Monet Talk or Not!

Monet Picture at Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

I am very poor at appreciating art. I know of only a few big names like Monet, Van Gogh and umm, OK, Michaelangelo.

So why am I talking (or not) about Monet now? Well, it all started with this post that I linked at Blogbharti-

Kusum visits the Poppy fields in Antelope Vally in the US and her pictures are a feast for the eyes.

No no, wait, I am coming to Monet. Then came Sunil who left this comment.

Thanks, great snaps.

I suppose the only excuse for not associating with Monet would have to be death.

Now I am curious and ask him (at Blogbharti), "So is Monet associated with death?" I am curious because his comment jogs my memory that I actually have seen a Monet painting at Oxford (the one posted above) and I thought maybe that at home turf (i.e. Blogbharti) I can take the risk of asking dumb questions. Hmm the answer I got convinced me that I should leave art well alone.

Er no. My fault, the way in which i said it. I just wanted to say it reminds me of Monet’s well known poppies. And almost instantaneously one would associate the snaps with the paintings. The only reason not to is if you have died. especially for me coz one monet hangs in my bed room. ;)
Cheers

OK, now that I read it again it makes some sense because Kusum uploaded pictures of poppies and Monet painted poppies ... But then I will not go anywhere near art for quite sometime now. Scares me stiff.

Patak (I threw it) and Gir Gaya (I dropped it)

Patak and Gir Gaya are the Favorite Words of my Niece

My brother-in-law Amrit has this to say about my niece who loves to throw cell phones on the ground and then tell us innocently gir gaya or patak whatever catches her fancy:

Sometimes she doesn’t throw, as in, she doesn’t hurl the object as an act of throwing, she just let’s it fall from the point she’s holding it, without giving a second (or even a first) glance, as if it doesn’t exist, orchestrating an expression like an angel singing a melody of innocence, and you just want to give up the world for her there and then.

And I entirely agree with Amrit. This time I was at their place with my DSLR and she wanted to play the same patak gir gaya game. Only she could not figure out why masi (aunt) is not letting her even to touch the black thing and yet she is chasing her with it all around (I have so many pictures of her that is was so difficult to choose just one to put it along with this post). She protested a lot but I too stood firm.

I guess she then thought of a good way of getting back at me. She keeps US timings in India and at 3.30 in the morning one day, she was telling my sister 'masi baat' (I want to talk to masi) My sis told her masi will not talk but give you gali (scold you). I dread the day when she will keep US hours and will be able to call her masi on her own.

Also posted at Blogbharti.

PS. I took the picture off after reading this.

An Ode to Feet by Frankie Zelnick

I absolutely loved this post by Frankie Zelnick and I identify with it a lot. An ode to his feet cause they took him her to all the corners of the globe.

I like them best this way – rough, worn out, paint chipping away at the edges. All are signs of use, productivity, and accomplishment. If I could add up all the miles they’ve journeyed throughout my lifetime, I wonder what length they would stretch. I wonder how far these feet have taken me.

...

But my feet remain the truth, the evidence, the division between fact and fiction. These feet have walked through English gardens, through Canadian forests, through the fields of India. They have hiked up the Himalayas and strolled through the streets of Paris. They have been washed in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, blessed in the Ganges.

Also posted at Blogbharti.

Parivahan Mantri Dwara Sammanit! (Honored by the Trasnport Minister)

I met Rohit at the recent GV meet and we chatted about our blogs. Today when I visited his blog I really liked his picture of an autorickshaw which says ' Mananiya Parivahan Mantri Dwara Sammanit' (Honored by the Trasnport Minister) among other things. Do have a look at the picture.

I exchanged a few emails with him and I found it yet more interesting the way he got the picture. He says: "I had to chase this autorichsaw & stop him to take his picture." Now that is some enthusiasm.

Also posted at Blogbharti.

Global Voices 2006 New Delhi Meet

Update: Here are some pictures of the conference taken by Jace.

The conference website is GVdelhi2006.
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I have done a few posts at Global Voices but then I lost steam or rather I got too busy with my semester. When I came to know that they are having their annual 2006 summit at (tagged gvnewdelhi2006) India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, I decided to attend it. Now I am back after the first day and in some ways it has been an awesome experience. I am writing my personal views here, I have done a roundup of the summit at Blogbharti.

The India Habitat Centre, New Delhi where GV 2006 is being held

The best thing about the summit was finding so many people from different parts of the globe under one roof. I have been to some large academic conferences but I don't think I have met people from Tunisia, China, Poland, Maldives, Kzakistan, Trinidad and Tobago, Bangladesh, etc. under one roof (thought many people are living in different countries from their country of origin).

Another high of the meet was actually getting a chance to have a look at the 100 dollar laptop, though I am not very sure what are there plans with it.

I had a small chat with Georgia Popplewell from GV (she was taking so many pictures) and I was expressing my doubt about continuing with GV because of time limits. She said I can keep my own pace, and maybe I will get more time this semester. I think I should continue but I will give a time commitment after I come back from my Sikkim holidays.

Coffee Time at GV 2006 New Delhi

But what topped my attending the session was meeting so many people I had known only through their blogs. It was an absolute pleasure to meet Kamala Bhatt and Sakshi. I had interacted with Dina when the blocking of blogs happened here in India and now I have met her in person too. Had a quick chat with Aparna and finally got to meet Shivam Vij.

I was too sleepy yesterday, otherwise I would have never forgotten to mention Rezwan. I asked his opinion about Brick Lane by Monica Ali and he said as far as fiction goes, it is a decent book.

Blogbharti

Want to look at another linkfest site? Well, here is Blogbharti for you.

About

Blogbharti (the word is a pun) is an aggregator that brings to you the best of the Indian blogosphere.

Our current contributors are Krish, Shivam, Apurva, Kufr, Bhupinder, Arun and Mridula.

You can see I have vested interest in the site. I linked to Rich's post there who has now reached China (after cycing through parts of India and Pakistan) and is stuck there in bad weather.