Family matters!

Life is one long trip, offering us plenty of reasons to celebrate something or the other. In a family as large as the one my mother comes from (11 siblings, would’ve been 13, had the other two survived!), there’s always reason to be beatific. I have cousins, aunts & uncles like everyone else, except that there are many I have yet to meet or even discover. From the little glimpses I had of my grandfather as a child, I can only infer that his children probably stood as symbols of either his virility or his economic well-being. I can’t imagine raising a family of 11 kids in this day and age.

The invite was a digital reprint of a 1957 photograph of my parent’s wedding day. In the picture are my maternal grandfather and some of mom’s brothers, sisters and their kids.

A few years ago my parents achieved a milestone. 50 years of togetherness. At the time, I was wondering what would make for a perfect gift, what would they really cherish? Rummaging through my collection of old vintage photographs and other memorabilia, I decided to share my point of view of growing up with them, in a video. I have two older sisters living in other cities with their own collection of family photographs which I decided to use. I asked them to snail mail me stuff from their collections. Since these were images from the 1950′s onwards, they were mostly analog! So the first thing I did was line up all the stuff  chronologically, to have them digitized. Between my husband and me we captured some sound bytes (on an almost defunct camcorder) of friends and family who would not be able to attend the party. Finally, with the help of a student who agreed to help edit the story for some pocket-money, and my children who agreed to lend their voices to introduce their grandparents. We put together this little 8 minute video, overnight. My younger daughter was 10 and she was sleepy and nervous reading about her maternal great grandpa, she swallowed a few words reading the passage. We had a flight to catch the next evening so it was a very sleepless 24 hrs before we reached New Delhi for the celebration!

This  impression very briefly explains what it was like growing up with them. 50 years is long time to condense coherently but I tried. My folks are simple, honest to goodness kind of people. Their real achievement lies in their human values and an unmatched zest for life. It’s here on wp, because I want as many people to know of them. They deserve a spot of popularity in a world beyond family. Thank you for your visit and I hope you enjoyed watching this even if the culture is at odds with your own

Weekly Photo Challenge: Unfocused

The gardener’s neglect: A flower basks in the sunshine in spite of any focus on its wellbeing. Breathing its last: glorious and graceful in its slow demise. As seen in an abandoned dry patch in an otherwise lush garden.

shabnamphoto

Art takes times square. Is something really going on out there?

I’m overwhelmed by my participation in this mammoth collective effort called Art Takes Times Square. Besides being back by a few hundred dollars in these lean times, I find myself sucked into a whirl of art and hope. It’s like a game of dice, a chance at noticeability. The public is the judge here for the first shortlist of 200 portfolios out of maybe 76000 (pity, my grandma & her pals aren’t around to collect me! ). Ok, so the thing is your goodwill with your networks is what counts besides hopefully your work quality. It’s a ton of work like none other out here, especially for the soloists participating on hope and talent alone. First and foremost of course is the making of a stellar portfolio and then the networking to get the eyeballs. Tumbling it, pinning it, pressing it, stumbling it, facebooking it, twittering it and of course blogging it! Tough contest, fat chance is what I think! Given the dismal stats on my blog here and Pinterest (I’m not on tumblr), what chance do I stand?

But then, I love that its there. It offers me inspiration to do stuff, make something out of my life and more importantly it helps connect me back with myself and what’s important to me as an independent artist free from the rigors of commerce. It really doesn’t matter if I’m kinda slow at generating a windfall of interest around all these platforms. It’s important that I now have an interesting set of experimental art to show my well wishers and friends who care to take a look! My head has been in a spin the past two weeks creating artworks in a rush of inspiration, whilst tracking all the twists and turns stipulated in the contest details for a basic framework for success.

