Claim 1 - A person can never express his/her idea absolutely.
The fraction of the idea that gets expressed is limited by the medium of expression. This occurs essentially due to presence of friction in all mediums. The only medium that lacks friction is vacuum but it doesn’t support expression.
Claim 2 -The interpretation of an expression will vary for all receivers.
This variance happens because the analytical powers of receivers depend on their own unique combination of circumstances, conditioning, and inherent nature.
Claim 3 - Each receiver will interpret the same expression in a different manner at different points in time.
This claim is a direct corollary of Claim 2. As circumstances are known to vary with time hence the critical combination affecting analytical skills also becomes a function of time.
Oil on Canvas 16″ X 18″
…This was my first canvas!
Tehelka Hindi is my first design project for a Hindi website and it feels great to know that it’s being appreciated across the industry. Launched in October, Tehelka Hindi has already secured a respectable place for itself in the Hindi reading community on the web.
The i4d magazine showcased the newly launched site in their October-2007 issue, praising Tehelka’s attempt to introduce a whole new set of readers to investigative journalism.
The online version of the article from i4d magazine can be found here >>
However the site is doing much more than expanding the outreach of the hard-hitting content from the Tehelka magazine. There are regular columns by veterans of Hindi literature such as Prabhash Joshi, Ashok Chkradhar, Aalok Pauranik, Prasoon Joshi and Anupam Mishra. The site also promotes fresh talent and provides a window for the lighter side of our crew’s literary ingenuity.
Working behind the scenes for the site is a small yet power packed team of three musketeers - Sanjay Dubey, Atul Chaurasia, and Vikas Bahuguna; supported by Vijay Vardhan, the programmer, me the designer, and the invaluable impetus from Tehelka magazine’s editorial. I think it’s commendable that this bare-minimum system is churning out fresh content almost daily.
Zeal and effort is being met with constant lauding; a popular blog “Visfot” recently contrasted our site with NDTV’s newly launched beta version of “Khabar” stating that that Tehelka Hindi’s presentation is far ahead and much more appealing.
Read the post here >>
My objective was to design an elegant and contemporary look to go with the feel of Hindi fonts and so far the feedback that I’ve received has resonated with my target.
Cavity in my heart and dandruff in my tummy
Oh! This pencil is so very yummy
Mangoes are ripe and the cat is chummy
Playing in the mud, wriggle-jiggle, splash-thrash, gooey-gooey gummy
Fanning with the manual she calls him scummy
Speed up and overtake that out of focus bummy
Stamping the dance floor while leopards play rummy
Shut up and behold my pet is an Egyptian mummy
Butterflies are humming and I am bored like a showroom dummy
Thoughts are choked and my words are crummy
In Kodaikanal we were under the care of Mr. Vaithilingam…for all practical purposes. He is a friend’s friend’s friend and the manager of Hotel Hill Top Towers situated in the heart of Kodaikanal. The recommendation that had reached him through our chain-link of friends was more than enough for him to pour personal attention and make all necessary arrangements for us.
Vaithilingam had assigned one of his friends C Raghu as our cabby. We began our tour around the town with a visit to Kurinji Andavar temple at Palani View. The temple houses the deity Murugan and is situated at a strategic location that provides clear view of Palani hills and its renowned temple of Lord Murugan and also the Vaigai dam. Next stop was a Jain temple that is apparently famous for its intricate marble carvings. I wasn’t too impressed and wished we had avoided that stop. A short stop over at Chettiar Park was better. For a change it was nice to see a well-managed government run park!
To me Kodaikanal seemed like the Nainital of South India. A lake forms the center of attraction in both Nainital and Kodaikanal. Rest of the tourist excursions are organized around the lake and into the surrounding mountains offering several view spots - lake view, valley view etc. One such view that we visited was the Green valley view point, also known as suicide point…well…don’t all popular hill stations have a suicide point of their own? Its almost as if to suggest that in plains, especially cities, people may culminate their lives just about anywhere, but in the hills they prefer to provide a central location perhaps for everybody’s convenience!
The green valley was covered with mist, yet the panoramic view of mountain peaks layered with clouds and fog was quite mesmerizing. However the main attraction of the spot seemed to be monkeys posing freely for shutterbugs and they kept us glued to their greedy antics for quite a while.
