A Blogernity Leave

Had a brief hiatus from the blogging world as a result of couple of things. Among other sundry reasons, an important one being, I could think of nothing to write.And when you have nothing worthwhile to say, then its better to keep your mouth shut – is what a wise person had to say about the writer’s block. Whenever I did attempt to write, the words came out in choking fits rather like the phut-phut of an old scooter, than the gushing stream tumbling down the terrain.
Several crumpled sheets of paper later, I hit upon the brilliant idea of saying a thousand words without uttering a single word !
I decided to paint.
And soon I also became ambitious..
I decided to host my first joint painting exhibition with my dad-in-law.

All our paintings hung in a room in the majestic Durbar Hall in Cochin.A lot of unsuspecting folk did wander in and I like to think , they got enraptured by the paintings rather than trying to get some breeze from the sole table fan that was running in the room. Some stood ruminating, some whispered and giggled while some skipped through with all the ardor of the early morning walkers. Amongst all the visitors, there was also a journalist who asked a lot of important sounding questions. And wonder of wonders, we were in the papers the very next day. Yes, that was me all right, looking just like I had completed a 10 mile sprint. And the journalist had some good things to say too !
My son was not at all pleased at his not being included in the picture and wanted to know if I had become famous and intended to put on airs after that.
If that were not enough, the next day an entire gang of TV people were there. Boy , were we famous ! I have to admit though I did feel a bit ridiculous at having to reply to a blinding light in response to the questions the lady shouted from behind the camera. This time my son was not to be outdone and stuck to me like a leach for TV coverage. We were on the news the next day on Jeevan TV, sounding all important and business-like. My son although, was screaming blue murder, because all that could be seen of him was the top of his head and eyes. And if that were not enough, they had the temerity to put the TV logo right on top of his crescent face. I promised to sue them for the sacrilege.
Another TV channel turned up the next day. Now, we could definitely claim our rights to being hounded by the paparazzi !
Our exhibition lasted for 5 days and by the 3rd day, we had started feeling shopkeeper-like , faithfully opening shop everyday at 11.00 AM and shutting down at 7.00 PM. This was evident by the fact, that we had lost all inhibitions and had actively started inviting all passersby to have a peek at our masterly paintings.
The exhibition ended but in all this melee, the seeds had been put forth for the birth of a new blog and as has always been the norm, the older one does get ignored for a while.

The Motley Collection wants to introduce its sister blog – Fresh From The Easel. As all siblings go, it was not too pleased to let go of all the attention and the readership, but hopefully the two blogs will be able to co-exist and share the attention of all its generous readers.

But my hiatus which I strove to break through this post will extend for some more time, as I take some time off to visit a dear old friend in Denmark.

A Maiden Flight

It was time.
The theory of the lift and the ways to counter drag, the aerodynamics of the wing tilt which would propel it upward had all been rehearsed over and over.The little bird had practiced long and hard for the day when it would finally take off.And finally came the day when it flew its first maiden flight.
As it took off filled with trepidation, it wavered precariously for a minute, when something it had read long ago came back..

“You have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way”

and it was suddenly free.

As it glided and hovered, swooped and practiced what it had learned , the little bird quivered with joy.

-oo-

It is my pleasure to welcome you all to my first painting exhibition alongwith my father-in-law (Mr Hemachandran Maniedath), to be held in Cochin from 24th May to 28th May !!! Titled ‘Voices’, it depicts themes based on social issues. Hoping to see you all at Cochin and do remember to spread the word !

Call of the Mountains

A vista of mountains unravelled before us as the Anand-Vihar Shatabdi express chugged into the small station of Kathgodam at 11.50 AM.Kathgodam, the last stop in the foothills of the mountains serves as the gateway to the various hill stations dotting the outer Himalayan range.

When a trip to Delhi finalized, a frantic search ensued to search locations for a 2 day getaway in the lap of the mountains.Searching for a perfect vacation spot always posed a challenge as we loved tranquil laid-back places, far from the maddening crowds and liked to experience a place as compared to zooming from point A to B.
Websites of different home stays & resorts to see what they chose to speak about and what they didn’t, traveler reviews, weather – everything had to examined with a fine toothed comb along with casting furtive glances at our budget. And we wait till a place chooses us.

And it did.

The platform had emptied out quickly giving it a desultory look.The sun scorched us with the burning intensity of April as we waited for our cab which would take us to our destination.Soon we were on our way in a small Alto and as it snaked its way through the twisting roads, the breeze became cooler. We tasted delicious strawberries and mulberries sold in quaint leaf baskets which our driver, Mr Kailash, had thoughtfully bought for us.

