Saturday, August 9, 2008

An Ideal(ist) Man

I live in India and beggars are quite a common sight.

We have at sometime in our lives decided to ignore that what is right in front of us.
After all how can India be shining if there people begging on the streets for food.

I somehow never understood this and ended up parting with small change frequently at signals, railway stations, outside restaurants and god knows what other places only to be laughed at by my friends who scoffed and lectured me on how these 'poor souls' would then go buy drugs and alcohol with that money.

It didn't matter. I was an idealist, an optimist. Somewhere among those addicts if there was genuinely a poor soul who was dying of hunger it would be a crime on my part to deprive him due to a convenient generalization of these people. Convenient because politics couldn't afford to blame the state of these people to poverty and lack of opportunity could they.

However, the other day i saw something which has made me more than a little sceptical of this world. No before all the Bollywood buffs start guessing that i saw the movie TRAFFIC SIGNAL, let me assure everyone that i did not and do not intend to. The movie is about the organization and cartelization of begging for those not in the know.

Coming back from the meander, i was at a signal near my house inside an auto with my girlfriend. A teenaged boy came and asked me very politely and sweetly if i would like to buy the bouquet of flowers in his hand. His ragged clothes could not been seen besides the innocence of the smile on his face. There was something so genuinely nice about him that me and my girlfriend just could not help but feel bad for him. However before we could do anything, the Autorickshaw driver thinking that the boy was annoying us immediately started up and left him behind (in my head a little heartbroken perhaps). I usually feel bad for the little children who beg, never for the more grown up ones. But he was different. Something about him really touched my heart and i felt extremely guilty and angry at the autodriver's callousness. When i was on my way back i got off a little earlier and walked to the very same signal. I saw the boy again hawking his wares with his innocent, sweet and polite (all rolled into one) smile. There were just 2 bouquets left. I wanted to buy both from him, i believed that it would make his day better and i felt that he deserved it. As i was crossing the road, a older lady from inside a car bought one of the bouquets. My eyes followed the boy who held the last bouquet in one hand and a 10 rupee note in the other.

He walked upto these two men who were standing on the side of the road and had been watching the beggars for sometime. He handed over the 10 rupee note. But it wasn't the money that mattered.
The smile was gone.
Instead there was a sly elation. Here stood a master of deception who had identified his gift and used it devastatingly.
I walked away towards my house without a bouquet.


He might live again tomorrow.

But today the idealist was dead.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Cars

Saw India's only Nissan GT-R day before.
Gun metal grey.
What a sweet car.

Congrats to you Mr. Khatri and thank you to Zaheer (Ratansi) for indentifying the owner of the car.

Is this car on my list of perfect cars.
Well yes and no

If i had the money i would buy this car over any porsche or mercedes benz the market has.
The GT-R is truly an amazing package for its price.

But if money wasn't an issue, the GT-R suddenly gets nudged out of my top 10 list.

Here is the list of my favourite manufacturers and their best cars for the people currently questioning my sanity.
In no particular order

1. Ferrari 575 Maranello / Enzo / 430 Scuderia / 599 GTB / 612 Scaglietti / Testarossa
Just thinking about the work of the music director in the boot of this car (in some cases in the front) brings about goose pimples. The guys who designed the hear, see and feel campaign of the new California really knew what they were doing.
Each and every Ferrari has one thing going for it, the emotion. You see a Ferrari and you can feel the passion, hear the roar of the V8's and V12's who have powered these exquistely styled beauties. Today it might be aerodynamics which determines a Ferrari's styling, but none of the appeal has been lost in the process.
And if it was in my hands i would start a Ferrari mueseum of my own with every single car they have made. But the names i have written above are some of my favourites ever.

2. Maserati Quattroporte, Maserati GT S, Maserati Bora, Maserati MC12
part time exec saloon and part time italian stallion. Its a tribute to Italian Machismo and the styling dazzles the uninitiated to sit up and take notice of the trident. Its the wheels of choice for those whole love the understated elegance the car has to offer. Hats off to Maserati, they have truly worked magic on this car.

3. Aston Martin DB9 Volante, Aston Martin Vanquish, Aston Martin Vantage
The DBS has chrome wheels. And i am by no measure a rapper. So when i buy one of the most beautiful cars that has graced our planet, i do not want chrome wheels on it. So screw you DBS and Mr. James Bond i will be buying a blue Aston Martin DB9 Volante and you can stop drooling in my wake.

