One of the parameters of development is girls going to school.
For me, there are few more uplifting sights than mothers taking their kids to school
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Aug 092010
Jul 162010
One of the things that I do love about the monsoons, is the way my little window garden comes alive …
I do love shooting raindrops … here is one I shot last year (or was it year before), from inside the car … This monsoons, since I am driving, I have stopped carrying a camera. Can’t afford to get distracted while driving, and like taking pics too much to not pull out a camera at a signal 
This year the monsoons have been decent. But, the roads — less said about them the better. The BMC, if it was writing exams, would be repeating a year. On second thoughts, if it means putting up with this inefficiency for one more year, maybe it may be better to pass them !!
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Jun 102010
Not the problem facing a third of Indian districts – but the colour. It is quite fascinating, how much of red pops up when you decide to see India through a view finder.
When i first began working in television, one of the no-no colours was red (the other was white) – both were supposed to cause video noise on telecast. But, later I understood that it was a problem with the way the colours were lit, and the expertise of the cameraman – not the colours in themselves.
when you travel India and neighbouring countries, you see a lot of variants of red – and i love the contrast with the browns and the greens, and click. Here are some of my favourites
This is a Laman woman, somewhere near Ahmednagar – Maharashtra. The Laman’s were traditionally salt selling nomadic. But post independence they were given land and became settled. Their costumes tend to have coins sewn into them, as well as mirrors.
a farm worker in Nepal.
A women’s group in Himachal Pradesh that was gathering that day to work out how to get a road to their village.
A sadhu outside the Kizhaperumpallam temple – one of the sacred Navagrahas, plus a temple to the Lord of the Universe Mahadeva.
Tail lights reflected in the rain, Mumbai !
a woman going to work – Mumbai
A tomato seller, Mumbai
and the little flower girl – selling roses in the rain, Mumbai
Of course, no post on red will be complete without one of my favorite ads of all times – the Coke ad from the 1996 world cup – the colour of passion is red, with Nusrat on the music track – what more can you ask for ?
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May 092010
when you are looking at the world through a viewfinder, it looks different. people, scenes, instances – that you will never register, seem different.
One of the things that i have always enjoyed is taking candid shots of people on the street. I enjoy portrait shooting – yet, i like them to be in their natural element when I shoot -rather than posed photos.
Here are some of my favorite men – mostly strangers – whom I have clicked over the years !
The Smoker – somewhere in Mumbai
The Smoker2 – Dimas in Jogjakarta, Indonesia
The Farmer – Lonavala
The Penitent – Pushkar, Rajasthan
Tired – Rajasthan
The village Headman – Himachal Pradesh
The Sound Man – my sound recordist Manoj Panda
The Gatekeeper – outside Sankraman Studios, Mumbai
The Cameraman – Pradeep Ambegaonkar in Nepal
May 072010
Apr 032010
“Hello world !! aren’t i pretty today”, said the little flower – putting her little green arms out,anticipating the applause !
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Mar 162010
A frame filled with History
On the right is the “Gateway of India” – built to welcome King George the V – at the height of power of the British Raj. It also marked the point from which the last British troops left India – marking the decline of the British Raj.
On the left (with the pinkish dome) is the Taj Mahal Hotel – the flagship hotel of the Taj Group. Built by Jamshedji Tata. Legend has it the architectural designs were read the wrong way around – leading to the hotel being built the wrong way around (seriously). Legend also has it that Jamshedji Tata saw a board in a Brit club that said “no dogs or Indians” and built this as a symbol of Indian self respect.
It was also the scene of one of the world’s most public terrorist attacks – when a bunch of Pakistani trained terrorists burst into the Taj with guns and grenades and massacred innocents. Somehow, the scene of the dome going up in flames had most of us in tears – I know that i couldn’t stop the tears – something about my city being bled …
In the middle – is the New Taj – the old and the new are also called the Beauty and the Beast
The Longshot
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Mar 042010
Mar 032010
Last evening, SR and I trudged down to Crosswords – Juhu where Sonali Kulkarni’s book “So Kul” was being launched. “So Kul” – an abbreviation of her name is collection of essays from her weekly column in Loksatta.
