Camera I

I was going to write Bye bye Air Asia X, when it stopped its X flights to Paris, London, Mumbai and Delhi. With that my visits to explore London and Paris also took a back seat, as the budgets in other airlines are not as competitive as Air Asia. Without much adieu, I flew to Sydney one of the much awaited destinations which Air Asia and I had been waiting for quite some-time. Sydney the state capital of New South Wales situated on the south east cost of Tasman Sea. Sydney was the first site of British Colony in Australia established in 1778. In 2010 Sydney was ranked 7 th in Asia and 28 th globally for economic innovation and ranked among the top ten most livable cities in the World. On 26 January 1788, six days after the First Fleet landed in nearby Botany Bay, captain Arthur Phillip decided to establish the new British penal colony here, at the Rocks in Sydney Cove. To contain a bubonic plague Sydney's government demolished parts of the area and with the construction...

For a writer, inspiration sometimes does not come easily. One has to go behind it with a club to be badgered out on the virgin sheet of paper more real than what one has to say, and so often one regrets having marred it. I sometimes get stories from the most bizarre places. For me writing is an adventure. The other day in a party, I came across an old acquaintance, Josh. After exchanging the niceties, he asked what I was doing lately. My retort came as nothing much of value.  He casually enquired, if I was interested in joining him for a tete a tete with spirits. Spirits, I looked around, and my eyes fell on the bartender, who was carrying some scotch to the other side. I said, there is enough scotch for getting into high spirits, why bother for another tete a tete for spirits! Uff, Josh exclaimed exasperated, I meant Ghosts, an interview with ghosts lah. Ghosts, I said, in a shrugging tone, do you of all people now buy that! Well said Josh, nothing harm in fin...

Om Namah Shivay "Śhiva is a god of ambiguity and paradox," Whose attributes include opposing themes. The ambivalent nature of this deity is apparent in some of his names and the stories told about him and also the various forms and shapes in which he is represented and worshipped. To see these various attributes, I travelled to Taiping on 20 th February 2012, to celebrate MahaShivratri in Sri Navaneetha Krishna Temple, which was built by the Federated Malay states Railway employees in 1883.  It is one of the oldest and biggest temples in the district of Larut Matang and Selama. It’s unique architecture is unlike the temple structures in other parts in Malaysia or even in India. The temple structure is a Ceyloni structure from SriLanka, built by the workers recruited from SriLanka to built the first railway line from Taiping to Port Welda (Kuala Sepatang). Apart from anthropomorphic images of Shiva, the worship of Shiva is done in the form of a lingam , or lin...

Dragon 2012

After a momentous vacation in Jabalpur, Panchmadi and Kolkata, I returned to KL to welcome the New Year. The year began with a golden shimmer as my friends decided to say “Hello to 2012” by enhancing the golden side in one’s self. Gold generally is associated with prosperity, brightness, optimism and happiness. As the year 2011, in history would be remembered as the most turbulent year, looking for a radical change in politics, society and in people’s lives across the globe. Starting from Japan’s monstrous tsunami which killed thousands of people and triggered the second largest nuclear accident in history, Egypt’s end of dictatorship, to addressing India’s shaky democracy and the infectious disease called Corruption, Europe and America’s dwindling economies. China’s atrocious bullishness. The silver lining of the year was the wedding of Kate and Prince William’s and the killing of the notorious terrorist Osama Bin Laden. On the personal front were some huge losses, the demise of a g...

Thirst or Trishna Flipping the pages of Webster dictionary, my eyes fell on the word “thirst”. Thirst or Trishna in hindi has an in-depth meaning, thus pondering on the word, here is an inception….. Most beauteous in the world is thirst Precious, indeed very precious The blazing heat of high summer Inducing thirst Sharp like the edge of a sword Prickles in the body The crimson deep desire Flushing the forehead The desire for shade of some distant tree The vision breeds fascinating dreams Of streams, waterfalls and cascades And awakens the thrill of descending undaunted Without the hope and the chain Into, deep, very deep wells Learning effortlessly To pour down like the monsoon. Those alone are the real wells Which are free yet Of the pulley and the bucket The waters that sustain Are the ones Whose single sip Even at the risk of losing life Feels dear like a kindred soul. Thirst is to plunge headlong Without learning to swim Without a barge and a pole Into the roaring whirlpools.

Images & Sounds Of Malaysia-2011