Little Nothings

You’re nothing
I’m nothing
We could have been everything but we weren’t
And maybe we never would have been.

What’s left?

Ideamarked Dec2011: Calvin & Hobbes, Mother Teresa & Social Samosa

December is always a busy month, what with friends & family flying in from out of the country, parties, events and meets. Everyone is in a festive mood and the weather is lovely even in Mumbai.

My best friend who moved to another continent last year, visited. Other regulars made their annual trips. I’ve attending all manner of events, from tweet-ups, to weddings to movie premiers to dance workshops. I also managed to catch a few interesting things online. A new assignment came my way, via SocialSamosa, a one-stop shop for information on the Indian social media. Twitter called telecom minister, Kapil Sibal an idiot and boosted an insofar little known Tamil actor to fame with Kolaveri Da. It’s been a fun end to an eventful year.

• ‘Why This Kolaveri Da: Reply Cover-Female Version‘ (via Youtube, link courtesy SangitaBhargavi)
• ‘Why Guest Posting Is Such A Good Idea‘: I’ve been a guest-blogger at other sites myself. And in the past few months, XX Factor has welcomed guest contributors. Here’s why it works so well. (via FamousBloggers)
• ”Social Networking: How Communities Were Built: (via SocialSamosa)
• ‘Kapil Sibal & The C-word’: My take on the phenomenon that made our telecom minister trend on Twitter. (via SocialSamosa)
• ‘Whats goin’ on‘: This video should make us all wonder if we ever bullied someone more than we needed to. (via Youtube, link courtesy AshwiniMishra)
• ‘Mommie Dearest: The fanatic, fraudulent Mother Teresa‘: Watching idols crumble is always a difficult experience…and a valuable one for the inquiring mind. I don’t know how much of this is fact but it does open up the field for inquiry where there was only blind belief before. (via Slate, link courtesy KiranManral)
• ‘An Untold Tale‘: I loved this poem for the first two lines: “We each have our story to tell
  A part narrated by others” (via PreetiS)
• ‘A Very Calvin & Hobbes Christmas‘: Fans of Calvin and Hobbes, remember his winter sculptures? Here’s a hilarious video that recreates many of them to the tune of ‘Winter Wonderland’! (via YouTube, link courtesy Betty Confidential)
• ‘The Creation & Consumption Of Content‘ (via Social Samosa)

* Images via Wikipedia

You can catch the links as they come in and even post your own to The Idea-smithy Facebook Page.

HAVE A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Fairy Tales-Love, Hate & Hubris: Mixed Bag Of Twists On Old Tales

I was skeptical when I received a copy of Fairy Tales: Love, Hate & Hubris for review. I’m not big on poetry and know practically nothing about the structures, the formal construction and appreciation of poetry. But the book is a retelling or an alternate look at some popular fairytales. How could my love of stories (especially ones I grew up with) let that pass?

Fairy Tales: Love, Hate & Hubris is a collection of 16 poems. Each poem tries to approach the age-old story from a different angle. In most cases, this is through the eyes of another character (usually the antagonist). This itself is an ambitious undertaking. The first thing that struck me was, that a story is usually told from the perspective of one character. Simply relating the events through another character’s eyes can considerably shift the story experience. There is additional dimension added to the story itself, the extra detail in characters that may have hitherto been ignored and grey shades added to the insofar pristine main character. Any fiction-writer will tell you that doing voices, is a really tricky thing.You don’t always get it right. Neither does this book. It works in some cases and in others, it struggles.

Manoj Kewalramani, the author, does have a flair for dramatic endings with punchy lines. This ends most of the poems, even the not-so-good ones on a sweet note. This knack for smart lines & pretty thoughts also shows up in the middle of several poems. I quote,

“Threads, combs and fruits
I confess to such evil recruits”

Pacing on the other hand, feel a bit inconsistent with some of the poems laboring on while others smoothly carry you over pages, effortlessly. There are places where the words feel awkward, like they’ve been force-fitted in order to rhyme properly. And then there are poems that are absolute delights to read, for their easy pace and for their fun narrative.

My absolute favorite was ‘The narcissistic wolf‘. It had a strong voice; the character of the wolf really came alive. No liberties were taken with the familiar Red Riding Hood storyline but detailing the wolf’s words really added a new dimension to the story.

My second favorite was ‘The beauty of sleep‘. This one didn’t pick another character but extended the story after ‘happily ever after’. Briar Rose as a bored housewife? Now that would intrigue anybody.

The remaining all fall into a mixed responses category, all ambitious but falling just short bit here or lagging a tad there. Still, none of them miss the mark so badly as to be unreadable. At 80 pages, Fairy Tales: Love, Hate and Hubris is an easy read and a reasonably pleasant one at that.

