Colours of innocence!

Have you ever wondered when our thoughts turn to children, in whose eyes we see our ideals still shining, our dreams still glowing, our hopes still bright, we become bit sentimental. Well, I am no different! Only a sentimentalist would ever regard childhood as a time of untroubled innocence. 

But do our children really have that untroubled innocence anymore? Surprisingly, this question came to my mind while I paid visit to an interesting exhibition of handicrafts and was met with a very pleasant surprise! I saw absolutely amazing toys made with Terracotta, wood, crystal that took me back to the innocent, simple games I used to enjoy as child with my friends and siblings! 

Wooden toys made by artists from Karnataka

Today, there is more trouble for children and less time for innocence compared to recent generations. It is not so much that kids have changed, but that the world has changed around them. And how fast! 

Everywhere you look, children today are being forced to grow up faster. Every time I see a tiny toddler (who should ideally be frolicking around and playing with friends/ playmates) engrossed with a game on a cell phone or laptop my heart cringes! To an unprecedented extent, we are witnessing the ravishment of the tender, the sensitive, the delicate, by the savage and brutal forces in modern society.

  

Terracotta toys made by national award winning artists from Kutch, Gujarat

Children are growing up so fast that  they are virtually bypassing childhood as we (if you are in your thirties/forties, you would know what I am talking about here) knew it. They are smart, proud, fiercely independent, strong-willed and sophisticated. They are a generation that has been raised to doubt and challenge authority, to accept little at face value - to enter the mature world long before they are mature themselves! Their lives contain things beyond comprehension a few decades ago, with entire planet and beyond accessible through a single click of a button!

Tiny, crystal birds made by a National award winning Delhi artist 

Of course, it is great boon to have technology that has enriched our life and made it much easier, convenient and fun but at the same time sometimes it feels our children are robbed of their innocence in the process. It has alienated children from the real world that influences their social skills to great extent.  

Wooden yo-yo made by artist from Karnataka

Any Indian, who has been brought up in smaller city would know the joy of playing games like " gilli danda", "lagori","chor police","kho kho" "kabbadi". The thrill of climbing trees and searching for the fruits specially the ones that were tasted by the birds is beyond words! The excitement of catching butterflies, ladybirds or tadpoles and after the maddening chase was over, releasing them gently and sleeping on the grass bed and feeling proud of one's valiant efforts, was almost an everyday overwhelming ritual. The most beautiful part of these adventures was that there was always a whole gang of children to play with.

Colourful, tiny, wooden pots made by artist from Karnataka 

How we used to play and study; how we managed to take time out for entertainment; how we spent time with parents and grandparents listening to the stories with wide-eyed wonderment! What I always admired most in those games is simplicity and how they helped exploring one's individuality and understand many facets of life in general with amazing fun and creativity !

Crystal birds made by a Delhi artist

When the summer months arrived, there was a huge treasure trove of indoor games! Playing with simple, ordinary things like  shells, stones or tamarind seeds was ultimate joy! Creating games out of junk was a matter of pride! All these games helped great bonding and imparted great values and life skills without burden of learning them. Many games were designed to teach mathematical skills, develop motor skills, hand eye coordination, concentration, strategy planning, creativity, knowledge and team spirit. The joy of these games was doubled when grand-parents joined the team! Making puppets, assigning names and creating new stories and the characters with help of grand-parents was favourite with boys and girls alike!

Wooden racing cars 

Every time, I visit a store to buy gift for any child, I am overwhelmed by the choices. I wonder, why children are complaining of boredom in spite of the multiple options they have? I am dying to see a hand made doll and listen to her stories from a child's mouth. I am dying to see that sense of wonder on a child's face that I feel is lost long back somewhere! Is there anyway we can get it back? I would give anything just to have one glimpse of it!!! 

"You said it"! R.I.P the most uncommon man!

I don't know about you but one of my very fond memories of younger days is, waiting for the newspaper man every day, sort out The Times Of India from the bundle of newspapers delivered at our home and dart towards a corner before any sibling or parent could reach me and regaling the iconic comic strip "You said it" by R.K. Laxman! 

