Self immolation and Tibetan identity

I often go to Majnu Ka Tila after college it’s quite and not crowded, very unlike most of Delhi. It feels good to be there, specially the café at the very heart of ‘MT’ as we fondly call it! Even after having innumerable cups of coffee and the street side treat laping, I had never thought that the same place would one day turn out to be the home of a hero who sacrificed his life for his people, for his country and most importantly for ‘Freedom’. I am talking about Jhampel Yeshi, a 27-year-old Tibetan living in exile in India, set himself aflame at a protest on 26^th March 2012 in New Delhi against the forthcoming arrival of Chinese President Hu Jintao. It was at least the 30^th time a Tibetan had self-immolated this year alone, a shocking statistic. But as Yeshi’s fiery protest took place in India - rather than in Tibetan areas of China, where most of the immolations have occurred - it received more coverage by the press.

Yeshi died from his injuries a day later, prompting more demonstrations by Tibetans in India against what they consider the brutal Chinese occupation of their homeland. The Indian government, nervous about upsetting China, engaged in a full-on crackdown, arresting close to 300 Tibetans on an archaic colonial law that wards against such dissent.

Yeshi before self immolating left a poignant hand written note. He wrote, ‘the fact that the Tibetan people are setting themselves on fire in this 21st Century is to let the world know about their suffering.’ The number of Tibetan self immolations in China has crossed over thirty. But is the world listening?

Soon after the incident as usual the Chinese authorities put the blame on the Dalai Lama. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei accused the Dalai Lama of ‘masterminding’ the series of self immolations. The Chinese officials also ‘complimented’ the Indian authorities for their ‘handling’ of the situation. Apart from officials, not many in India would be enthused to receive such a compliment!

And yet the Chinese refuse to take a second look at what is actually causing such unrest in Tibet. Areas inhabited by Tibetans are under harsh security cover. Many new road check points have been built and they are manned by heavily armed Para-Military Police. The Chinese have also instituted ‘monastic management’ plans in order to control religious life. About 21,000 Chinese officials have been deployed to ‘befriend’ Tibetan monks and dossiers have been created on most of the latter. In addition, over a million national flags and Mao portraits have been distributed; monasteries have to compulsorily hang Mao portraits. Such heavy handedness is causing great disaffection amongst the general Tibetan population.

Sadly for the Tibetans, apart from human rights activists, no country has spoken up for them or for their obvious suffering. When a Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi self immolated in Tunis on 17 December 2010, he actually helped launch the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ which led to widespread changes in the Arab World. Unfortunately for Jamphel Yeshi, nothing similar seems to have happened in Tibet. Even when the Chinese occupied Tibet in 1950 and the Tibetans took their case to the UN, no major country including Nehru’s India supported their case. While most are demonstrably anxious about the goings on in Syria and critical of the killings of innocent civilians there, few if any are prepared to shed a tear for the hapless Tibetans.

The reasons are not far to seek. No one wishes to annoy the Chinese. The People’s Republic of China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council. It is the second largest economy in the world after the United States and of recent has also grown considerably in military might. Western countries which used to raise Tibet as an issue in their relations with China now also appear to overlook or bypass it when dealing with China.

On the eve of the anniversary of the failed 1959 Tibetan uprising, mass protests were launched by Tibetans and their support groups from their exiled capital Dharamsala, India. Hunger strikes, Candle light vigils, remonstrations and public anger were witnessed in every Tibetan community across the world.

Lobsang Wangyal, an exiled Tibetan entrepreneur living in India says, "Tibetans in Tibet have long said they are not happy under Chinese rule. The self-immolations are saying that they mean it. But the world is paying little attention. It gives a feeling that 30 Tibetans risking their lives is still not enough to make a point and as if more lives should be sacrificed." 

However, all is not lost for the Tibetans. With the evolution of the new media and social networking websites such as Twitter, Facebook, etc., the suffering of the Tibetans is now known worldwide. Millions all over the world who saw the self immolation of Jamphel Yeshi could not but have failed to be moved at the gruesome sight and at the plight of the hapless Tibetans. As more such self immolations take place, the revulsion for Chinese policies in Tibet will grow exponentially.