4. BMW M3 CSL (E46), BMW M5 (new), BMW M5 (old), BMW M6, BMW Z4M Roadster
I liked the BMW's that existed before Mr. Chris Bangle came about
The old M5 was gorgeous, but then so is the new M5.
The old X5 was dominating, but the i love the sleekness of the new X5.
I like the new 7series more than the old one surprisingly.
I drool over the Z4, the Z3 was crap.
But when it comes to the 3 series. Well Mr. Bangle it might look sleeker, more stylish, more 'executive', but the old 3 series is still the best. The M3 was always an amazing piece of machinery, but the M3 CSL took this one step further.
RAW.
All it needs is one word. Nobody does it better. Or do they....

5. Mercedes Benz CLK 63 AMG Black Edition, Mereceds Benz McLaren SLR Roadster, Mercedes Benz SL BRABUS, Mercedes Benz S 600 AMG (new)
Mercedes Benz and McLaren. AMG and Brabus. Do i really need to justify this list. I have included everything which could potentially cause nuclear holocaust inducing wars on our planet.

6. Bentley Brooklands Coupe, Bentley Continental GT or Flying Spur
The Brooklands Coupe is the ultimate playboy racer. End of story. The other models have been included so that the bodyguards have some wheels.

7. Range Rover, Range Rover Sport
Buying an SUV, you really can't go wrong with this car. It is the best urban SUV in this world.
The Hummer looks like Schwarznegger on steroids. Scary!
End of discussion.

8. Chevrolet Camaro Concept
What a beautiful,beautiful car. One of the first cars to look much better than the original.
That makes the next one predictable

9. 1967 Shelby Mustang GT 500, Ford GT (new)
Both truly amazing cars. Eleanor in Gone In Sixty Seconds is heart wrenchingly desirable.

10. Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, Lamborghini Murcielago LP-640 Roadster
It baffles me why would anyone want a hard top Lambo. I want the wind in my hair while the bull is charging. A grey Gallardo Spyder with orange seat and a fluorscent green, orange or yellow Murcielago for me please. Chop chop.

and if still had more money then i would buy the following
Nissan GT-R
Porsche Carrera GT
Mitsubishi Evo IX and X (loved both of them)
Porsche 911 Turbo / GT3 / GT2
Koenigsegg CCXR
Bugatti Veyron
McLaren F1
Pagani Zonda
Porsche Cayman S
Audi R8
Audi A4, A6, A8
Mazda Furai

And the list goes on. I am car crazy and proud of it.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

What am i to do?

Just saw the Grey's Anatomy ad on TV, the one with THE FRAY track, HOW TO SAVE A LIFE.

So immediately went to YouTube and watched the entire video.

Was listening to the song and it made me think about a lot of things.
I am lucky enough to have a lot of hobbies which I am passionate about
Starting with photography, music, gadgets, cars, the media and advertising and other forms of films and god knows what else.

I always was clear about not being clear. Went and took Maths, Economics, Psychology, English and Elective English in my senior years (11th and 12th). Mixed up and messed up.
Just completed my graduation, did Mass Media with a specialization in Advertising.
Became interested and passionate about photography in the last two years of college.

Now that i am out, i just can't help explore everything thats in front of me. Its like a buffet and Im the fat kid.

Do i pursue music cause i love music, exploring different kinds, artists and sounds but don't play an instrument. What I am clear about is what I like and I don't like.

Or do i start learning and try become a professional photographer. Become an automotive photographer and that would kill 2 birds with 1 stone. perfectly logical.

Already into advertisng. I like to write concepts, think up ideas and print ads and so on. Working as a servicing guy in the industry right now actually.


Took me some time to realise then that a hobby is nice but its not a job. I like keeping my hobbies separate because after my job is over there is still something to look forward to. Besides im alreayd one lucky son-of-a-bitch. I get to work with all of these things since im part of the media industry.

Still going to explore as much as i can

Its not the time to worry about HOW TO SAVE A LIFE but instead its more important right now to JUST LIVE IT.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Technological Advanced

I used to pride myself on the technolgical know-how i possessed at one point of time.

That one point of time being yesterday.

I was talking to my friend Manu Ullas ( http://ranthoranfell.blogspot.com/) (http://twitter.com/mullas) and he keeps getting me onto new things on the internet.
My best friend the internet (gives me info on cars, cameras, computers and all other forms of tech) was growing too fast for me.

I went through the Hi5, Orkut, then Facebook phase.

Then discovered Flickr and was content, after all photography is a major passion.
So i got hooked onto (www.flickr.com/adityank)


Then Manu introduced me to blogs and so here I am

Yesterday he was talking about how i should get my flickr account across to more people and the way to do it was not through blogs but instead through micro-blogging
And then he introduced to me TWITTER
and so as of today you can also find me at (https://twitter.com/adityan)

The internet is really spreading
And maybe its for the good, people are able to find a niche for everything.

