Technically Haiku-d!

I have been away for a while. 

and I apologize, 

thing is, right now, its all about this haiku below...

The Hard Disk you seek

Can be located

But sadly can't be read.

Can not access my data, hence no posts.

I promise I will be back soon enough though.

Thanks for being patient!

Somewhere on the Other Side

Somewhere on the other side 

of this cherry hot day,

Storm clouds brew on the walls

turning a cyan green into darkness.

The room slowly turns away

from the moon,

And the army waits

on a butter peach table harness.

Shot on 13.08.2010, 15:40

A lone sentinel of a bulb

hangs guard,

Overlooking a sea of washes

under a yellow polythene june.

The wooden ash tray

and the gingham cushion wait,

I spy on them with my big eye

and dance on the tip of the evening moon.

Shot on 13.08.2010, Between 15:30-45

People play carrom

on a granular sky like board,

laden with powder dust.

They narrow their eyes

and bite nails in anticipation.

They focus and hold their breaths

like they're in another place altogether.

I close my eyes,

and imagine the dark hills I would have to cross

to reach them.

A little chai shop 

sat pretty on the chowk.

A faceless man chopped and picked

the woman was shy to be clicked.

With vodka bottles of vinegar

riding on a black plastic wave,

a hot mutton thukpa is

all I could crave.

Shot on 14.08.2010 , 12:47

Sometimes you can sit in a place and watch the world go by.

Makeshift hippies in inked feet. The hair long and unkempt.

The pahadi girl with oil in her hair and a baby on her back,

waiting for that bus to kullu, standing by the line of cylinders.

A man, sitting and reading, his thoughts moving just like 

his eyes do down a page. 

They could be on the chowk, weaving through hordes 

of sikh riders with saffron flags, making their way to holy manikarn

or they could be on a bridge, crossing torrents of furious waves.

The angry ones have overtaken the favourite spot by the stream

and turned her into a river. 

The virgin sands,

abused.

They walk, this way or that.

the people. 

Sometimes you can sit in a place and watch the world go by.

The pahadi woman in her traditional attire or the old man in a ponytail.

Different yet joined by the same experience and yes 

the cables of the rickety old bridge.

Shot on 15.08.2010, 11:25

or they could be on sand. Flying.

Up and down.

High and low.

Sometimes you can sit in a place and watch the world flutter by.

Shot on 15.08.2010, 13:09

I took a trip to one of the few places where I feel absolutely 

at peace. Not only because I know it like the back of my hand,

but also because every time I go there, it always has so much new to offer.

Kasol / Kasaul, lies in the Parvati Valley, 

you can take a bus from ISBT, Delhi and get off at Bhuntar / Buntur / Bhunter

the next morning.

On the way you pass by hoards of plastic baltis and mugs,

Characteristic of small towns that whizz by from the window of the volvo.

Ungreen. 

Filthy. 

Like the plastic bright fuchsia or the magenta is meant 

to compensate for the dull and the drab town.

From Bhuntar, take a local rickety bus with a tv if you're lucky and travel up 

bumpy roads with a mithun da movie.

People climb in with band baja, sacks of grain, chicken, punctured tyres,

spices, worries, thoughts, or sometimes none of those and just in a hurry

to reach the next village to attend a wedding. 

Life is simple. 

uncomplicated.

Somewhere on the other side of this city called dilli

A room turns away from the moon,

Straight into wet august from a red hot june.

In the interim

 So I've been away

dancing on the tip of the evening moon,

the days passed me by

like the smoke rolls down the tongue
when you let it out real slow.

it goes out dancing
tapping ever so slightly
like your personal belly dancer,
sashaying for your pleasure
and then one last bow at the tip
a little tease,
and out it goes.

fluttering with the wind of the conditioner

And I promise to come back real soon with much much more.

Spandan

End of february 2010, 

my school, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya,

hosted its annual Alumni dinner.

Now, ever since I "pass"ed out of there in 2002, 

I'd never gone back...

So I decided not only would I attend it finally,

but also contribute as much as I can,

all in the spirit of giving back to the community.

Thus came along an entire identity package. 

