Wishing

I have some friends who are full time photographers. Some who do it as a second profession. A lot of friends who know how to use the camera well. Then there are some acquaintances or friends/relatives of friends who are good with the camera. Some of these people are particularly good with capturing people, moments, and expressions. 

A while ago, I was thinking about the wedding which seems very unlikely any time in the near future. I was thinking that irrespective of how big or small that wedding turns out to be, I know I would not want a random photographer there. All these years, I have been very practical and made no plans for this occasion which I may or may not experience. But I think there are some people I would certainly invite with their cameras. Their styles are so different that I'm sure they could nicely co-exist and capture different things in their unique ways. 

:-) Wishing.

"When is the big day?" I don't know bhai!

Cynically Yours.

Keeping Company

I have been using the metro to get to work every day for two years now. Hopping to the station 100 metres away from home is the most convenient thing one could imagine for travelling to the dreadful Gurgaon land. For most part I have travelled alone. Spotting Lynn or Akash is rare. So is managing to coordinate with Vidha. And anyway I like my space, my alone time during commutes. But there are some people who are giving you company during the ride anyway. Make that many. Some manage to catch your attention though. Here are some people that I remember. I don't know any of them. But I know quite a bit about some of them. It's amusing. 

In no particular order:

Man with the funny bag 

Pretty decent to look at. One of those faces that you notice in a crowd. Also because he must be about six feet tall. But his bag! That weird, shiny thing with the Swedish flag  in B/W. Very odd!

Fat lady in cotton saris and big bindi

I saw her every other day. She used to get on from Hauz Khas, almost always running late. She was a lawyer. After a few weeks of noticing each other, we even started acknowledging each other. Then one day she disappeared. Or maybe I got too irregular with my timing and spot in the train. 

The polite sardar

Once he touched/poked me by mistake. His apology was one of the most genuine ever.

Woman with rebonded hair

Bitch! She copied my fourth coach, second door strategy, and then competed with me only! She is one of those people whom you dislike from the moment you first look at their face.

Hot guy

I have written about him in detail here. Hottie! :P

Man who gave his seat

I don’t remember his face. But I can never forget that he got up much before his station, and not once made eye contact or gestured that he was vacating the seat for me. Was rather sweet! 

The two fair-skinned, curly hair women 

They looked amazingly similar. One was a consultant, probably at KPMG. The other was with a market research firm and always travelled in a large group. The latter was quite pleasant. She often ate fruits in the evening. But I always got confused between the two. 

There was another such pair of similar-looking women. Again, one was the harmless type, and the other one was loud and annoying to look at.

Lady who noticed my bandage

I was standing comfortably even though I had bandage around my left foot. Nobody gives you their seat in a crowded train. Especially in the women’s coach. But she noticed me and offered her seat.

The Rites bitch

Her expressions screamed of ‘judgmental bully’. Hated her to the extent that I had started believing that my day would go bad if I saw her in the morning train. 

The sad lady

I think she has some hormones troubling her. She looks different. And sad. She takes the late evening train from Saket. I see her almost every time I am returning late from office.

The one obsessed with animal print

No connect with this one, but she was always decked up, wearing animal print, bling makeup, last season’s ‘cool’ hairdo, and had two chiclets on her either side.

There are many more such people I know of. Like the Jat woman who starts from HUDA, wears very tight clothes, has a husky (manly) voice, and is always ready to pick a fight. Or the old man who gets on from AIIMS and goes straight to fight for a seat. Many like them!

There are so many faces I see every day that every new person I meet looks familiar. And yet everyone is a stranger. It is actually a little irritating to not be able to place people.  

There are days when I wish I didn't have any of these people around and feel that driving down is better. But then I think about the rage that I get into while on the road, and feel that blocking the noise out with some Porcupine Tree is a better option. It is! And there is always the option of taking the next train. Or the one after. :)

Strangers?

Some new people, some new things, take up a surprising amount of mind space. Like this gentleman I met today. I had interacted with him over formal emails a few times in the past one year. Most of them short ones. He was intriguing then too. Something about his name does it. The most recent mail exchange went on for a while. And then he decided to be polite and give me a meeting. I was jittery before this meeting. I don't know if it happens with everyone, but you know that moment when you know that someone is kinda like your peer, but is SO much more knowledgeable than you are? That there is no way on earth one night's reading can bring you up to speed with all that he has done and knows? And you do it nonetheless. Because you obviously don't want to look like an idiot. Have you prepared for a meeting with a vague objective by going over what you will say over and over? Even writing out all of it on a notepad? Okay, maybe I should stop.

