18.4.10

EX SSL REUNION 17/04/2010

Big day for me yes it was indeed a very big day meeting all the old friends ex bosses colleagues and ofcourse the big boss BSN it was like dream come true, to have a personal invite from him was itself a big thing.

When i joined shoppers stop in year 1999 as CCA part timer, the HR then kamlesh dangi asked me what is that you want to be ? I was not sure of what to answer as a fresh graduate had no idea how to answer this question. After few months when i was exposed to Visual Merchandising as a function in retail which got my attention,I had decided to make my career in VM in my next meeting i conveyed the same to kamlesh dangi.

11 years after that day when we both met at this reunion (we did meet in between at many occasions)first thing he asked what are you doing these days? I smiled and replied i work and VISUAL MERCHANDISER HEAD with a retail company that has showrooms across india.He smiled back so you have achieved what you always wanted to be.

It was a great feeling someone like him who is sucessful in life and was my mentor acknowleding my efforts.
In this reunion party i also met many others who some or the other time in my professional life touched me and had their share of shaping my career.

the feeling is bigger than this note cant express much but captured all moments in my camera to make them immortal.

it was indeed  feel the experience while you.....

4.4.09

TINTS & SHADES

"jo baat tujme hai teri tasveer mein nahin"

I would agree to this to an extent cos in painting i have not reached that level where the painting would actually be more beautiful then the subject.I would love to see myself reaching there someday,but i would say i am too lazy or i have kept myself busy in so many things around me which leaves me with hardly any quality time to paint.

Talking about painting its one thing that i got as default setting in me.I never took any classes or gone for any art classes it came naturally; a gift from my father he is an amazingly multi talented creative soul.Most of my creative bents are because i grew up seeing my father practicing it.Right from painting,acting,theater,direction,scripting,photography and many more...it was like an institute at home.Observation was the only skill set i had and then practicing it to reach a level where i am today is my achievement.

Nobody actually guided me what i should take up as career or study or in which should i develop my skill set .Biggest example of this is me being a physics graduate now worked 10 years as professional visual merchandiser blogging on photography and scripting few thoughts here.

I am completely destiny`s child in that sense i just lived the way my life guided me and did everything possible to keep myself and people around me happy.Now i think in my early 30`s(yes i am that old and i don't shy away from that)still being single i should develop one of my creative bents big time and make sure i reach a level people see up to me.Lets go through what i have done till date.

25 years of painting.
13 years of theater.
10 years of working as visual merchandiser.
9 years of scripting.
7 years of photography.
6 years of studying physics.
2 years of blogging.

the numbers suggest i have more experience in painting than anything else that i did till date.What justice am i doing to painting...nothing. It took me almost a month to start a new painting and took few hours to finish it.

Statics clearly shows there is no lag in productivity what is missing is the driving force.An inspiration yes that is the biggest problem for fine artist.

Where will i get inspiration from ?
i should thank my muse who recently was ready to be my subject,i could do this painting only because it was her.I need more such push so that i can keep painting,out of my other creative skills photography is something i really enjoy doing too.

Some where i need to marry two photography and painting for me to get that extra push and inclination to do more of quality paintings.I need to keep the shutter clicking and brush strokes making their presence felt on blank canvas.

waiting for the beautiful picture...

2.4.09

SPACE TIME.

Space time is usually interpreted with space being three-dimensional and time playing the role of a fourth dimension

Very true and should be because it is proved by none other than Einstein.But in modern days i feel the definition has changed over the period. Now each one of us need their own SPACE and love to move on their TIME.Nothing has remained as universal constant.

When i talk about my space and my movement i rate my self high up there, as for me time is the most important thing in life its money, its love, its passion, its relation,its life,as everything revolves around time.Every time i commit a time to deliver things or be present somewhere then somehow its start playing on my mind.The commitment of time for me has grown over me and by now its equal to a giant.I can never be late at things that i decide time lines on.I make it a point to be present approx 15 Min's before time.But the only negative part of it is i start expecting the same form others which i think in today's world is asking for too much.