But to me it will always be blackberry and apple, not facebook and flickr that were the true pioneers

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

IND-YEAH

Most of us abuse the way foreigners for the way they generalise Indian people. We cringe when they talk about snake charmers and us still travelling on elephants while we attend their calls for distress to help out with their computer which is now unexpectedly shutting down every 2 minutes (your computer is jus disgusted at you for loading VISTA onto it).

It just occurred to me recently that this cringing was based upon the fact there was a 'MOST OF US'. But is there really?

I mean, what percentage of India thinks like me, lives like me, talks like me and breathes like me.

2%

Reality check time. Today 75% of our country still lives in rural areas which at times lack basic amenities such as water, sufficient food, electricity and so on. Forget internet connections, laptops and cars.

So then where was this us i was talking about. I know that 2% of a BILLION people is quite a bit but i was expecting a majority of the population and not just a hole in the wall. There was something really wrong here.

This something wrong was also what has been responsible for a lot of the problems we face today. Today most people lack basic education forget sex education and so our country's population continues to increase in leaps and bounds.

We lack opportunity in terms of jobs and so we see every capable youth travelling to the bigger cities in search of work as fast as possible. Some like my old dhobi Biren are just 13 years old and struggling everyday to support their entire family which lives in the village, in Biren's case his 5 other siblings and parents on a monthly salary of Rs.500 ($12). Biren works with his uncle everyday from morning to evening and then cooks food for both of them. He is happy to watch 5 minutes of TV when he comes to collect clothes since in his hut which he shares with his uncle (the dhobi), there is no electricity inspite of the fact that they live in the midst of one of the poshest areas Bandra, in one of the biggest cities on earth, Mumbai. The city that is supposedly the beneficiary of 24 hours electricity unlike the rest of our country which has to frequently grapple with long power outages.

Biren is just one of the 800 million poor souls in my country waiting for the SHINING INDIA that politicians promise during every election and then return only at the time of the next election.

In the meanwhile the rest of us middle class, upper middle class or rich people continue to live in our comfortable homes, watching TV, eating well and having fun. There truly is something wrong with the country we live in.

Why is it so difficult for us to stand up and face reality.
We are getting hoodwinked on a regular basis by politicians, the bureaucracy, the law, the rich, the powerful and so on. But we just turn our faces and go on, why because we know how to get out work done, whether it is by greasing a few palms or by pulling a few strings. Let the poor sods who really need help get screwed over.
It is not difficult for us to face upto this. We are just plain unwilling.

And at the rate inlfation is going, looks like those poor sods are going to starve to death, that is if they don't hang themselves due to their piling up debt.
People keep talking about getting onto the groove train (in this case the train to propserity or opportunity if I may).
We forget that the we who keep talking about it are already on it. The guys who need to be on are standing by awaiting their turn which doesn't seem like it is coming anytime soon.

But even today, all they want to know is WHEN DO WE GET ON

the train is starting to look really empty to me

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Wear your helmet

I took this picture on Linkin Road in Khar while i was in an autorickshaw

Looking at him was just a simple visual lesson of what not to do while you are riding a two wheeler
His helmet was attached to the rear bar
He was on his cell phone
And he was standing in the middle of the road at a short signal.

This must be the easiest way to get people to buy coffin for you
Sometimes more than yourself, people need to think of those around you.

I know of somebody who died in a bike accident.
Young guy.
What hit me after the accident was that he was gone
His mother was still here in this world and she was just a shell after her only son passed away

Was it worth it
The five minutes of having the wind in your hair
The ten minutes of the attention you got from the girl you were trying to impress
The few seconds of having a huge rush due to the speed...

...just before he landed head first under the tyre of truck driver (not drunk mind you)

We get our driving licenses at the age of 18 for a good reason
People think that we have by then gained some maturity and so can understand the importance of being a teency bit responsible

So be responsible
Wear a helmet....Please.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Photography

I remember fancying myself as a photographer right from the time i was in the 5th standard
Used to click everything that moved or didn't move much to the horror of my parents who kept buying loads of film and developing it to see nothing much really

so continued down that track for some time
once i reached college, i got to see some really good work and thats what sort of got me off photography
i never thought i would click anything that good ever.

