bijli comes to our quiet lil hamlet!

a sudden trip down to goa!..."they're putting up electricity poles"...wow! by the time i got there, they had already strung up the wire!...thus changing forever the uninterrupted view of the lush verdant valley. it kinda changed the way we looked out at our patch of land...bisected now...the best part is that the birds on the wire will be a lot more visible ;) you win some n lose some, i guess!

but ya, slowly but surely, it is taking shape...cheers!

mekaal hasan band live in bombay!

the best part about having friends in the media is passes to unannounced music concerts. so the mekaal hassan band was performing in bombay n not a word about it anywhere...thanks to nandini,i landed up at st andrew's auditorium...whiskey on the house was a suprise bonus! the concert itself started a good hour late (we suspect due to chief guest bandra-boy leslie lewis' late arrival!). the whiskey wasn't good so the wait got a bit impatient n hot.

from across the border, without much fuss, the band was announced on stage n they dived straight into their brand of music. east meets west, we've heard this before rock meets jazz meets sufiana lyrics n soul. the drums n guitars drowned out poor javedbhai who had to shout to be heard...in my next janam, i'm gonna be a live sound engineer! they just hadn't got the balance right n covered their ass by pumping up the volume...i actually had my fingers plug my ears for the drum solo!

pappu on flute, was my fav seguing seamlessly between the guitar whine n vocals. the young drummer hit the skin n cymbals so hard, i wished he'd leave for an acoustic ballad. but no, they're young, new n trying hard to prove themselves...a pretty limited palette they played with, save the finale "ya ali" which kinda brought the evening together. enough variation n depth though short on duration.

it's the kind of urgency you wish they didn't have n allow themselves the time n their immense talent to improvise esp in a live concert. not suprisingly, there were some walkouts n no vociferous encores at the end. o n the lighting was jus so pathetic, making me vow to do the next gig for free! but watch out for them, they're a good tight band who're gonna only get better!

view from my window

istanbul, turkey (overlooking the shehezade cami)
cappadocia,turkey (nothing prepared us for what we were to see a mere 15 min away!)helsinki, finland (when there's not much to look out at, here's a peek inside!)turku, finland (very boring! tho tull was performing the evening we left :(stockholm,sweden (wet, grey n cold ruined my much awaited trip to bergmanland)brugges, belgium (just so happy to be back!)brussels, belgium (brought back all those horrible memories of the big theft last year same time :(edinburgh, scotland (very cold, very wet, very brief our stay here) manchester, england (great st john hotel - a 17th century victorian school turned boutique hotel. this my duplex suite with open bath! aaaah!)

mazzy star

a landscape is often defined for me by the music i am listening to while traversing it. esp if it is new music. this trip belonged to mazzy star...until before i left i had heard just one of her songs - fade into you. but "blue light" just did it for me.

There's a blue light
In my best friend's room
There's a blue light
In his eye
There's a blue light, yeah
I want to see it
Shine
There's a ship
That sails by my window
There's a ship that sails on by
There's a world under it
I think I see it
Sailing away
I think it's sailing
Miles crashing me by
Crashing me by
Crashing me by

whether we were driving through the moors in the midlands or crossing the baltic sea in a huge ferry or hurtling under the english channel at 230kmph or soaring 33000ft over the caucasus mountains, she was there...shining!

hunting of the snark - take two 1.9

(turku cathedral, finland)

"The Baker is shouting!" the Bellman said.
"He is shouting like mad, only hark!
He is waving his hands, he is wagging his head,
He has certainly found a Snark!"

Erect and sublime, for one moment in time,
In the next the wild figure they saw
(As if stung by a spasm) plunge into a chasm
While they waited, and listened in awe.

"It's a Snark!" was the sound that first came to their ears,
And it seemed almost too good to be true.
Then followed a torrent of laughter and cheers;
Then the ominous words: `It's a Boo-'

They hunted till darkness came on, but they found
Not a button, or feather, or mark,
By which they could tell that they stood on the ground
Where the Baker had met with the Snark.

