Friday, December 05, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
on the other side of blasts...
While people are intelligently critiquing about media, journalists, politicians, security, etc. I am completely clueless that how do you put all these comments in a perspective. We are great at criticizing everyone. Criticizing is the easiest thing to do. Most of the times, criticism is not even constructive. Many who criticize do not even have to courage to execute what they believe in. I am in the middle of reading ‘Maximum City’ and was just reading the Salaskar Chapter – and 2 days ago he is already dead. If one reads that book, the perspective towards the 'shahid' changes. I somehow cant put myself back to read the book. I can't sit longer in front of the television – my mind thinks what can I do for now. When I don’t get answers to my current questions, I get back to my normal routine. I do not see the point in wasting time over things I can not resolve. Yes- if I can change, I will change and then talk…
Passing comments is so easy. I don’t even know the entire politics of India! How am I eligible to contribute…am I…should I vote? It seems so silly…Yes, but I will archive all of this. I will record it in my own ways. For myself. This is an experience – not an inclusive, but a distant one…for me, it’s the 1993 attacks…and as I say this, I am not being judgmental about anyone. I am just a spectator.
And so i will talk about the real time things on the other side of the blasts:
Nihara got married today… and it was so exciting to meet friends again – and today, it was Manali and Nivedita who made my day.
We hanged over for some time at Nivedita’s place to see her Pushkar journey. I must say that all these friends have gone so much ahead, I n the way they have started thinking, visualizing, expressing…nivedita’s collection of photographs from Pushkar was amazing…and how beautifully she spoke about its content. I felt ‘preachy’ as I critiqued some of them mildly (I hope you don’t mind nivedita), but she took all of that very positively. Just can’t handle it – after all I am a teacher! And I realized that she is 2 minutes away from my office! Pity! Lost so many immense opportunities to drop in at her place….but hold on…a month is yet to go (I am leaving _opolis in a month). So will try and make most of it.
An hour at the railway station:
As we approached the station in the rickshaw, manali unscrambled. She is working with Nitin Desai – the art director. And we just kept on talking. We missed 7 trains for discussing tremendous things. She briefed me about art direction – the temporariness of sets and the practical considerations. How sets are ideally supposed to be. How technical aspects come into picture. Framing, story boards, content, meaning, ideas, concepts…all of it…I felt so happy that I wanted to jump. Here was a small silent girl, who I thought will be caught up in the chores, following her own passion. What a bang on for her. I have always admired her for her water color skills (and I still feel I must learn from her) – and that she is actually making storyboards. Isn’t it beautiful, when someone realizes what he/she wants to do? I see a satisfaction. I am sure it will happen to me – sometime. Though I am still stuck. I do not know where I am headed. I am exploring. But I will find out some time before I die, what want to do, and will life some moments of satisfaction.
Another thing I deeply feel happy about is that all my friends are so actively doing something – they have ventured into things of their liking. Sets, art direction, theatre, music….I am so happy to have all of them – for they widen my horizon. There is so much still to learn.
And as I say all this, I connect it with my academic pursuits. I feel every student can do something excellent. They need guidance. Proper, patient and potent. That will make a difference. And I don’t know if I must fight if others do not realize it. Because those who I teach are fresh, starting their life (not that I am very old) but I remember that how important it is to affirm their confidence.
There was a meeting to discuss the progress of the students, their fears with architecture a week ago. Indirectly it was pointed out that we (read I) are spoon feeding. But I made a point to correct it saying that there is a very thin line between 'spoon feeding' and 'guiding'. Only because I spend time with the students, especially the weaker ones, doesn’t mean I am spoon feeding them. Well, my ideologies as a teacher are very different. So I do not know how long will I be an academician…but of course, I am exploring it.
Manali and I finally decided to board a train, after chatting for about an hour… she promised me to take to her site at Karjat, and I promised to talk to Prarambhites (theatre people) about involving her with the theatre sets…
There are so many things, talks I would have loved to archive. But after all, a blog is not enough!
Passing comments is so easy. I don’t even know the entire politics of India! How am I eligible to contribute…am I…should I vote? It seems so silly…Yes, but I will archive all of this. I will record it in my own ways. For myself. This is an experience – not an inclusive, but a distant one…for me, it’s the 1993 attacks…and as I say this, I am not being judgmental about anyone. I am just a spectator.
