A walk around Bandra

There's one Bandra where stars stay.

There's one where people shop like there's no tomorrow.

And there's one face of Bandra that is so different from the rest.

The other day I walked from my apartment at Bandra Reclamation to Hill Road. This is what I (also) saw.

Deep Sleep

I am always intrigued how people sleep on the roads so peacefully.

Or are we stressed so much that we lose sleep in our AC bedrooms?

Happy Moment

There a few sights in the world that can give happiness more than this - your own kid running towards you!!

The Speed of Light

This is a new technique I have developed to get some astonishing images of mundane things. 

I wildly shake my digital camera as I click.

The above images have been taken inside a tunnel as I was zooming at a speed of 140 kmph on Mumbai-Pune Expressway 

Ud Jaayega Hans Akela

Watched Jabbar Patel's documentary on Kumar Gandharva - Hans Akela

It is awe inspiring.

I wished I had clicked this picture - but it deserves to be here.

Baarish!

Rains have descended on Mumbai.

This picture was taken from inside my car as it poured outside.

I love the smell of first rain.

It reminds me of school.

Juhu Nahi Aaya, Hum Juhu Aaye!

Views from Sea View Restaurant on Juhu Beach.

My favourite place to have a beer and pakoda - watching the sunset.

In Chacha Bhatija, a Taxiwallah drops Randhir Kapoor at Juhu saying " Sir Juhu Aaya". Randhir Kapoor in his own inimitable style thunders - "Abey!! Juhu Nahi Aaya...
...Hum Juhu Aaye"

Close Ups of Close Ones!

These are some pictures of Maya and Ira on a Sunday morning.

The last one is of Ira frowning for me not giving her the camera. It was amazing how her face changed once I gave it to her.

A Budding Artist And An Art Promoter

My friend Ajit Vahadane (the man in orange kurta with long hair and beard) is a good man. He promotes new and upcoming artists around the world. I attended one of his exhibitions that he had organized for a newcomer called Ananta Mandal of Kolkata.

I also met a very renowned artist - Shri Vasudev Kamat who is a master of figure drawings.

Ananta paints Kolkata in water colors, acryclic and oil. Reflections is his forte.

My visit to Gandhi Ashram at Sabarmati, Ahmedabad

I went to Ahmedabad for a day trip and was free by 5 pm. My return flight to Mumbai was at 9 pm and hence I decided to go to my favourite location in Ahmedabad, The Gandhi Ashram. Its amazing how humbling the experience is, just being there and experiencing the place where Gandhi actually lived.

The design of the Ashram, the houses, the verandahs, the doors, the windows, etc. is simple and non-obtrusive, very close to Gandhi's way of life. A revelation I had this time was the house where Vinoba lived. Its very close to Gandhi's abode. I have captured it in pics. Vinoba was a true disciple of Gandhi, who actually surpassed Gandhi in implementing what he preached.

I have also attached a few surreal pics of white busts of Gandhi and Vinoba in a dark corners of the Ashram. See if you like them.

At the ashram, I saw a few NRI kids trying to imbibe the teachings of Gandhi through a tour. It was cute. The great thing was that they were there for more than 3-4 hours trying to understand why Gandhi did what he did. Gandhi must have felt happy seeing them in his abode. A pic of the youngsters has also been attached.

Gandhi once said: My life is my message. Gandhi Ashram is a silent reminder of that message.

Eyes never lie

Eyes never lie. I saw this flag seller on the roadside. She had beautiful eyes, but full of uncertainty - about her present as well as future.

As Muhammad Yunus said, "To me poor people are like bonsai trees. When you plant the best seed of the tallest tree in a flower-pot, you get a replica of the tallest tree, only inches tall. Simply, society never gave them the base to grow on."

Pakya starts his blog

Pakya (Prakash Iyer alias Fakih) is my childhood pal. We sat on the same bench in school and sung songs of Kishore Kumar, RD Burman and Gulzar. We share a passion for films, music and now education.

He lives in Bangalore (in a designer house) with his wife Nishwath and a Scorpio (in the backdrop).

If I don't who will?

I like this line of thought.

I have doctored my own image this time.

No Smoking Poster

Here's another of the self-styled posters I have designed for No Smoking.

I love doing this.

Its great to assemble images off the internet and bind them together into an original work.

The No Smoking Poster

I just happen to read Anurag Kashyap's blog: http://passionforcinema.com

The blog had announced a poster contest for Anurag's upcoming film: No Smoking. I designed a poster for the contest.

When I tried uploading it, I realised the contest was closed a few days ago.

So here it is - uploaded on my blog.

Mastani Talao

This is the Mastani Talao (pool).

According to history, Mastani, the beautiful wife of Bajirao Peshwa of Pune used to come to this place to bathe, with her female friends.

What a sight it would have been!

Buddha at Work

I love this picture.

It has Buddha, JK, Gandhi, RK Narayan, all in one frame, and all in my bookshelf.

There's also one book in the background (light green on the left) which is appropriately titled - How reading changed my life?

"Mahit Nahi"

Ira and me.

I am asking Ira what I should write about her in the picblog. She is not sure what to say ("Mahit Nahi").

Then she says, "You call me Babubai, so write Babubai."

Train Delay

The Janshatabdi Express (Mumbai-Goa) was delayed by 3 hours on this spot due to an engine failure.

After a while, the cycle looked like an attractive option to move on!

Narayan Talao, Vengurla

This is the Narayan Talao in Vengurla. On the left is sea, about 500 mtrs away.

The Saateri Temple

This is one of the most revered temples of Konkan. The Sateri Temple, at Vengurla.

A Primary School

A primary school in Vengurla. The logo on the left is of the celebrated Government Scheme - Sarva Shiksha Abihyan (Education for All).

Smiles and Colors

While traveling in the interiors of Konkan, our auto rickshaw was halted midway by these three kids standing in the middle of the road. They wanted us to pay some money on the occasion of Holi - the festival of color.

I paid them Rs.10. They gave this smile back to me.

Vengurla

Vengurla. My native place.

Why can't I live here for the rest of my life?

Petrol Pump?

This is small village in Ramanagaram, a town on the outskirts of Bangalore.

And this is the petrol pump of Ramanagaram! (See the set of plastic bottles on your left!!)

Wah India!!!

Flower Seller

This old lady was standing on the busy Dadar bridge selling flowers (Gajra).

The dog sought a safe refuge near her .