When Colours Talk

One of the advantages of reading posts by fellow bloggers is that you come to know a lot of things!! I came to know about this contest called "Capture the Colour", wherein you have to post photos that epitomize a particular colour, in Arti's blog. Maybe I should have waited till someone tagged me, but I fell in love with the idea so much that I took up the challenge straightaway!!

BLUE

This is inside the courtyard of Sarkhez ki Roza, Ahmedabad. If you note the time stamp, this snap was taken at the end of the day when the moon has just come into view. The sky is a serene blue, and the courtyard also seems to have taken up the tinge.

GREEN

We had witnessed Goa in a unique look when we visited in monsoons. We were enthralled by the lush green vegetation, fresh life coming up after the rains.. this snap is taken on a roadside hill on which surreal beauty overlooks the sea. Here you see quite a number of green forms: Grass, Shrubs, Wide and Tall trees. The ambience is quiet, cows graze on one side.. the experience is unforgettable.

YELLOW 

The mighty chandelier on the ceiling of a Durga Puja Pandal in Kolkata. It uses all CFL lights with a yellowish glow that saves energy and symbolizes Purity and Strength at the same time! 

WHITE

I had the maximum difficulty in choosing an image for this colour. I found white buildings, temples, statues, mighty waterfalls, frothing seas, snow capped mountains, etc but this is the photo where the white of the canvas ropes struck me against this dark background. It is such a simple, yet effective barrier - physical, but not visual, so flexible and light. This is a partition used in a restaurant in Kolkata. Can you make out the furniture on the other side?  

RED

A shot taken in a Durga Puja Pandal in Kolkata where the interior lighting is on a red theme. Goddess Durga also wears a red saree that brings Her out as the centre of attraction and enhances Her beauty. Spotlights are used to highlight the faces of the deities. Dont you think the redness of the frame has come out very well?

The contest requires us to nominate five fellow bloggers so as to spread the word. I have chosen them very carefully, and hope they would enjoy participating in this contest!

Sushmita of My Unfinished Life

Santosh Chandran of Lightscapes

Joshi Daniel of Joshi Daniel Photography

Nabhonil Basu of Kamara Syndrome

Abhishek Majumder of Tactile Thoughts

And last but not the least, if this contest interest you, just participate!! The last date of participation is 29th August, 2012 - there's hardly any time left!! Check out their Facebook page too!

"An Unsung Love Story" : My entry for the Get Published contest

Its a new initiative from Indiblogger and Harper Collins: Submit your story and you may be published. There's a theme: "Real Love in New India". However exciting it may sound, there is also a catch - Its got to be REAL. That is, you may talk about your own story (are you MAD?) or someone else's (Thank God!!).

We have to submit just our idea about the story, and explain why we want to write about it. We shall get assistance in weaving the final version of our own short story. 

 

So here goes: Plot of a True Story of Love: AN UNSUNG LOVE STORY

Boy and Girl are classmates. Girl gets married right after college - keeps in touch with Boy through letters. [No internet and other technologies at that time]. They realize what they mean to each other when there is a gap in communication. Girl has had twin boys by then but she believes in her love and moves out. She takes up a job, and applies for custody of her kids. Girl’s husband is sceptical of social stigma, and delays the divorce. What happens next? Will Boy and Girl ever be united? Will she get the custody of the kids? Wait for more...

The reason of selecting this story is the Boy is one of my closest friends and I am also a witness of their struggle. I admire their commitment to their relationship, and want the world to know about their story. This shall go a long way to inspire couples who hesitate to take bold steps in crisis situations.

I hope you guys like the story line. I look forward to encouragement from you!

Image Source: here, duly "Photoshopped" by me.

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This is my entry for the HarperCollins–IndiBlogger Get Published contest, which is run with inputs fromYashodhara Lal and HarperCollins India.

Love or Arranged

What? No marks for guessing.. it can be nothing else but marriage. And this debate is ages old, and never ends. So much so, that a serial is being aired on television on this topic!! Now that this topic has cropped up, lets take one by one.

Gals and Guys, Ladies and Gentlemen, please understand marriage, whichever way it happens, is a union of two souls, two families, two cultures and much more. Please don't taint it with issues of caste, dowry, "rules for bahus", and all that scares the young generation at the very idea of marriage.

The Arranged Set Up

The latest protagonist of this story is my very own brother-in-law. The chap is 30, and my parents in law had found a girl who was pretty, well educated, smart, willing to shift anywhere with her would-be husband, of the correct caste, a talented master of all trades-music, dance, painting, poetry. What is more, she said yes to our boy.. we were sure we had found his heaven-made match, when he suddenly turned around and said a firm "No". Our sincere efforts to cajole him to this alliance failed miserably.

My bro-in-law said, "How can I decide in a couple of meetings?", while the girl was apprehensive of going out with an unknown guy. Umm, she perhaps had a point there.

I really wonder how the generation before ours survived with people usually selected by someone other than themselves, sometimes even setting eyes on the other person during marriage!

The Love Affair

Some relationships are made in heaven..but how on earth would you know? How do you know whether the person on the other side is interested in being with you for the person you are or the wealth you would inherit/ your figure or any other reason?

Given the risks, the only advantage in a Love Marriage is that you get some quality time to spend with each other, and do a self evaluation of your compatibility. I mean, isn't that enough??

The flipside of having relationships is of course, loads of mental pressure if anything ever tends to go wrong, let alone happen!

For those who could not find the right partner yourself, the Arranged Marriage idea isnt too bad either, if we are willing to revisit some rules- for example, the girl is not a showpiece. She is not going to dress up and bring tea/ snacks for anybody. Her parents would not give lavish gifts - let the newly wed couple procure them through their own merit. And yes, when you claim "Caste no bar", please mean it. And be open to inter caste, inter religion, inter state, inter country, even inter continental marriages!!! Both sets of inlaws have to adopt the new member in their families, instead of handing them huge responsibilities and expect them to transform into super-humans! Some changes are happening, but its time for a revolution.
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I had a love marriage myself. Given my shy nature, most people doubt this fact even today. :) This contest on Indiblogger is very close to my heart. Photograph courtesy Jaspal Singh, a close friend of mine.