It was delicious addiction everybody in the house was consumed with and also a reason for many fights amidst the siblings while snatching the newspaper and being first to read the cartoon of the day. Days invariably started with Mr. R.K. Laxman's brilliant humour through his finest character of a "common man"- symbol of India's ordinary citizens, their concerns, joys, sorrows and frustrating helplessness. His "Common man" cut across all the categories and class and with whom everyone could relate so well! The uncanny perception of a common man and his hopes, dreams, aspirations, trials and tribulations, dashed with brilliant sarcasm easily conquered millions of hearts! 

Mr. R.K. Laxman, India's most revered cartoonist/caricaturist passed away yesterday, leaving an indelible mark. His cartoons chronicled India's social life and political history in unique style. Mr. Laxman's genius was in compelling his readers to think through his astute ability to spot the real issues and convey the sentiments effortlessly without making the readers feel the burden of seriousness of the issues addressed in his cartoons. It served as great comic respite for most Indians from blurs of daily life laced with unique challenges of mundane life.

With Mr. R. K. Laxman's sad demise, we have not only lost a silent social reformer but also a great political, social conscious keeper. The great era of healthy, brilliant satire is over. 

R.I.P Mr. R. K. Laxman! You were the most uncommon man India has ever known!  

 

Random images and doze of inspiration

I was in for a very pleasant surprise when my son asked, "Mom, would you go with me to town on Sunday early morning? I need to shoot some street photographs.” I jumped at the offer! It has been quite a while since I went for photography shoots. 

Since my son was preparing for the portfolio, I offered him my camera and announced that I would be shooting only with my cell phone. My plan was to take him to places where a complex human drama unfolds as the backdrop and observe him capture images and see how he "saw" subjects. 

It is amazing to wander lonely streets in unknown cities or unknown streets in my very own city of Mumbai, my muse! A walk down to dense, old part of the city introduces you to innovations and ways of life that takes nothing for granted. These are the places where there is elbow room created from nowhere, that would put the best magicians in the world to shame.

The most fascinating element in this urban sprawl is the nonchalant way people go about their struggle everyday and take chaos around them in their stride! We often admire realistic depiction of life that is romanticized in movies. But when one observes reality with such proximity, it is a different experience all together! There are layers and layers to these "invisible" different worlds, swirling into myriad patterns of juxtaposing and coexisting in this effervescent city that exudes such aura of power and wealth! Oh, I am digressing!

It was so early and dark that while we walked, the feet pounded the pavement, irritating dogs that were asleep. I barely clicked a few pictures through my cell phone as I was more absorbed with interesting sights and sounds, slowly increasing as the morning passed. After few hours of exploring the city, we returned home overwhelmed and deeply humbled with the experience. 

As I started scanning my photographs, some pictures started growing on me and haunting me. I knew, I was drawn to the subjects and something within me had snapped, subtly while capturing those images that morning. 

One of the hawkers sleeping in most unimaginable corners of a few square feet “bed” in shrunk shadows of  who he was. One tiny part of  a vicious cauldron of urban destitution. 

Condition of this man was arresting. In a large, open space he was hiding behind a barricade which was symbolic of his state. One of those people we like to pretend is invisible or whom we treat with servile disdain. While he was bereft of any clothes and evidently suffering with drug abuse or some mental ailment, I could discover his sensitive, vulnerable emotions of piercing agony that had festered and was breeding, making a cosy home within.

The intensity of the gaze of this child who was waiting for his mother to wake up on that cold morning, kept me captivated long after the shoot was over. Those eyes! Those sleepy, keen, eyes reeking mischief and boundless love!

There we were, trying to capture some pictures and in the process were left spellbound by inspiration from every corner. This seemingly shaded world is always willing to impart lessons about life, business and human nature that no "art of living" class or management school could ever teach. 

There are enchanting hues of life on the street; interesting microcosms, exceptional stories of survival and human grit. Not all are as alluring. Some move you deeply, some make you realize value of your blessings and some simply make you bow to human spirit, if you are open to see and learn to respect what a wonderful gift life is despite everything!    

Charlie Hebdo, is unity march enough?

R.I.P victims of recent terrorist attacks at Nigeria and France

We were all still soaked in languid hangover of rose tinted, fervid enthusiasm of the New Year and they did it yet again! This time, at Paris!  As usual, in name of Islam. Needless to say, it evoked unimaginable contempt, gathering millions, including some world leaders for unity march in France. Truly impressive show of unity and strength indeed!

