Sukshma

Here are a couple of pictures I took a few days after the launch of BigAdda.com back in August this year. BigAdda is unlike any other web social networking startup you may have heard off. It is backed by Reliance Capital and it’s marketing war chest is larger than what most startups will absorb at seed stage.

Strategically, BigAdda is Reliance Entertainments foray into the web and mobile social networking space. The market is primarily 20′ish English-speaking youth of India or Indian origin. The primary value proposition is based on social media (videos, blogs, audio, photos etc.)

Here is the same billboard a few weeks later, now advertising BigFlicks.com - another Reliance Entertainment venture.

In contrast, here is a RedHat hat - Guerilla Marketing at its best!

Jeff Barr recently posted some wonderful pictures of Seattle city and Mount Rainier on his blog. Must see.

Beautiful Morning in Seattle.

Mount Rainier from the Air.

Do I miss the place? Seattle and greater Puget Sound are the most enthralling sights in the Summer.

Dor opens with Gul Panag playing Zeenat, a character defined by a strong sense of honesty, determination, and self-will. The focus is on Zeenat’s serene profile. If your looking for any sign of make-up - you won’t find it. Meera, the other protagonist is played by Ayesha Takia.

Dor is a story of the two women, Zeenat and Meera. Their lives are inextricably linked by a certain sequence of events. At no point are the events incredulous or unbelievable. Also, the events themselves will not dominate your thoughts, rather it is the lives of the two women after these events that will leave a strong mark in your mind. At the risk of oversimplification, you will experience what the majority of women are up against thanks to Indian society and traditions. You will learn that there is at least one solution.

The talented Shreyas Talpade plays the role of Behroopiya. His entrance into the movie is almost an assurance that Zeenat and Meera will find a way to untangle the events. Shreyas’ brand of comic relief is not annoying or repetitive.

Last night, I watched the movie in a packed Multiplex-screen in Pune. Surprised? Even more so when you will learn the show was a late-late show (11pm). The movie had just one dance number (and that too, the number is set with Kajra Re from Bunty aur Bubli). Dor is shot only with the beautiful Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan’s arid backdrop. I am so sure that India (urban and maybe even rural) will accept different cinema.

I admire Nagesh’s work. He has perfected the art of presenting a story to bind the movie-goer. The most memorable scenes have shades of surprise, uncertainty, despair, and hope all painted into brilliant depictions that are alive. I highly recommend Dor if you enjoy watching a rich story unravel. In Nagesh’s own words “The story wrote itself”.

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Grinnell Glacier Lake: Originally uploaded by Santosh Dawara.

I took this picture along the Grinnell (Grinell) Glacier Trail. Green sediment at the bottom of the glacial lake gives it the green appearance.

Grinell Glacier trail
Originally uploaded by Santosh Dawara.

Between Hanging valleys you can see the Many Glacier Lake far in the background. The picture was take in the Glacier National Park, Montana, USA.

Mt. St. Helens 09
Originally uploaded by The_Vent.

Too bad the Summer’s over!