Repository of random hearts

The trip goes on

2011-09-11T23:51:00.001+05:30

A recent attempt by me at an animated short film. This one started on a whim. i created an image, then another and kept on going wherever the whim of the moment took me. Hence 'a trip'. I intend to continue this project as long as i can. I will keep on adding continuation in the trip as times goes by. lets see what i end up with. hopefully, it will be entertaining enough.

Busyness is the opium of the cubicle-class - I

2011-09-11T23:41:00.000+05:30

My laptop is crowded with many unfinished projects. By some miraculous grace of god some are beginning slowly to take some form of completion.This one is a little litany about life in cubicles. No, its no where close to the genius/ insightful/ funny of Dilbert. I didn't intend it to be that any ways. It was more an outlet to what i felt fleetingly at times in my previous job. A little snapshot of

windows in the sky

2011-08-24T23:23:00.003+05:30

In the twilight blue, a light shines through,a portal opens, and adventures ensue...

The shoe

2011-08-07T14:55:00.001+05:30

The artist and his echo chamber

2011-08-06T12:05:00.000+05:30

Have you ever shouted out in a valley and laughed out in incredibly playful happiness? The marvel that is echo. (umberto, go sit down in that corner :P) Isn't it beautiful? to hear yourself. louder. bigger. from unknown corners. delayed, almost leisurely. Whatever age you may be, the moment you do it, you turn 6 year old faster than the speed of sound. You may try to hide yourself, but don't you

three kids

2011-08-05T00:41:00.006+05:30

slow and certain

2011-07-30T13:54:00.000+05:30

What do you think of, when you stare at the slowly moving progress bar on the flickering screen? Or when you refresh the facebook feed? What do people in desert think, when they stare at slow shape shifting of sand dunes? What do aboriginals think when they gaze at the slowly moving stars on the dark screen overhead? What do the old Parsi men think, when they read the day's obituary in

you and aam aadmi

2011-07-26T16:34:00.003+05:30

Do you think you are an aam aadmi? you are a voyeur in the great playground of this nation. You are outside the playground. You are a consumer. you earn your white collar dollars and spend it on processed snacks and shiny things. and that's the only thing that excites you or the people high up. They are concerned with nothing else about you. Sadly, neither are you. The only things that hold your

The joy of music

2011-07-24T13:44:00.000+05:30

a bird, a weightless soul pouring out its music into nothingness...

Happiness over grief

2011-07-24T13:28:00.000+05:30

is there any culture in the world where the pain of mother is grieved more than the happiness of the arrival of a baby?

The rabid dog

2011-07-23T14:10:00.000+05:30

saw 'pom poko'. Its a story of how an able, happy community of tanukis face their extinction in the face of rapid urbanisation that causes the loss of their homeland, their lifestyle and their food. Its really amazing how Japanese movie makers so empathetically voice dissent while fully cognizant of the futility of it all. The sense of capitulation at the climax of many such movies are scripted

stop hating justin beiber

2011-07-02T00:05:00.000+05:30

Frankly, i don't know much about the guy. I don't watch TV, and don't follow much of any pop culture. But the amount of Justin-Beiber-bashing I come across is ridiculous. All sorts of unrelated videos on youtube have comments about him. As a phenomenon, he is certainly quite a brand; to command such humongous share of global mind space, truly amazing.The bashing might really be helping him

End of the world/ whatev..

2011-06-26T23:37:00.001+05:30

In a world full of orphans, will anyone ever feel the heartache of absent parents? Can you feel the absence of something that you never knew existed? ___ There are people who warn about the end of the world and then there are people who debunk it and laugh at the scare-mongerers. But the truth is both are right in their posturing. The world is ending in a certain sense that the first group of

Mixed signals

2011-06-26T01:48:00.001+05:30

enter the void

2011-06-24T00:22:00.000+05:30

how is someone's life worth more than someone else's? I am watching 'enter the void' the second time. The first time, it was a total trip, like none before. Its an experience out of this world. But second time sober viewing left a few lingering thoughts. The drug dealer dies a sorry death. But that does not mean its an end of existence of his soul. He finds a way of being with his beloved sister

singing my song

2011-06-16T00:46:00.000+05:30

I caught myself singing along to an English song. again. *stop* I can't go on. Once I realize that I am singing, i must stop. Well, its not that I am a terrible singer (not to my own ears anyways) or that i have any social qualms (quite on the contrary, I might sing loudly in crowded places just because I can) but its simply the fact that it sounds weird coming out of my mouth. You see, my

Colors. Space. light. tea. music. happiness. Beauty.

2011-06-06T02:31:00.001+05:30

Right now my whole being feels like a pastiche of a million poetries. Thoughts have melted into curving, dripping, flowing ideas. I close my eyes and it feels like I am dancing... moving with the breeze... waltzing with dry leaves. Levitated... Light… I am listening to Il Postino's soundtrack which has Neruda's poetry. And it’s beautiful. Often when I let lose this sublime world of poetry and

To question or not to question, that is the question.