So here’s a big hello to all you visitors, friends, fellow bloggers, subscribers and the fluke stumblers, please spare a minute or two to take a look at some interesting photo collages I have made. They’re viewable on the link below and hey if you do see them then don’t forget to click “Collect Me” (its the tab on the top right hand corner of the page in the link below! Phew!!) I hope your participation will help me get somewhere from nowhere!

http://shabnamphoto.artistswanted.org/atts2012

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Oh yeah, you can click “collect me” anonymously if you are concerned about privacy. Though there is something in it for you as a collector too. From what I understand, you will become a registered collector / judge with www.artistswanted.org and might be encouraged to consider either participation or be a judge of the work you see apart from my own. For the most striking collection there is a reward too, a trip to NYC!!! So, do not hesitate, if you love art, do take a look and be part of this movement. You might surprise yourself with the awesome talent you see there and be inspired yourself! You lose nothing when you collect, infact you stand to gain!!!

If you have a critique or comment to share you can leave one there or better still come back here to share. In case you are a fellow artist/photographer and are interested in participating do take a look at the details of the contest here. http://www.artistswanted.org/arttakestimessquare/

Muchos gracias in advance!

Collect me on the link above the slideshow or via shabnamphoto.

A day with the ladies at Akshara

Akshara is a Mumbai based NGO that works for gender equality among women, girls and communities in the underprivileged neighborhoods of the city. The women have unfulfilled dreams of learning, education, jobs and self-confidence. Before I landed up at the event documented here, the organizers told me that most of the participants lack resources and feel trapped in their environments and that the young girls especially, lack parental encouragement besides suffering from gender bias in their own homes (some have had to forsake their meals so that their brothers could eat). Akshara had organised a get together around the festive season of Govinda, Eid and Ganesh Chaturthi. In an act of defiance the girls devised their own form of the popular Dahi handi act (normally reserved for only boys to participate) and generally celebrated their friendship over tea, laughter, jokes, skits and games.

Schoolgirls who had gate crashed into the party as I was told by the organizers. So happy were they no one wanted to reprimand them..

These two ladies were glad to leave their household woes for an afternoon of friendly banter and showmanship

The air was infectious as the girls thronged to tie their bands on each other.

A rapt audience watching the female version of Dahi handi

The female version of dahi handi involves blindfolding contestants and getting them to break the pot kept on a stool in the centre of the room with a long stick.

This is the spunky Samata Jhadav, a slum dweller from a suburb in Mumbai who created a stir when she acted in the Marathi version of Eve Eisler's Vagina Monologues. She was videotaping the function and as you can see was hugely popular with the participants. She is undoubtedly charismatic, bold and beautiful.

The boys who join the program such as this boy are not only learning about the issues related to gender bias but also learning from the talented young ladies. In this case he helps videotape the occasion to turn it into a YouTube video for sharing.

A girl prepares to smash a clay pot (handi) blindfolded. She has to be sure not to end up smashing someone in the audience!

A young college going slum kid recounts her story of rising above her circumstances and the benefits of pursuing higher education. She is passionate about women's rights and a wonderfully confident speaker.

An expression of love. The venue offered an escape from the stifling atmosphere of a male dominated slum life.

The co director of Akshara Foundation Nandita Shah gets the lowdown on 'the event' from her organising team.

shabnam sirur | One Life Photos 2011

Please take a look at my portfolio of images entered for onelife photos contest. Would love to hear your comments.

shabnam sirur | One Life Photos 2011.

Ah! African Daisy

I love flowers. Don’t ask me why, but I do!  Since I’m at a loss of words, I thought it best to borrow them from William Blake & Alexander Pushkin. These pictures were taken soon after a long and arduous argument with the one who brought them home. The accompanying verse seems to express the context of what that moment and these flowers meant to me. Hope you like them even if a tad flowery

Ah! Sun-Flower by William Blake

Ah Sun-flower! weary of time.
Who countest the steps of the Sun;
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the travellers journey is done.

Where the Youth pined away with desire,
And the pale Virgin shrouded in snow:
Arise from their graves and aspire.
Where my Sun-flower wishes to go.

The sleeping sepals: 'I slept in the earth In the silent night, I murmured my fears and I felt delight.