Then i met David (David De Souza)
He was my photography professor in my 2nd year
I remember after his 2nd lecture i went up to him and asked him if i could see his camera which he used to sling around his shoulder and bring to college when he came for a lecture

The size, the weight, the grip
all of it just seemed to reassure me
Now this really got me curiosity going, so i went home and did a search and found his camera
it was a Canon Eos 5d
fantastic camera
would never be able to afford it
but it was nice to have seen and it and touched it

as the classes progressed i learnt many interesting things about perspective, style, colour and so on
i was really interested
i was literally hanging onto every word he was saying
but in the process was learning to judge what i heard in my own way

2 projects later, i realised something
i might or might not have a talent for being a photographer
i dont have to judge myself
i just have to go out there everyday and give it my best

but what i did know for sure was that i could judge a photograph
i was clear about what i liked and did not like and why

that summer i bought my first serious camera
my Canon Eos 400D

i had researched it for 2 months, thought long and well about it and then went ahead with my decision
and i haven't regretted it one bit

i do my best to capture what i think is interesting to me and capture it in a way that it remains interesting

the other day someone asked me why i carry my camera slung around my shoulder instead of in a bag
it was a question i had asked in my mind about a particular gentleman at a point of time
maybe it was because i considered him to be my mentor
but no
this time i knew the answer

i wanted my camera to see the light of day
i wanted my moment to be found, not for it to be served on a platter
and when the moment came i did not want my camera to be languishing in its bag
i wanted it to be in my hand ready to capture that wonderful moment that i had been waiting for

there are many people who keep saying that there aren't enough interesting things to take photographs of in todays world
maybe its because their cameras r too busy waiting in their bags....waiting

you might lose your camera
damage it
break it...i dunno watever by not keeping it in a bag
but at the least you are using it for the purpose it was made for

today all of the above might happen to my camera
but i know that it has served me well
i encourage every photographer out there
take your camera out of the bag
take any picture
it might not make sense now
but it might later
or the least you might make your camera feel satisfaction

so until death do us part capture we shall

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Speed Racer review

Saw two films back to back last night

The first one i saw was the new Wachowski Brothers movie "SPEED RACER"
Had gone to the PVR (Priya Village Roadshows) theatre at Juhu, Mumbai.

The first thing i saw as soon as i got there was the huge poster of the movie
The poster was brilliant and my expectations from the movie suddenly went throught the roof

So here i was expecting a semi-animated movie with some half baked stunts of Speed Racer's car jumping over others in the field and yadda yadda.

But i was surprised.
And impressed
And a little blown away

starting from the little boy (speed racer) who is obsessed with racing, to the young man who knows nothing but racing, there is so much that has been created and placed to make the movie really interesting

the visuals are fantastic
colorful, but use great silhouettes in some shots.
the graphics are mind boggling
and since this is a racing movie as expected the cars look fantastic
a small thing, while you are watching look the headlights of all the cars
they are marvellous
the attention to details on the props the sets is brilliant

but what really got me was the racing
it wasn't the crappy round and round without another sound racing
it was thrilling
there were drifts, high speed bends, up side down sections, obstacles, weapons, clever maneuvering.

The action and racing choreography in the movie was fantastic
Visually the movie is spectacular and keeps you on the edge of the seat.

But the story could have been a little more substantial
The idea is there
The visual effects are there
The appeal is there
So if the history (Speed racer is old animated cartoon series which was made in Japan)

But the current story could have used a little more work
And the movie is made too much like a kiddie movie
My dad who i happened to go for this movie with kept on commenting throughout the movie that i had conned him into watching a kiddie movie
Nonetheless he enjoyed it

This movie should ideally be targetted at a more teenage and adult population
The merchandise can sold completely to the kids

Honestly all in all i think Speed Racer deserves a score of:

7.5 / 10

Friday, May 9, 2008

Films - DUS KAHAANIYAAN

my rants on bollywood films begin here i guess

was watching this movie called DUS KAHANIYAAN
made by Sanjay Gupta
the idea was to incorporate 10 short stories in one film, 6 diff directors

started watching and the first movie turned out to be a rip off of Roald Dahl's short story named Colonel Bixby's Coat.
Lost Hope.

But there were some stoires which stood out
If you are planning to watch this movie, here is what i thought of them so that you get an idea:
1) Rice Plate
naseeruddin shah and shaban azmi
great story focusing on communalism and religious biases

2) Gubbare
nana patekar
about a man and the things he does to appease his wife

3) Rise and Fall
sanjay dutt and sunil shetty
the story of two gangsters, love the parallels between their rise to fame and fall from glory
amazing, but the action choreography if done a little better could have made that scene so much better

4) Puranmaashi
amrita singh and minnisha lamba
was pretty decent. Amrita Singh did a decent job and the way one incident can change a life has been well portrayed.