And so i will talk about the real time things on the other side of the blasts:
Nihara got married today… and it was so exciting to meet friends again – and today, it was Manali and Nivedita who made my day.
We hanged over for some time at Nivedita’s place to see her Pushkar journey. I must say that all these friends have gone so much ahead, I n the way they have started thinking, visualizing, expressing…nivedita’s collection of photographs from Pushkar was amazing…and how beautifully she spoke about its content. I felt ‘preachy’ as I critiqued some of them mildly (I hope you don’t mind nivedita), but she took all of that very positively. Just can’t handle it – after all I am a teacher! And I realized that she is 2 minutes away from my office! Pity! Lost so many immense opportunities to drop in at her place….but hold on…a month is yet to go (I am leaving _opolis in a month). So will try and make most of it.
An hour at the railway station:
As we approached the station in the rickshaw, manali unscrambled. She is working with Nitin Desai – the art director. And we just kept on talking. We missed 7 trains for discussing tremendous things. She briefed me about art direction – the temporariness of sets and the practical considerations. How sets are ideally supposed to be. How technical aspects come into picture. Framing, story boards, content, meaning, ideas, concepts…all of it…I felt so happy that I wanted to jump. Here was a small silent girl, who I thought will be caught up in the chores, following her own passion. What a bang on for her. I have always admired her for her water color skills (and I still feel I must learn from her) – and that she is actually making storyboards. Isn’t it beautiful, when someone realizes what he/she wants to do? I see a satisfaction. I am sure it will happen to me – sometime. Though I am still stuck. I do not know where I am headed. I am exploring. But I will find out some time before I die, what want to do, and will life some moments of satisfaction.
Another thing I deeply feel happy about is that all my friends are so actively doing something – they have ventured into things of their liking. Sets, art direction, theatre, music….I am so happy to have all of them – for they widen my horizon. There is so much still to learn.
And as I say all this, I connect it with my academic pursuits. I feel every student can do something excellent. They need guidance. Proper, patient and potent. That will make a difference. And I don’t know if I must fight if others do not realize it. Because those who I teach are fresh, starting their life (not that I am very old) but I remember that how important it is to affirm their confidence.
There was a meeting to discuss the progress of the students, their fears with architecture a week ago. Indirectly it was pointed out that we (read I) are spoon feeding. But I made a point to correct it saying that there is a very thin line between 'spoon feeding' and 'guiding'. Only because I spend time with the students, especially the weaker ones, doesn’t mean I am spoon feeding them. Well, my ideologies as a teacher are very different. So I do not know how long will I be an academician…but of course, I am exploring it.
Manali and I finally decided to board a train, after chatting for about an hour… she promised me to take to her site at Karjat, and I promised to talk to Prarambhites (theatre people) about involving her with the theatre sets…
There are so many things, talks I would have loved to archive. But after all, a blog is not enough!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Strategies & Tactics
Strategy: a formalized, proper relationship in which a subject can be separated from their environment (xix). Think: politics, economics, science, ...
Tactic: an ad-hoc, unorganized relationship that is contextualized by the environment (xiv). Think: everyday practices
Tactic is "a calculus which cannot count on a proper, nor thus on a borderline distinguishing the other as a visible totality," rather insinuating itself into "the other's place." A tactic depends on time and "must constantly manipulate events in order to turn them into opportunities."
a. Ex: the particular condition which the housewife confronting heterogeneous and mobile data in the supermarket
b. Many everyday practices as well as ways of operating are tactical in character and "victories of the weak over the strong."
c. "Tactics wander out of orbit, making consumer into immigrants in a system too vast to be their own, too tightly woven for them toescape from it," and also "show the extent to which intelligence is inseparable from the everyday struggles and pleasure."