Today time has different interpretations for each individual,the same 24 hours of time in a day is 30 hours for some and is 20 hours for few others.I would place myself in the category of 30 hours as i love to be busy.I enjoy multitasking and doing many things at same time.Many would call me insane for this, but somehow i enjoy it.I cant see myself sitting ideal doing nothing;it kills.

Talking about space i am very flexible person and would adjust myself in any mode or format.I would be part of any environment would also enjoy it if i have good people around me .People with similar thoughts who move at my pace and think on my wavelength.This is not the case with many as they wish to have their own SPACE.I don't understand this concept of MY OWN SPACE.How can a universal term of space be divided for every individual.

I feel SPACE & TIME are two constant and they should still be described by the universal law of nature and we should not get bothered by the fact in which time frame we are living and just be happy about the fact that in today's world we have time to do so many things and have enough of space to live a healthy happy life.The fact is we don't even need any more space than our physical size.The size with respect to universe described by our position in free space.

waqt ne kiya kya hasin sitam.......

13.3.09

DAL CHAAWAL AND ACHAAR

Dal chawal and achar... the staple diet

I enjoy this meal so much; that now it’s the only meal combination i can have for 365days a year. As I always eat out of home during lunch for sure as i am working also dinner is many a times out with friends, so i make it a point not to skip Dal, chawal and achar when I am having my dinner at home.

The picture you see her is shot last night what i had for my dinner; can’t get anything more recent than this one .As a cook i love to make DAL, CHAWAL. The recipe is simple and most effective. The best part of this meal is you can eat it at any hour of the day; to add little zing to it I club the meal with thumps up a cola drink or a diet Pepsi.

Dal chawal and achar... is now the staple diet of many staying in Mumbai as its the cheapest and readily available food .You can get it as cheap as INR 10 .It tastes so good and mouth watering sometimes because of the simplicity of the meal. After having pastas and pizzas over and over again at different restaurants a plate full of Dal chawal and achar...is bliss.

The guy who invented achar should be given Nobel Prize. Among the plethora of canned food this one is right up at number one position. The recipe is different for different types of achar and process is time consuming too; but once it is ready can stay fresh for longer period. Achar adds life to any food that is gone badly. If nothing works achar with bread can come handy.

Anybody would second my thought if I say it’s the most filling meal and moreover the satisfaction you get after enjoying this meal can’t be expressed in words. So apart from having it at home for dinner I enjoy it when I cook it at any friends place on treks and picnics.

PICNIC!!!What great fun we had.
Would love to share an incident in my college days me and my 5 other friends decided to visit the asth vinayak ganesha temples in Maharashtra, so we hired a jeep with driver gathered our cooking needs and tent and other essentials .We had decide to camp every night where ever we are and did so; each one of us was responsible for some task. Cooking and drinks were on me it was good fun for a week. We were travelling and visited all temples, halted at many such spots where no one would imagine .Dal chawal and achar... was always on the menu as its fast to cook and easy to digest while you are travelling.

Now after 11 years of that event no one is in contact with each other whenever I go through those old photographs I feel nostalgic .Everybody is now busy with their life and family two of us are still single others are married and can’t even get time for themselves.One thing which we all can still enjoy is DAL CHAAWAL AND ACHAAR.

6.3.09

HOME MADE DOSAS

The Dosa or Dosay is a South Indian delicacy made from rice and black lentils. Dosay is a typical South Indian food, eaten for breakfast or dinner, and is rich in carbohydrates and protein. Regular Dosay batter is made from rice and split, skinned urad bean (black lentil) blended with water and left to ferment overnight. A modified form of the same batter can be used to make idlis..

Now that i have explained you what a dosa is and how the batter is made.Will share with you the experience of making dosas at home.When i decided to make dosas at a friends place, i excatly knew step by step process of making dosas so i decided to take charge.I went to the nearby hypermarket and bought ready to make dosa batter.

