Stepwell in Hyderabad

 Bansilalpet has a neat stepwell, and an art gallery that has old paintings and photographs of that area and the stepwell. Near R.P. Road in Secunderabad. Worth a visit. 

Hyderabad Heritage Walk

 Mah Laqa Bai Chanda was a Courtesan, poet and warrior in the Nizam's time. Her tomb in Hyderabad was the starting point of our walk, which continued to the Moula Ali shrine nearby, dedicated to Ali, the Prophet's Son-in-law and whose followers are Shia Muslims.

She was also a possible inspiration for the book Umrao Jaan Ada, made into a film by Muzaffar Ali. A colourful personality. Pics from the tomb and Moula Ali hill.

Wedding in Chennai

 Went to Chennai for a few days, after quite a while. I used to attend a December conference at Great Lakes Institute for a long time. This trip I went to a wedding, and spent time with Vijayakumar-old friend and colleague-

On the way Pune-Chennai

Jayanti, another cousin of my wife's.

Ajai and Swethalakshmi, groom and bride.

Gayatri, wife's cousin and husband Kumar

at his place. Also met a couple of his partners in a new venture.

Rakshabandhan Meetup in Pune

 We had a cousins meetup in Pune for celebrating Rakshabandhan.. multiple sisters tied rakhis to brothers (cousins) present, and we had a gala time with conversations that went on, and a slide show of pics from our families.. the two daughters and SILs of the host added another dimension by participating enthusiastically. 

Brothers and sisters.. above, and with spouses added, below..

The entire gathering.. Rohini plus Rakesh and Sandeep plus Ragini in the two pics here

Other candid shots, and the slide show- a snippet.

In a World of OTPs and KYCs

 And digital menus.. imagine these..

If you want to enter Heaven, you need to prove your credentials.. first, a KYC to prove your identity.. and then, enter your OTP to confirm you are dead- but how do you do this when you are dead?

KYC to use a public toilet.. so that you can be fined if you forgot to flush..

KYC to enter a classroom and get your attendance marked.. proxies will be eliminated.

Criminals who want to prove that they committed a crime can also do a KYC.. or else they can't take credit for it.

Moms of newborns need to do a KYC that they are what they say they are- mother of the new-born. Or else, that kid won't be given a birth certificate!

None of this proves you are a citizen.. go do an SIR, sir!

Frame- Marathi Film Review

 Saw an impressive film called Frame (Marathi). Apt title, because it charts out the life of a photojournalist- and his young apprentice.

Very well acted and directed, it stars Ameya Wagh and Nagaraj Manjule. The female parts are not as significant, though they help define the character of the main actor. Can't disclose the plot, but it's very interesting, and disturbing. 

This screening was at the Film Archives audi in Pune, on the same road as FTII. It was a full house, and the director, Vikram Patwardhan, was also there.

IMT Mini Meet

 Met two former students of IMT Nagpur currently in Mumbai. Shafique Gajdhar is from Dewas near Indore, and works in Mumbai. Vishakha Sugand is from Mumbai. We met at Juliette's Cafe in Oshiwara, Andheri. Recounted the good old days, and lots of common faculty and students we all know. 

Wonderful conversation that stretched for about 5 hours!