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Bookshelf 2018. Many more to add. #becauseiread #becauseidraw #bookshelf #bookstagram #instabook #sketchbook #sketching #reading @goodreads #readingchallenge (at Bangalore, India)

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A day @blrlitfest A day of hearing, forming, and sharing stories and opinions. Since I didn’t know about most of the panelists- I was a bit apprehensive about going, but it was an amazing experience and the discussions weren’t overly-intellectual (as I had presumed them to be). I enjoyed all the talks/discussions that I attended. And ofcourse, front row seats for @natashabadhwar . Also- fan moments when Ramchandra Guha and Girish Karnad are just walking around 🙂 #blrlitfest #blrlitfest2017 #blf2017 #literature #speakers #discussions #opinions #journalists #historians #translators #vernacular #writers #readers #books #bookstagram #bangalore #readersofbangalore #readersofinstagram #bibliophiles #weekendvibes #weekendwellspent #saturyay (at The Lalit Ashok Bangalore)

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If you remember me, then I don't care if everyone else forgets.

Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

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Shobho Bijoya! May this be a victory over everything that holds us back. May Durga Maa bless us with joy and prosperity as she leaves for her humble abode. #vijayadashami #shubhobijoya #durgapuja #durga #durgamaa #navratri #pujafeels #aschebochorabarhobe #incredibleindia #blessed #festive #goodoverevil #mayyoushine #conqueryourfears (at Vadodara, Gujarat, India)

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Maa and Home

I haven’t been this excited about going home in a long time. The last time I went home was in March, and the six months since then have been an emotional rollercoaster for me. On one hand- I have cried, sobbed and wailed loudly. I have slept for 12-hour stretches in bad moods and tiredness and ill-health. On the other hand- I have been blessed by the love of friends and family. I got to travel a lot. I pushed myself physically and came to know about the unbound strength of the human mind. Someone liked me and asked me out. I liked someone and they didn’t ask me out. And the relationship where we both liked each other didn’t work out. Phew, I’m so looking forward to Pujo. This year, while praying to Maa, I know what to ask her for :)

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What I don’t talk about when I talk about running

Regular, daily runs are okay. I don’t push myself too hard. But participating in running events really takes a lot out of you. At times, there are actual tears flowing down my eyes. People cheer and smile at me in encouragement. This motivates me. What also drives me is the constant retinue of people overtaking me if I walk for a while. Let 100 people pass, and it takes the life out of me to overtake them again!

The euphoria of crossing the finishing line - the endorphins accompanied with the feeling of victory - there is no greater joy than that. Another feeling that I've had is the wish to do it again- Just after I finish the race, I have a thought which says that I could do it better and wants to do it better.

After my run, I share pics and results with my family & the girls & a few other people. The way the congratulations come flooding is overwhelming. So much love & well-wishing. I tell them that if I can do it, they can do it too, and they can do it better than me.

What I also love is looking back to see my journey - from 5km in 45 mins (with two breaks) to 5km in 35 mins (with one break), to running for 5km at a stretch.

True, getting here took time & persistence. But it has also provided so much mental strength that I would recommend running to everyone. Give me a pair of running shoes, and I can conquer the world!

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Earliest memory of ...

The first graphic novel I ever saw was - “Hush” by Rajiv Eipe. Nilanjana was reading it in Pilani. From the name - “graphic novel”, I gathered that it would be like a cartoon series, only longer. Something like Tintin, or of the Superman/Spiderman comics category. I was looking forward to reading it once she finished with the book.

But when I borrowed the hardly-50 page novel, I didn’t like it at all. Back then I was much more innocent (a kid, really), and unaware of the complex realities of the world around us. It was all beautiful and rosy for me. I didn’t understand why someone would draw and write about such dark & unspeakable, adult things - depression, homosexuality, blood, power, abuse etc.

The sketches very vivid, and powerful. But the theme had me greatly dislike the book. Till a long time later, the memory of this book led me to not pick up a graphic novel.

