The Green Coaster

Gosh! It was difficult! Satin fabric, thin cord piping, hand embroidery, tailoring texture, single pressure foot, zuki machine for the first time at 2 am; altogether ended up to this small green coaster.

Butterfly

...to God, to Nature and to the most trendy motif today- the Butterfly...

Nature's beauty is an art of God,

Let us feel the touch of God's invisible hands in everything beautiful.
By the first touch of His hand rivers throb a ripple.
When He smiles the sun shines, the moon glimmers, the stars twinkle, the flowers bloom.

By the first rays of the rising sun, the universe is stirred; the shining gold is sprinkled on the smiling buds of rose; the fragrant air is filled with sweet melodies of singing birds, the dawn is the dream of God's creative fancy.
Rig Veda 1.6.3

Re-Session

Oh! The Big Recession! Everyone on earth is using this as an excuse for anything and everything. God! help everyone! The world is going to end soon!

Some of my observations and experiences say that: Artists are the most affected in this super recession period.

New inspiring visuals with colours and textures envisaging into new patterns and textures, this is how I perceive an art exhibition. I am a regular visitor of the very well known Jehangir Art Gallery. It is like weekly refreshment. I simply love to take a round and then give it a post-visual thought. And the 'red dots' at the corners are an added excitement. It’s an enriching experience. But unfortunately during the past three to four months it isn’t the same. No red dots, no inspiring visuals and no excitement at all. (The red dots are exceptionally for the well known ones.) I've known people canceling their names from the Jehangir list, otherwise a at Jehangir is a 'dream' for every artist. It's really disheartening. People buy art as an investment. But today do they have enough money to sustain their lives first and then think of investments. It is the clam before the storm or the storm before the calm; depends on how things are looked at. Keeping a positive and optimistic attitude (as always recommended), recession is an event which will close down; it is not the end of the world. And such events keep happening... its a dynamic life.

Well, after artists another friend of mine says that the Automobile designers are the most recession hit. No jobs available. Companies have stopped launching cards blah..blah... Now the friend being from a travel and transportation field speaks his context out.

Some other interesting statements in this relation that I have come across are:

A friend says, “Two big paintings were sold out… that too in recession period!"

(I’m still wondering whether this was a compliment or a comment, an expression of wonderment in appreciation or abhor)

A photographer friend says, "There's no work these days!", "Khup struggle ahe life madhe." (life is full of struggle) Good that textile is easy and without any struggle.

(Huh! Who says textiles is without any struggle? Well, what’s the point if there is no struggle in any field I say?)

Boss says, “You know the market these days, but I am ready to take a risk.”

(That means, do anything but give me good results)

The news reads that: TCS saves millions by applying some cost-cutting measures. It relocates the staff abroad back to India.

This means India saves a lot of money. East or west India is the best!!

How much ever the recession has struck the world, India will celebrate Diwali with no less fun!

So… Desi ghee ke laddu or the Swiss rum chocolates? What would you like to have?

Joke of the Recession!

This is worth! I read it somewhere, I don't remember.

Aunty (complains): My bahu (daughter-in-law) is having problem conceiving.
Aunty's friend (worried): Why any medical problem?

Aunty (sighs): This Recession!

Now, nothing can be more recessed than this! :)

(contribution: Aayushi)

Garden

...the Van Gogh efffect!

Boganvilla

Get Inspired!!

Hussain? Dali?? or a Beer?!

Quadrilaterals on the faces and solids in the spaces

Red dots cornered or blank within the wholes

Inspirations or the ever offered discriminations

Unclear histories but the clear stories

Scatty optimism with sorted words

Long lost friends or the friendless mates

Hugs and kisses touched no heart but bridged a part

Illusion or non-fiction; the unconcluded conclusion

Shows and not Offs ultimately the show-offs

Hussain? Dali? or a Beer?

No worry, it’s chilled my dear.

(non-rhyme prose: Reaction)

I have started enjoying 'writing' these days. Writing anything. Literal words mean a lot and speaks out everything. It is a super stress buster I feel. Well, this is not a post-stress writing....but ya some confusing things and no-things.

Monsoon does not have deadlines

Everyone is eagerly waiting for the monsoon to mark its presence. But when? It has no deadlines! It can come whenever it feels like. It does not have to answer any questions for its late arrival and irregular performance. The complaints made to the Lord by his other creations do not make any difference. Predictions fail. Or are they never properly calculated? How does it matter? Some more craving and some more longing for that matter? Does the rain like getting so much of importance? I don’t know. I just know that it does not have deadlines and I do have.

In an interesting conversation today…

Boss: Aarti, 30^th June, sharp at 9.30 am, I want everything to be ready.

Me: Yes sir.

Boss: Have you seen the MRF ad in the news papers?

(Here I think that the boss is giving some design directions. But from ads, it’s kind of weird! Never has he done this before. May be its different this time!!?!)

Me: No sir.

Boss: You don’t read newspapers. How will you know what is going on in the world.

Me: (Now I am almost sure that it’s definitely about some design shots! :) )

Boss: MRF has these ads in the newspapers recently about the arrival of monsoon. The countdown begins, it says: days left 4, 3, 2, 1. And then the next day the ad shows that its been EXTENDED.

Me: ??!! (smiles): Yes sir. It will be done. (ho jayega!).

Boss (with a sarcastic smile): I do not want E-X-T-E-N-T-I-O-N-S.

Image credits: Abodh. From his blog http://strayingaround.blogspot.com

… and thus I google for these MRF ads. Internet again! I have to start reading newspapers, its good for health! Abodh says something about the MRF ads and monsoon on his blog here.

Good series of ads I guess. I'm not an advertising person though. I can just say that this ad made some relevance to me in some way. In a book (The Secret of Wizard of Ads) I had read: Not all good advertising results success and not all bad advertising means failure.

Along the Sea face...

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As the evening turns night

The spread takes a silver sight.

Reflects only the blue cover

Simple, true and pure.

The unceasing flows,

Deep dark along the shores..

Loud whispers and the touch of wind,

Have an answer to every questioned mind.

(from my naive rhymes)

Image: Carter Road, Bandra