I for myself will continue going to Majnu Ka tila, to enjoy my cup of coffee and savour the spicy laping; but now MT will no t be the same old MT for me, from now on it is a sacred site where a benevolent soul like Jhampel Yeshi once resided. Bhod Rangzen!! *

* Bhod means TIBET, Rangzen means INDEPENDENCE, in Tibetan it means FREE TIBET.

(I had written this article exactly two years from now, and on the 2nd anniversary of the incident I am finally uploading it on my blog. MT will always have a special place in my heart, forever!)

Animated Shorts Review

Gopher Broke

The animated short film ‘Gopher Broke’ is about a gopher living on the countryside who is shown trying hard to procure vegetable/fruits in the film to eat. It opens with the sign board which reads ‘Farmers house’ and then at the root of the board we see the gopher. It is in this way that the main character – the gopher is introduced.

The characterization of the gopher is very good. He has an innocent looking face and has two big frontal teeth which further show his gullibility and country fool characteristic. The naiveté and yet the clever tactics he applies to procure food reveal to us the interesting character that he is.

He is on a road where trucks are moving produce to market. He digs a pit on the road so that every time a truck passes it jumps up and fruits-vegetables fly into the sky. The fruits-vegetables are shown in slow motion for added effect, and the sparkle in his eyes when this happens is a very heartwarming moment. But he can never really enjoy the feast as the crows always get it before him.

The audience feels sorry for him, we connect with him because we have seen him try for food, get really close and then get disappointed. We too get disappointed with him.

The film has a comical ending, as this time around a truck carrying a cow passes and jumps up because of the same pit he had dug. The animal then flies out and lands on the poor gopher! Following this we see the truck go away with the cow in it and the gopher stuck on his behind! :D

A very cute short, with a simple storyline and basic human emotions we can connect too.

A Gentlemen's Duel

This animated short film opens like a typical princess in the castle or fairy tale. We see a beautiful pond, with two frogs trying to have the same butterfly. Then the frame expands and we see a very pretty lady looking out from the balcony to the left and there the title of the film is shown.

The film as the name suggests is about two men fighting for a girl. The girl like in all classical fairy tales is shown as a passive participant who has a pretty face. The characterisation of the two men is very interesting, one is very English and the other is very French in his appearance. So the classic rivalry between the English and the French is revived.

They fight verbally, bicker over the lunch, but the main fight happens with the men running huge robots. In this too fun is made of English traditions like the evening tea. In the middle of the fight, at a very decisive moment the servant comes and rings a tiny bell. All of a sudden the fighting stops and we see both the men and the lady at table sipping tea like civilized human beings!

Once it’s over, they return and resume from exactly where they had left. Finally after a lot of destruction, they realize the woman is missing and later see her boots under a boulder. Assuming that she is dead, they both run away. We see all the destruction they’ve caused and then see rustling in the nearby bush. We then see the lady naked in the bush smiling - we wonder who is she with and we soon see the servant pop out of the shrub too. So somewhere in the middle, the lady had gone out with the servant leaving both the men to fight! :) An unconventional end to a very predictable plotline. 

How ‘Fashion Blogging’ is changing the face of fashion photography (Part III)

Hanneli Mustaparta                     www.hanneli.com/

Norwegian street style titan Hanneli Mustaparta is a model-turned-photographer, blogger and stylist. It's easy to dismiss her as yet another all-singing, all-dancing, multi-tasking model, but for her eponymous blog, which American Vogue reports "sees more traffic than a SoHo sidewalk on a Saturday afternoon", each post prompting hundreds of rapturous comments.

Hanneli began modelling at seventeen, but after realising that she was "never going to be a supermodel," she turned the lens on herself. She's nonchalant about the switch: "I started out taking pictures and posting them on my blog to practise reviewing my own work. In between modelling jobs, I styled editorials, music videos, and worked as a wardrobe consultant. Then out of the blue I gained this big following, which grew and grew."

