A Generation Lost

Catholics and Football are inseparable. Here's one I saw while I was in a auto rickshaw.

A Walk through the Concrete Jungle

I watched this lonely old man as he slowly walked across his terrace.

The buildings surrounding him make him look all the more lonely.

A Wet Day in Bandra

I was out on the road as it intermitently poured through the day.

Puddles, potholes, kids playing, wet bylanes...its all there to see.

A strange smell emanates through the streets, a combination of water, wetness, dirt, drains, etc. Reminds me of the first few shots of Apur Sansar. Ray is a genius.

Bicycles still sell

Sardar is one of the old cycle marts in Mahim.

I liked the colorful splendor of the bicycle display outside the mart.

I played cricket with him

I was traveling by BEST bus today when I saw this guy fast asleep
on a seat next to me. I was stuck by the face...he was one of the guys who used to play cricket with us as a kid. He had some psychological problems even then.

But what I saw today of him was disturbing. He must be about 40 years of age, but looked close to 50.

Life is cruel.

Ira and friends

Ira and her close friends - Shrudula and Gayatri.

She loves to fight with them and then patch up.

Paradise Lost

The Paradise Cinema at Mahim.

Its one of the few old Cinema that is still surviving. The Citylight Cinema across the road has recently shut shop.

Ira's Nails

Ira "scared" me today with her nails, made from some flower petals. I acted as if I was. It made her happy.

She then quickly asked me if I could buy her a chewing gum or kurkure!!

I shooed her away.

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.