The Filament and the Stigma: As I wandered the forest, the green leaves among, I heard a Wild Flower singing a song.

A bud dreams: 'In the morning I went as rosy as morn, to seek for new joy; But oh! met with scorn.

Glowing petals: A flower, shrivelled, bare of fragrance, forgotten on a page - I see, and instantly my soul awakens, filled with an aimless reverie

The stigma: When did it bloom? the last spring? earlier? How long? Where was it plucked? By whom? By foreign hands? or by familiar? And why put here, as in a tomb?

Wilting: Is she alive? Is he still with her? Where is their haven at this hour? Or did they both already wither, like this unfathomable flower?

Bangkok diptychs: a tour of the city in pictures.

Anything I say about Bangkok is already said. Every single spot I display here has already been explored by a million people. Promoted in recent times as a hot business destination, its been one of Asia’s biggest shopping cum tourist hotspots for centuries, after all. Ashoka the great called it Suvarnabhoomi (Golden land or land of Gold in sanskrit) when his empire covered this region some 2000 years ago. At the time we landed at the airport, I didn’t know that. The renaming of the Bangkok airport was underway with huge suspended banners in glittering gold typography. Needless to say, I was surprised to make note of this. Suddenly, I felt like I was home but in another chapter from a past life!

Like any other city in the world, Bangkok is throbbing with action. Famous for its notorious sex parlors, it’s perplexing to note that a largely devout Buddhist society should be lost to its very own ideal. Promiscuity, materialistic pursuits and greed seem to co-exist with ancient rituals, folklore and a love for Buddha.

On my trip there some years ago, I realised its easy to make friends as long as you can thank the locals with the ‘Kap Kun Khap’ refrain, hands folded like the Indian Namaste. My efforts at greeting every vendor with the Sawat Dee (hello in Thai) refrain helped in getting some great bargains while shopping in the colorful Chatuchak weekend market. Like in India, you must bargain, bargain, bargain for complete satisfaction. No wonder its such a popular destination with Indian tourists.

Buddhism is important in Thailand. Religious artefacts in general and Buddha statues in particular are sacred. The head is the most important part of the Buddha statue and should not be touched. Any disrespectful handling of a Buddha statue is considered desecration, which results in severe criminal penalties. An observation made in the zillions of curio shops that sell Buddha heads in every proportion, size and material. Also attached to the purchase of a Buddha statue is the statutory export tax. It’s not something you can casually carry back home. You have to declare it holding it from the bottom else you don’t get out of the country!

Every street corner had large banners in Thai with pictures of the monarch in all his finery. As I learnt from the Tuk Tuk driver, the Royal family are revered and respected. Jokes about royalty are absolutely not tolerated. I believe you must walk on your knees and always seem shorter than the royalty whether they’re seated or standing. Being tall, my slouch was back!

Pretty much like the Hindu customs, we were informed by the temple staff at the temple sites we visited that when sitting, ensure that the soles of your feet are never pointed toward anyone, particularly a monk or Buddha image. The feet are considered the lowliest part of the body by Thais. Oddly, you get the best foot massages there!

One great thing about the people was their smiley disposition. It’s almost impossible to find a frown on a Thai’s face unless they’re staring at the sun or lost in deep thought. They expect you to smile a lot too in return. Smiling is equated with patience, and Thais greatly admire those who are patient. Thais avoid violence, conflict and confrontation. Losing your composure means losing respect in Thailand. Do not be surprised to encounter situations where an obvious injustice or abuse is tolerated with an outwardly submissive attitude, for the sake of not losing face.

This is a collection of diptychs that showcases what we did along the beaten tracks in the city.

The gilded temple complex of Wat Benjabophit (I think). Wat is for temple in Thai.

Wat sized happiness at Wat Benjabophit

The reclining bronze Buddha of Wat Po. Done to death but then I have my own picture postcard!

Frescoes and the tourists: The floral paintings on the walls inside are beautiful, not to mention the intricate woodwork.