  

Some of her photographs that have been published in fashion magazines.

Now based in New York, she clearly relishes the control that comes with occupying both sides of the camera: "As a model you are there to be a piece in someone's creative puzzle. Once in a while it's okay to be part of the ideas, bouncing ideas around on set, but mostly you don't. Since I couldn't do much while at work, I would always soak in the shoot every step of the way, asking questions if I saw fit.

She considers herself to be "a photographer slash fashion blogger slash writer and contributor to Vogue.com. Lots of slashes!" Everything on her blog she shoots herself, both street style shots of worthy subjects and photographs of herself. Does she use a self-timer? "I set up the shot and then have an assistant who presses the button."

Some photographs from her blog.

For her a  perfect street style shot would be: “A sunny afternoon in New York with a thin scattering of clouds, a person that is wearing something because they really love it and not because it's a trend. An outfit that's been put together in a unique way with confidence and charm.”

In her interview with the Telegraph (March 2012) she says “I have always found photography magical, and became more taken with it whilst modelling. I got my first proper SLR camera four years ago and started shooting and learning about the different settings. I'm self-taught and emailed photographers I knew if I had questions I couldn't figure out from the manual or online. I took a brief summer class for a month three years back, only to realise the class was at beginners' level. So I didn't learn much, but had fun developing my own images in the dark room. I use a Nikon D700.”

Despite officially 'retiring' in 2008, she still does a bit of modelling on the side - Massimo Dutti have signed her up as the face of their spring/summer 2012 campaign, and she was immortalised on a series of T-shirts by Zara in 2011 - but it's her extra-curricular skills that have made her a real hit. Calvin Klein snapped her up as their social media co-ordinator over fashion week in February of this year (she manned the CK twitter account and launched their tumblr) and she presented American Vogue 's coverage of their shopping event, Fashion's Night Out, on CBS in 2010.

Conclusion

I will conclude by talking about the short 10 minute documentary “Take My Picture” by Garage Magazine which talks about how much has changed in the past 20 years in the fashion industry. With the integration of bloggers and the boom of photographers, fashion has morphed into this ever growing industry. The film examines the phenomenon from the perspectives of bloggers and street style icons as well as fashion magazine editors and other industry professionals. The Garage Magazine sat down with one of the world’s most influential fashion journalists, Tim Blanks. He says in the film: “Things are changing. Street style photography is getting more and more critical when is comes to good photographers, such as the Sartorialists or Tommy Tons.”

The Fashion industry used to be distinctly more insular than it is today, an elitism that was encouraged, a desired lifestyle laced with campness. This elitism and campness got reflected in the fashion photographs too, which has been the same for ages, until now with the fashion photo blogs finally being accepted by the mainstream even if grudgingly. The idealized image of desire, which once was the over-groomed body beautiful, now seems to be the soul searching teenager on her gap year, like the runway favourite Julia Nobis. Where before the must-have invite was for the red carpet, the most influential and photographed forum today seems to be the street or music festival. Could it be said, then, that drama has left the stage for a generation of people on the streets? Yes seems to be the answer seeing the present scenario, and I feel it’s headed the right way.

How ‘Fashion Blogging’ is changing the face of fashion photography (Part II)

Scott Schuman              http://www.thesartorialist.com

Scott Schuman in Autumn 2007. Photo by Christopher Peterson.

Scott Schuman is an American blogger and fashion photographer who created "The Sartorialist." After leaving his position as director of men's fashion at his showroom to take care of his daughter in September 2005, he began carrying a digital camera around and photographing people he saw on the street whose style he found striking. He then posted these to his blog, sometimes with short comments, always either favorable or open-minded. He is well known for photographing what have been described as 'real people.' He pioneered fashion photography in blog form.