Two years ago, though, I read “Persepolis”. It is Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of growing up in war-struck Iran. I really liked the characters & the story, the consistency of the drawings. I followed it up with “Kari” by Amruta Patil, and “Maus” by Art Spiegelman. The aversion of “graphic novels” has gone and I’m looking forward to reading many more such novels.

PS - Read Nilanjana’s review of “Hush” here

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Social Media gone wrong

All throughout the day- at work and at home, we all sneak out time for the pleasures of social media. It provides us with entertainment, information, inspiration and updates, along with pretty pictures to look at. Over the years- many social media platforms have come up, had their own good share of popularity, and then degraded. Here I’m referring to all content-sharing platforms - facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, blogs, twitter, Quora etc. A few things that I dislike about social network behaviour (all limited to my opinions over my news feed &  interactions) are (and I myself am guilty of a few of these!):-

1. Exaggeration - Movies/restaurant/theatre, or other experiences in general, are either described as- “fucking insane”, or at the other extreme with - “I wish I could pull out my eyeballs when I saw/heard X”. I don’t understand this. I would like to save “mind blowing” for example for the feeling when I can teleport. For everything else, I’d rather use milder adjectives.

2. Our tendency to believe everything that is “written” or “published”. We often read about so-called surveys, researches and scientific findings- but what is the authenticity of these? Most of them don’t describe the experiments & studies in detail. Nor do they talk about the sample size. A study with a hundred or even a thousand data points can never give an accurate impression of human behaviour.

3. Multinationals & brands & advertising - Something/someone becomes big/popular by putting in money, and we all follow them. We spend precious time & money in order to let them advertise through us. I am a big fan of local produce and small scale industries. In this modern system, most of us are comfortably isolated from the real lives around us. Even though we possess the necessary skills to judge what is good and bad for the society, we tend to overlook it. My dislike of the grand and the popular also comes down to me disliking fads and discussions of what happens in the latest episode of GoT.

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Crosswords & Comfort

Just like while solving a crossword if you pen down an answer too soon, you proceed to solve all surrounding clues with respect to hints from that word. Similarly when you give too much importance to something early in your life, then you start building your life around it.

If suddenly, you realise that other aspects of the puzzle of your life will not fit in with that answer, and you have to replace the original word- you reluctantly erase that word and witness your otherwise focussed thoughts go here and there - trying to fill in that missing word.

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Getting back to #origami with this #lotus

#craft #hobby #papercraft #paperfolding #madewithlove #handmade #instaorigami (at Bangalore, India)

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Hi, I am Surabhi, and this is my Art Assignment.

:)

Whitescapes

This is an Art Assignment inspired by Odili Donald Odita

Aim: to describe a few white objects in different lightings.

I chose to photograph a cotton fabric on which I placed - an origami crane, a set of earphones, a cotton ball, and pearl earrings. 

I have always remembered my earphones to be completely white, (I would describe this white as a premium plasticky one), but when placed next to fabric, it seemed quite dull (and dirty!). The cotton fabric & cotton ball looked more or less of the same shade. But it was the origami crane that, when the surroundings were lit up differently, showed more drastic change in (perceived) colour. The pearls shone similarly in all the pictures, with very less or no change in the intensity of the shine.

After looking at the whites in different scenarios, I can’t think about the other objects, but if I had to name the colour, I would name the earrings to be “white sheen”, and cotton balls to be “white fluff”. Its more to do with the texture rather than the colour, but thats okay.

Cheers to the 50 Shades of White!

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YouTube

I wonder what advertisements do men get to watch, on YouTube. All I get are sanitary napkins, and makeup ads.

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I need to write again.

I need to write oceans of letters, mountains of alphabets, long queues of words, to clear my heart out.

So many things that crept down as tears late at night.

So many things that came sweating out during the lakeside run.

So many things still unsaid.

So many things I’ve never said enough about.

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Dhak Dhuk, from English Vinglish.

makes me feel so melancholy

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When faced with a dilemma, I want to handle it maturely, as well as throw a tantrum, at the same time.

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One little drop peeps out while the sun is glowing a brilliant orange.

“Some other day”, it says, with a heavy heart, and goes back inside.

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A gift for my sister!