That roadside camel, I rode. But the thing about roadside camels is, If the camel goes brrrrllrr, all the goo's going to go straight on your head.
pichhkyaaw! :D

Bring on the BLING!

An international beauty that has stood the test of time - The Fiat 1100 D, locally called the Premier Padmini was a workhorse of three decades for the closed-doors India.
A car that used to be just as popular as disco dancing and driven by beautiful women and race enthusiasts alike, the Padmini was everywhere - just like golden tightpants, afro hairstyle, and large buckled belts.
What a shame then that our idea of fashion has come to white muslin and button-fly jeans. What a shame that there is no color anymore.
At least I have a car to match my taste of music. I have red seats and a dynamo.
Disco dance, ladies?

A life in retrospect.

What must it be like to be alone, helpless? To have a world-view that is a reflection of hazy, perhaps glamorous pictures of years far back in time that somehow seem more real than "real" time itself..What must it be like for her to outlive her whole family?
What must it be like, for the old?

If this is not Terrorism, What is?

Ok, this picture is a repeat, but that is because the picture isn’t important.
I am worried – about vote bank politics threatening to divide youth, threatening to confuse, and corrupt thinking of this country’s tomorrow.

It isn’t about the misplaced morals of the Sri Ram Sene or any other bunch of goons for that matter – it never was. I am concerned about how time and again, we allow the innocent to be murdered for some random ambitious criminal to win elections – only that more recently, it has been possibly more than that. Genocide of generations, murder of the future: Radicalism, extremism, moral policing, Hindutva, Indian Culture, they said?

We are a democracy that has allowed the Babri Masjid to happen, we have allowed Kargil to happen, we have allowed a Godhra to happen, we have allowed a Sikh massacre to happen. The results have always been the same : Elections won.

I am apolitical. I despise the ruling government’s incompetence in protecting human life, and their very shallow fiscal policies. But right now, nothing disturbs me more than the knowledge that Pramod Muthalik is going to win the next election, and possibly even become a minister. Because that was what this was all about, all along, wan’t it? Not pubs, morals, noodle straps or Valentines day.

I am concerned about the larger implications of the venom these people are spewing : The rural-urban, good old have/have-not divide: Distinguished vote banks that can be easily manipulated; Distinguished vote banks that could easily have been this country’s only lasting hope.

We can do little things – like tell them they cannot deter the young spirit, like sending this guy some love (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=74543975648: If you know me in person, you can buy your card and give it to me, else there are instructions on the facebook event). The good thing about little things is that little things sometimes lead up to larger things – like perhaps a social movement to get the judiciary to tame the government, or spending a little time, a little money, and a lot of good will to adopt a rural child’s education: Things that are much simpler done than talked about, Things that will change tomorrow.
I am buying the first Valentine's day card of my life today, and I am awful proud of it.

Peace, and Love – Happy Valentine’s Day, everybody!

The man in a womans' house.

A couple of months ago, I was touring rural North Karnataka on an assignment shoot.
The assignment pictures were very bad, at least the ones that the company decided to pick were nothing less than horrible, but i was able to get a handful that I liked - Ones that remind me of the stories - with these people in them.
For the lack of fresh material you folks will have to see pictures from December, this post and that is my plan for the next few as well.
Ha! *smug*