Photographs from his blog

"The Sartorialist" quickly became a regular read for fashionistas, both on the street and in the upper echelons of the industry. Schuman began his site with the hopes of connecting fashion and everyday street life. He describes his philosophy as trying to echo how fashion designers looked at what they saw on the street: “My only strategy when I began The Sartorialist was to try and shoot style in a way that I knew most designers hunted for inspiration.”

Condé Nast tapped him to do something similar during Fashion Week in Paris for its style.com website. He has covered shows during New York's Fashion Week for Saks Fifth Avenue. Schuman has been featured in GQ Magazine where he was given his own page in every issue for nearly four years, as well as work appearing in Vogue Italia, Vogue Paris and Interview Magazine.

 An image from Schuman's Coach Campaign.

Schuman collaborated with numerous advertising campaigns: for The Gap and Verizon, with Kiehl’s on an exclusively commissioned product and campaign surrounding Father’s Day, Nespresso, DKNY Jeans, Gant, OVS, Crate & Barrel. Burberry, meanwhile, tapped Schuman to shoot the groundbreaking social media-cum-advertising “Art of the Trench” project.

About his shooting style in a Harper’s Bazaar interview, on how he chooses who to photograph he says: “No. I mean, there is that element–the [person who] totally wants to get shot, and dressed crazy. But that’s never what I shoot. It’s the people who want to be famous, shot by people who want to make their blog famous. But it’s not what I’m interested in. So the only way it affects me is I guess a more congested background when I’m shooting.”

In his interview with Vitamin Daily he says: “It took me a long time to be able to call myself a photographer. I didn’t train with anyone; I didn’t go to school for it. It took me a long time to get to the point where I could say that I have my own unique look, and people recognize my photographs.”

In 2009, an anthology of Schuman's favourite shots from around the world was published as a book entitled The Sartorialist.

 

Some pages from The Sartorialist (2009)

Schuman cites as inspiration the photography of documentary style cameramen like National Geographic’s SteveMcCurry, the man behind the now-famous June 1985 cover photo featuring an Afghani girl with haunting sea green eyes. Looking at Schuman’s photos, you can sense that he is trying to capture the inner spirit of his subjects, not only their fashion sense. “I’m not reporting on a bag; who’s carrying what bag and who’s wearing what dress. I’m not reporting on people,” he explained. “What I am looking for is a certain grace.”

But Mr. Schuman’s influence is felt far beyond the blogosphere. His beautifully framed photos, which feature fashion insiders and football fans alike, now appear on mood boards in design studios around the world. His photographic style has inspired countless advertising campaigns and editorials.

SusieLau                           www.stylebubble.co.uk/

Susanna Lau, also known as Susie Bubble, is a writer, editor and photographer living and working in London. Lau started her blog "Style Bubble" in March 2006, and since then she has enjoyed many fashion and photography adventures. Every day, Susie Lau logs on to her blog, Style Bubble, photographs her outfit, raves about a new designer and inspires her international fanbase. She's one of the first bloggers to be recognised by the industry - she was one of only two bloggers invited to a Gucci show in New York, and has since accepted tickets to Chanel and Lanvin.

“I'm self taught when it comes to photography, but at the beginning I would learn from the pro photographers and just mess around. I spent six months just auto shooting, and just built up my confidence.” she says in an interview with Cosmo magazine.

An overcast day, which is Susie’s preferred outdoor lighting, is much easier to work with, as it produces a friendlier and more diffused light - you'll see no dramatic shadows here! “And in any case, think of the poor model having to squint up at the sun while you get the correct camera settings. A screwed up face is never a good look.” she is quick to point in an interview with Marie Claire (2013). 'In terms of shooting, I have a set order of what shots I want to get in my head – a full length, a 3/4 and then catch any details close-up (shoes, bags etc.),' she says.