Our destination was Gethia, a small place situated 26 Kms from Kathgodam, slightly ahead of Jeolikote on the Haldwani-Bhowali Road. Gethia is situated close enough to the bustling Nainital yet thankfully, not close enough to attract the typical tourist crowd of Nainital.

A turn in the road and we had reached our destination – Two Chimneys at Gethia. Two Chimneys is a boutique homestay overlooking the valley on both sides.It has 7 rooms , each done up tastefully in a unique style. We chose First Things, situated on the first floor with its door opening out to a verandah overlooking the garden and the back door leading to a small sun-kissed balcony sitting atop the valley below. The room also had a lovely loft with ample space for a double bed where you could lie looking at the sky peeping through the sky light and listening to the sounds of the Blue Whistling Thrush.

The place weaved its magic around us, as we explored various cozy sit outs overlooking the valley and stone steps which led to hidden treasures. There was a small library tucked away in a corner which had a nice collection including Tarun Tejpal’s books, who incidentally is also the owner of Two Chimneys.The house overlooks a patch of garden ornate with trees and flowers. Its a bird watchers paradise and we were enamored with the beautiful Red-Billed blue magpies.

We took a cobbled path and passed a small grave inscribed Baloo, the gaurdian of the house, 1999-2009. Baloo was indeed lucky to have such loving owners who still treasured it. The path led to a games room which had table tennis, Billiards and a TV set.Suddenly, came a loud barking and we were inspected in all thoroughness by the canine mistress of the house, Bijli. It was love at first sight for my son, who followed her with a love-lorn look everywhere after that.

Dinner was an elaborate affair in a long table laid out by the fireplace. The next day, we hired a cab to take us to Nainital which was a mere 3 kms away if you trekked but 19 kms by road. Nainital was crowded and bustling with tourists which we were told was just the tip of the iceberg which would land in May.

We did boating in the scenic Naini lake nestled in between lush hills. Naini lake is also the water source for entire Nainital and its cleanliness is maintained by not allowing any motor boats, swimming or fishing. The cable ropeway affords a panoramic view of the lake with its smattering of small boats and the surrounding hills rising majestically. As we reached the top, we could see the tips of the majestic Himalayan range swathed between thick whispers of clouds.

We pottered around the small Tibetan market adjoining the lake buying some candles and soaps. The Mall road winds along the lake connecting Mallital (northern side) to Tallital (southern side) and we walked back to Tallital where our cab waited.

Soon we returned to Gethia, to be greeted very warmly by Bijli and the smells of hot pakoras wafting from the kitchen.
As I sat on one of the wrought iron chairs in the garden, time and space were suspended in a lazy twig floating down and the sunlight playing hide and seek between the trees.

Bangalore for Women : A step in the right direction

On a hot Saturday afternoon, some 70 to 80 bloggers including me, sat closeted in a room in the Times of India building on M.G. Road.We chatted animatedly as the stage was thrown open to a topic dominating everyone’s mind. How safe did a woman feel in Bangalore ?

I moved to Bangalore in 2000 after working in Mumbai for almost a year and a half. While eve teasing and sexual innuendos had been an everyday occurrence during my growing up years in Madhya Pradhesh in central India, Mumbai back in ’99 was like a breath of fresh air. For the first time in my life, I had felt liberated,without feeling the need to look over my shoulder every minute. Bangalore, in comparison, didn’t feel as safe. After the office traffic hour, many roads wore a desolate look with dim pools of light alternating with dark stretches.

Over a period of the last 13 years, even though I myself, was not subjected to any direct form of sexual assault, I found myself adapting my lifestyle in line with the rising crimes against women. Every gruesome incident reported in Bangalore was yet another shackle on my perceived freedom to ‘be’.

As I listened to the various incidents faced by the women in the room, it just re-affirmed what I already knew. Anybody could be a victim, it was just a matter of chance. Interestingly, Franklin , a self defense instructor, told us otherwise. People’s personalities and their attitudes could go a long way in reducing the chances of being a victim. Your presence of mind, he asserted, is a far more superior tool as compared to any pepper spray.

As people discussed the various dimensions of women harassment, from what they faced on the roads to the boardrooms, one thing that stood out amongst them was the treatment meted out to physically / mentally handicapped women. Their struggles against their handicap is vastly compounded by their gender, making them a very convenient target of sexual attacks.