The next step was to make them; as we had decided to make a north south combination that day so we settled for punjabi achar and not chatni.Dosa and punjabi achar is a deadly combination and when i cook them its literally deadly.Knowing my skills at making a six pack dosa (single dosa in six parts its never full cirlce)i decided to hand over the front to my friend.With good 7 years of cooking expereicne and presentation skills my friend made awesome dosas and we ate all dosas made out of almost entire 1kg batter .To add a dash of west the music played was backstreet boysimagine dosas with punjabi achar and backstreet boys playing on top of their voice it waas simbly the best.

So next time you need any new deadly food combinations do get in touch with me at your own risk.

burrrp!!!

UNSPOKEN

Sometimes i get into mood swings where its difficult to express...

If i cant express so how can i write.This blog is dedicated to few such mood swings, lately i was in such mood where i was unable to write but strange i was expressing through other medium .......photography.

May be i was falling short of few words or maybe the first word itself was lost. I observed that i am getting into a phase where i was seeing things around me experiencing them but not reacting or expressing them in black and white.So finally today i decided to start from no where.Believe me it actually took me more than 15 minutes staring at the screen of my laptop before i started writing on this blog and now i feel comfortable and have already decided to write few more .I am happy after a week i am writing, hope i would make some sense in my choice of topics.

The good thing that happened in this phase was me giving my more time on photography and was enjoying it.What is my problem cant i decide between writing and photography ...no i cant as i love doing both but unfortunately i have only 24 hours in a day and have many things to do.....Now now before you react that i need to plan and i will be able to do everything on time.This wont work in my case as i believe in adventure and take life as it comes so would do things that make me happy and keep doing new things .

Expression in any form give so much happiness .I cant be person who wont express anything, if nothing possible i would talk and express my self or act.but expressions are important.

so be ready for more and do express your thought on them.
express it experience it.

23.2.09

SHAADI KA LADDOO!!

shaadi woh laddoo hai jo kaahye woh bhi pachtaye !!!
jo na khaye woh bhi pachtaye !!!


This saying is somewhere very correct i must say.With my first hand experience on being single; i have come to a conclusion that the guy who created this saying must have been suffered being bachelor and being married too.Not that i am suffering in any ways of being single.

In an Indian society setup if you are 30+, physically fit, earning well but single then you are bound to have Q & A session at any hour of the day by anyone.Soon everyone will reach a conclusion that something is wrong somewhere.Bole toh kuch lafda hai .


I simply don't understand why is everyone so interested in my life when they have their married life to care.The answer is simple they want to see you on the other side.The discussion can start from no where for example.

CASE 1:You are hanging out with friends at a cafe enjoying your coffee.A phone rings on the next table the ring tone goes like this rabba rabba meeh varsa sade kothe daane paa. and someone starts like oh wow! how great are punjabi weddings and all attention on the table is on me as i am the only punjabi BACHELOR guy in the group.Next two hours i am drilled on questions like when will i get married, is it going to be arranged marriage or love marriage what is that i want a girl to be .What all they want to do in my wedding and somehow i feel they need a reason to start the topic and then i have to be on hot seat.Then i use all my acting talents and make sure they are diverted to some new topic or give them an answer which will keep their mouth shut for months.

CASE 2:You are simply discussing how badly recession has hit and many people have lost their job.But the fact remains that life does not stop with recession so why would marriages stop.We all know how big fat Indian weddings are and Punjabi`s are known for their spends.So now i have to discuss the commercials of my marriage and how big is it going to be.Can someone tell these guys the most important thing for the marriage is THE GIRL i would marry and not everything else.

CASE 3:The most classic one you face it at home.There are clear straight forward questions what have you decided on your marriage ? Have you already decided on a girl then let us know or else we find one for you .Speechless! the only thing that goes in the mind is why on a lazy Sunday morning i am discussing marriage why not a healthy brunch.But you cant escape till you get your dose of weekly nutrition, so either get away with a smart answer like give me some time to think or keep tossing between mom and dad.Who by now know me better then myself so they are aware of the things going in my mind but still want me to answer all the questions.phew!!! happy Sunday.

