I have this tendency to procrastinate almost everything - I really wanted to blog about the recent Hyderabad Book Fair that took place in December, but by the time I pulled up my socks and sat down to write, it was too late. For this one, I am on time.
Girls, moms, aunts, grans - this one is for you. The All India Silk Fair is on at Ameerpet, Hyderabad, and I had the good luck to visit it the other day. They have some impressive collections from all over the country - and boy oh boy, I had a hard time trying to keep my shopping instincts in check. I saw Pashmina saris for the first time, and was awed. Sambalpuri silks, beautiful patchworks and hand-embroidered silk saris that I've forgotten the real names of, real nice dupattas, stoles, and so much more.
Me and my aunt finally ended up with damages of 3.5K - two silk chudidar suits, and one pretty silk kalamkari sari. Beautiful stuff, folks. Quite affordable, too. Alright, enough praises sung.
The fair is on till 21st of January. In case anyone wants to go take a look, the address is - Kamma Sangham, Beside Chandana Brothers, Ameerpet. No way can you miss it.
Let me know if you buy anything. :-)
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Thursday, 13 January 2011
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
Inception Review
Reviewing Inception is sure going to be difficult.
Am no stranger to Christopher Nolan - I've seen The Prestige and cried for Hugh Jackman; and I've lost count of how many umpteen times I watched The Dark Knight, each time with the same fascination. So, ahem, my expectations of Inception were huge. I hoped fervently that it wouldn't be an Avatar repeat.
The movie starts out innocently enough; slowly, with each passing frame, it starts sucking you in. What Nolan did was let his imagination run rampant, no bars whatsoever, and then strived to mold that imagination into reality. The end result is nothing short of amazing.
Dom Cobb can extract a person's thoughts from his subconscious. He can enter a person's dream and steal his innermost secrets. He faces the challenge of his life when, instead of extraction, he is required to plant an idea in a person's mind. Inception. A team of expert extractors have to travel therefore, into the subconscious of the subject - go through multiple layers of dreams so they can plant that single thread of thought flawlessly. What follows is a masterpiece of creativity, stunning visuals, and multi-dimensional complexity, the core of which is so simple, it boggles the mind.
I saw Ellen Page for the first time after Juno, and was struck by how young she really is. Cillian Murphy, I've had a mild crush on him since his Red Eye days, and he didn't disappoint. Di Caprio is a master, though I wish he had more of that boyish look from Titanic.
People do not really make what this movie really is; it probably wouldn't have mattered if Nolan cast a bunch of unknown faces - the movie would still be awe-inspiring. It's the kind of psychological thriller that will make you question reality, and re-play scenes of the movie in your mind long after you step out of the theater.
Summing up - edge of the seat narrative, nail-biting pace, and a gripping plot - I can say I got my money's worth, and then some. Go watch it, people.
Am no stranger to Christopher Nolan - I've seen The Prestige and cried for Hugh Jackman; and I've lost count of how many umpteen times I watched The Dark Knight, each time with the same fascination. So, ahem, my expectations of Inception were huge. I hoped fervently that it wouldn't be an Avatar repeat.
The movie starts out innocently enough; slowly, with each passing frame, it starts sucking you in. What Nolan did was let his imagination run rampant, no bars whatsoever, and then strived to mold that imagination into reality. The end result is nothing short of amazing.
Dom Cobb can extract a person's thoughts from his subconscious. He can enter a person's dream and steal his innermost secrets. He faces the challenge of his life when, instead of extraction, he is required to plant an idea in a person's mind. Inception. A team of expert extractors have to travel therefore, into the subconscious of the subject - go through multiple layers of dreams so they can plant that single thread of thought flawlessly. What follows is a masterpiece of creativity, stunning visuals, and multi-dimensional complexity, the core of which is so simple, it boggles the mind.
I saw Ellen Page for the first time after Juno, and was struck by how young she really is. Cillian Murphy, I've had a mild crush on him since his Red Eye days, and he didn't disappoint. Di Caprio is a master, though I wish he had more of that boyish look from Titanic.
People do not really make what this movie really is; it probably wouldn't have mattered if Nolan cast a bunch of unknown faces - the movie would still be awe-inspiring. It's the kind of psychological thriller that will make you question reality, and re-play scenes of the movie in your mind long after you step out of the theater.
Summing up - edge of the seat narrative, nail-biting pace, and a gripping plot - I can say I got my money's worth, and then some. Go watch it, people.
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Raw Onion
[caption id="attachment_350" align="alignright" width="126" caption="What could beat a raw onion?!"]
[/caption]
There are so many facets to the Onion.
It stinks. But people love it. It has so many layers, and it is, therefore, multi-dimensional. Just a bite of it brings an entirely new flavor to whatever you're eating. AND, it's after-taste lingers on, overpowering everything else, including everyone's senses in the room.
Onions make us cry. Those tears are not shed in vain - we can always come out of the kitchen and give our spouses a scare by not revealing the reason for our tear-stained face. If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, an onion a day keeps everyone away (Source: No idea who said it, but I know WHY they did ;-)).
