tanyadaud-blog - Tumblr blog

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The world is weird when it comes to art because everyone expects there to always be music to listen to and movies to watch and video games to play and cartoons to plop their kids in front of and watercolor paintings on dentists’ walls and gaudy desktop wallpapers but? ? No one wants to? ? Pay? ? Artists? ? ? ? ?

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2013 - Emirati swag. #shabab

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December, 2014 - Documentary shoot.

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December, 2014. 

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November, 2014 - Friday prayers at Naif, Deira.

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November, 2014 - Friday prayers at Naif, Deira

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November, 2014 - Friday prayers in Naif, Deira.

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August, 2014 - Railway Museum, Delhi.

Home to a number of old models of trains, several of which were being worked on for repair.

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15 August, 2014 - Independence Day

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August, 2014 - “Mirza Ghalib Ki Haveli”

Still exists, although, almost all of it has been over taken by residents who live in a room or more, or shops, with just one room functioning as the reminder to whom it belonged to - with photographs, Ghalib’ qalam, replica of his clothing and his life in bits and pieces.

Gali Qasim Jan, is what one needs to lookout for. 

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August, 2014 - Jama Masjid, Delhi.

Purana Dilli or Old Delhi, is a place where you need to go. History reeks out of every nook and corner. 

And, while I’ve missed them, I’ve been told every Sunday, outside the Jama Masjid, one gets to worm through a really long book bazaar that stretches all the way to Lahori Gate. 

Mughal architecture, mouth watering food, history, narrow bylanes - one of them with Ghalib’ haveli and more history. 

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August, 2014 - Jama Masjid, Delhi.

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Notes from November, 2014 - “Life”

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Notes from November, 2014 - “Jamil Khan”

Jamil Khan. Country kin, fellow Karachiite and the man who gave me the exact idea for the story I am working on. 

Got all shy with the camera on him but he's a curious cat and social butterfly combined in reality, and mingles with everyone in his vicinity, even though he's just a year old to the UAE. 

Wonderful guy, who keeps convincing people to help me out and has also taken to ward off cats when I'm around. 

Q. What do two Pakistanis do immediately after establishing some form of familiarity? They discuss 'mulk ke halaat'.

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Notes from November, 2014 - “This Abra Life”

These smiles.

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Notes from November, 2014 - “The Abra Life”

Their generosity always touched me. 

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I'm not sure about the number but if I remember correctly, there are around or over a 100 abras working the creek. Competition is stiff and yet everything seems to work in a harmonious manner. I didn't witness any arguments over whose turn it would be next; instead, there's a system in place, which exists without any buzzers or signals. 

It's just plain, old school, keeping a lookout for the 5 or 6 abras ahead of you (each one is numbered and with familiar faces) and just like that, everything works in sync. Waiting, however, is a big part of the game. Abras only move when one has filled up with 20 or atleast a sizeable number of people, and this means you could easily wait for 20-30 minutes, an hour, or even longer depending upon how the day is proceeding. 

The wait gives them time to catch up, relax & chit chat or work on their boats but can also be very tiring and probably frustrating, especially when you have to do it day after day for around eighteen hours.