So the story continues and there is no way you can skip all these questions day in day out till you are married.I know the next thing would be have i planned for the baby .

i would still say its better to experience it yourself.laddoo ka maza toh khane ke baad hi aata hai.

SM(sweet memories)

18.2.09

SM ....S

kuch na kaho kuch bhi na kaho kya kehna hai kya sunna hai mujhko pata hai tumko pata hai......

I wonder sometimes if this was possible; i mean is it true that two person can communicate without words in the era of sms internet and blue tooth where communication modes are just growing at the speed of thoughts.

I was fortunate to be born in the late seventies.Fortunate because its our generation who has seen and experienced the old India and the fast paced growing India.Talking on communications in this blog would love to mention i have seen the period of postcards,telegrams,to the time when i am using sms, blue tooth,internet,skype.The most commonly used mode of communication is sms on an average i must be sending and receiving more than 100 sms everyday.

Technology has helped us a lot to keep in touch with our loved ones at real time;still i believe that the personal touch has its own impact.When i see someone and talk in person i am more comfortable.While you talk on sms the EMOTIONS are lost and the way you type some words are not read in same emotions.

There are many a times i have experienced that while talking to few closed one i really don't need words, the expressions talk a lot but that is possible only when you meet them in person.sms will keep you posted on the situation one is in but not what they feel.Technology can grow by leaps and bound but can never take over the human touch .

seekho na naino ki bhasha peeya ....

SM

16.2.09

ADVENTURE JOURNEY


After a halt of 27 hours i decided to come back to my home town MUMBAI.(i wont be discussing here about the halt and 27 hours what i did) may be some day would discuss it in some other blog when i write on certain topics.

When i decided to come back to mumbai this time i wanted to be double sure the way i am going to travel.It was clear in my mind that no matter i spend a little more but i will not compromise on the comfort part of my travel.Looking at the options available within my extended budget decided to travel in AC Volvo bus followed by taxi travel up to my house.Booked my tickets and destiny started playing its role this time it was planned to be full of surprises.

The bus was suppose to start at 3.30pm and the driver was missing till 3.45 pm , so i decided to grab a quick bite of kachori and jalebis.(the after effect is so strong that i am still eating jalebis and samosa while i am writing this blog ) mmmmmmmmm...On this trip i must have forgotten all instructions given by my gym trainer and was eating to satisfy my taste buds.Finally the wait was over and the bus moved at around 4.00pm and i settled my self in the comfortable seats stretched my feet to enjoy the chill inside and decided to doze.What a smart decision i made to board this bus which will take me to mumbai at decent time and the travel was suppose to be comfortable.

I was happily enjoying the scenic beauty and clicking photographs with my mobile. After 45 minutes of travel the bus halted i didn't bother to react to it and continued clicking few more shots.In no time people from the bus started getting down; i followed soon as was shocked to know that the water pump in the bus which supplies water to the radiator is not working.Soon the driver declared the bus cant move ahead and he is trying to reach his office in mumbai.Now i was convinced no matter how good a planner you are or how well you take care of every details ,its the destiny that plays the important role.

The adventure had just begun after 30 minutes of argument it was clear that no way any of us is getting refunds.The options available with all of us were either wait till next help is available and be in the hands of luck or plan the next move on our own.I decided to take the second option;few like minded passengers came together and we decided to take a cab till the nearest railway station and board the next available train to mumbai.

The cab driver was smart enough to make the most out of the situation and some extra money; so he charged every passenger with a return fare that is twice the money, for eight passengers in a mini van.We inquired the train timings and discovered that we have next 40 minutes to reach the station buy tickets and board.So it was a pact between the driver and us if he is able to make us reach withing time we pay or else we get the trip free.The challenge he had was the curvy roads ahead but it was extra money that was running on his mind so after many overtakes and rash driving almost escaping death at instances he dropped us near the station in 30 minutes flat.