5) Zahir
dia mirza and manoj bajpai
leaves you with a feeling of, fucked!!!!!
but definitely worth a watch

6) High on the highway
Jimmy Shergill and Masumeh
give it a miss. uses jumps through time and space. but really spaced out story. maybe a little puff-puff for those into that kinda thing and then watch.
for the rest, it would seem like the guy who wrote it and made it was going puff-puff

7) Sex on the beach
Dino Morea
eeeeeks. why. cliched, boring, desperate attempt.

8) Matrimony
Arbaaz Khan and Mandira Bedi
This was the story copied from Roald Dahl's collection (Colonel Bixby's coat).
Alright.
People who don't know the story might enjoy it
some good shots in it in the first 30secs or so.

9) Lovedale
Aftab Shivdasani
Well he can't act. but the story is pointless. the most unlikely things seem to happen.
and to top it off even an actor like anupam kher looks like a prepped untalented fresher during the story.

10) Strangers in the night
Mahesh Manjrekar and Neha Dhupia
The acting is terrible. i mean terrible
but the story is interesting
the build up and the way it is shot is very interesting
love the flashbacks and the way they are structured
the twist is crazy
good story
diff actors could have made such a difference



all in all
commendable effort
but the problem is that even thought the idea is new to bollywood
it could have been executed so much better
the laziness is butt obvious

a new idea is not enough
the actors firstly could have been better
there needed to have been tighter control regarding the scripts
thirdly, the choreography in some parts could have been improved a bit for a temendously different end result

so would only seriosuly recommend people to watch 5 of the 10 short films.
1) Gubbare
2) Rice Plate
3) Rise and Fall
4) Strangers in the night
5) Zahir (just to say fucked him at the end of the movie)

cheers

will put up a review on darjeeling express (adrien brody, owen wilson, bill murray and so on) soon
watching the movie right now

cheers

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Tantra Brand Wisdom

Two of my friends, Sachin and Aditya run a company with me called Tantra Brand Wisdom

Its been going on for a year and half now during which we got our first client lost the fourth partner, did some good work and most importantly graduated out of college and started working in the business full time.

TBW is a
full service agency which specializes in advertising and design. It is a part of the Wannabe Group of Companies which consists of Wannabe Films Pvt Ltd and subsidiary companies Agenda Wannabe, Carrot Films and Carrot Promotions.

As the name suggests we provide our clients with advice on how to maximize their impact through the media and help build their 'BRANDS'. We pride ourselves on the slick and innovative designs that we make for our clients thanks to our talented design crew. We also have some great photographers who constantly provide good material to use in our designs and creatives.

Besides TBW also conceptualises and executes events and promotional activities for all purposes. We are partnered with a exciting and energetic events company named
FLYPSIDE to constantly provide innovative and cutting edge events ideas.

A few months back we branched out into Talent Management (specifically in photography for the time being). We currently serve as business managers, agents and brand builders to a
select bunch of photographers.

TBW looks to continue delivering creative solutions to its ever expanding list of clients and expand into areas complimentary to its existing interests.

Easing in

just going through the barrage of options

reminds me of my camera actually
so many things with no apparent purpose

anyways since will be talking about things related to technology

here is a list of stuff that i use on a daily basis:

1) HP dv8233cl Laptop - 17inch powerhouse, completely dependent on it

2) Canon Eos 400D (Also known as the Digital Rebel XTi - along with the laptop, best buys ever. Use a 2GB San Disk Extreme IV CF card with it and still using the kit lens.

3) Nokia 1110i - Small, cheap, light, basic and suprisingly sturdy

4) Nokia N-GAGE QD - As you might have noticed i like big screens (check), gaming ability (check), weight and portability issues (check)

5) Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse - Most important of them all, but currently on a sabatical

am sure my microwave, firdge, tv, ac and so on are feeling left out, but sorry, limited patience

am also a major NEED FOR SPEED fan
MOST WANTED being my favourite
Carbon was alright
Pro Street is better than Carbon but no match for MW

currently addicted to Adobe Photoshop
am trying to rid myself of my ignorance and learn to do the right things to my pictures

cheers

First time

after having spent the better part of a decade pooh-pahhing bloggers, i now join the ranks

this is the first blog that i am writing in ever
but i dont intend to write

would prefer to opine here

my interests lie in people, technology, photography, media and a few other things here and there and this is what i shall mostly vomit out here

so let the non-verbal diarrhea begin

cheers