One interesting spot was a place where one had to climb downhill on a naturally built staircase of semi exposed tree roots. Another popular tourist attraction was Pillar rocks. Its claim to fame is three 400 feet tall granite boulders that resemble the face of lord Ganesha.
Unlike my usual travels, the visit to Kodaikanal turned out to be a typical site seeing tour…something that I never fully enjoy. Anyway, we did what all tourists do, saw all of the popular places, bought homemade chocolates, and did boating in the Kodai Lake. It was mid day and we were through with all the typical “must-see” and “must do” stuff. That’s when I decided to relieve our cabby after he left us at the entry to Coaker’s Walk. I wanted to just hang around and explore the place on my own. Just as I had expected, Coaker’s Walk turned out to be the best place in Kodaikanal. That’s why I had reserved a visit to Coaker’s Walk for the end. It’s a kilometer long paved road along the edge of steep slopes on the southern side of Kodaikanal.
Leisure…sheer leisure!
So we indulged in leisure across the Coaker’s walk taking in the picturesque view of partially fogged out valley. We chatted, ate cotton candy, sang, and finally settled down for a cup of coffee near the end of the walk. The coffee wasn’t as good as the filter coffee in Vaithilingam’s hotel but the experience of being parked lethargically on a chair at the edge of a hill with feet resting on a tiny fence and sipping coffee was simply awesome!
We spent the remainder of the day in a similarly lethargic manner loitering around Kodaikanal. We walked to Bryant’s park. Went to the market and ate corn.
My sister rented a bicycle and rode along the 5km periphery of the Kodai Lake. I opted for a horse ride, as I can’t ride anything with less than three wheels or legs!
At sundown we witnessed Kodai at its beautiful most as we sat around its shore and watched the last of the boats returning to the dock.
Our one-day visit to Kodaikanal ended with yet another meal of yummy Chilly Uthappams and several rounds of filter coffee.
Click here for more photos >>
In 14th century, villagers of Palani foot hills fled to Kodai hills, to escape from their oppressive rulers and the invasion of Tipu Sultan. Later around 1845, American missionaries rediscovered Kodaikanal to seek refugee from the heat of Tamil Nadu and led to the development of Kodai as a popular hill station in South India. Recently I also fled to Kodaikanal for a year-end family vacation.
We took a flight from Delhi to Coimbatore and the rest of the journey was to be made on road via Palani. Once in Coimbatore, numerous hoardings of a Shreedevi Textiles showcasing vivid silk saris were the first to catch my attention besides the traffic jams that were threatening to delay us for our bus to Palani. Somehow we managed to catch the bus but it was almost full. I had to settle for a seat away from my sister. I had an old woman and her daughter as my companions for the four hour ride across the heat and dusty roads and a T.V. showing an apparently popular Tamil movie as the only source of distraction. Unexpectedly it turned out to be quite a memorable ride as I realized that I could almost follow the movie even though I didn’t understand the language (Anyway, I couldn’t have heard the dialogues over the rattling noise in the bus) and as the old lady next to me got chatty.
But of course I couldn’t make any sense of the old lady’s curious questions till her daughter, Muthu, started translating her queries for me using her limited knowledge of English. Muthu turned out to be a sweet girl, perhaps about fifteen years old. Through her I communicated my travel plans, clarified that I was with my Akka (sister), and explained why I wasn’t wearing a yellow thread around my neck and a bindi on my forehead… “Ille-Ille!” I remarked.
After a bit more of partially understood Smalltalk I dozed off only to be woken in a few minutes by Muthu’s humble “Excuse-me”. She was holding an old black & white hand phone and wanted to show me something. It was a picture SMS message that read “Happy New Year”. Her cute gesture made me smile and I thanked her heartily and wished her the same. Strangely Muthu’s bout of cute generosity was followed by shy embarrassment and she said “Sorry for disturbance!”
After a bit more of chit-chat I shifted my attention to the scenery that we were passing by. I guessed that we must be reaching the Palani foothills as I saw the wide open plains often loaded with windmills and hills came into view. Soon I saw a massive temple built on a hilltop; it had to be the famous Lord Murugan temple of Palani.