In the midst of the word he was trying to say,
In the midst of his laughter and glee,
He had softly and suddenly vanished away-
For the Snark was a Boojum you see.

hunting of the snark - take two 1.8

Some people search for people, and some people search for freedom,
And some search for nothing but the thrill of the chase;
Well you know sometimes you search for things just to find that you don't need them,
Or you search for the right things in the wrong kind of place.

hunting of the snark - take two 1.7

(with almost zilch production support, we relied on maps to get around. but when even that failed, magan got gps onto his communicator n off we zoomed to the national park 45km outside helsinki)

But the valley grew narrow and narrower still,
And the evening grew darker and colder,
Till (merely from nervousness, not from goodwill)
They marched along shoulder to shoulder.

Then a scream, shrill and high, rent the shuddering sky,
And they knew that some danger was near:
The Beaver turned pale to the tip of its tale,
And even the Butcher felt queer.

"'Tis the voice of the Jubjub!' he suddenly cried.
(This man, that they used to call "Dunce.")
"As the Bellman would tell you," he added with pride,
"I have uttered that sentiment once."

"'Tis the note of the Jubjub! Keep count, I entreat.
You will find I have told it you twice.
'Tis the song of the Jubjub! The proof is complete,
If only I've stated it thrice."

The Beaver had counted with scrupulous care,
Attending to every word:
But it fairly lost heart, and outgrabe in despair,
When the third repetition occurred.

hunting of the snark - take two 1.6

(every now n then, we'd find ourselves lost in the middle of some street, while puneet was 'figuring out ab kya kartey yaar".

"'Tis a pitiful tale," said the Bellman, whose face
Had grown longer at every word;
"But, now that you've stated the whole of your case,
More debate would be simply absurd."

"The rest of my speech" (he explained to his men)
"You shall hear when I've leisure to speak it.
But the snark is at hand, let me tell you again!
'Tis your glorious duty to seek it!"

"To seek it with thimbles, to seek it with care;
To pursue it with forks and hope;
To threaten its life with a railway-share;
To charm it with smiles and soap!"

"For the Snark's a peculiar creature, that won't
Be caught in a commonplace way.
Do all that you know, and try all that you don't;
Not a chance must be wasted to-day!"

hunting of the snark - take two 1.5

He came as a Butcher: but gravely declared,
When the ship had been sailing a week;
He could only kill Beavers. The Bellman looked scared,
And was almost too freightened to speak.
"I engage with the Snark - every night after dark -
In a dream delirious fight:
I serve it with greens in those shadowy scenes,
And I use it for striking a light.

"But if ever I meet with a Boojum, that day,
In a moment (of this I am sure),
I shall softly and suddenly vanish away -
And the notion I cannot endure!

hunting of the snark - take two 1.4

(magan has his coffee dregs read in istanbul)

They roused him with muffins - they roused him with ice -
They roused him with mustard and cress -
They roused him with jam and judicous advice -
They set him conundrums to guess.

When at length he sat up and was able to speak
His sad story he offered to tell;
And the Bellman cried "Silence! Not even a shriek!"
And excitedly tingled his bell.

"I skip forty years," said the Baker, in tears,
"And proceed without further remark
To the day when you took me aboard of your ship
To help you in hunting the Snark.

"A dear uncle of mine (after whom I was named)
Remarked, when I bade him farewell -"
"Ok, skip your dear uncle!" the Bellman exclaimed,
As he angrily tingled his bell.

"He remarked to me then," said that mildest of men,
"If your Snark be a Snark, that is right:
Fetch it home by all means - you may serve it with greens,
And it's handy for striking a light.

"But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day,
If your Snark be a Boojum! For then
You will softly and suddenly vanish away,
And never be met with again!"

hunting of the snark - take two 1.3

He came as a Baker; but owned, when too late -
And it drove the poor Bellman half mad -
He could only bake Bridecake - for which I may state,
No materials were to be had. (magan aka meatball magan! a sommelier from delhi who knew his wines better than his meats. we hit it out at the outset n endlessly pulled his leg about his descriptions of the food he'd just tried)
He served out some grog with a liberal hand,
And bade them sit down on the beach:
And they could not but own that their Captain looked grand,
As he stood and delivered his speech.
(this one is for all you guys who desperately wanted to come along as my asst to carry tripod, etc! often, we'd shoot well past lunch time n find no restaurant open, so we'd walk into a convenience store pick up a sandwich n coke n sit right outside on the road!! much to the amusement of the locals. this is in helsinki)
Friends, Romans and countrymen!
Please lend me your ears,
And I will carefully impart what you may have thought
for years,
But were too scared to ask,
By day or after dark;
In the Hunting of the Snark!