Unfortunately, just a few days before this dastardly attack on Charlie Hebdo office, as many as 2000 innocent lives were massacred in Northern Nigeria by Boko Haram Islamic extremists but this shocking, barbaric incident failed to get global attention that tragedies of such scale deserve to receive!  

I have never read any magazine by Charlie Hebdo. I don't understand Islam or for that matter any "religion". And, politics is not my forte either but I can't comprehend what is wrong with us as society! Why is our reaction to two different tragedies different? Why do we subscribe to selective rationality?  

At risk of sounding repetitive, I really yearn to understand what kind of people don't flinch before committing heinous, barbaric sins of taking innocent lives? What kind of religion endorses killing in name of its God and honours the culprits as martyrs/heroes? I fail to understand logic behind any religion that demands people from other religions to be killed! It is difficult to fathom politics of hatred that makes inhuman acts of violence not a regrettable necessity but the whole point and make people who subscribe to their ideologies, barbaric savages. With high stakes invested in terrorism, it has become a new currency to establish religious, political and economic power games for global domination.

Every time, there is a terrorist attack, we are buried in cacophony of elite rhetoric and tokenism that barely helps offer any solution or directs to concrete action. A few people make fervent claims that Islam has nothing to do with terrorism. Candle marches commence and tributes are paid and everybody forgets about it till other terrorist attack wakes us and makes us realize harsh truth of our vulnerable life. 

I don't understand what "religion" really means but I know that if any religion expects its followers to perform inhuman acts like killing innocent people, it fails to serve its purpose. Maybe, its time for "Allah ke bande" to come out in open and take a stand for REAL Islam and stop it alienating from rest of the world! 

"Merawala Brown, please!

I walked into L'Oréal salon, ten minutes prior to my appointment and was greeted by my hair stylist with extra sparkle in his broad smile, “long time Ma’m! Where have you been???! "

"Maybe, he is upbeat about tonight's New Year party", I thought.

We exchanged a few pleasantries and once I was settled in the chair with the apron tied to my neck, it was time for complete surrender to his expertise.

“Ma’m, let’s try something different this time, what say?” he said, gently stroking my hair, trying to gauge if it was right to use cool, warm or neutral tones for my tresses. “Shall we do highlights? That will change your look.”

There was something about his enthusiasm that alarmed me but before I could even reply, two more hair experts were summoned. For next ten awkward minutes, I felt like a helpless guinea pig!

Each expert took some strands of my hair, matching with colour chart in the thick booklet containing weird colour names like; Sunflower Blonde, Caramel, Hot-Toffee, Sparkling Amber, Espresso, French Roast, Copper Shimmer, Crushed Garnet, Blowout Burgundy, Chocolate Cherry, Light Auburn, Red Hot Cinnamon and Ruby Fusion, adding to my confusion! (Why on earth do they keep names of colours that remind you of coffee/wine/chocolate? Sorry, I am digressing!) 

Once their serious discussion was concluded, the recommendations of tones in deep Purple, Red and Green started coming my way making me almost jump from the chair, dismayed by their audacity for suggesting such weirdly bold tones! I panicked and started visualizing strange reactions coming my way, being labelled "weirdo" and being disowned by friends and family. 

“Hey guys, wait! That’s ridiculous! I’m a simple woman. Give me something that suits my personae. You expect me to go to a meeting in those hideous rainbow colours on my head? Are you out of your minds?“ I protested.  “Give me my usual brown” I demanded.  

“What’s the point in doing the same colour again and again?  Experiment a little, welcome the New Year with a bang, Ma’m. It will be fun, I promise”, said one of them.  “Be bold, do something different Ma’m!” said another, trying to cajole me. The argument continued for few minutes but I did not budge. Finally, at end of almost an hour, I was happy to see my crowning glory shining in Golden Mahogany Brown. The hairstylists made fun of me, mocking my expressions while reacting to their suggestions and we all giggled non-stop.

I left with a generous tip and a parting gift received in form of encouragement to get out of my comfort zone ! Maybe, I will never wear Fuchsia, Lilac or Blue in my hair but I think it is time to experiment a little, explore possibilities and get rid of all the inhibitions. And that, is a great realization to usher into New Year with!

And I am not talking only about hair colour here!