We reached the bus station from where we had to board another bus to Kodaikanal. Yet again we were flustered to see that none of the buses had any information written in English. It was an unwelcome sign that spoke of the closed attitude of Tamil Nadu administration towards people from outside. We had to struggle a bit with the unfriendly conductors to find the right bus and it turned out that the bus wouldn’t arrive till an hour. It was early evening and the delay meant that we will miss some of the sights along the way. We had no option but to kill time eating Murukkus and Vadas and drinking tea made in quaint ovens.
It wasn’t a comfortable bus and the only solace was the beauty of the uphill climb and occasional waterfalls. The massive Lord Murugan temple could still be seen even an hour after leaving Palani. We were bored of the long day of traveling. In an effort to make the journey a bit more pleasant I plugged in my mp3 player but I guess it wasn’t meant to be that way. Soon the driver switched on the music system and the blaring music that resulted started jamming with the soft rock in my ears. They were tuned into a local music station and it turned out to be none other than Radio Mirchi! Needless to say, the mp3 player gave in and was packed back into my bag.
We reached Kodaikanal much after sunset and were left with just enough energy to look for our hotel, eat, and retire to sleep.
Minaret of the Taj Mahal, Agra, India
In the blur of perplexing course of life, if you seek you’ll find a window of faith
The window is all yours, if only you make it your focus
In the sea of dried passions and harsh realizations, if you believe you’ll feel a ray of hope
The choice is yours, if you want to you can let the sun in
In the midst of dance of demons, if you let go you’ll get a glimpse of God
Shed your fears, all it takes is just a little courage to acquire your piece of heaven
The magic is in front of yours eyes but still seems to be hidden
If only you wish to you will see the minaret
If only you will listen you will hear the calling…
…”Come pursue the stairway to emancipation”
I can’t help hazarding a guess that if Ayn Rand’s hero Howard Roark was a Web designer then he would’ve also begun with building a site like my Fluid Verve.
Minimalistic and Functional model - objective I
That’s what my objective was, to code something very basic and just enough to let the content do the talking/engaging.
Contemporary and Seamless design - objective II
I don’t intend to imply that my understanding of coding is as exhaustive as Howard Roark would’ve known his Mathematics, Mechanics etc. As a matter of fact my limited knowledge of coding was a constraint that had to be mitigated and a quick site kick off ensured. Hence…
Quick and Easy site launch - objective III
But …
Is this much of a framework enough?
Am I capitalizing on technology?
Can this be considered as “rich user experience”?
The answer to all of these is a blatant NO. I know that Fluid Verve is far away from meeting these unwritten goals, but then, it’s still under construction 
By the way… I didn’t initially set out with an idea to follow Ayn Rand’s Fountainhead in my site. Just like it happened with my painting titled Howard Roark, I realized the similarity much after its creation!
The furniture that my grandmother got on her wedding still exists in our house. The chairs, the armoire, and the beds are still intact and robust. With a little bit of care and a coat of fresh polish they have managed to retain their shining beauty. We can’t get such furniture nowadays. Even if it was available, we probably won’t be able to afford it. The market is ruled by easily replaceable stuff. Gone are the days of timeless beauty and long lasting partnerships, be it with furniture, people, or thoughts. The society is being ruled with impermanence.
The concept of “moving with time” has accelerated into mach 3 speed. When you are supposed to move that fast you can’t carry sturdy but heavy stuff. The density makes it a burden, hence we dilute everything…materials, emotions, and thoughts.
Diluted…hollow…
Ready to eat, easy to digest and forget
Lightweight, comfortable, portable and easily disposable
The concept of “living in now” was once the key to cherish the present. Now it is imperative, a significant defense against the unstable surroundings. Everything changes too sooner than one can handle, hence its better not to bond too much with them. Don’t keep any expectations, not because you want to stay free but because you don’t want to get hurt. It is unwise to invest in soda bubbles.
I respect granny’s ‘old-fashioned’ furniture; it’s an icon of the lost glory of stability in the kingdom of impermanence.
Oil on Canvas 16″ X 24″
You may consider it a tribute to or an inspiration from Ayn Rand’s Hero of Fountainhead
