Somebody gonna get hurt real bad!

The first time I heard of Russell Peters was a couple of years ago when we were visiting some friends. They insisted that we watch it with them right away and we did. It had us rolling on the floor laughing our heads off. Later I found a clip of his on Youtube and put it up on this blog. It was about how Indians and Chinese cant do business together. When I went to visit Sangeeta, earlier this year, she said that she hadnt seen it yet. We discovered then that her son Arjun was a fan of Russel Peters too and he soon downloaded the whole episode for us. I think we watched it several times during those 2 weeks and this second clip became a favourite too. It is from the same show and came to me earlier today from Esther (Roshini) on Facebook. I had a good laugh once more. If you haven't already, you have to see this and the earlier one. Thanks Es for the clip.

Couple more q's
1. btw any of you on facebook?
2. want to contribute to this blog?
leave me a comment.

Vini bell n sango

hi everyone. this is toooo thrilling. bell has finally cracked my lame-duck computer and we've managed to post...even tho comments are still eluding us!

bell leaves in an hour. the update is that vini who was nowhere in the picture as far as the so called painting workshop is concerned has emerged the winner by not only doing the maximum no of paintings but also by showing the greatest enthusiasm!

apart from painting...we have eaten out...spent long hours chatting over many cups of chai paani wine whisky etc feeling dreadful that she is actually going...wish we could ALL stay and live together.love.s.

bella n me...holiday

hey ro bell n i r together ostensibly to paint...joke...because that seems to be the only thing we don't find time for! but it is absolutely wonderful to be together ...and staying together.takes me back to icse days when we used to shift in with each other ...ostensibly to study!! that was an even bigger joke! will be in the us next month. nyc,sfo, la...will call.haven't the foggiest who is organizing the dec get together. knowing how lazy we ALL are... it might just be a good idea to just land up and hope for the best!!

Different and yet the same!

I leave these meetings feeling that I haven't caught up enough. There's so much to talk about for each of the years that have passed. Met up with Archana soon after I got in to Kolkata and requested her to round up as many as she could for tea. Went on to Bangalore and met up with Dipu, Linda and Devika Nair. In the excitement of catching up no photos were taken :( Got back to Kolkata and tea at Flury's with Archana, Sangeeta, Munmun and Oni. Getting Oni's number was serendipitous. There was a lady at Indrakshi's party who looked at me as though she knew me and I thought she was Oni. It turned out she wasnt but she'd met Oni recently and was nice enough to give me her number! Amazing!

From what I hear the LH get together went off extremely well and so did the one the boys of the '82 batch had. Ours is tentatively scheduled for Dec 20 to Dec 23, 2007. What do you guys think? We need to find the others in the next few months so that we give them enough time to plan a trip to Kolkata in December. I hear off an on that some of you have bumped into someone or the other. Please email me whatever details that you might have, telephone number, mailing address, email id etc. We need to locate the others and soon.

Freedom of expression

Most of you will have seen Sangeeta's email update by now where she's talked about writing and painting. Sangeeta writes about recent events and subjects that move her for The Afternoon, Mumbai. I thought I'd add to her email by posting excerpts from two of her most recent articles, Maqbool Fida Hindustan Par...! and The Afzal hanging.... with a link to the rest that have appeared till date

Maqbool Fida Hindustan Par…!
Saturday, November 25, 2006 8:50:6 IST

I felt really bad reading about Hussain being trapped in London, pining for home, longing to walk through the streets of Byculla and Grant Road but being advised not to return thanks to the nine hundred cases filed against him! Couldn’t help thinking of Bahadur Shah Zafar similarly home sick and exiled in Burma writing poignantly about not getting even two yards in his homeland for a burial! The man is ninety-one years old. If he does not come home now when will he come? He has apologised for unintentionally hurting the sentiments of people and even offered to destroy work that a three-member committee comprising a VHP member an art critic and a lawyer might find objectionable. But for the twenty nine thousand people who have signed a petition against him on the net this is not good enough.

The Afzal hanging....
20th Oct 2006

The Afzal hanging has generated much debate and hysteria in the last couple of weeks gaining momentum with each day. It is a relief for the moment that October 20th has come and gone without a hanging. Apart from anything else both religions can afford to be spared the distress and drama of a controversial hanging bang in the middle of the festive season!

I too was one of the signatories in the ‘Save Afzal Petition’ on the net. My comment was simply when in doubt say no. Don’t hang Afzal till you are certain that it is the right thing to do. Having done that, the truth is that all this doubt over the sentence has arisen thanks to a flurry of activity and media coverage that has unfortunately come a little too late in the day. Why did all these activists remain silent for so long? If Afzal’s defense was inadequate or even nonexistent why are people organizing morchas now and not more appropriately at the time. Public opinion is a vital factor in a Democracy why was this tool not used to it’s fullest earlier instead of leaving it till days before the execution of the sentence and the culprit!

and the photograph above is of a painting of hers that I like very much.

You can read the rest of the first article on the web and the 2nd article is an exclusive and has been posted only to the yahoo group folders. Another incentive to join up :D

Paint a Mural

During my recent visit to Bangalore, Tea at Sangita Ohri's was very exciting as along with the fabulous chaat I got to see her art. One of these was a beautiful Trompe L'Oiel she'd painted into a niche in her dining room. I looked it up :P they are murals that create an illusion of a three dimensional space and I think translated it means Fool the Eye. If you ask I'm sure she'll put up a photograph :D When I saw this article over a month ago, on my current favourite site, Lifehacker, I immediately thought of her. I dont think she needs this article she's already an expert but it's for all those of you who might want to be adventurous.

About 10 days ago Sangeeta Bukshi wrote me about her daughter painting a wall in her room and how a while later she was sorely tempted and followed suit. I got all excited about it and remembered this post that I'd saved up as a draft :D I need to get my head fixed, I keep forgeting things! Putting it on record so that I'm forgiven for all the things that I might forget henceforth :D

Both Sangita and Sangeeta do share photographs. I for one am mighty interested. I sounded out Ramesh who said that it would be my responsibility to get it cleared by the landlady :D I'm already thinking of painting the wall in the balcony. People on the lake will get to see and enjoy it and me of course :D Now I have to come up with the idea :D I like being a copy cat :D Maybe I'll do cats :D

Anybody want to join me? Remember, we now have 3 experts to consult :D

After a break

Sangeeta (Bukshi) has started writing again, for the Afternoon, after a break of a few months. Check out her latest article "Why is everyone up in arms against poor Pratibha Nathani?" I'm sure you'll agree with her take on the subject against exposing children to violence and adult content. This is not her first article on this subject.


Archive of Sangeeta's articles