Hindustan Ka dil Dekha...

The latest ad of MP tourism is really captivating, very creative and one of a kind. It’s so simple and yet so informative. Each time I see the advertisement on TV I leave everything that I am engaged in and watch it fully.

For those of you who haven’t seen it, this is part of the ‘Incredible India’ campaign and portrays the different locations in Madhya Pradesh (located in central part of India); from mountains to palaces to lakes etc and the highlight of this advt is that every place is expressed so fascinatingly through the varied expressions using just two eyes. It features no fancy props, no storyline, nothing whatsoever – it’s just simply the set of eyes that express the whole story; in this case the ad. What a beautiful way to present a picture!!

Kudos to Ogilvy India for making this ad, it’s intelligent, unique and so mysterious in many ways. I was so fascinated by it that I decided to do some background research. Though there is no particular source of info on the subject, I did however get a lot of information with regards to the model and how the idea was developed. I cannot source the information but I can share whatever I have read so far.

Shekhar Jha, creative director of Oglivy India, is the singer, musician and lyricist of the ad. They were in need of a model who is a trained Indian classical dancer. Their hunt led them to Jayalaxmi Appadorai (also referred as Shree Jeilachmee Appadorai in some places), a South-Indian model based in Malaysia who is trained in Bharatnatyam and other Indian classical dances. She has also acted in some other ad films such as the new Minute Maid Pulpy Orange and is the runner up in Miss India Worldwide 2001. I also read that the expressions in the ad are 60 per cent real and 40 per cent computer graphics and was carried out in Malaysia.

Find below the YouTube link to the ad… Am sure you all will like it too... Enjoy!!!

Summer already?

Well whaddya know... It’s here and with a vengeance... It is already scorching hot and getting hotter with each passing day!

The most interesting thing is that the weather almost changed overnight, or so it seems, without even a warning or a hint, tch tch... Not that we could do have done anything about it but still!! At least, I could have prepared myself not just for the heat but also for the wonderful method with which the Govt chooses to make our lives even more miserable, the power cuts :-(

Yes dear Bangaloreans, brace yourselves up for hotter days and many more hours of agonising power cuts; they are here to stay. The day the weather changed, almost the very same say the power cuts also began – so far it’s only 4 hrs a day but I am 100% certain it is only going to increase along with the heat waves... Kudos to our Govt; they are punctual and prompt in this matter at least!

I never liked summer season which is quite contrary to my upbringing - born in the hot month of June in a desert (Rajasthan) and later spent 15 long years in Tiruppur (Tamil Nadu); summer and heat isn’t new to me but I have always hated it! Weather was the one thing that I liked about Bangalore but guess that’s changing as well, all thanks to the global warming... And guess what, the husband, brought up in Delhi and Bangalore, doesn’t mind the heat... A match made in heaven I swear!

And while I am crying here, the husband is facing one of the craziest blizzard ever in the US! I believe this year has been the worst ever in terms of snowfall... Phew... Talk about irony!!!

Now the only solution I have here is first to install a UPS. So far I never thought of that as something important but since the time I changed my work status from a working wife to a homemaker, I can tell you that this has become a necessity now. Well the second task is to get air-conditioning fixed, I know it might sound absurd for people living in Bangalore but times are changing and so is the weather... The only relief is rains and only God knows when and Oh I forgot the husband's consent for all these – after all it will come out of his pocket!!!!!!

Where is my Valentine!!!!

Usually am not in for celebrating days... I feel it is stupid and dumb... for instance take Mother’s day or Father’s day or Friendship day – I don’t really see the meaning of it... Every day is special for that special person in your life, be it dad, mom or friends and I feel we don’t need a day to celebrate that, do we???

But today being the most romantic day in the calendar, I hate to admit that I miss my husband a great deal... maybe the spirit of the day has finally struck me or maybe it is the distance and looks like the days of endless wait have finally taken a toll on me. Not that I would have done anything extraordinary but I guess with him not being around, I am thinking I could have done everything that a cupid-stuck person could have :-)

Today was the day my husband was to return as per his original schedule but then the workaholic in him decided to pay heed to the calls of official responsibility and hence has delayed his return by another 3 weeks!!!! 2 months (almost) is the longest I have ever been without him... I am hoping I don’t have to face a similar situation in future :-(

As mushy as it sounds I can’t help but blog... of late my posts have been mostly about him but what the heck, that’s just what I miss the most right now!!!

Come Back Soon....

Mystic River

I happen to watch this movie today on World movie channel. The Movie released in 2003 and is directed by Clint Eastwood and stars Sean Penn, Tim Robbins (Shawshank redemption fame) Kevin Bacon to name a few...

The story revolves around Jimmy (Penn’s) daughter being murdered and while Sean (Kevin) a detective tries to solve the case Tim gets unnecessary involved in it too... I think you should catch the movie first before you try to comprehend what I am exactly trying to say here.

The most realistic thing that is conveyed, at least my understanding is how people get misunderstood and then if you are not up to it might just cost you big time!!! Seriously you’ll have to watch this for me to prove my point.

This movie gave Penn and Robins Best actor and Best supporting actor awards at the Oscars for their performance and if you are a lover of interesting stories then you must catch it.People who have seen the movie it is a good one, isn’t it?

And the Grammy goes to.....

I know this one is a bit late but I just had to blog about it... Late than never right!

The Grammy awards 2010 was a special one for us Indians... 3 of our esteemed musicians were nominated and I knew if not anyone, then at least AR Rahman had to win it and he did... not one but two.

Doing India proud last year, he won the Oscars, at all the award ceremonies here in India and now the final big one - “The Grammys”. He took away the award for the best album compilation for movies and the best song for ‘Jai Ho’ all for Slumdog Millionaire... he definitely is a Star :)

My husband who is a huge, huge fan of his is more than elated hearing the news!!!

There is one thing about the man that no one can deny, he is mesmerising... his nonchalant way of talking to the media; his music or anything else about him. One thing that I have discovered is that his music grows on you... just hear his album for 4 times in a row and then it becomes your favorite of the season... am not kidding – just try it.

Another thing special this year was the tribute to MJ... It was just so overwhelming with Usher, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson and Celine Dion singing the Earth Song :). While other attractions in the ceremony included Eminem, Jon Bon Jovi, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Pink, Beyonce, BEP and many more but MJ’s tribute was the highlight!!!