The discussion would have been completely depressive, if it were not for the one bright silver lining. We were there not to brood on it, but for action. The discussion was part of TOI’s campaign on ‘Bangalore for Women’ which was hosted together with Indiblogger. As we brainstormed on ideas and content which could be relevant for women, it became increasingly apparent that while media can throw the spotlight on a lot of subjects and disseminate information, the real onus of change is on each and every person.

So how can each one of us start contributing towards a safer society ? First and foremost is an awareness of safety for oneself. As is commonly said, ‘Prevention is better than cure’ is true for safety as well. As part of prevention, assess situations for possibilities of threats and evaluate escape routes.Avoid risky situations and use presence of mind to diffuse tensions. Always try to get out and avoid confrontations if possible. If a confrontation becomes inevitable, have rehearsed defense mechanisms. Letting your family know where you are or having useful numbers at hand in an emergency is something every person should do.
Invest time in ensuring safety of children by educating them on self preservation and avoiding situations which expose them to risk.

Then comes awareness and empathy to the safety of people around you. Surprisingly, many people mistakenly assume that a male escort is a sufficient cover for any form of sexual harassment encountered on the road. As has been seen time and again, a man is as helpless against a gang of men as a lone woman. Being cognizant of this and assessing risk accordingly will go a long way in ensuring safety of a female companion. Similarly, extending help when required or enabling help to reach a victim is a responsibility that can not be shrugged off anymore. Society has long witnessed the apathy , which is threatening to devour all that was good in a human being.
Reach out to people around you – to those who might be less aware than you or who might be economically backward.Help them understand their rights and what they should stand up for. In case of need, put them in touch with self help organizations and other NGOs who are capable of handling the required situation.

While the required levers have to be pulled to move the juggernaut of government machinery, we can no longer afford to sit back and wait till crime comes knocking at our doors.

As I looked at the people gathered in that small room, my thoughts turned to the case which set the wheels turning. A silent revolution has begun and its time to walk the talk. While the awareness and assessment of danger, is a long way from what constitutes freedom for me, I hope its the right step in the direction , where one day I hope to walk alone without looking over my shoulder.

“The Double Life of Véronique” by Krzysztof Kieslowski

This French-Polish film by Krzysztof Kieslowski is a movie, which as critics put it, is very little on paper and lovely on the emotional connect. It is rather like the ethereal musical note whose melody impinges on your senses but try as you might, you would not be able to put that on paper. An artistic work beckons you and gives you that special insight into the artist’s thoughts and in these realms, casting aside logic and the rules of the conscious world, allows one to truly experience it to its fullest.

I saw the film twice and I could appreciate a lot of nuances much better on my second viewing.

Two children in different locations are shown the beauty of nature by their mothers – a lone star below the fog of a million stars in the night sky and a tender leaf with fine veins running through.


This was such an artistic way to start the movie, though it was only during the second viewing that I actually could relate it back to the story.

Weronika (Irène Jacob),a Polish church concertist in Poland tells her father that suddenly she didn’t feel ‘alone’ and expresses a desire to go to Krakow to visit her ailing aunt. In Krakow, as she is walking down a market square where a protest was on, she suddenly spots a woman exactly similar to her, boarding a tourist bus. As she stands looking at her, the bus moves taking the woman who’s frantically clicking pictures.This was the only meeting of the two women, Weronika and Véronique (Irène Jacob), a french music teacher from Paris, who deep within their consciousness are aware of a strange sensation of not being ‘alone’ in the world and of being at two places at the same time.
In a quirk of fate, Weronika collapses and dies in her first orchestra and there is a strange sensation of observing the proceedings from above and seeing the soil flung down on the coffin.

Irène Jacob is a lovely actress and the different emotions flitting across her face is wondorous to watch.I found the shots sensual and magical. The camera zooms in on a very unlikely object and slows pans out.
The only thing that slightly jarred was the relatively short duration of Weronika’s life and her death that seemed a bit abrupt.The scene when Weronika dies and the sensation of Weronika observing herself is unnerving and is superbly dealt in the way the camera zooms over the audience.

The haunting melody by the Polish composer, Zbigniew Preisner, stays with you long after the movie is over.

Véronique feels an inexplicable grief coming over her. As she teaches her students the same notes which Weronika plays when she dies, she feels an agitation coming over her.Around this time, she comes into the acquaintance of Alexandre Fabbri(Philippe Volter) who performs a marionette show about a ballerina who dies during a performance and becomes a fairy.


The introduction of Alexandre Fabbri is interesting at this stage as it almost seems completely discrete from the main story. The only connecting factor seems to be the marionette story which is uncannily similar to the story of Weronika.

