The Fabulous work day tweet

Fabulous work day! In a complete Art State of Mind ! It always helps when creative work has no commercial pressure

Jaipur: The few things that impressed

Jaipur has changed since the last time I visited it (5 years back). This being the 4th, the city didn't impress as much. It was dusty, noisy and men stares were comparable to how Delhi was 10 years back. The temperatures weren't soaring, but the general dry weather was adding to tiredness I guess.

Food wasn't exciting either. And I didn't have the appetite to try any of the rich and spicy local specialities. It was strange to find comfort in something as standardised as a KFC krusher!

Audio tour guide at Hawa Mahal

Anyways, out of the few things that were great was a trip inside the Hawa Mahal. It's multitude of perforations make for a distinct, but not exactly pretty facade. But having stepped inside for the first time, the concept of the Palace of Winds makes sense. Also did not know that there are no stairs, but just a ramp that winds all the way up. 

A View of the street below

The guided audio tour here is highly recommended as it's concise and interestingly narrated.

Pasta at  Anokhi Cafe

Another relief was coming across the Anokhi Cafe, which ofcourse is attached to the expansive, warm and indulgence worthy Anokhi store. In a city where even it's famous food institutions turn out to be mostly average, this is worth a visit for food and ambience.

Rich

From a recent trip to Jaipur

FB solves mysteries!

So Facebook has solved mysteries about people who've been anything but well-wishers. Some on my "friends's" list- how I would love to watch them now!

The Mouse is actually the size of an elephant. For those who love to supersize trivial matters not related to them, you would definitely get to a point one fine day where you would know how it matters!

(Watching Revenge, so in that mindset, but so amused to have this unfolded! Wow! )

Women in Architecture

Not that I'm directly related anymore. However, found this Pin via Archdaily, quite interesting.

Attached below are just a partial Screenshots.
  Full graphic available HERE

      

A Year lived in a few days

The last few 3-4 days I've talked enough to cover the entire year. Because when with my most real friend (s), I do not have to sit n struggle for what to talk, judge responses or feel awkward about silences. 

Need

... And good things just happen when needed the most! Somehow, everything sort of aligns itself and it happens, however improbable it may have seemed.

Kahaani

Poster Design: Marching Ants

One of the best films where a city lends itself wholly to a film. Kolkata/ Calcutta comes alive in Kahaani (Review link). It provides the necessary backdrop in this Suspense Thriller with a woman in the lead. The people, their quirks, the buzz, madness, festivity and the undeniable  deep soul of the city enrich the interesting plot of this film.

It is engaging and backed by some really good performances. And even though the mesh of sequences could get confusing, the best part about Kahaani is that it never gets too far fetched or questionable. In the end, things comfortably and rather powerfully fall in place.

Just wonder if the explanation post the visually powerful last scene about the Durga reference was just to make it abundantly clear to anyone who may not have already understood. But nevertheless, its a well woven film and the metaphor is quite well adapted and portrayed.

...And of course it is a film that will make anyone miss Kolkata and go and explore every charming alley this truly unique city houses. 

Naive Yesterday: 9/03

After a commendable long fight, Flury the Goldfish finally gave up. So the day did not really have a very happy start.

However, what I'd thought impossible to ever witness in Bombay was a shooting star. But I did! And soon after there was a Dove flying across the sea (not that doves are as rare as shooting stars here). However decided to just be naive and assume these were all special mini-events. 

Restaurant Design

Source: frameweb.com via Bryce on Pinterest

An good link to some restaurants with interesting Design

Also, the Starbucks Fukuoka, Tokyo looks very interesting with it's Detailed Wooden Interlace

Source: inthralld.com via Maithili on Pinterest

Holi in Bombay

Spent this Holi with an assorted mix of people, mostly friends and their acquaintances. At an unusual for me non-veg lunch on Holi, someone in the group of 10 exclaimed how I was the only one from West India. And I went on to think how infact I was the only one in a group of 10 from Bombay. I'm sure this isn't even close to the actual ratio in the city. 

But anyways, it's the way things are anywhere. Most of the Educated Middle class of Bombay from my generation has moved on to other places, just like those who have come here from elsewhere. This was just a thought, any analysis and judgement on this is quite unfair I guess.

Connect

I really and absolutely envy people who proudly boast of having like a hundred real friends. I'm not sure if I can call this a drawback or a natural trait that I'm not one of these. I always have just a handful of real friends to talk of. Of course, there are so many wonderful people I know and I do have close friends beyond the handful as well.

However, I am now assured that it is true for me that that natural effortless connect is only with a few. Where time, geography lapses do not matter, a few rude words also dissolve into understanding with time and when a reconnect is seamless. Such connections just happen, and they cannot be manually achieved as much as I may want to with other people. 

Clams & Other Shell Fish...

Had a quick weekend trip to my Native place near Malwan and tried to stuff in as much as possible- Food & otherwise...