We all bought the tickets to our respective destinations and boarded a completely packed train which was relatively empty according to the locals sitting in the train; as it was a Sunday.Standing in the pungent compartment with a bag over my shoulder i was thinking how happy i was when i first boarded the bus and was boasting myself to make smart decision.It was a slow train and would change into a fast one after few stops,knowing this i started calculating time by when i will be able to reach home and train took off the station 15 minutes after its schedule time.

Next 90 minutes were the most tiring ones; how it feels standing in one position in mumbai local is not a hidden fact from anyone.It took me so long as the train which was suppose to be fast after few stops was slow and stopped at all stations passing by.After i got down from the train at around 8 pm my next battle to negotiate with rickshaw drivers started who in spite of having official tariff meters installed were demanding some stupid fares.Also fought with the traffic hawaldaar who was part to this crime.By now i had no energy left to fight anymore so decided to take the next auto available.Driving for next more than an hour i reached outskirts of mumbai walked for 100 meters with luggage and got in to another rickshaw.To my surprise this guy was soft spoken and drove fast within the traffic rules and i finally reached home at 10 pm.

In my entire 6 hours journey i traveled in all different modes of travel BUS,TAXI,TRAIN,RICKSHAW,WALKED.phew!!!!

moral of the story you get what is planned for you no matter how good or bad planner you are.

14.2.09

AB BUS BHI KARO!!!

What a way to start my valentine day got up early morning @4.30 am packed bags for my travel .Did the first stupid thing moved in opposite direction to catch a BUS from a bus stop in suburbs of mumbai.Only good thing was there was no traffic; this is the only time in mumbai when you dont have traffic and you can travel from one point to another non stop.

But it was too early for me to be happy about my decision as i was informed that the next AC bus is after one hour and the only choice was for meto board a non AC bus.The temprature was cool enough so decided to take this BUS.After 15 minutes of waiting in the BUS the driver decided to start.The BUS was not only without AC but many others parts were missing, it seemed the engineers decided to design this one without shock absorbers.I felt like a rattle sitting on the recliner seat which can only bend down and refused to stay upright.

The journey had just begun and i was not prepared for the incoming surprises.
HALT 1: A bihari lady with a kid her daughter and her mother jumped in the bus and the sound decibles increased by 50 times .Women of three different genarations but one common trait noise pollution.The group took the four seats just behind me i was cursed.Early morning i was hearing the gossips and what happend in the tele serial last night.Within next 30 minutes of travel i saw landmarks of mumbai, such as shukla`s office in ello (yellow) building behind the tower;I could hardly see the top floor of tower how did they manage to see shuklas office i wonder.next was bantoo`s ekhjham (exam) centre,sheelas in laws house,mahinder`s college and the list is endless.Staying for more than 3 decades in mumbai i was not aware of this site seeing .Then the driver decided he will pick every possible guy on the road along with us.In next 10 halts the BUS was jam packed with no seats empty and i was surrounded by 4 regional channels (families)a marwardi couple for them abusing on phone on top of their voice was fashion,two gujrati brothers who would buy the whole stock market sitting in the BUS,a marathi family who cant stay without reading all newspapers aloud enough for them to qualify as new readers on national television.

Phew!!! i was not the yonly (only) victim to this chaos but the mallu guy sitting next to me with fractured hand was equally disturbed.We decided to talk and first thing he spoke was " no whone (one) has civic sense.Whilw we just got friendly and started to discuss further the BUS stopped at a hotel it was an official 30 minutes halt for passengers to eat breakfast.After 3 hours of journey and more than dozen halts we finally stopped to get ready for next 3 hours of journey.

It was blessing in disguise after breakfast most the them dozed off and suddenly i felt i started feeling the journey was a bliss as the view outside the BUS was so pleasent i opened the windows and cool breeze was flowing such beautiful scenery i missed my camera again.

With few more hiccups and many more abusive phone calls i finally reached my destination after 7 hours and the distance travelled was only 175 kms.

Atlast it was worth it when i reached my destination.

13.2.09

Divikriaaaaaaaaah! the design connect....


The story begin in october 2008 to be precise 29th october.