Fairy Tales: Love, Hate and Hubris was written by Manoj Kewalramani, published by Leadstart Publishing and is available for Rs.145 or $12. It also retails on Flipkart for Rs.138. The book is also on Facebook. Manoj is on Twitter.

Two To Tango, Two To Talk

They say that sometimes the time isn’t right..
But I wonder, will it ever be?
How long is long enough to know what the truth is?
When will it be time to turn the suspected into the stated?

Are you ever short of an answer?

More often than I wish, yes.

Is this one of those times, then?

Perhaps…except they don’t last long but I still don’t have an answer
But wait…it has been so long I don’t remember the question

Let’s start over
You ask the question (if there is one)
And I’ll come up with an answer…I’ll think of something
I always do
But only if you give me something to think about first.

Deal?

Ideamarked Jun2011: Conspiracy Theories, eGadgets & Hakoba

Mid-month, I had coffee with two digital agency people to discuss the Indian blogosphere and the nature of content. On one hand, I’m delighted that the world is waking up to the thought that blogs are not just lunchtime amusement for the bored employee or the lovestruck teenager. With attention, I’m hoping will come the respect that any creator of original content deserves. On the other hand, it’s something that did come out of my own bored/frustrated moments, a diarying habit on multivitamins. It’s still curious to know that something that grew out of a personal quirk is now worthy of a distinctive opinion and even space.

But blogs, being reflections of people and their sentiments, must keep evolving as do their owners. While over at XX Factor, I’m moving to a more balanced perspective on relationships, men and such things, here at The Idea-smithy, I’ve gone back to my roots. Aside from my commissioned posts, the announcements of posts and press, I’ve also been posting snippets, stray thoughts and sundry commentary. I don’t know if you, my readers will like it or not but for now, this is me. Have a lovely monsoon!

• ‘How To Deal With Bullying & Harassment In The Workplace‘: Unfortunately, I don’t think we have any support systems legal or union. But it still helps to know that this happens and that it is wrong. (via Hubpages)
• One for the foodies, if you’re wondering how to add that authentic East-Indian flavour to your vindaloo. (via East Indian Masalas, link courtesy Phyrodite)
• If you’ve been a victim of unacknowledged praise (imitation, copycats, yada yada yada), Tynt might have a solution for you. The article reviews the product and offers some handy suggestions. (via Makeuseof, link courtesy Kirti Kapoor)
• “A Technophobe Unravels The Android Tapestry“:’Marvin’, my Android, showed up on Yahoo! Recommendations with an app-review!
• “10 Classic Indianisms: Doing the needful and more“: As Indians we take zero pride in our identity. When we comprise 1/6th of the world’s population and godaloneknows how much of the English-speaking group, why is our usage ‘wrong’? (via CNNGO)
• A person’s attitude to reading depends on the books they’ve experienced, especially early in life. Meet some of my childhood friends in “10 Great Vacation Reads For Children” (via FriendsofBooks)
• E Vestigio came back to life with a poetic bit of writing, in silence.
• Cracked was my favorite guilt-reading for this month: “10 mind-blowing Easter eggs hidden in music albums” (those mind-screwing musicians, them!), “7 Easter eggs in words of art “(and you thought the Masters were all high-brow!) and “If Historical Figures Endorsed Modern Products” (heh, lookit Dali!) (link courtesy Dischordian)
• A pretty white hakoba dress and a whole lot of imaginative photographs are up on Purple Peeptoes.
• Navin Kabra has an existential question for the socially networked world, regarding a witness for one’s actions (via Facebook).
• “The 30 harshest author-on-author insults in history” (via Flavorwire, link courtesy Meenakshi Reddy).
• “Yeh ladki hain ya ladka hain?” could well refer to the actor singing the song. Oh wait, who did she grow up into? (via Youtube)
• Move over Sheila Kejwani and Munni Badam, errr…whozzat is here?! What is with Salman Khan casting lookalikes of his ex-es in his films? Catchy song though, this Character Dheela (via Youtube)

Islands Of Grief

You cannot ally with someone who does not believe in alliance.
You cannot love people who don’t think they deserve love.
You cannot live on somebody else’s island of grief.

It certainly is a solitary place, the land of tears. And there’s no following a person who has made it their permanent address.