Sonali in addition to being writer, actor etal is also presenting our show “Art Beat” on popular Marathi & Gujarati Culture in Mumbai on Samay Mumbai, and a genuinely nice person.
(Sonali Kulkarni shooting for Art Beat, production still)
At the book launch were the who’s who of Mumbai’s creative talent – Atul Kulkarni, Swanand Kirkire, Satyendra Dubey, Shiv Subramaniam, and the Management of the Express Group – Shekhar Gupta & Kumar Ketkar.
Nana’s comments have got reported today, but just in the part that makes for snappy headlines. There were a couple of other points that were equally valid – and they possibly didn’t get picked up in the English Language Press because he said it in Marathi (editors, please ensure that your reporters know some local language – it helps in getting a more comprehensive story
Referring to violence in civil society in general, and the incident where Kumar Ketkar’s home got vandalized, he said most of us were horrified, wanted to do something, but did nothing. He said that, in retrospect, he felt napunsak (depending on context either neuter or impotent) . He said that then he began speaking up when his conscience was disturbed, and said that it was better to face brickbats (literal as well as words) than to cower like a coward. He said, to the audience’s amusement, that have a shrard on a daily basis would be boring ! Even the crows will be put off.
Kumar Ketkar, quoted Nana saying that he is also a Bihari, a Punjabi, A South Indian, Hindu, Muslim — and in that comprehensiveness. his soul thrives (believe me it sounds better in Marathi )
It was a evening full of genuine bonhomie. Sonali’s reading of her piece on multiplexes – from the taking an oversized bag with a bottle of water, and a shawl to the behaviour of cinema goers – had people smiling and gently chuckling away …. so much more enjoyable than canned laughter
And Finally – the event was gathered by print and electronic press. Paparazzi has truly arrived. clicks and screams by photographers & cameramen, that drown out the participants conversation. I wonder whether channels appreciate the fact that their crew represents them, and their uninhibited enthusiasm – can be construed as bad manners !
(the book So Kul, is available at various bookships, it costs Rs.300 and is in Marathi)
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Mar 012010
Madh Island, Mumbai, is dotted with bungalows that are often used for shoots. They are called shoot bungalows – as compared to the private or company bungalows that dot the landscape.
We were shooting for a show called Golden Age, hosted by Kitu Gidwani – that goes on Samay Mumbai from next week. The show is aimed at an audience above 50 – and seeks to ‘empower’ them through a combination of information, case studies and representation .
(Kitu Gidwani – Golden Age, Samay Mumbai)
More on the show closer to launch date……
Being in Madh, gives you access to the beach – and with that a whole different ecosystem At one end you have shoot crews bustling and shouting out instructions …
And, at the other – across the wall- you have a much quieter mode of life – where conversations seem to be much more muted. and, people seem to have the non verbal communication of those who work hours together and are in perfect synch
A shoot – in addition to talent, equipment and crew – is also props – that give the sorroundings a different kind of ambience
Something like this simply adds a dash of colour to a frame. All those little splashes or little touches that one sees in a frame (or more likely doesn’t see) takes time to achieve.
Often, I run out of patience when propping is being done _ and I usually try one of three things a) spend time with the talent – trying to get the best out of the content. Usually the best way is through conversation on the topic – this allows for an exchange of ideas and usually a better take for camera. b) meditate – staying calm is absolutely necessary on the shoot floor. I personally have issues with loud decibels or rudeness. I push aside those tendencies with just finding a corner and meditating. c) click – another way of relaxing. I tend to shoot in interesting places, and I like documenting those places & people – and there is always enough downtime – unless I am also directing – to click
And, of course, if i am lucky – i truly get a great Arabian Sea sunset ….
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