I am Back .. I hope :)

Its been a pretty long time since I posted ,it makes me really guilty.. cause I have a feeling that small as my readership might be they are very important to me for they give me importance by just coming down here to read what I have to say , paint , read , write :).
I have read some really interesting books in the past 2 months - being -

1. The Good Thief - HannahTinti
2. Water
3. Luka and the fire- Salman Rushdie
4. Anne Frank - Diary of a young girl
5. Reading - Man and his symbols by Dr.Carl G. Jung

All are good books . While two of them are pretty popular , 2 others are masterpieces and well 1 of them - i just have to find out more about it .
I hope to post their book reviews soon .
But right now i would like to post a painting i just made . The temples of Vrindavan and Mathura inspired me to make it , but there is a  lot more to it than the inspiration for work on it has been on for about 4 months , I mean I didnt  paint it continuosly for 4 months , what I mean is that it has been done in parts , depending on my moods , tell me about it , what you feel , your interpretation .. everything . I love to hear from you lot . .:)

"Active" Retreat at the Lodi Gardens

Continuing with my expedition of the beautiful historic places in Delhi , my recent trip was to the "Lodi Gardens "
It was an enjoyable experience but was a little dampened by the arrival of an entire school ( or rather 4 to 6th Standards ) .. for picnic . The children drove me a little mad , but they were cute all the same . Enough of that . The Gardens provide a whole myriad of monuments for one to sketch , I found myself totally confused on which one to choose first , it was a child who came to my rescue .He says " Paint anyone bhaiya , you can come and paint the rest the next time you come " . Cute ain't he ?Hehehe.. Anyways I ended up with two things a oil sketch of Sheesh Gumbad and a warning - either come and sit at the gardens at 4am or check the schedule of all the schools around for picnic .

Sketching At Safdarjung's Tomb - Invigorating

Today, I had a revelation , I experienced something so awesome that I find myself short of words  it hard to describe it in words. On a whim I went to Safdarjung tomb and Lodi Gardens to sketch , little did I know that I would enjoy it as much as I did . The place was so epic , the peace and creativity that i felt in that historic place is beyond words . I went there with just a sketch book and some charcoal . The Safdarjung's tomb is a delight for anyone looking for some solitude , photography , painting and the combination of all of these . With the birds chirping in typical bollywood fashion , beautiful trees , freshly cut grass , and the scent of old walls , simply terrific . I intend to go to Lodi Gardens next . I will write more about the entire visit i.e I will elaborate later , but for now have a look at my sketch . Though I try to be modest the final product was much more often than the amateur photo of the sketch that I have taken ... .

Dont let go of what you have

I have noticed that many a times we run after the things we don't have , there is nothing wrong in it so long as you do not forget what you have . I for instance have been neglecting my art work for some while so as to be in the upper ranks of the social heirachy that exists even between friends ( unfortunate as it is ) . And so I truly did understand this entire thing . It is human tendency to look in the neighbor's garden always assuming that the grass is greener on the other side , in this process of ogling the other's garden , one forgets the weeds that have started to grow and so, ruins what one had without gaining anything that can be called substantial. So what is the solution ? what can we do to keep ourselves grounded to what we have ? Well a pessimist and idealist might say that if you are not automatically grounded then your passion was never enough , i as always have different opinions on the matter .
 I am thinking of making this article more of a discussion , so that instead of writing a bulk of my own views .. we can have an interactive session , I would appreciate .. it if my readers comment and give their own views for the same

TO Be or NOT to Be

This article is dedicated to every Engineer who ever thought or still thinks of another artistic career that will some how cross paths on the road to  the engineering degree or perhaps if not that ,then en-route the post grad one . Since I am pretty fresh from my 1st semester , I do not have sufficient experience to claim or declaim the promises of competitions that supposedly keep our artistic passions alive irrespective I am definite,  that even if there were such competitions , the regret of not having been able to become  a novelist , artist or sculptor etc does not fade away by competing in contests . But then again , what to choose? stability or passion ? It all comes to -which road are you willing to take - the one less traveled by or the one that has ,on it faded footsteps of known-unknown alike .Engineers are problem solvers and so a sense of practicality and logic is inherent in most of their decisions , but what happens when this practicality is fused together with the eccentricity of an artist . The combination can turn out to be at once disastrous and spectacular depending on the way you view it . I am of the belief that one can have the best of both worlds , you can be at once an engineer and a novelist ( or the like )  , all it requires is perseverance , dedication  and passion .As with every failure , we blame ours on destiny , or perhaps will of God but that is simply stating - cowardice , if you couldn't succeed in  making the two things work together , then blame yourself and know that- maybe you never  were as dedicated as the next guy .Situations do play an important role , but situations do not  make your life , you make your life by acting in the right or wrong way in such situations . As hard as all of this sounds , it isn't , for there are innumerous examples , personalities and lives that can inspire and motivate us every day . For instance “Arundhati Roy” - author of acclaimed novel "God of small things" is also an architect , “Chetan Bhagat” is not only an author but also a consultant/engineer , “Karan Bajaj “- author of "Johnny Gone Down" is also part of this group ,”Heddy Larner” was a  Hollywood actress who made significant contributions to engineering , there are many fashion designer that were initially doctors, engineer turned models etc  . Just look in the right places and you will find your own personal flame of hope , warming  and inspiring you  always . I hope all of you get to this destination and figure out whether " To be or Not to be”.