 

Photographs from her blog

“You want the attention to be focused on the person you’re photographing, not on the background. Scaffolding and white van don’t create the best background. It changes the entire photograph; you find your focus is drawn away from those beautiful clothes to read the background sign. If you want to express calm in a portrait, choose a calm background. Rather than shooting on a flat wall (Susie loves to get depth in a photograph) placing a model in the centre of a road, preferably a quieter one, will create an instant frame.” says Sussie in ‘How to become a fashion photographer: a masterclass with Susie Lau’ in Cosmo magazine (2013).

Style Bubble's Susie loves to photograph details. She often finds her self snapping away in restaurant or walking down the street when she sees wonderful textures all around her. These snapshots are great for inspiration on colours and themes for future shoots.

Some other photographs from her blog.

Lau was editor of Dazed Digital, the website of Dazed & Confused magazine, from 2008-2010. Lau now works full-time on her blog and other freelance projects, including writing for Elle, The Daily Rubbish and Dazed Digital.

How ‘Fashion Blogging’ is changing the face of fashion photography (Part I)

Introduction

If you Google the term ‘Fashion photography’ the definition you generally get is that it is a genre of photography devoted to displaying clothing and other fashion items. In present times there is a contradiction here: In theory, its purpose is the same as that of a catalog: to depict the clothes and help to sell them. In practice however, fashion photography has been used as a vehicle for self-expression by some of the world's greatest photographers. Over time, fashion photography has developed its own aesthetic in which the clothes and fashions are enhanced by exotic locations and story lines.

In order to discuss fashion photography, it should first be understood as a unique type of photograph, one that is simultaneously documentary and art work. In addressing fashion photography in his book The Fashion System, Roland Barthes explains that the world is a backdrop. That backdrop can be transformed into particular stages for specific theater themes. The theater of meaning in fashion then walks the line between the serious and the whimsical. Barthes describes fashion photography as an exorcism in which everything in the photo is made “outrageous” so that the garment alone seems real and convincing. Barthes identifies 3 common strategies in the fashion photograph:

1)      Literal representation: the catalog shot displaying the garment. 

2)      Romanticized: fashion becomes referential, a story where real life becomes art like in acting out dreams. 

3)    Mockery: a model in an outrageous situation using unreal juxtapositions, unlike the previous there is no romance or reason but total absurdity. 

Since its inception in the 1880s, the fashion photograph has generated criticism. Some photographers consider it too commercial, an impure application of the art form. It has sometimes been dismissed as frivolous and criticized for promoting negative stereotypes.

Latest development: Fashion Photography blogs

Fashion photography blogs are blogs that cover the fashion industry, clothing, and personal style. They cover fashion at all levels from the biggest names to the smallest indie-designers.

Fashion is a multi-billion-dollar industry that has considerable impact on the way ordinary people dress and present themselves. But there is more to fashion than the different articles of clothing, fashion is made up of designers, buyers, retailers, editors, columnists and photographers. While all parties work together to create an image, all of these parties can simultaneously be affected by outside forces, especially blogs. Fashion is trend-driven and fashion blogs provide a new way to follow and oversee these fast-paced trends, it is likely that the blogoshepere will have a considerable long-term influence on the industry, as the number of fashion based blogs continue to grow. All this will eventually (and is presently also) influencing fashion photography.

Fashion is ever so changing and so is fashion photography.

Even photographers from yesteryear like Richard Avedon brought movement to the pages of fashion magazines which were so posed and stiff before he came along and Helmut, well, Helmut brought out the kink and free spirit in everyday fashion. The new breed of street fashion photographers is just taking the momentum they created forward.

Also often, the creative desires of the photographers are at odds with the intentions of the editor, as Anna Wintour, fashion editor at Vogue, illustrates: Our needs are simple. We want a photographer to take a dress, make the girl look pretty, give us lots of images to choose from, and not give us any attitude. Photographers - if they are any good - want to create art. So, bloggers have been chipping away at the mainstream media as more and more people want to hear about fashion from people who apply it to everyday life.

