And I woke up to see my photo in the Newspaper

It really sounds great that you wake up one fine morning and you get to know that you have your photo in the newspaper. For me it happens way too frequently.

Having journo friends who call me up at odd hours to get a sound bite on something or the other to which i happily oblige. And then the off and on msgs about what picture to be used, to which they normally take my facebook pictures.


And then there are times when I come in P3 because of some theatre or art show, or some odd happenings around the city, to which mostly am unaware until i get a msg from some long lost friend who goes "Hey long time, I saw your photo in the paper about X event that happened at Y".


But this particular Msg that I got one day took me off guard. A relative msgd me saying I have come in the front page of Bangalore times. And I was expecting it to be the event I had attended the previous day. But then when he told me that it was the picture of me in a bike, I was taken aback. I rushed out of my house to buy the paper. And there it was staring right out of the front page of the Newspaper, a Grinning Photo of mine sitting on a Bike.




I did look good but what suprised me was i had no hand in it.

Read through the article and I saw that it was about this Art of Bicyle Trips. A culture trip that i had participated in months ago. There were quotes about the Trip orgainzer and other people who had participated in the trip. I contacted Pankaj Mangal who had organised the trip and asked him why is there my picture in the article, and why was i not informed about it. He claims that Nirmala the journalist was supposed to get back to him on what picture she would be using and confirm before it would be published. He was however not informed and the article was published.

I tried contacting Nirmala Govindarajan, but was of no use. TOI office number that was listed just does not respond. Tried to dig up my contacts with my journo friends who worked in TOI long ago, but still could not get any help.

If Nirmala and Pankaj do read this post, i just wannt to ask them, how can Nirmala take a picture from my album without notifying me?
When i went on the trip i never signed any form that states that the pictures from my album will be used for publicity of any form.

Pankaj Mangal, just one call from you could have saved you all this trouble. atleast i dont have to wake up to see my grinning photo in the paper.

The Untitled Post

This post should have been published way back in the month of march. But people who know me well would also know my alter ego the laziness. But i have valid reasons now. I was busy. No seriously i was. Hong Kong Trip and work and wedding blues and stuff........... So well here goes.

I was getting sick of my routine. Tired of seeing the same old people in my cab. Having the same conversations everyday. It was slowly creeping into me. Work delighted me. But the people around me still felt the same. I was itching for a change. A holiday. Something. A new Office Crush maybe. :p but then lazy me never did anything worthwhile. I sat on the same window side of my cab. Looked at the same old sights while heading out to work. Saw the same girl walking on the crowded road. Saw the same hunchbacked guy selling flowers by the roadside.

It was on one of these normal same old days that i noticed the kingfisher perched on a pole. Its bright coloured small body perched pretty on the tall pole. I saw it one day, and the next and kept seeing it everyday. Perched on the same pole the same spot. Still and unmoving. Almost feels as though its a ceramic piece kept there.

It became a routine for me. Everyday I'd see it perched at the same spot. This went on for a couple of days. I wonder what did it even think. Did it just perch there everyday looking at people travel on that lonely road and laugh at them. Did it perch there to look into the lake and catch its fish for the day. I wonder if it ever got bored sitting at the exact same place and the exact same pole.

Sad life it must have i thought. To be sitting on that same pole everyday at the same time. Its got wings. Wings to tale it anywhere it wanted to. Sit on any pole it wanted. Fish at any lake it wished to. Strange as it may sound i thought about my life. I could also do anything. I had wings too. I could make my change. But i did not. I was making myself comfortable. Comfortable about my routine.


Slowly it struck me how comfortable I was making myself. Gone were the days were i took risks did things that i wanted to and never cared. I would not change my travel operator cause i was comfortable in taking that same particular bus whenever i travelled home to mlore.

I still took the same old bus from the same stop whenever i ventured out on weekends. No matter where i went i made sure i was close to that bus stop where i could tale my bus home.

And i was complaining even when i was at fault. And right there i took it upon myself i need a change. And i ll bring the change. So i did. Stopped taking breakfast at my desk. Sat with random people at the cafeteria. Only they were the housekeeping staff or the catering stuff who come so early but the deal was it was a change. A nice way to strike up conversations with them. I got extra juice glasses too. :p ssshh trade secret. I took walks. Each day a different person.

And then the Hong Kong trip happened. MAJOR CHANGE. That trip has a different story in itself. Did things i'd never would have done. Too explicit to be told here. :p But it changed me. I explored i ventured met people. it did not feel like routine. 11 days each a different me. One day wild, one day calm, one day crazy childlike. I was no longer comfortable in anything. Getting back to India i thought things will get back to the same. But i was wrong it did not. It still felt different. Everything felt new and nice. I was making changes. Seeing things differently. OC remains the same though :p

But then something changed. My kingfisher was not on that pole anymore. It troubled me for a few days. Almost thought it died or something bad must have happened to it. I changed my cab route and timings, got new cab mates and new conversations happened. And then one fine day i look out the window on my way to work and i see my kingfisher perched on a different pole. Its pretty little colourful body sitting on a higher pole, having a whole new perspective. So its not just me thats making changes in life. The kingfisher has changed its pole.




P.S. I could not think of a right title for this post. Help me out here guys. the comments box is right below