The guy was very professional, very nice, not snooty as I was expecting, and I managed to not embarrass myself much. Much. Yes. And he shared information which made me a hero with my team. Yes, I am happy.   And yes, I am still thinking about him. Something about him. I don't know what. The superiority? I don't know. The courteousness? Maybe. 

Hmm.

Pointless

Politically incorrect it may be, but I think we live and work better in silos. The cost of exchange of ideas/culture/benefits (if at all) is very high. Nobody knows where to draw a line. Absolutely nobody. And there is certainly nothing intellectual about conflicts that cause loss of lives.

When I was 17, I had heard a quote which was allegedly attributed to Churchill. It was something to the effect of, "if you are not a socialist at 20, you have no heart; and if you are still a socialist at 40, you have no brain". I don't think I understood its meaning then. And now that I am between 20 and 40, I am torn. 

So we have a Tavleen Singh with friends who have interest in industrial projects, writing about killing the Ministry of Environment. I would not be surprised if one day we do kill that Ministry. I may strongly disagree with her, but she is not wrong when she says that most advocates for environment are more for glamour than conservation itself. Copenhagen!

I know, if we cannot even manage to help women live with dignity, environment is only a secondary concern. I know, if corruption is eating up the nation and we have a monkey up against the 'fight against corruption', the focus is not on issues like environment. And I know that  Jayanti Natarajan is by no means a standard for saying the right things, but she is not wrong. Since I do not entirely oppose industrialisation, I am not saying that the 900+ projects all need to be stalled because of environment issues. But it is not like there is no solution. It is not like we cannot minimise the damage. The government cannot just set up an investment board and override what everyone else is saying. Then why don't we have a monarchy? Do it openly. With no room for opposition. Democratic Socialist Republic of India is a big fuckin' mess. If we lived in silos, smaller states, liberally, with lesser power with the state, we might just be more peaceful and happier. No? There would be no scope for large scale negative impressions. No unwarranted deaths. No vast rich-poor divides. Even if power, money and fame remain attractive propositions, there is only so much one could derive out of them. Luxury is pointless bullshit we all indulge in. Pointless.

I have clients who would be most delighted if this Board comes up. At some point we might even be working with a client to advocate for such an initiative. Something ought to change.

Tripping

The coldness of the sound, the warmth of the words, and Beck's soulful voice are my newest muse. The original song was nice too, but I like this version. This movie is also special. I watch it every time I feel I am sinking. It doesn't help in any way. But something about it is comforting.  

The song has been on the loop for over a week now.

Lately, I have been listening to some new music. Some new sounds. It's a good change.  

Caught Unaware

I have always believed that death is one thing that I am not afraid of. That I am prepared for it. But to my surprise, I panicked when I thought I was in a situation facing it. I panicked because I was not ready. Maybe it was a reminder. A funnily timely one.   

Treasure Window

"We all want to live in the present, but none of us know how to."

I archive every email exchange with every friend. There are many chain mails too. And I cannot begin to describe how happy they make me. I have some set groups for that. Below is a short something about them. :-)

December 2009

Ideally, Robin should also have been in this frame. We gossip for the sake of gossiping. Endlessly. Ki fun!, as Priyam would put it. Potty talks have reduced considerably. It's more about wedding trousseau now. But if you happen to be from our batch and at any point displeased any of us, rest assured you have been talked about. Muahahaa!    

September 2010

This is a rather bakwaas photo, but the only one in which all of us are there. I realised today that we use email only when we are about to meet in person. But those chains go on endlessly. A large part of that is T and J poking fun at each other. T almost always loses. But I love him more. Because J is mean to me too. Grr! 

This group has grammar nazis and grammar rapists, both. Most would qualify for quirky, witty, mental cases.

May 2011

Mail exchanges with these girls are intense. Emotions fly high. Romance, hatred, passion, judgments, ambition, laughter, excitement, our mails have it all.

December 2011

These days I spend a lot of time with them. So conversations are more in person or over group BBM chats. It is more micro - boss said this, bitch colleague said that, the guy made this emoticon! Always happens when there is day-to-day interaction. We will graduate to Gmail exchanges when the time comes.  

Precious.  

Now I need to get some good group photos in place. 

Another Fall

The heady smell of those trees
The nip in the air at 4 am
Preparations for Durga Puja and Diwali
Music, dance and movie festivals 
Blooming flowers
Warm colours
The unspoken romance

Oh! Delhi, I love you.

Blues