Rock Oysters at the Pier

They grow everywhere!

Rock Oysters (Kaalwa) are found aplenty across the Malwan coastline and I was almost on a quest to have them the local style ( had them some years ago and remember how creamy they are!) Finally did manage to grab more than a few bites and they were as good. They are available in Bombay too, but cooking them right is the trick!

Cooked in the local style

Also, managed to squeeze out some time to visit a nearby beach, which had really clear water. So much so that, when a wave brought in a lot of clams , handpicked a few of them quickly as they were getting buried in the sand.

Live baby clams

Since they were tiny, quickly threw them back into the sea. However did have full grown ones later, accompanied by the Sol Kadi- a staple in the region 

Clams cooked (Teesrya Masala)

One of my favourite images. Picture of a truly Idyllic time!

Fetching clams 

Miracles

Just once in a while you wonder if they really do happen? 

Well, not the really big kinds, but guess the ones you do think are possible (somewhere in the corner of your mind) do! Sometimes they just happen back to back in a moment!

A moment ago, my goldfish was lying still breathing horizontally. In vain hope, I pressed her stomach and in a few minutes she was back to swimming upright (hope she has no relapse).

Then I get a call from my Jewellery institute (Im learning techniques and methods), apologizing for unnecessarily bothering me about lost tools. Was quite touched that they actually called, when they could've even let me know tomorrow- very Sweet! And not to forget the other bengali faculty who since yesterday has been personally searching everywhere for the lost tools, when he easily could not have been bothered- Thank you! 

More on him to come soon- the tales of Old Bombay in 1960's !

Thought for everyday

                                                           Source: glitterglueandfireflies.blogspot.com via Maithili on Pinterest

Well the aim for everyday. Somedays are easy, breezy and some days get too exhausting at times with too much effort. You either let go off those and give in or luckily they just turn worth it as well!

The Power of Introverts: TED talk

An introvert has to really break open her own shell to come out. There are very few people who think of giving introverts a chance, especially in early years. In most groups, institutes, organizations extroverts easily rule because they make themselves obviously heard. But then luckily a point comes... (for me it was NID) where people didn't give a damn about introvert-extrovert and all were treated as equals and there was a uniform chance and platform for all.

An interesting TEDtalk about the power of Introverts

Honest Reaction

Last week while traveling on an Over-night train, a rather talkative 5 year old and his parents happened to be our co-travelers. Post telling his dad at least 20 times that he is now going to sleep and thereafter singing a series of patriotic songs for reasons inexplicable, the child finally dozed off to sleep.

Only to be awake much earlier than others, and again as habit would have it, went on talking and exhibiting his extreme inquisitiveness with amusing small questions addressed to his Dad. After keeping him occupied with his high octane cell phone very briefly, the Dad was back at answering questions. A while later, having tried many methods to keep his child occupied silently, the Dad finally told him very excitedly, " Look Mountains!" The child looked up from his noisy cell phone and just shrieked dismissively "Chee!"

It was a rather amusing reaction! But the Western Ghats in a distance are really anything but inspiring, especially to a distracted active mind of a 5 year old.

Gushing Again!

Just received the DVD of Rockstar this week. And...

How Beautiful a movie it is!

In addition to it's soul is the way it's made- Pure vision! Even the camerawork isn't stereotype pretty and safe, but is  powerful and only enhances the mood.
Also happened to watch the making and every word spoken about how it's made is visible in the actual film- extremely well executed and true to it's core- No nonsense, compromise or fear!

Women & Change

One last cynical post before a line up of nice ones... 

Watched Iron Lady yesterday, which led me to think again of chauvinist institutes. Institutes with a culture to treat women with respect against those who treat them almost like pieces of furniture to be considered not important , will always show a marked difference.

Women in the latter, would easily be more talented and have served for years, but never been given their due. The day the chauvinists in such long standing institutes do decide to change this long tradition of ignorance, de-valuing, underestimating & conveniently side-tracking it's women, it would definitely and truly undergo the change that the men sit and discuss at various "intellectual" levels!

Clubs @ Almost 30

May be offensive, but it is true. And I hope these break soon!

Married : Mostly I know a lot of independent married people. However dread the ones who can't talk beyond Kitchen, inlaws and act as if the whole world is different and they as individuals do not exist. Which leads to the formation of the second kind...

Single: They may choose not to hang out with the former, as the they consider all to be typically married "couples". They mostly hang out with proudly single people and may assume that married friends are 'lost'.

Gay: Again, choose to hang out with people they feel secure with due to the obvious nature and reactions people may have (especially in India).

So, individuals are lost. All groups act very typical and protected. In the end you are left with a few who can thankfully see beyond all of this and just be absolutely normal people to start with. Hope more people can join this club as they grow up!

Source: brainlesstales.com via Twistin' on Pinterest