So, erm, after a lot of consideration, I hit upon this name for my blog. Well, I didn't exactly hit upon it myself, my friends Hrish and Andy contributed. Andy, by the way, is responsible for the excellent tagline.
Bring the feedback onnnn!
[/caption]There are so many facets to the Onion.
It stinks. But people love it. It has so many layers, and it is, therefore, multi-dimensional. Just a bite of it brings an entirely new flavor to whatever you're eating. AND, it's after-taste lingers on, overpowering everything else, including everyone's senses in the room.
Onions make us cry. Those tears are not shed in vain - we can always come out of the kitchen and give our spouses a scare by not revealing the reason for our tear-stained face. If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, an onion a day keeps everyone away (Source: No idea who said it, but I know WHY they did ;-)).
So, erm, after a lot of consideration, I hit upon this name for my blog. Well, I didn't exactly hit upon it myself, my friends Hrish and Andy contributed. Andy, by the way, is responsible for the excellent tagline.
Bring the feedback onnnn!
Monday, 22 December 2008
Dreaming all the way
I've decided to jot down all my dreams into a scrapbook. Yeah, you heard me right. I've been getting really weird dreams lately, and today, 
accidentally, I came across the perfect book for it! Its a quaint little book, with beautiful paintings on either side, titled, Day Dreams on one side, and Night Dreams on the other. I just grabbed the book from the shelf, paid the cashier in a hurry and scuttled back home to begin my stories. You see, my dreams mean a lot to me; I store all of them in a cache in the back of my mind, and whenever I'm low, I go to my dreams library, pick out a happy one, pore over it lovingly, replay it, and bam! I feel better!
accidentally, I came across the perfect book for it! Its a quaint little book, with beautiful paintings on either side, titled, Day Dreams on one side, and Night Dreams on the other. I just grabbed the book from the shelf, paid the cashier in a hurry and scuttled back home to begin my stories. You see, my dreams mean a lot to me; I store all of them in a cache in the back of my mind, and whenever I'm low, I go to my dreams library, pick out a happy one, pore over it lovingly, replay it, and bam! I feel better!Thats fine, but what is the Day Dreams section for, you might ask; c'mon, what do you think I do at the workplace?! Yeahh, you guessed right! Come over to the office, and ask the receptionist for the most dreamy eyed kid around. You are gonna make it right over to my desk, no kidding, heh. I somehow feel happiest when I'm skiing around in fantasy world. Yeah, reality crashes all too soon, but then, ahh, those few moments of bliss! The happiness of having life exactly like you want it! Yeah, thats what day dreams are all about!
So, well, when I saw this book, I felt, why not, let me fill it up with thoughts, some crazy ones, some sombre, and a few which will elicit laughs from whoever is going to read em; thoughts which I want to cherish, just for the simple reason that they were important to me, at some point in my life. Dreams which are going to bring a smile to my face some time in the future, when I dont have the time to dream anymore...
Sunday, 19 October 2008
Horn Art
This post is for all the art lovers of this world. I've grown up surrounded by these priceless pieces of art, and it was not till I came out of my shell, that I understood their value. Beautifully carved, and made out of Buffalo horns(yes, you heard me right!), these works have a sheen, a smooth texture, which is untouched by time.
I once had a piece, of a damsel, which was meant to be a gift; I carried it around for more than 2 years, before I could ultimately part with it, and even then, it was as good as new. All these works here have been the handiwork of craftsmen from Parlakhemundi, of Orissa. The cost of these treasures is unbelievable, with traders buying them directly from the masters at a price of about 200 bucks apiece, and later reselling them for 10 times their cost.
The pieces are smooth to the touch, and add an elegance, and style to any living room they find their presence in. Curiosity about them has considerably grown, since the children of Parlakhemundi have gone to bigger cities to earn their livelyhood, invariably taking these with them, since, for us, they represent a part of our culture, and, a part of growing up.
I dont ever remember a time when I was not in the presence of these sculpted pieces of art, and, strangely, I associate them with home. I only hope they find recognition. If anything deserves fame, then this is it.
I once had a piece, of a damsel, which was meant to be a gift; I carried it around for more than 2 years, before I could ultimately part with it, and even then, it was as good as new. All these works here have been the handiwork of craftsmen from Parlakhemundi, of Orissa. The cost of these treasures is unbelievable, with traders buying them directly from the masters at a price of about 200 bucks apiece, and later reselling them for 10 times their cost.It requires great patience and skill to carve a single sculptre, and the craftsmen spend days and nights on it, honing a shapeless, dull, stinking piece of horn to the beauty that you can see here. The first piece is of a mother crane feeding her baby; not so difficult to guess, huh? You have birds sitting on a tree, and a pair of elephants trying to fell a tree in the second image.
The pieces are smooth to the touch, and add an elegance, and style to any living room they find their presence in. Curiosity about them has considerably grown, since the children of Parlakhemundi have gone to bigger cities to earn their livelyhood, invariably taking these with them, since, for us, they represent a part of our culture, and, a part of growing up.
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