The historical aspect aside, fashion photographers should love fashion! Live it, love it, and dream about it. Fashion photographers have to be aware of a lot of things; you’re photographing garments that need to grab the viewer’s attention, you need to know how to photograph them well and may even have to lend your eye in styling them to make an image. Even Paolo Roversi has occasionally styled his own editorials!  Obviously, a strong background in fashion is a must for this. It’s not something I wish on anyone, but there will always be one of those days where you need a stylist and the only person that can come through is you, so you better know how to put an outfit together! And this is one trait that a lot of mainstream fashion photographers lack presently and this is where our new breed of fashion bloggers scores over them.

“Fashion used to be very dictatorial,” said Constance White, style director of eBay and a former fashion journalist, speaking at a panel on fashion blogging hosted by glam.com last year. Getting access to the fashion tents is very difficult for outsiders. For years fashion was something written about and photographed by a small number of publications whose writers and photographers guarded their access to shows and designers as fiercely as their Chanel handbags. Many people might not have heard of Scott Schuman, Susie Bubble and Hanelli Mustaparta but they are household names to dedicated followers of fashion photography blogs. All three are big players in the blogging revolution that has turned the fashion world on its head.

Bloggers see themselves as truth tellers in a world where the truth is hard to come by. “What we offer is a personal point of view,” said Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist. “I love magazines, but they can come across as corporate.” “If you’re a junior writer at Vogue, you can’t write a scathing review of Oscar de La Renta,” said Kathryn Finney of The Budget Fashionista. “Whereas, as a blogger, I have a lot more flexibility because my boss is me.

Like consumers, the blogs come in all shapes and sizes. Schuman's Sartorialist blog photographs style as it catches his eye on the street, finding inspiration in everything from designer dresses to filthy workwear. The hierarchical fashion landscape changed beyond all recognition with the advent of digital media.

Early adopters such as Susie Lau of Style Bubble and Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist have become part of the new digital media establishment, where they face increasingly well-heeled competition from digital editions of Elle and Vogue, as well as the brands themselves. The situation was summed up by the flamboyant, meat-dress wearing Lady Gaga in her column for V Magazine: "The reality of today's media is that there are no echelons" –this applies to fashion photography perfectly today.

My problem with depiction of Old age in cinema!

Mainstream popular cinema always plays on all the existing stereotypes associated with elderly people. Old Age is generally associated with impending death and sadness, which is funny considering it’s the last stage of life and should be rich in experiences and valuable lessons learnt. But death, especially when it comes at the right age is nothing to cry about but to be celebrated and cherished. 

Also you have memories of a lifetime with you, but that doesn't mean you stop creating new memories, new experiences, you are still living and so still learning. Old age is about experience and it does not entitle every old person with the wisdom of an owl. They've lived, they've flawed.  Some learn some, still make mistakes. Old people are humans too, so stop painting them in virtuous light all the time. ‘Angel in the house’ holds true only in the Utopian fictional world, not in reality. So old age should be portrayed in not only the idyllic white but blacks too.

Its grey that is interesting, black and white are plain boring. 

Shot by Shot breakup of ‘Derrida’

Given below is the Shot by Shot breakup of the Film ‘Derrida’ - only the first 10 minutes: 

Shot 1          00:00 to 02:00

The camera from a moving train captures the water outside, the water body over which the train is running. This shot taken from the train opens the film. Then as the train comes on land, we see the railway tracks, the bridge at a distance and then the cityscape. Starting with jerky movements, the camera now becomes more stable. We see a wall which completely blocks our view and the visual matches with the narrative voice running in the background which says “when I am completely unable to foresee their arrival”. The train then stops abruptly at a place, and we cannot see clearly as to where it is.

Shot 2          02:00 to 02:11

We see somebody’s house; an old man walks in, familiar homely environment. The old man walks up to the cupboard and hangs a coat in.

Shot 3          02:11 to 02:34

Then we see a clipping of a TV programme, where a woman with a bob cut is just about to introduce a very great philosopher, but before she can tell us the name the shot ends.