hunting of the snark - take two 1.2

But the danger was past - they had landed at last,
With their boxes, portmanteaus, and bags:
Yet at first sight the crew were not pleased with the view,
Which consisted of chasms and crags.
There was one who was famed for the number of things
He forgot when he entered the ship:
His umbrella, his watch, all his jewels and ring,
And the clothes he had bought for the trip.
(that's akshay - the asst director/prodn ass/shooter...the 'ung dude from delhi. he'd forget batteries around the place, lose equipment, trip over things...you get the drift;)

the hunting of the snark - take two 1.1

"Just the place for a Snark!" the Bellman cried
As he landed his crew with care;
Supporting each man on the top of the tide
By a finger entwined in his hair.

The Bellman himself they all praised to the skies -
Such a carriage, such ease and such grace!
Such solemnity, too! One could see he was wise,
The moment one looked in his face!
(puneet, a dear ol friend's husband. the producer director of this travel food show who asked me to come along!)

coming soon!

...yup, so i'm off the shoot...writing from london. didn't ever get the time nor access to internet to write n post more...besides being frightfully expensive. but i'll soon be back n catch up with tons to tell n pics to share.

flying right past fnland!

..hi from stockholm...spent 5days in finland but baath kuch bani nahin. besides blondes do nothing for me ;)

awesome light esp at evenings...magic hours goes on forever!...ate reindeer meat which was suprisingly tasty n not chewy...drank the local brew kossu which is lighter than vodka...climbed up the tower at the olympic stadium in helsinki...went on a lovely boat cruise around the islands...had some great street side food, local snack, pastries n coffee...

of course, i'm makin it sound like it's been a dream...but the shoot's long n tiring n chaotic with almost no production support which is taking a toll on each of us. we got in this morn after a nice long 9hr ferry from turku...it is dark n cold n wet here in the land of my god - bergman n sven dada!...so much more...borg, nobel, abba...n to think they ruled over finland for 650 yrs!!

more when i get some more time...

cappadociaaaaaaaaaaaah!

left me speechless!...

istanbul photo post

view from our room in istanbul: shezade jadessi

the turks largely happy to have you, very friendly, the oldies break out into raj kapoor's "dil hai hindustani". the young un's can't get enough of SRK!

o the beautiful bosphorous! running north-south marking the point asia ends n europe begins

the hagia sophia built as a church n then a mosque now with the most exquisite mix of early christian n muslim art

eat drink europe!

...so i'm off again!...this time on a travel food show across europe! what else could i have asked for ;) istanbul. cappadocia. athens, pelopenesse. salzburg. vienna. helsinki. turku. stockholm...do i see you go all green?!! heehee so am gone for about 6weeks! the show for a soon to be launched lifestyle channel here in india. dunno if i'll get a chance to update while i'm away...that would've been ideal. am armed with my digital cam n mah new nokiah n 91 which has the most mindblowing sound i've heard come out these mobile/mp3 devices AND orhan pamuk! cheers!

the blew unbrella

...now vishal bhardwaj, i'd say is among the most exciting thinking directors we got in bollywood today. my fav is maqbool no doubt, followed by makdee. it is with this v high expection i went to see "the blue umbrella" this morn...he must've known it wasn't up to his high benchmark...wondered about this delayed release, considering it was ready before omkaara. all this became clear as the film unfolded...completely lacking emotion, the story plodded on at a slow pace, punctuated with some expectedly good music tho' unnecessary song dance numbers, ruined by some inconsistent "trying-hard-to-look-good" camerawork n patchy editing. shining thru some very dark frames was pankaj kapoor...he is just fantastic...breathing n living his character (much like he wow-ed us in maqbool), getting the look perfect and the accent. and the girl! - bright eyed n cute but didn't pull on the heart-strings (like say the girl in makdee)...i'd fault the script really, not her. so net-net, all wonderful ingredients not coming together...tch tch!

happy birthday channa!

the calm before the storm ;)