As an occupational hazard, I find myself reading, treasuring and even worshipping the written word. There are some books that stay with you forever. I'm the kind of reader who can't read a book without a pencil in hand. I highlight the lines that move me. I scribble little notes on the margins when I'm so overwhelmed by a feeling that I must record it. Each book becomes a time capsule that I can revisit at a later point in life.
Other times I'm awake at odd hours of the night going through Pinterest, reading little quotes that help me find my next book to read. I admit that it isn't the smartest way of picking a book but you never heard anyone say that 'Don't pick a book by its quotes'.
Here are few of my favourite quotes that I've lately been in love with:
The front lady of The Jefferson Airplane, Grace Slick is often referred to as the first female rock 'n' roll icon. Her vocals in 'White Rabbit' have been immortalised with a mention on Rolling Stone's Best 50 Songs Of All Time list. She epitomises the '60s wild child spirit. Here's a small throwback to celebrate the style of the baddest chick from the '60s. Go hit play 'Aerie' by Jefferson Airplane to fully understand why exactly she's still revered in the rock history.
You've had a tough year. Well, let's rephrase that. You've had a really tough life. You have demons from your past to haunt you, you're surrounded by unpredictable neighbors, you're being governed by a rather incompetent lot, the youth of your country is slowly giving up on you, and let's not even talk about the state of girls in your country anymore. You've got a lot of fixing to do. It's not going to be easy and it's not going to be quick, but it is indeed possible.
You're still young, you have your very valid redeeming qualities and you're only getting wiser with age. For all my life that I've known you, we've shared a love-hate relationship of sorts. But, let me assure you that it's been love for the better part. I believe in you and I know you will grow up to be something amazing. Please believe in your individuality, your unique culture, and your simple people. Don't die of an identity crisis, the mighty one. There's a long way to go.
Jai ho!
Much love,
PS: This picture was clicked in a little village near Wayanad, Kerala.
PPS: The font used above is from The Hinglish Project. It's a very cool concept and is available for free download. Read more about it here.
Though I couldn’t care less about the joke
that most weddings have turned into, the wedding rituals still excite me.
Simple rituals, complicated rituals and then some plain odd ones, they’re all
designed to make the happy couple realise the importance of this institution.
The diversity of this country makes weddings even more intriguing with every
region and religion bringing their own flavour to the ceremony. Even through
all the cultural variables, there’s one constant that is undeniable. It’s the
bride. Isn’t there something glorious about brides? We all know that it’s a
special day for both parties involved, but brides always steal the show. They
shine with some other-worldly glow, their immaculately put together clothes,
the heirloom jewellery, the smell of marigolds and jasmines, the sound of bells
and baubles, these little details add up to make these creatures absolutely
fascinating to me.
This may also have something to do with my
age and stage in life. At 26, it seems everyone around you is either considering,
dissing, planning or gushing about weddings. In fact, I’m off to one in another
12 hours. I can’t wait to see what the bride looks like. Is she a traditional
bride or a modern one? Is she a coy girl or a chirpy one? Will she shed a tear
during her vidaai (formal departure ceremony) or
come out grinning? I’ll report back soon. Anyhow, meet these lovely newlyweds
from Kollam, Kerala. They’d just gotten married and were bidding adieu to their
relatives, when my auto-rickshaw pulled by. Me, being I, couldn’t take my eyes
off the bride and decided to crash the party. Turns out the family, friends and
even the couple were more that excited to have me click a few shots. Their only
condition that I pose with them for few of their cameras. Such lovely people.
Pretty little school girls from a small town on the Kerala-Karnataka border
What is beauty? It’s such a strange term. What may appear
breathtaking to me may be less than ordinary to someone else and yet we live in
a culture where every once in a while a man or a woman is put up on a pedestal
of being fine creations of God. This makes no sense. Surrounding ourselves with
unachievable, often technically enhanced, beauty keeps us from appreciating the
most simplistic, often miss-able beauty that passes us by ever too discreetly.
I love how Nietzsche describes it. For only he could.
“The Slow Arrow of Beauty. The most noble kind of beauty is
that which does not carry us away suddenly, whose attacks are not violent or
intoxicating (this kind easily awakens disgust), but rather the kind of beauty
which infiltrates slowly, which we carry along with us almost unnoticed, and
meet up with again in heart, it takes complete possession of us, filling our
eyes with tears, our hearts with longing.” Pg 104, verse 149, Human, All Too Human
I love the women of my country – so beautiful, hard-working and strong. Carving their paths, against all odds, in a man's world. While that's true about most of the country, where the testosterone outshines the estrogen, there's always Kerala - the god's own country and the shining beacon of hope to the women around the world. Mother Earth hasn't only blessed this utopic state with breathtaking beauty but also the highest ratio of females (reaffirming the natural beauty, I guess). The fairer sex enjoys its spot in sunshine here. Women work, study and continue to bring hope to their sisters across the nation. Seeing the social and political atmosphere, we could all use some female inspiration. While I could list number of reasons that make the women in these parts exceptional, I choose to share a very small (almost insignificant) reason that makes these women remarkable to me. I'm always fascinated by people who do important things and make them appear so simple and effortless. Meet the women of Kerala. I don't understand how they manage to keep up their traditionally long, wavy, medusa-like manes and yet get their day's work done. They go around doing their business – taking the public transport, farming, walking around the dusty roads with their immaculately done-up hair, loosely hanging down their shoulders. No comfortable ponytails or I-mean-business buns, just thick, shiny, black hair, massaged with coconut oil, brushing their strong shoulders as they unapologetically celebrate their womanhood. It's magical. They are like goddesses. At least to me. As I sit in my bed, typing this post with my hair tied up in a messy scrunchy bun, I wish I could be a little less shabby.
In Kollam
In Kollam
At Munroe Island, Kollam
In Kollam
There's more posts coming from my recent trip to Kerala.
Come back soon.
Utility became an accessory when the ‘four-eyeds’ decided to change the way 6/6 vision
world perceived eye-frames. At one of our earlier conventions, we decided to
portray John Lennon and Woody Allen as our mob-lords. With their pictures
plastered everywhere wearing their iconic glasses, we slowly began to incept
ideas as bizarre as suggesting their coolness was directly proportional to
their lens power. We still can’t believe how, even with your perfect vision,
you couldn't see through our trap. Too late now. We’re cool now. You can wear
our frames and be the poseur/douche-who-tries-too-hard; we still laugh at our
conventions. YES, we have a club. And no, you are not invited, not even with
your non-prescription glasses; you have to prove your blindness to enter. After
all those years of bullying in school (when we were called ‘four-eyed’ and our
glasses were flung around as an everyday sport), we’re finally having our
revenge. From being a minority to becoming very description of the word
‘hipster,’ we've come so far. On behalf of all the fellow nerds – thank-you for
participating, the joke’s on you.
"If Lennon and Ono had an optical-frame baby, this would be it." - Sue
A pair of Lennons, stolen from Pasham Alwani's shoot
Refer to the picture below
From Yoko Ono's whimsical exercise book Grapefruit
One of my all-time treasures – A John Lennon x Yoko Ono Short Play record
Disclaimer – The author is not a nerd (no matter how hard
she may try to convince you). No hipsters were hurt in the research of this
pseudo-article.