Buddha bliss and the miniature fresco.

Gilded detail from head to toe.

The straw hat & the bridge on river Chao Phraya.

Thai gondola and temples galore.

Our guide was quick to tell us that Bangkok is the Venice of Asia! I was intrigued by this decorative figure on the stern of another gondola parked by the bay.

Walking to the night market through a 140 acre park with a man-made lake right in the middle! The park is named after Buddha's birthplace Lumbini except that the Thai's call it Lumphini!

The shower in our swanky hotel room, "psycho" style!

On the tube, we stood in a neatly arranged queue of commuters, marked on the floor at every doorway of the station.

Burnt, ransacked, shaken. The Hagia Sophia stands as a stoic symbol of survival in a world fraught with differences.

The Hagia Sophia is neither a church nor a mosque. As I learnt upon arrival, it’s a museum. As a student, we had to study this monument and its influence on Christian art. I had a faint memory of more than 25 years ago and remembered it as a grand church of the Byzantines. That during Ataturk’s times it was converted into a museum was not something I kept track of.

From the outside the Aya Sophia appears to be a complex pastiche of architectural styles. Built over, torn down and restructured several times during its 1600 bloodied years of history, it’s in a feeble state of disrepair right now. Somewhere you can see scaffolding hanging, elsewhere, large construction grids that give it a sci-fi spaceship like feel. Some architects believe that so weak is the structure, that one single tremor from an earthquake could bring the whole thing tumbling down. The last one a couple of years ago, ended up destabilizing the dome.

Facets of its former glory are visible in the distressed frescoes and grand mosaics on the walls, but its dank inner spaces also seemed to contain the howls of a thousand rebellions. Gazing at the ghostly monument inside, it’s easy to see how this glorious landmark entwines the legacies of medieval Christianity, the Ottoman Empire, resurgent Islam and modern secular Turkey in one tight knot. Modern day calligraphic signs (Allah) hang on the ancient Corinthian columns. As I gathered from the information posters outside, the original Basilica made its appearance in 330 A.D under Emperor Constantine of the Roman Empire. Today’s version was created by Emperor Justinian as a symbol of Byzantium architecture. The minarets were added later by the Ottomans when ‘Mahmet the terrible’ conquered Constantinople from the Byzantines and declared it a Mosque. Thats when the name changed from Hagia Sophia (Holy wisdom) to the turkish version Aya Sophia.

The set of pictures here are my postcards from the visit there and my way of wishing my friends a Happy Easter and Good Friday.

        

London Street Photography Festival: What’s your vote?

