Bloom

Had been to Bangalore to catch up with my sister for couple of days and see the home Im planning to buy there. I think Ill write about IDBI and their pathetic customer service soon. For now anyways, the much better processes and people of HDFC has meant Im going to have the loans sanctioned in time :)

If you like shooting flowers, I think Bangalore is one of the best places in India. Probably it is the weather and the umpteen number of gardens that make this an ideal location. Here area a couple. Nothing great. Just tried two different compos of two simple flowers.

Terror comes home

I almost went into depression reading the article on the terror suspects recently arrested / implicated.
Reasonably well educated, Indian born Muslim youths in 20s - proficient computer engineers, doctors, teachers, electronics specialists. Add to this the charade happening in Kashmir through the I Day celebrations and its now clear that religion has become bigger than country for millions.
The funny thing is,as I read the article, the places mentioned there made me nostalgic.
Vadodara - a city I worked
Ernakulam - city I was born
Pavagadh - ranges I've trekked & camped through beautiful full moon nights
Ahmedabad - City I went for a post graduation in management.
It is then that it stuck me with a finality that sent a chill down the spine.
Terror has come home to roost. And unlike the cows and the crows, they are not going to be shooed away by the first rays of a new morning. They are here to stay. And no, they are no longer visitors from our northwestern neighbor, they are our own brothers, comrades and countrymen. And they are out to kill us.

There have been times over the last week where I wondered if the price to pay for secularism is so huge, would we have been better being a mono religion country. Answer was clear. An emphatic NO. But there are no solutions for the current mess.

Its not a problem that one can state, understand constraints, boundary conditions and find a logical solution to. My personal belief is there is only one way to fight this and that is through Madrassas and spiritual teachers. Madrassas, Ive personally seen, touches children at a young age and touches them deep. What gets indoctrinated at that impressionable age remains firm for long. If it is love, we have a bright future. If it is not, we have a dangerous one. Same holds in case of Hindu terrorists. It might not be madrassas, it might be some other agency. But touching them young and making them proud of our multi cultural fabric is the one and probably only way.


Al Kafiroon
Chapter 109, 6th verse
109.006
YUSUFALI: To you be your Way, and to me mine.
PICKTHAL: Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion.
SHAKIR: You shall have your religion and I shall have my religion.

Love Letters

We saw Rahul Da Cunha's love letters over the weekend from St Andrews .
We watched it coz

1. It was from the team who gave Class of 84 (If you love theatre, you must watch it)
2. It had Rajat Kapur (One of the rare Kapur specimen I like right from Byomkesh days)& Shernaz Patel (Only white lining of Black)
3. We did not have anything better to last Sunday evening (The other scary option was
to watch Sing is King. Oh by the way Ram gopal verma, it seems have said that the most scary thing for him is Karan Johar's movies. What irony coming from the maker of such remarkable masterpieces like Ram Gopal ki Aag).

Love letter also brought to focus the fading purpose of "Handwritten letters" in our
lives. It must be over a decade since I last wrote a snailmail. I think it had its own sweetness. I miss writing letters sometimes. The blue Inland letter had a charm of its own. Getting it in hostels made one nostalgic, brought back deja vu through the khaki of the postman. (Especially all those love letters to school sweethearts;)

It also made me realise that some of the best actors in Indian filmdom have their roots in Theatre/Drama. Whether it is Nasrudeen Shah, Rajat, Irfan, Boman etc.
Im off to Bangalore for the I Day weekend. Hope I can shoot some nice snaps around in the city / if I could drive to outskirts.

Hope all you folks out there have a great I Day and hope Paes / Bhupathi can add to Bindra's tally.