2011-06-05T16:27:00.001+05:30

Earlier today I wrote here about Coke's new advertisement. Essentially I made an argument that its an irresponsible communication from a corporate giant who is not acting responsibly on ground and spreading message of hope through commercial communications. This two faced-ness is dangerous to our generation and a big bane for the health of our earth. However a dear friend made a valid point. That

The anthem of the deluded

2011-06-05T02:19:00.005+05:30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vKDOWAf5M8&feature=player_embedded Sorry, can't seem to embed it here... See this new commercial by coca-cola. Coca-cola: the glorious fizz drink maker who are making this world better by spreading happiness apparently (through making us drink pesticide laced poison and depleting our water table and spreading violence against labor union & wreaking local

Jungle claims all..

2011-05-30T11:12:00.000+05:30

This was written about a month ago. it was a heavy evening with clouds that refused to rain. ____ My room is a 12 by 12 feet fortress. Books and loud music keep the outside world where it belongs. Buena vista social club, Sigur Ros and Inti-Illimani create the different layers of the reality that I want to belong to. The alien language reinforces the knowledge that that world is indeed exotic,

Carry pepper spray/ talk at home

2011-05-29T03:03:00.001+05:30

We are living in a fucked up world. For every incidence of sexual violence I get to know of experienced by my friends, a sickening feeling overcomes me & fills me with dread. dread for the many girls who will never tell their experience to anyone. dread for the unimaginably horrible world we live in. If very close friends too share such experiences only when they are sure that they won't be

what do you do, by the way?

2011-04-12T20:26:00.000+05:30

Two weird things happened today. one. While walking back home, on the way there was a band baja barat going in celebration of Navratri. The bandwallahs had just started the ruckus and people were crowding around at the crossroads where the band was playing. There was a clear difference between people who were clearly excited and stopped there, and the ones who walked away while glancing back

sand

2011-03-27T18:34:00.000+05:30

While taking out the battery charger out of the camera bag, I noticed that sand was embedded in it. Well, the last time i went anywhere with sand was mui ne beach in Vietnam. But then I saw some sand in the old camera bag too? it was different and sure couldn't be from Mui ne, because I was using other bag then. May be pushkar from last year? may be mcleodgunj, may be some other beach that I

The wonder box

2011-03-18T02:46:00.000+05:30

Camera. Its an amusement park packed into a small box really. Holding it by its grip transforms the world around. At times, it turns me into a detective out to capture secrets of the world no one was supposed to known. Most other times, after clicking the camera on, I recede into inconsequence to the surrounding. Much like fishing, I do not stir and I consciously remove myself from the life of

On why there won't be a revolution in India

2011-03-12T03:41:00.000+05:30

Tunisia woke up after a young man driven with frustration doused himself in fire. He cared for his dignity. People in Tunisia recognized that systematic stripping of dignity that the government was subjecting them to. Out of the flames arose the call for dignity so loud that it toppled several dictators. The pre-shocks of the Tsunami were felt at a town square where a shopkeeper could not take

On how it is ok to be ordinary

2011-03-07T22:39:00.000+05:30

Ordinariness has such melancholic grace to it. Perhaps, its the finality of its evident fall that leads to submission, that stillness. Just saw the movie 'The illusionist'. Its script was written by Jacques Tati, one of the most wonderful film makers ever. Most of his movies are keen empathetic witnesses to the effect of modernity on a simple human existence. When I saw his movie, 'playtime', I

The country of clouds

2011-03-06T17:42:00.000+05:30

It never seizes to wonder, the flight. Up up and away! :D (Yes that's actually how my face looks like throughout the flight) (The first time I flew early morning towards Leh, I couldn't restrain my glee. My hands clutched at the handle not with fear but with hope to tame down my excitement. I would strain my neck to see out of the window. I couldn't help but laugh out loud with helpless

Jealousy

2011-03-03T02:02:00.000+05:30

was listening to Rob Dougan's 'One and the same'. Its such a beautiful song. If you close your eyes while listening to it, it gives you a feeling of continuous upward motion. Not flying, but floating upwards. Like having achieved all that your life was meant for. A content smile playing on one's face powering the upward descent. (Hmm.. christian influence on me?) And then I saw a mosquito.. doing

Imagination and all its sisters

2011-02-28T23:51:00.000+05:30

What makes one cling to fantasies so dearly? I can understand the impulse to run away from your life. But what color is your courage that pushes you beyond the limits of truth? To suspend reality and recede in thoughts. To forget and to belong. I just saw a docudrama 'catfish'. The movie chronicles online exchanges that is just about to evolve into a relationship which takes a new turn due to

I dislike

2011-02-27T14:55:00.000+05:30

I have 445 people on my friend's list on Facebook. 41 yet waiting on invite list. What does it mean? If I pass by these 486 people on the street, would we stop, genuinely smile and have a conversation? Would we really care when we would ask 'how are you?'. I know of these people, mostly. Some of them are really close friends. Some are people I would like to be friends to. But most others are only