She keeps running into Alexandre and discovers him to be an author who’s written several works.She gets a mysterious parcel containing a tape with only some background noises and sounds of some musical notes.As she hears it over and over again and examines the postage, she discovers them to be the sounds from a restaurant in a railway station.When she follows her instinct, she finds Alexandre waiting for her in the restaurant.He explains that it was a test to see whether a woman would respond to the call of an unknown man. She feels manipulated and runs away from him but he manages to find her and apologize. They spend the night together and in the morning, he finds the photo she had clicked of Weronika in Krakow amongst her other photos and inquires about it.It was then that Véronique sees Weronika for the first time and comprehends and cries bitterly.

Later, she sees Alexandre creating two identical marionettes of her and when she questions, he explains that since he handles them a lot, they damage easily.He also tells her the play’s story of two people bonded together across different locations.


The film has a sense of calm with the haunting melody floating in and out. It explores highly metaphysical questions of soul connections. This film might not connect with viewers who favor realism.
A movie worth experiencing !

Lo behold the Liebster !

Hey, I got a Liebster,
Its neither a fish nor a Lobster,
It’s got no’ing to do with guns or a gangster,
Oh a Leibster,is an award from a blogger.

Cant put it up on the mantel as a trophy,
Cant admire it while sipping your coffee,
But a Leibster is a special recognition,
A fellow blogger’s support to further your mission.

The Leibster if you get,
Write 11 facts without fret,
You answer the questions fired,
Making sure the reader doesn’t get tired

You pass it on to those who deserve,
To blogs that have the zing or the verve,
Or to blogs which touch a nerve,
And that is the duty you shall serve.

Yes, I got the Liebster too,
Its an honor to get, not one but two,
From Umashankar and Gus,
So let me start without any fuss !

-oo-

After writing that cheesy poem, I am still quite unapologetic and shall strive to inflict some more of them on you.

11 Facts about me

Lists, Lists and more lists I say,
Haphazard planners don’ get in my way.
Eggs, eggs, everyday and everyway,
I fear I’ll turn into a chicken one day.
Love all animals, the dogs and the cats,
Till I had my own, felt all kids were brats
Dont reply to my emails/calls and you get on my wrong side
I sneeze 365 days a year, I have to confide
Admire but don’ fawn,
In libraries I will never yawn.
With my son, I watch slapstick
We laugh and laugh till we get sick.
God forgot to give me the musical ear
And if he did, he forgot to tell me dear.

-oo-

Questions from Umashankar :

1.Top 4 authors, or photographers, you love – P G Wodehouse, Arthur Conan Doyle, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Khalil Gibran
2.Top 4 Movies – Forest Gump, Schindler’s list, Ryan’s daughter, LOTR Trilogy
3.Top 4 singers/albums – I am not a connoisseur of music but I like music which can rev me up. Enjoy country music by Kenny Rogers, Brad Paisley, Jazz by Louis Armstrong and Contemporary pop.
4.What would you do if you were to be stopped from writing? – I would paint
5.Are you in favour of banning books? – Banning books has always denoted intolerance in my eyes. So, No
6.Are you in favour of capital punishment? – No.
7.Are you in favour of veils for women, as in hijab? – Shun regressive thinking.No
8.Which is the best translated work (or works) you’ve read? – Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky
9.Moments you cherish – Small moments of happiness, sounds of nature, shared laughter, memories that bring a smile
10.Moments you’d rather forget – Moments where my conscience was not with me
11.Is blogging for everyone? – Yes, freedom to blog is a freedom by way of free speech. But to read them or not is left to the reader’s discretion.

-oo-

Questions from Gus :

1.If you learn from your mistake, why are you afraid to make one? – If the mistake turn out too costly, it will be difficult to make another
2.How many of your friends would you trust your life with? – Less than the fingers on one hand.
3.What does life mean to you? – The search for contentment
4.Would you rather have your child be less attractive and extremely intelligent or extremely attractive and less intelligent? – The former and I assume it includes EQ as well.
5.What do you sometimes pretend you understand but you really don’t? – Purpose of my life.
6.When did you not speak up, when you should have? – When my mouth was full
7.What are you procrastinating, at this very moment? – Writing the post for the Liebster award
8.In what way are you, your own worst enemy? – The biggest battles are fought within
9.What do you wish you didn’t know? – The pain of losing a loved one
10.How old would you want to be, if you had a choice? – What I am now
11.What activities make you lose track of time? – Painting, Blogging, Reading, Writing software

