The In Divine Interest Project

Been a part of this project since its inception and loved every minute of the year that took to make it real! Here is what it is all about...

In Divine Interest, where, for God's sake if not for mankind's; we question numerous misinterpreted Indian mores and traditions. Where we celebrate the things that really need to be celebrated and tell stories that need a telling.

As Indians, we make noise when we marry and bray when we pray. We fling garbage out our windows but cut trees because the leaves litter roads. This land of colour, crafts and vivid performing arts, we embrace it with all its contradictions while doing our bit to make it better.
 
We tell Indian stories, old, new and the ones we cook up from time to time. We bring to life, the country's craft products in an all-new, designer, yet affordable avatar. We make India-centric films and merchandise inspired from Indian artforms.

Made in India by Indians.

Check out the very first video In Divine Interest...

To do or not to do. An inherent internal conflict. Who said Gods were immune to it? Watch Hanuman the Wind-God's son at his naughtiest best!





Another whopper, released today and what timing too. Dusk...the perfect time to release a video of the Goddess of wealth, Laxmi! 

The fickle Goddess, Laxmi, reigns over wealth in all its forms, from money to progeny and courage to knowledge. Thats the Goddess you want on your side at all times. Difficult to please and easy to put off. What does she do when an obvious, annual human blunder comes to her notice?





Support this project, visit the website http://www.indivineinterest.com/ , grab the free goodies and buy the products, share, spread the work and talk to us!

P.S: Many more films will follow this one and as and when this post will be updated!

Guess who's back?

Dear blog, long time no see...

You will be happy to know that much travelling has happened during that time. You and the world wide web were not missed, not remembered. Don't fret, though. I am back from the land of the dawn-lit mountains and I have stories to tell, stories to show and a strong urge to leave you again for those very mountains.

Don't hyper-ventilate, I didn't miss you but I did miss the small things in life like returning from work and retiring in my own bed with my familiar pillow and a book. Boo, the graceful pariah dog, the pair of bulbuls that visit my balcony every morning and demand banana bits. The list is long. I am rearing to go gallavanting again, but not just yet.

Such is my duality, that I did miss all these things, sorely. But I am eager to travel again. Meet new places, visit new people. Do the work I do best and do it well. In my last post, I wondered where I would travel next and it turned out to be of all places, the magical, mysterious, Arunachal Pradesh.

Dare I wonder where I'm going next?

Anticipating a weekend

Last night, delirious with sleep and exhausted after a week of research, I collapsed on my bed. As the warm red cushion blurred, I had an aakashwaani of sorts, some very wise travel philosophy. Unfortunately for me, almost immediately I also passed into a deep slumber, woke up late today, burnt some toast and barely reached work on time. Of course in all that fracas, the loss of those beautiful lines was felt this evening as I anticipated a weekend of laid-back breakfasts.

What a way to be jerked back into reality!
I wonder where I am going next?

Konachi wadi? (whose wadi?)

Poster for my film

Accidental wrong turns on the streets of Mumbai often lead to surprises. A few very specific turns in Girgaon, the old heart of Mumbai elicit a gasp from even the toughest critics of the city. For, just beyond these turns lies Khotachiwadi; a quaint urban village. A cacophony of curving-winding lanes, colourful Burma-teak houses with verandas, chawls and Art-deco buildings all inhabited by generation upon generation of the same family. This Mumbai-unique village is one of many. These villages are a testimony to the layers of history that this city is steeped in. Each of its unique features a remnant from every era lived through. If only these spaces could speak. 

Konachi wadi? is a film that tries to give a voice to Khotachiwadi. It explores the definitions of what can be defined as a wadi. Is a wadi just a tumble of gallies and buildings or does it have something more to it? The call of a fisherwoman, the couple that fell in love across balconies, the chapel with its neon cross and the house next to it where someone strums a guitar while the beer warms with droplets of condensation and dusk becomes night.

This 35-minute documentary film and supporting research was my Diploma project. This project was funded by the NID-Ford Foundation Scholarship and was completed in September 2010.

Watch this space for more on Khotachiwadi!

Ahmedabad on Uttarayan

All businesses closed

Goats on streets, almost no people

New clothes, jewellery

Everyone was on terraces

Till dusk.

These photos were clicked on Uttarayan, 2009.

Pre-NID photography portfolio

When I had appeared for the NID written test (early 2007), I had one thing going for me. Complete faith in the fact that I was not going to get admission there. I think that was what made me write that test with full abandon and no fear.

I clearly remember the day I checked the short-listed candidates for studio tests. My name was among 30 others. I had not expected that and I walked out of the IT room of my under-grad college (Ramnarian Ruia College at Matunga) in silence. I told noone. I was happy, ofcourse, but worried as well. What was I going to show in the interview? Surely, a portfolio would be expected. All the way home, I fretted in the train. After consolidating my position, these were the photographs that I mounted and presented.

My neighbour Ravin. He is all grown up now!

Bhutta

Giant wheel

A hair-clip vendor on the local train in Mumbai

A common house lizard

Reflection

A street in Pune at 2.00 am

Susie Q. She still lives in the yard of my parents' home

Sasan Gir

I did too

My room in Sinh Sadan, the Forest Dept. guest house

Sometimes there was a dog on the roof

Other times there were two!

There were crocodiles for neighbours. Very smiley ones at that!

A lane behind the crocodile breeding farm looked took us to the river

While another one took us to Gir

The river flowed through the reserve

On which was the Kamleshwar Dam

A small bridge led into the reservoir of the dam. A watch-tower with an excellent view stood further down with our jeep park in front of it.

A Maldhari settlement as viewed from the tower

Meanwhile in the 'Gir Interpretation Centre' notices like these waited for us

Besides these notices there were animals as well, which was the real surprise!

Chital

Nilgai

The resin glue lioness

That never moved an inch although a bus-load of humans was parked nearby

PAISA WASOOL!

To read my experiences at Gir, click here.