Why I repair my shoe

2011-02-26T15:09:00.000+05:30

I have 3 shoes. One formal, One sport shoe and another a mix of the two. The last one is particularly awesome, cause of its uniqueness. It looks like a formal shoe, but is as comfortable and flexible as a sport shoe. I bought it for my first job in Mumbai. I was newly rich and was expected to behave like one. I found this gem of pure black leather in a Colaba Causeway showroom. Quite a find. But

The afghani cap

2011-02-14T02:20:00.000+05:30

It was a wonderful piece of art, the aghani cap. Lovely patterns and colors. It took a while before it registered with me that it was not just a thing to be stared at but something that could be intimately mine. Mine to wear, mine to flaunt. It sat snugly on top of me. I would force my eye balls right up, as much they could roll and I could see nothing. That kinda sucked, but then there are

two of them

2011-02-10T00:20:00.000+05:30

A couple attending the mass outside the church in Hanoi

Traveller - I

2011-02-03T01:26:00.000+05:30

Bagsu, VietnamTraveling is a kind promiscuity.Cheating your homeland, escaping to lovely bosoms of beautiful strange lands.Wild euphoria and sudden disenchantment.heady love and stinging loneliness.promises of coming back, and promises of giving back. Gokarn, Pushkar Traveling is an escape. Running to an unknown face, running away from the older known ones. Alone and with everybody. The warmth of

trembling silence

2011-01-30T00:19:00.000+05:30

Tonight while walking on the street out of my place for dinner, I saw a guy at a distance standing in the middle of the road. He seemed weird, standing like there, staring at some place. Nodding head at times. Walking and stopping. Looking back. Staring again. Hesitation personified. Gathering faith in his fists. My brain is like an ajax-less 1990's browser. I have to refresh my conscience

buddha makers

2011-01-24T15:54:00.000+05:30

Sigur Ros makes me cry and then their music fills me with contentment and equanimity. Like everything in the world is beautiful and so wonderful and true. It paints the world in the colors of innocence. Makes me want to hug all and everything. Sigur Ros's music is sheer beauty. Buddha would have loved them.

the transient and the ever present.

2011-01-24T12:44:00.000+05:30

"A favourite pastime in summer is watching the sand dunes whirl and inch their way right through the twisting narrow streets of the old town, to exit back into the desert again." so says an article in Outlook. Must sit there, roll a joint and stare out at the desert again. Pushkar had its charm, but I have never yet given deserts it due. I must spend some time in awe of the magnificent Thar soon

of a dead golden city

2011-01-23T17:13:00.000+05:30

I saw two Mumbais this weekend.One through the movie- 'Dhobi Ghaat' and another through 'City of gold'; two completely different mumbais but all the same. Completely different narratives, but still gave the same stale smell of mumbai's stifling sea of humanity. While one movie had its politic about mumbai, the other was completely personal and intimate. Both talked about classes, but while one

getting my act together - I

2011-01-23T00:00:00.000+05:30

As a kid I always loved cartoons. I would watch them all day and I would buy those disney/painting books to copy draw those characters. Every single cartoon character that I found interesting would promptly get reproduced on one of my drawing books. exactly. I was messy with water colors and like. so I would stick to pencil and sketch pens for these. I would not bother about the colors, but the

what if

2011-01-18T17:03:00.000+05:30

what if all the body hair is essentially flags of little organisms living on our body. dividing us up in territories, fighting for flags.

lies

2010-12-19T22:07:00.000+05:30

What is it with some professions and being a crook. Today again, an autowallah fleeced me. after a point, u don't want to waste time arguing and you just end paying up. I had the time and inclination to take this bugger to the Police station. I was about to take his auto's key from him and do the needful to walk towards the police station. But, then something happened, something that always

A question

2010-12-10T14:06:00.000+05:30

How much time and effort is invested by the scientific community in reducing the clicks and key strokes of an IT worker as against reducing the loads carried, distance traveled, time spend on job by a laborer?

‘warholian’

2010-11-27T19:04:00.001+05:30

I was reading Art India’s review about chintan upadyay’s oeuvre, where it says that his conception of an artist is ‘Warholian’. Wtf is warholian. Warhol was a great artist. He had a certain distinct vision, a distinct style. But when Chintan Upadyay can be ‘warhol like’ why should he be a ‘warholian’? Well, my trouble is not with chintan or Warhol but with

Circumventing manufactured voices

2010-11-26T23:57:00.000+05:30

I am gravely worried for the fate of India’s cultural empire. More than the Indian army or its embassies and aid packages, it’s the movie machine of Mumbai that has helped India raise its cultural flag beyond India. From Afghanistan to Japan, from Russia to south east Asia, Bollywood has found devout followers everywhere. This cultural advocacy helps corporate bodies when they march their

Bhansali boo hoo - Guzaarish

2010-11-24T00:30:00.000+05:30