-oo-

Blogs I wish to nominate are

1.A Nomad’s Musings
2.Life is Like This
3.i Share
4.Valli’s blog
5.Tangy Tomato Twist
6.Lazy Pineapple
7.Jaish Writes
8.Pattu’s Terrace Garden
9.Writer-z-block
10.Contemplations of a Rambler
11.Personal Concerns

And here are those killer questions from me :

1.Which is your favorite book and why ?
2.What is the one thing you would rescue from your burning house, assuming no one is inside ?
3.Which is the most discomforting movie you have seen ?
4.What is the one social issue you can take out time for ?
5.Are you happy more when you are writing or when you view your finished work ?
6.Why do you blog ?
7.If you had taken a different fork in life, what would you have been ?
8.Which is that one experience you wish to have before you die ?
9.Are you more comfortable in the company of others or being alone ?
10.Which do you think is the biggest malady plaguing the nation now ?
11.Why would you attend a bloggers meet or would you rather not?

Happy blogging !!!

Race 2 – A fight to the finish !

Watched Race 2 after dithering about it for ages and got treated to a near private screening of the film, considering that I counted just 10 heads in the theater including mine.The original Race had set the stage with a typical racy plot coupled with glamor, oomph, mystery and the age-old Hindi movie masala and so, it was with such expectations, that I proceeded to watch Race 2. But like most 2′s, this one was a complete washout.

Courtsey: media2.intoday.in

The movie takes on from where the previous Race ended, with Ranveer Singh(Saif Ali Khan) and Sonia (Bipasha Basu) still in the picture. With the plot revolving around Ranveer Singh hankering for revenging Sonia’s death, from the rich and ruthless tycoon, Arman Malik. John Abraham, looked anything but the suave killer businessman Arman Mallick, that he was supposed to be.If anything, he’s starting to look more and more like the odd shaped pieces of meat hanging at the local butchers. His step-sister,Elena( Deepika Padukone), who initially was supposed to be one ruthless lady, by the end of the movie has a metamorphosis and transforms into a witless, a la’ ‘protect-me’ batting her eyelashes girl.
Ranveer’s Singh’s character is, at least, consistent with the man still seeking revenge from the beginning till the end of the movie. That’s a brownie point for the movie.Omisha (Jacqueline Fernandez) looked the part of the gangster’s girlfriend though how a common pickpocket can learn fencing and archery are questions best not asked.

The ex-detective Rober D’Costa(Anil Kapoor) still continues with his fruit chomping image though his role in the movie seems largely limited to passing corny dialogues along with his assistant, Cherry(Ameesha Patel).These are the directors excuse at humor through sexual innuendos which can embarrass you by their sheer desperation.There is much or probably very little to be said of the dialogues.When a man, a la’ King Kong minus the hair who was to fight Arman Malik in the ring, turned to look at Arman and opened his mouth, I thought ‘Yes, something phenomenal was going to be uttered’ but he only said ‘You..’. I wonder what he would put on his CV ..”Said ‘You’ in Race 2.”
Aditya Pancholi makes a brief appearance as the dreaded Godfather Enza but it kept looking like he was going to pop a joke at any moment, the black glasses and coat not withstanding.

The story looked like the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle which still didn’t fit to make a complete picture.
The movie boasts of some over-the-top gizmos, what with cards that change their numbers, glasses that can see through cards and the wonder car that can never crash.If you develop voluntary amnesia and push out those unnecessary logical questions popping in your head, then you can still take away some of those wild stunt scenes like the train robbery happening from the chopper,Ranveer’s chase of Sonia’s killer, his antics in the wildly careening car as he dislodges the bomb under the car, but the most jaw-dropping moment of all was the final climax where a pilot-less plane was about to crash with unfortunate Ranveer and Elena on board, but they miraculously rev up the wonder-car and go zooming out of the distressed plane and the car opens its parachutes and they sail gently to the ground.

I will give full points for glamor with the leading ladies glamorous and sexy, with awesome cars and heady Europe & Turkey in the background, with the men brandishing their glistening, sun-tanned,tattooed torsos though with all the slow motion and their long coats flying behind them, I had to remind myself that it was not a batman movie I was watching.

Last but not the least, I think Abbas-Mustan needs some remedial tutions from Quentin Tarantino on how to depict women who can hold their own.Not one woman is shown in the movie as independent and intelligent or both at the same time ! As far as gender stereotyping and women depiction go, this one scored abysmally low.

Since there’s nothing much to be gained by way of dialogues, recommend taking your favorite playlists which you can listen to while watching the batman stunts.