JohnnY Gone Down by Karan Bajaj

Summary

Nikhil Arya falls into destiny's trap . Is he prepared ? Well he will have to find out that for himself . Nikil an MIT student goes on a trip to Cambodia , the trip does'nt go good unless you call being amputated "good" or living in a basement surrounded by your excrement and the smell of a dead-friend's corpse as "good" . He somehow escapes and founds himself in a Buddhist Monastery . And so his life turns and twist from one tale to another .

On and on , it takes Nikhil aka Buddha aka Nick aka Donos aka Sahib to Cambodia-Brazil-Silicon Valley and finally India . 

Review

I have been wanting to read the book since the first time is saw it on the  "Crossword" shelves , also it was suggested to me by a Dial-a-book service employee .Moving on 

The book is a light read despite the exotic locations , and dangerous circumstances in play .It is pretty entertaining specially  for all those Indians who have always wanted to see an Indian version of a guy who does not loose his nerve in a problematic situation . I would have said the Indian James Bond , but since all of you readers are past cliche's I wouldn't want to use one ,specially when its all wrong .Nikhil is not some special agent , he is a simple guy who touches people's lives in a way which is not what you call usual or temporary .

All throughout he is setting the perfect example of a man who never gives up 

I love everything about the book other than this one thing , Nikhil is just too intelligent , too physically perfect (other than that left arm ) , emotionally stable and creative . Call me jealous , but other than  Sidney Sheldon characters there are few who master such "perfection" cause even those characters can never attain modesty that he possesses .

The book is more of an NRI clan , there is little Indian about him  other than his background .

That however is not a flaw , since the author has proved the point, that, you dont have to add unnecessary decorations to make the protagonist more Indian .The entire book is about how everyone , everywhere has similar capabilities and  qualities .A foreigner of a friend willing to give his life for you is better than the school buddy whose name you don't remember at the school re-union . 

I found few similarities between me and the protagonist , me and the author and  the protagonist and the author.

I wonder which pusa road school he has studied at , because if its the same as mine , another similarity will be added to the list :p

Mr Karan Bajaj

The author seems very modest ,and can even be contacted on his email email@karanbajaj.com 

Well I am not that bad myself , so if you need me just comment and I will be all ears for you . 

The urge to control

Of all the urges that people have ,  this one is the worst .No , its not just control freaks who have the urge to control everyone and everything around them , every human reaches a point in life when that sudden urge dominates him/her . I am not justifying these people , I am simply stating a fact . I am of the opinion , that at least the wiser and older should keep a check on these , the younger are always in the process of learning things and well the foolish , well they are after all foolish . I know when you read the term “control” , the scary boss or the angry “where were you all night” parents come to mind . Well to tell you the truth , they do inspire me to write , but bigger operators of our life than these pathetically amiable creatures are , yes you guessed it , spouses and girlfriends/boyfriends .

The Bosses – Well I haven’t really had any bosses to control me ,( I have been the controller hahaha )so my expertise in this field is rather limited . However, when my parents do come back from a tiring day, their curses do give me some insight . The Bosses are not necessarily employers in some company , the bosses range from principal’s and supervisors in schools , to team leaders in extra-curricular projects , to even club heads , class reps .  I know it seems silly that a class representative could be a boss , but the justification they give for their “control” is the same as that of the big company bosses . Well the justification is that “ I am giving them money/guidance so they better work the way I want them to “ . Mind you missy , they are not going to say this to you on your face , they are rather sly ( not their human nature , just comes with the job ) , when they really need you they will keep you on a leash , and when they don’t they will become all sober , become teary eyed and tell how the chairman is pressurizing them to get more output . So in a way the urge to control in case of bosses is justifiable as long as it’s not your holidays ,relationships or pregnancy leaves they are controlling .

Next up are the very amiable

Parents – well the simple fact that they are the reason you are here , gives them ample reason to control you , mind you , you are not their toys or projects , you are the simplest form of love for them , their heart .

The problem is that sometimes they become the” Warlock's hairy heart” from the “Tales of Beetle the Bard “, they lock you down in a basement saying that they want to keep their heart away from the problems and hardships of the world . The only problem is that the heart becomes hairy, rebellious and rather irritated . if there is any point that I have tried to make with the analogy is this , as long as parents are protective and instructive everything works out well . Things complicate when they don’t want you to grow up and not be their little baby anymore . the moment you become all mature and start going for parties you get the title “Awaragard” .

Lovers

Hmm , lovers and spouses all of them have the perpetual need to control you , they call it love , I call it control . the control starts in the early days itself , dropping hints for you to call them ( missed calls ) , or for you incite them on a date (   “I love having coffee with someone I like” or “ The best date is a coffee date “etc ) . They might even hint you to get them gifts on the first date itself ( the occasional , “Oh I love orchids ,they are the sign of a positive beginning” ) . It does not stop here my love , the positions , the songs , the kind of dance everything is peeped into and commanded to change too . Your friends are interviewed in the most subtle ways possible , and well the opposite sex ( lets just say keep them very very far ) . To tell you the truth , they cannot help it , and well if you are one hear it from “The seeker” , you can’t help it my dear . your lover showers you with love , takes up on all the hints you give , changes oneself for your happiness , so please let them have the whip for some time and roll around like a circus tiger even if it hurts your ego .

The world is a jungle and  everyone wants to be the lion ( even though I am the Leo here hahaha ) . Just make sure you are not the perpetual circus lion :p , and when you are in doubt , just give me a call ( comment silly :p)