official dress in some regiments of Chinese military .Apparently military officials are their top customers.

 Maximum percentage of consumer countries belong to  Mekong region . Middle agents revealed 95% of supplies are imported  illegally from India.One Middle man  quoted "India is a poor country and law here is easy to break . We find it easier to sneak in and leverage locals to get the suff ".

A lot more.Unfortunately  i am unable  to find the film on net :(

3.  So what was i sooo happy to see on my return to Bangalore?
RV apartment fellows have  got two sniffer Labradors  for security .They nest in front of the gate so i get to see them day and night from my balcony.In two days i have already visited them  6 times and secretly fed them :D
Introducing Tommy and Shibu .