Someone came up with the name 

'Spandan',

and I got rolling.

I took off from the basic meaning of the term itself.

"a vibration of the collective energy"

and came up with typefaces for the same 

in both hindi and english,

keeping in line with the tradition of the school.

The building of the network itself, 

saw the hard work and a collective contribution of many

other members of the alumni from various batches.

Next came the Alumni Network logo.

Basic premise was to work with

the 'chakra' that we all associate with the vidyalaya :

 Thus, building a human network 

around the structure 

such that its still recognizable as the chakra.

The vibrant colors not only represent the unity in diversity

but also bring forth the colors of 'holi'

that was to be played at the venue...

(since it was around the same time, 

and was to be celebrated before the dinner among the alumnis as well)

 Once this was adopted as the alumni network logo,

invites were created for the faculty, staff and the students.

Posters were created to be put up at various venues

across Delhi.

The look took off from the logo and was built upon.

Clicked in front of the school, 

and you can see our beloved 'chakra'

in the background.

Clicked in Defence Colony market.

Sadly the poster had been put upside down! 

It was also advertised in the Newspaper.

And was printed in The Times of India

Car stickers were created to be handed out to 

the attending alumnus.

(Though I was late, and never got one for my own self!)

It was also used as a backdrop for the projector

while the choir sang old vidyalaya songs 

and before a small presentation.

The logo can be seen online at the school alumni page at :

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/SPV-Alumni-Network/268141093144?ref=ts

or at :

http://spvalumni.ning.com/

(but only if you are a member)

Lets Go Higher, Touch the Sky with Glory!

I was recently approached for a mural 

by one of the Indian Air Force Base.

It was meant for a bar at the golf Course,

and the dimensions of the wall were 8X18 ft.

The aim was to create a space that not only celebrated

the valor of the handsome men at the IAF, 

but also built an environment 

where they could sit back and enjoy post a hard day's work.

I decided to go with a Marvel Comic like feel to the entire thing. 

The pilot standing tall, larger than life, like a real hero

and the wall behind him coming apart, 

giving way to some vintage air crafts 

that seemed to flow right in!

"Lets go Higher" was meant as a pun

and merged with the motto of the IAF,

"Touch the sky with Glory"

The first sketch on which the mural was fashioned after.

Changes were made to this.

Since the dimensions of the wall made it out to be

more rectangular than square,

a nice stretch of the lush green golf course in the background was added

such that the outdoors felt like a part of the indoors. 

The vintage craft was replaced with an MI35

to make it more realistic for today's times. 

The pilot was put in proper uniform and handed a beer 

to make the symbology of being in a 'bar' stronger.

The Poster on the wall that reads 

"Do Not Drink & Fly"

was meant to be an actually framed and placed element

to add an even more realistic touch.

Arjuna!

yatkaroshhi yadashnaasi yajjuhoshhi dadaasi yath |
yattapasyasi kaunteya tatkurushhva madarpanamh ||

Translated into :

Arjuna, 

whatever you do,

whatever you eat,

whatever you offer (in sacrifice),

whatever you give away,

whatever you do by way of penance,

offer it all to me.

Now, I know, the me is for Krishna or God per say. 

But let's say arjun, offer it all to ME!! 

Tools Used : Acrylics, Water Paints, Collage, Markers, Rotrings

Gifted to a dear friend, on his going away party back in 2009.

Of Recycled Window Panes

I believe that good interiors 

do not require a big budget. 

What they require is an intent.

That of wanting to put together,

a home that welcomes you.

One that is bright and warm.

One that has a personal touch and feels cozy.

Or singularly, one that makes you feel comfortable.

I recently had the opportunity to put together

a cupboard made out of old window panes.

Each pane was slightly different in size

and had glass.

But since it was meant for storage purposes,

we decided to cover the glass with something

that not only hid the many blankets,

and sheets and countless pillows from a prying eye,

but also gave it an identity of its own.

A summer's yellow,

spread softly on a sunday classified.

An indian eye lined with kohl,

bleeds the black and comes alive.

Tools used : Merkers, Rotrings, Acrylics, Photo Inks, News print

Just to show the scale of a single panel