I got the brief to design a logo unit and few collatrals for a socialite trying to start a creative business model.Sounds interesting started working on the text brief that i got through mail was ready with a logo unit on the very first day.The story had just begun working for days and night on weekends developed more than 30 options to the client.By this time the year passed by and i had my share of celebrating the best new year ever with few loved ones.

Now after slogging for months i was back to square one starting from scratch;as all the options created till date had that something misssing in it and were rejected (can someone explain me what is that something which always keeps missing when you deal with wanna bees)somehow i managed i get there and was able to convince and sell the idea to client.The logo that finally got selected actually took least of my time to design as it was from scrathes of something else that i had done long back for someone else.

May be i was over doing it in first stage to get there, when i gave up and just went with my natural flow of thinking it was right there.Developed collatarals around the same identity and finally today after 14 weeks the project was over.Guess what i was underpaid because some super smart somewhere spoke to client and convinced that the job could have be got done at half the price and for his valuable suggestions i paid the price.

Got creative satisfaction but failed of monatory satisfaction.Chill yaar!!! one more lesson learnt; how to get that something creative for people with a bent.just be yourself.

No prizes for guessing what will i do with the money.Use it for something that will give me mental stasifaction.

SM

11.2.09

5.30am ki VOLVO

The meaning of phrase early to bed and early to rise is totally changed in my case.My life style and late night hangouts leave me with early morning time to go to bed and get up soon to be available for the next day.

Last night was a bit better than my standards slept at 11pm after a heavy, tasty,finger licking dinner with B and family it was a small celebration but the menu was not at all small and the stuff that i ate ;if my gym instructor sees me eating would have blasted me(its also me who is responsible for not following the diet. courtesy my sweet tooth)managed to get up early morning or late night as you call it at 4.00am pushed myself into a denim and jacket and was heading to hit the road.

don't get me wrong i don't drive rash i always guide the auto rickshaw driver to maintain a safe speed and in next 20 minutes i was at the bus stop in one of suburbs in mumbai to meet a close one who is traveling by 5.30 Volvo for some official work.Rushed back home was suppose to go to gym immediately but the bed was so inviting i could not resist myself to take a power nap of 15 minutes.Woke up to my surprise it was 30 minutes sleep.Somehow managed to reach gym on time and was running my lungs out on the treadmill....phew!!!

hmmm early to bed and early rise has made me wise enough to reach office before time and get extra time to write this blog.

10.2.09

DEV D & ME


***** (my ratings for dev d)

Dev D in many ways can touch your life at various points; the only criteria is to experience "EMOTIONAL ATTYACHAR" be a victim of lost love once in your life.

I feel among all the emotions that one go through in life this one too should be experienced.Easy said than done, but believe me been there seen that and still not got converted into DEV D (cause in my case the D was DESTINY and not DAS) a strong believer in destiny has some how kept me on my toes.How do i explain this paradox? simple;i believe in destiny but i always believe in positive one so to make it happen,kept my self engaged in things that give me happiness and MOVED ON.

A very strong statement but true you need to move on to keep things going.But the question is how many times do you move on on on and on.....times have changed yaar just forget the count and keep going as nothing is permanent so is the bad phase.

I also believe that even if you don't find a PARO there will a many CHANDRAMUKHI`S.Its up to u to decide what you want.Getting your first love or true love in your life is difficult;but to get someone who will care for you and be there for you forever is in your hands.Be someone who deserves it believe in it live it and you will get it.

Love is the most complex emotion to express experience and excel too.

DEV D is till date the best adaptation of the classic novel into modern cult form music is awesome and the actors have done justice to their roles.It was worth staying up for the late night show reach home at 2.00 am and sleep dreaming the EMOTIONAL ATTAYACHAR.

SM

ABCD KNOW ME ?

Artistic

Brat

Creative

Dreamer

Energetic

Forgetful

Greedy

Hard working

Idealistic

Jovial

Kind

Lover

Moody

Naughty

Obedient

Practical

Quizzed

Romantic

Smart

Talkative

Unstable

Volcanic

Wired

XXX

Y???

Zombie