Shot 4          02:34 to 03:00

We are back to the house; the old man is shown closing the cupboard and wearing a coat. He then leaves the room after apologizing for not even saying hello.

Shot 5          03:00 to 03:16

A BBC clipping (the watermark tells us) where a voice introduces us to the great philosopher, as a black and white photograph of the old man is shown on the screen, and finally the name is revealed ‘Derrida’.

Shot 603:16 to 03:37

We are back at the house, which we now know belongs to the great philosopher Derrida. We see the old man coming into the house; he talks a bit and then picks his car keys and goes out. 

Shot 7                                                                                                         03:37 to 03:55

An old recording of an interview, where we again see only the introduction by the host of her guest - Derrida. The intermingling of shots that portray his image as a ‘great’ philosopher of his times are cleverly interspersed with his casual shots at home. The opening gives you both the images – how people perceive him and how he is in his normal surroundings, most importantly at home.

Shot 8                                                                                                       03:55 to 04:00

Right outside Derrida’s house, he gets into his car.

Shot 9                                                                                                       04:00 to 05:00

Outside scene, shots from the window of the car presumably. Shows us the route he takes, what all he is passing by. It is very similar to the opening shot, but from a longer angle this time as its shot from a car on road and not a train. Then the car goes in an underpass and it gets dark. Screen blacks out completely and we see ‘de’ written in white on the screen. Then ‘rrida’ appears right next to it in white, and simultaneously ‘de’ changes to grey in colour. Sound of ambulance comes and screen becomes grayish-white.

Shot 10                                                                                                     05:00 to 06:00

Screen is grayish-white; the camera zooms out to a pavement on top of which five people are walking. As they come close to the camera, we see one of them is Derrida. He is lighting a pipe. Once he reaches the camera, the cameraperson follows him while he crosses the road with his friends.

Shot 11                                                                                                      06:00 to 06:07

A lane where Derrida and three of his friends are walking with him and the camera person is moving with them (ahead of them).

Shot 12                                                                                                     06:07 to 06:22

Inside a building, Derrida is talking facing the camera as he waits for the lift with his friends. The lift door opens and he walks in still talking and the camera follows.

Shot 13                                                                                                     06:22 to 06:31

Derrida trying to talk and listen to a person right next to him. He is in focus, whereas two men in the foreground who frame him are out of focus. There backs are towards the camera.

Shot 14          06:31 to 07:42

Side profile of Derrida talking on the mic at the New York University (NYU) lecture. Cut to a person clicking his photograph (the press/ media) – Fraction of seconds. And then back to him. He is talking about Heidegger’s philosophy and his thoughts on biography.

Shot 15          07:42 to 08:17

Camera moving swiftly into a room and then following a lady in the alley walk down the steps and enter another room. Here we see Derrida, who goes to his cupboard and the lady follows him. Camera shows both of them; he shows her a coat and wears it on being asked.

Shot 16          08:17 to 09:06

Derrida speaking at the NYU lecture, shot from the front. He fills up the screen appropriately. He is talking about Heidegger’s philosophy.

Shot 17          09:06 to 11:00

Side shot of Derrida smoking his pipe as he walks past shops on a street. The camera-person is walking with him, coordinating footsteps. Once very briefly Derrida looks into the camera and then looks up and then continues looking ahead normally again – walking all this while, not stopping. The background voice gives us a glimpse into his pasts – childhood and growing up years, interesting facts. This is a very long and continuous shot, just like the opening of the film. He keeps walking and so does the camera-person beside him. Parked cars, telephone booth and people – they all come between them, but the shot goes on. Derrida looks towards the camera once again but as before looks away and keeps on walking. They close in on the face and end the shot. 

Kaagaz Ke Phool - a review

Kaagaz Ke Phool - a film by Guru Dutt, is considered a classic. Having watched it just yesterday in college for the first time the impression is still fresh in my head. The opening and closing scenes of the film are striking and well thought, something that stays with you for a long time. The movie begins with an old and lonely director Suresh Sinha played by Guru Dutt who is standing in front of a studio where a big statue is partially shown in the scene (rendering only the feet visible). The feet of the statue frame the aged man as he stands; this is symbolic of the main theme of the film, which is about the frailness and diminutive authority and control that man has over things that surround him and also his own life.