I believe shooting candid in a public environment is never easy. It’s a skill that requires practice, practice and more practice. It’s hard to pry on someone without being noticed, what with a camera pointing straight at them. I don’t use a telephoto lens, though I’m tempted to. I think that would be the easy way out.  Most of the pictures here are shot on my Nikon DSLR at a 58mm range, though my lens is a Sigma 58-100mm zoom. I like to shoot on manual mode so that I can control the depth of field though sometimes this can prove challenging especially when a candid moment presents itself all so suddenly, it needs to be frozen somehow. That’s when the program mode comes really handy. I prefer pictures that tell a story or capture a feeling. For me Black and White photography has a timeless appeal most suited for either emotionally charged imagery or dramatic compositions. I prefer capturing the lighter moments of life in color. Sometimes, a certain place, a certain time of day and a certain composition only works in color. I like to make these decisions while I’m shooting, rather than fiddle around later in post. The set of images here are not part of a single theme but a series of moments I have captured in different places, on different cameras and totally different time zones. Each picture belongs to a set with a cohesive theme, chosen because it best reflects what I understand fits the theme for the London Street photography festival. I spend a lot of time in post, editing out irrelevant stuff. Its tough and even tougher to edit these down further to just 8 entries. Please vote for what you think is worthwhile while you’re here. You can rate them anonymously by clicking on the ‘rate it’ slug at the bottom of the post. Or leave your preference by no. or title in the comment  section. This will help me enormously and hey thanks for the visit! 1. Urban warriors: Businessmen, bankers, vacationers, revelers descend on the historical Taksim Square for a good time. Location: Istanbul, Turkey 2. A line of color: A housewife attends to her daily chores in the brilliant desert sun. Location: Jodhpur, India 3. The sweeper of the ashram: A man collects his belongings as he finishes the task for the day. Location: Karaikudi, Tamilnadu 4. The vacant cycle rickshaw: A quaint, colorful homemade tricycle lies parked by a decorative wall. Waiting. Location: Vrindavan, India 5. The spectators: Bastiwalas gather in hordes to watch a shoot in their neighborhood. Location: Jodhpur, India  6. The sleeping dog: A stray dog gets comfortable on smoldering ash from a puja done the night before. Location: Vrindavan, India 7. The monkeys day out: A monkey couple make an abandoned handcart their home. Location: Vrindavan, India 8. The inactive wayfarer: A pilgrim relaxes in the spacious porch of a mansion turned into a museum or does he make his home.Location: Karaikudi, India 9. The curious and the inquisitive: I was interested in the situation, while my subjects engaged with their own observations of the site.    Location: Agra Fort, India 10. The bicycle ride: The golden hour presented itself when these bicyclers rode past the setting sun. Location: Benaulim beach, Goa 11. Sheepish love: In the hope for conjugal bliss on the first day of the new year, a young man woos his heart-throb.                      Location: Emigran, Istanbul, Turkey 12. On the borderline: A man appears mysteriously on a wall between the sea and land. What did he do there?                         Location: Mumbai, Marine Drive, India 13. Night walk in Talaat Haab square: Shadows and silhouettes lend a mysterious touch to the mundane. Location: Cairo, Egypt 14. Nahargarh visitors: A view of the courtyard in the Nahargarh fort shot from the highest point above.                                     Location: Jodhpur, India 15. The mighty splash: A couple basks in the afternoon sun, on a cold wintery day in the park. Location: Emirgan, Istanbul, Turkey 16. An object of desire: Neighbourhood kids watch as their friends family bring home a 3 wheeler for a community puja. Location: Jodhpur, India 17. Inside out: An abstract image emerges from reflections on this glass door of a popular pub. Location: Istanbul, Turkey 18. Transection: Two strangers acknowledge each other in a chance encounter. Location: Topkapi Palace, Istanbul 19. Ancient door: A door akin to fort makes for the entrance into a familys humble home inside. Location: Vrindavan, India 20. The kid and the Taksim tram: A child gets a wider view of the busy street perched on his fathers shoulders. Location: Istanbul, Turkey 21. Stray but free: A pariah dog takes a stroll in a deserted street in search for his next meal. Location: Karaikudi, Tamilnadu, India 22. Mumbai march: A family, some friends and some strangers walk above the pedestrian area. Location: Mumbai, Marine Drive, India

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• Street Photography: Weekly Photography Challenge (digital-photography-school.com)

Lavani Dancers: If seduction doesn’t work, they will play on your sympathy.

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I had never really seen a live Lavani dance (until now) nor made any great effort to go see one. A much abused dance form of Maharashtra, my impressions of it being lewd, provocative and downright crude were formed early in my youth. Cheap Marathi cinema broadcast on late night television in the 70′s was responsible for this misconception. However, such glimpses did leave me curious about the vitality and sheer playfulness embodied by the dancers. Later, I learnt that Lavani is not just one of the most loved and celebrated folk dances of Maharashtra but is one of the rare ones that has survived through centuries of change in a battle torn state. From being a court dance endorsed by the Maratha royalty in the 18th century to its lurid depiction in modern times by prostitutes, bar dancers and item numbers alike; I was pleasantly surprised to encounter this dance in the context of a rock show! Needless to say, I was riveted in the midst of a hooting, whistling and completely intoxicated crowd, who teased and shared a special dialogue with these dancers.