Ideamarked Mar2011: Food, Music & Comfort Reading

March seems to have passed even faster than February. I went to Lavasa to cover the Women’s Rally and met a great bunch of women bloggers. Mumbai’s rare winter turned into the hottest summer I’ve seen in this city. I started a style blog (and style section on this blog), got trolled, survived and came back. Say hello to Divadom! I was almost tempted back into the corporate world but survived temptation island with my words intact. Much has happened on the personal front too, upheavals and life-changing experiences which show up, camouflaged as posts. But here’s what gave me respite online this month:

• Food ka Mood, the online food court (link courtesy Anuradha)
• Date a girl who reads: A post so popular, I saw it on email and multiple sites (via Little Miss Dorkette, link courtesy Rehab)
• Rehab wants to be a fallen eyelash (via Outlandish Musings)
• Dischordian gets ready to launch their first album and kicks it off with a free download (via Tweet for a track)
• Music snobbery: The culture caste system (via Chronicles of Dementia)
• BlogAdda ties up with Encyclopedia Britannica to feature Indian bloggers.
• Fifteen of India’s most unhealthy snack-foods: drool-worthy! (via Tehelka, link courtesy Gautam Ghosh)
• This is not the real Will Smith. But he makes it look good anyway! (via Twitter)

The What-If Store

I find myself thinking of you
Suddenly,
Unaccountably,
Well, not so much
I only think of you when I’m dissatisfied with how my life has gone

It’s fun to fantasize
Remember,
Not it all,
Selective recollection’s a wonder
In my memories, you and I are pristine, even golden

Your charm, your wit, your smile, your essence,
You, us,
Your rightness,
Even your wrong,
Is right because you’re in the past

Every woman needs a what-if man
She says,
Looking back,
It’s comparison shopping
But also just window-shopping, I sigh

I shrug, shake my head and smile
That moment,
Away,
Knowing though,
The what-if store is always open

Lurker

I never said hi
Or so much as a may I
Before I read
The words that you’d bled
Onto the screen
The only go-between
From you to this reader unseen

I never offered praise
Or observation on your ways
Or shielded you
From barbs the others threw
No response, no judgment
No replies to the questions you sent
Out into ether, not even acknowledgment

I watch you
That’s what I do
You entertain, you amuse
You also provoke thought, when you so choose
Your missteps, your very frailty leaves me nothing to say
It’s also the reason I’ll never go away
Where your words go, my mind will follow
Unquestioning, silent every step of the way

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

A long, very long time since I rhymed. So long ago that I even heard creaks in my head when I was turning over each word. But many of them just happened so I didn’t agonize over the ones that didn’t.

As a blogger, I know the frustration, the maddening silence of the vast majority of my readers. The ones that never comment, never answer a poll or a question, never show me their existence except in the mysterious numbers on my stats charts. But oddly, I also know the side of me that clicks through every album visible to me on the social network, spends an entire night reading every post on a particular blog, ego-surfs the names of people I know slightly (or better)….and never mentions a word of it to the person it’s about.

I know that person, by nature, is never acknowledged publicly. There’s a heavy stigma around the word ‘lurker’ with associations of creepiness and stalking. But perhaps because the newfound title of writer gives me carte blanche to be curious, maybe because I can explain it away in the pretty sentence of “Every person has a story”, I acknowledge the lurker in me.

This post is for all those nameless people, you know who you are, who’ve kept me pondering and wondering and agonizing. But really, it’s also for the people whose lives I’ve vicariously lived, who’ve shared with such generosity, the important moments of their lives, in blogposts and photographs, the people in whose lives I lurk. Thank you for everything.

Ideamarked Feb2011: Tattoos, Internet Architecture, Film Awards, Ecospeak & 7 Khoon Maaf

February, never one to drag on, has practically whizzed by this year. There was the Kala Ghoda Art Festival (and the first time I was an active member through my session at the Write Click workshop). There was Valentine’s Day (yes, of course I celebrated it!) and a number of other sweet things. I discovered a new interest in cooking and in food-writing, which resulted in a new blog, Plain Salted. All in all, I didn’t link to as many places as I would have liked to. So here’s me keeping it short and sweet for February 2011:

• The online population explosion leading to the same lack of space as in the real world. Will we be able to rebuild the Internet in time? (via The Economist)
• A sweet story on love, life, growing up and tattoos: “Renewing a tattoo: Modern Love” (via The New York Times, link courtesy Lakshmi Jagad)
• A beautiful piece, full of yearning on home and identity: “Far from home…” (via Snowflake Whispers)
• The Ten Commandments of telecasting film industry award shows (via Arcopol Chaudhuri)
• The things I wish I could afford! A Stella McCartney floral jacket over a pretty dress and with a great hat and bag *WANT* (via HighHeelConfidential)
• A poem about the fleeting nature of love and desire (via Randomness)
• Demystifying biodegradable plastic and its applications (via Eccentricspeak)
• A chat with Priyanka about who the seventh murder in 7 Khoon Maaf really was. (via Facebook)
• A Ruskin Bond story, a Vishal Bharadwaj film and Usha Uthup’s saucy voice lured me into the theatre. The only good thing I carried out of the movie was this song that is still running in my head. (via YouTube)