The flashback sequence shows us a magnificent set, grand and impressive it rightly highlights the glitz and glamour of his golden days at the peak as he reminisces his past. Some of the scenes where young girls flock to get a glimpse of him and maybe an autograph, and people attracted by the show of films, are really well thought and that shows in the execution.

As the plot progresses we see the director – Suresh Sinha and his find Shanti fall in love with each other. As this growing closeness causes more trouble in his already troubled married life. More so with the coming of Pammi who extracts a promise from her to leave, Shanti finally goes away to a village and becomes a teacher. Suresh on the other hand, can’t stand on his own, without Pammi, his daughter and now having Shanti left too – he is completely alone and depressed. Rocky (his brother in law) brings her back, in order to get Sinha’s life back on track. But when Shanti tries helping Suresh, his ego comes in the way and he refuses. He would never take help from anybody, he rather surrender himself to self-pity and alcohol.

I feel he was not what we nowadays call, that ‘into’ the girl. The film depicts two people who understand each other very well but can't be together. But I still have some questions. When Pammi leaves him, why doesn’t Suresh go up to Shanti and resolve the issue and show her that her absence didn’t really help salvage his marriage. Also Suresh enjoys her simple hero-worship of him without really responding. He just likes being loved unconditionally and Shanti knows this. In the end nobody learns anything, nobody cries, and Suresh dies in the pit. Life moves on. Suresh in particular, but Shanti too, have plenty of opportunities to improve the course of their lives, and their persistent refusal to take advantage of them, can get on your nerves. They refuse to take responsibility for there own happiness.

But the cinematography as always is a highlight of Dutt's films. The use of lighting is fitting, as it accentuates the grimness. The use of light during the screening of Sinha’s ‘Devdas’ at the premiere is a good example of the clever use of light. Dutt also used overlapping images and, the camera often moves and lingers creating a mesmerizing effect. ‘Waqt ne kiya’ is a memorable track from the film not only because of meaningful lyrics and haunting voices, but also because of the way it has been beautifully shot. The camera work is remarkable, to V.K. Murthy’s credict who created the light beams and lenses for Dutt. The sliding lime lights and later sliding martinis worked very well, they just show the creativity even more in the making of the film.

It is India’s first cinemascope film; has wonderful sets, good direction, fine lighting, superb acting, well choreographed frames to boast about, and in all a very well made film!

Mr. Lochan and his suspender pants

A chequered shirt, a freckled face

Yet a smooth overall appearance

Spectacles hanging from his neck

On a strand of thread

His hair black but mostly white

And off course, how could one miss

His ‘suspender pants’:P

The class all quite, all eyes on him

But are they interested, in awe or just scared of him

He modulates his voice,

Changes its texture,

Throws his hands around,

But do my friends really understand what he says,

Cause if they really did, why would they scared?

Sitting in the centre, of the circle we make around him

He says he doesn’t like people sitting at the back,

But if we someone’s at front, someone has to be behind,

And someone who’s been himself a backbencher all his life,

Should I really listen to him?

His suspender pants, just sum him up

It binds him,

So that he dosent go off the track

It controls him, so that he doesn’t lose count

It sizes him up, and off course they hold his pants in place

So that he can jump around in his thoughts.

I wonder how would he be, had it not been for them,

What a crazy person he would be!

The Shortest Poem

In July that year, when he first showed me emotions,
I saw a person who could cry for me,
Who felt pain if i was away. :)

But in April this year, when I saw him lie on my face,
It all came crashing down!
End of story. 


(Written at my Maasi's place while I was out with my parents, last piece written about my breakup. Will never write anything about it. Doesn't deserve that space in my head or heart anymore. And I thought he cared. :I )

27th May 2013, 05.04 pm.