Tactic: an ad-hoc, unorganized relationship that is contextualized by the environment (xiv). Think: everyday practices
Tactic is "a calculus which cannot count on a proper, nor thus on a borderline distinguishing the other as a visible totality," rather insinuating itself into "the other's place." A tactic depends on time and "must constantly manipulate events in order to turn them into opportunities."
a. Ex: the particular condition which the housewife confronting heterogeneous and mobile data in the supermarket
b. Many everyday practices as well as ways of operating are tactical in character and "victories of the weak over the strong."
c. "Tactics wander out of orbit, making consumer into immigrants in a system too vast to be their own, too tightly woven for them toescape from it," and also "show the extent to which intelligence is inseparable from the everyday struggles and pleasure."
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Diwali 2008
The diwali saaf safai - compelled me to do away with my model... some of the final pics are here...
Monday, October 27, 2008
Pride and Prejudice
This post is due since a long time, because i still don't know if i have put my thoughts in the right way. but these are honest thoughts, and must not be interpreted otherwise.
Suddenly people are realizing that none of them expressed truly their happiness on my NIASA win. Well, I wonder if i should be proud about the win and show my pride or should I be just the Anuj that was before. Both these options are perfectly fine - if seen in the respective perspectives. But if the perspectives are flipped, then they both are utterly wrong. Now, I do understand - fame is a double edged sword. On one hand, you can be mistaken for being proudy, while on the other, I am a dignified person. The college's perspective has changes. People talk to me with an air of respect -somehow, it feels that the people around want me to feel the respect, but deep inside, I question if there is any need to do so.
But I just feel dry for that moment - when Uttam Jain kept his mike and clapped for me in the midst of giving his comment. How thrilled he was. When the audience suddenly started re-clapping. When Ranjit Sabiki raised his hands when I could answer his question to his satisfaction. When the architects in the audience said that, "it was truly an eye opening project" - all of these comments. There is no witness to these comments except me. I still feel that someone, at least someone should have been there, may be Dhaval, Atul, or my father - how proud they would have felt.
But i missed that moment. It has become a frozen moment - which can not dance, cannot do anything to any one, but me. and if I tell all these to others, they might say - "he is behaving proud".
I remember, on that night, when my father called me after my win asking about the jury comments, a fellow contestant was sitting next to me (who had not won), could I have said that "the jury was speechless" - it actually was. But I did not say that since it would have hurt my friend, my fellow contestant there. Whom do I share my pride with?
However, the best moment was when my family gave me a surprise party on Dussera - the entire set of relatives were there - it was a moment to remember, but honestly, I was lost. Because these people celebrated me as a national winner. But the importance of the project, the sensitivity of the issue, and the boldness of the portrayal - was it appreciated by them? I still wonder...if someone who understood it was there....
Suddenly people are realizing that none of them expressed truly their happiness on my NIASA win. Well, I wonder if i should be proud about the win and show my pride or should I be just the Anuj that was before. Both these options are perfectly fine - if seen in the respective perspectives. But if the perspectives are flipped, then they both are utterly wrong. Now, I do understand - fame is a double edged sword. On one hand, you can be mistaken for being proudy, while on the other, I am a dignified person. The college's perspective has changes. People talk to me with an air of respect -somehow, it feels that the people around want me to feel the respect, but deep inside, I question if there is any need to do so.
But I just feel dry for that moment - when Uttam Jain kept his mike and clapped for me in the midst of giving his comment. How thrilled he was. When the audience suddenly started re-clapping. When Ranjit Sabiki raised his hands when I could answer his question to his satisfaction. When the architects in the audience said that, "it was truly an eye opening project" - all of these comments. There is no witness to these comments except me. I still feel that someone, at least someone should have been there, may be Dhaval, Atul, or my father - how proud they would have felt.
But i missed that moment. It has become a frozen moment - which can not dance, cannot do anything to any one, but me. and if I tell all these to others, they might say - "he is behaving proud".
I remember, on that night, when my father called me after my win asking about the jury comments, a fellow contestant was sitting next to me (who had not won), could I have said that "the jury was speechless" - it actually was. But I did not say that since it would have hurt my friend, my fellow contestant there. Whom do I share my pride with?
However, the best moment was when my family gave me a surprise party on Dussera - the entire set of relatives were there - it was a moment to remember, but honestly, I was lost. Because these people celebrated me as a national winner. But the importance of the project, the sensitivity of the issue, and the boldness of the portrayal - was it appreciated by them? I still wonder...if someone who understood it was there....
Saturday, October 18, 2008
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