Last Infrequent Post Ever

I finally have my own website + journal running at http://parasg.com now, so it's time I let you know that there will be no further updates on this space on Blogspot. Please visit my website instead.

Hilarious 'Ghajini' Review

Check out the hilarious review of 'Ghajini' by Banno.

New Year, New Hopes

Writing about my four days in Sri Lanka, took a lot out of me, mentally and so I decided to lay low on this front. I put the time to good use, by focusing on Blue Lime Studios and finally adding a Blog section to the company website. If you want to read something more frequently updated, you should add http://bluelimestudios.blogspot.com/ to your RSS Feed reader. I've been averaging a post every week (almost).

Road Trip
The last week of 2008 was my most interesting week of the whole year. I went on a road trip that saw me travel 4000 kilometres across 4 states in India: Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. I drove alone for the better part of this adventure and am quite proud of having accomplished it without any trouble, mechanical or otherwise. It pays to have an excellent car at your disposal, I guess.

My beast of burden was a glimmering Sky Blue Skoda Laura and it gave me the thrill of zipping on National Highway 4 at 194 km/hr (my fastest ever!), covering a distance of 630 kilometres between Bangalore and Kolhapur in 8.5 hours! The trick, my friends, is to start early. 5 a.m. is a very auspicious time to start journeys that involve at least 500 kms. I did just that on my last day too and devoured the 800-odd kilometres between Bid (a major town in Maharashtra, 180 kms from Sholapur) and Bangalore, in 12.5 hours! I'm not a fan of Formula One, mind you, but I do love a good challenge.

On this road trip I got to see 4 new cities: Kolhapur, Baroda, Ahmedabad and Indore. I hated Indore the most! Of all cities, towns and villages I've driven in, in India and Kenya, it has to be the city with the worst drivers and most chaotic traffic. (Sorry DG, but that's just the way it is.) Kolhapur is a sleepy little city with a disproportionately large number of hotels and not much to see. Baroda felt like a very young and modern city with a vibrant crowd that seemed to have deep ties with the US and Europe. It has some snazzy malls! Ahmedabad seemed like a city steeped in history that was trying hard to catch up with metropolises like Mumbai. Apparently, it's known as the multiplex city of India. I also had my first ever "chocolate paan" there. It was very yummy! I've been blessed with a great variety of friends from Billimoria without whom I wouldn't have experienced so much in those 2 weeks. (Thank you Surat Party and everyone else for your hospitality!)

The route I took from Bangalore and back was something like this:
Bangalore - Kolhapur - Koyna (known for its dam) - Chiplun - Mangaon (on the Goa-Mumbai highway) - Mumbai - Valsad - Surat - Vasad - Borsad - Shekhdi (a village near Petlad in Gujarat) - Baroda - Nadiad - Ahmedabad - Indore - Dhule - Aurangabad - Bid - Bijapur - Hospet - Chitradurga - Sira - Tumkur - Bangalore.

I don't have the time now, but I will devote an entire series to this road trip and even share with you the route I took by creating a map of it on Google Maps. Bear with me!

2009
This year has begun on quite a positive note. I have started with the Ayurvedic treatment for my psoriasis for which I went to Gujarat. It seems to be working though it's too early to tell.

I will be a resident of Koramangala (again) by the end of January with a small flat all to myself. My goal for this year is to move my work space out of my house and into a proper office/studio in Koramangala or HSR Layout, whichever I can afford.

The response to the new Blue Lime Studios website has been encouraging, with new enquiries coming in more regularly. Many people have appreciated the name 'Blue Lime' and even seem to be enjoying the quirkiness of it all.

My membership to Bangalore Film Society has been renewed and I'm starting to remember the names of foreign film directors (Fatih Akin, especially). This year should be good on the film-watching front. Films really make for interesting conversations.

I've renamed this blog "PG's Infrequently Updated Diary" as I haven't really been writing much about Bengaluru. I also like being honest and having to explain little.

That's about it for now. Happy 2009 Folks!

Event - Photographing Colonial Bangalore

Calling all photography enthusiasts for a Sunday of photographing old-world charms in Bangalore.

When?
Early morning(before the light and temperature get too harsh) on Sunday, October 19, 2008.

Where?
In and around M. G. Road. We meet at 7 a.m. outside St. Mark's Cathedral on M. G. Road.

Doing What?
Taking pictures of interesting examples of colonial architecture in Bangalore and swapping stories about them e.g. St. Mark's Cathedral. Old-timers and history-lovers will be able to suggest more such buildings.

So, who's coming? I know we have lots of keen photographers here.

Depression and Suicide

I read in The Times of India today of Bangalore's dubious distinction as the suicide capital of India, with 2,430 cases of suicide and 25,000 attempts at it in 2007. Does anyone know why the people of this city are so depressed and lonely and contemplative of suicide?

In spite of knowing that there is no coming back from suicide, why do so many people consider it a solution to their problems? Could it be that people these days lack compassion and warmth for each other? That they only care for their own well-being?

According to a few news reports, it's the stress of urban life that is leading people to such drastic measures. I believe, though, that any stress, any strain can be countered with the support of family and friends. That leaves me to wonder whether people in Bangalore really have time for others. Supposing it were true that a majority of the inhabitants of this city are extremely self-centred and selfish, is there a way to remedy this situation socially? Is there a way to make people care for those around them whether they are known or unknown to them?

If you're reading this, I urge you to post your views on the subject. I would definitely like to do my bit for this issue and help save some lives in the process.

Time Out Bengaluru

At a traffic signal yesterday, I finally caught my first glimpse of Time Out Bengaluru and boy was I excited! I purchased a copy straightaway. When I first heard about Time Out coming to Bangalore I was surprised that this city actually had that much to offer to its citizens, culturally. I mean, Delhi and Mumbai having their own issues of Time Out is more than justified. There's enough going on in these cities to exhaust a person just glancing at listings in a magazine. I'm not complaining though. Time Out Bangalore will make it so much easier to keep abreast of interesting happenings in Tech city. So go get your copy today!

Abe Gowda - Cartoonist

I have a very talented friend called Abe Gowda (he must be a fan of Lincoln) who is a cartoonist based in Bangalore. Check out his blog for more of his interesting art work and satire.

Jasmania

I love wordplay and I realised while thinking of Jasmine, that if she were an island, it would be called Jasmania. The inhabitants of that island, would be Jasmaniacs of course.

*snigger, snigger*