Dreams n Reflections

  The things we get into at times! In the early days of my first job, as a young executive, I was often assigned the "special task" of receiving colleagues and dignitaries arriving from Europe, mostly at unearthly hours well past midnight. This seemingly tiresome task had its fringe benefits. Yes, you guessed it. I not only got introduced to some of the most remarkable international travellers from our enterprise, but also got to hear about their remarkable experiences from around the world, in what was a often a "short trip", in what "little time" we got from their arrival at the airport up to their hotel check-ins. In an odd instance or two, I also had the, quite unique, privilege to give them a special experience to carry back with them. One such was for a colleague from Sweden, Mats Widen.  Mats used to be a nurse in his previous career, and had joined our enterprise as an applications specialist & trainer - to help customers make best use of the v...

Portraiture is simply about connecting. Best Portraits happen when the camera connects with the very essence or soul of the subject, and also with the vibe of the moment. None of the above portraits* were planned. They just happened as the conversations and interactions got deeper.  An instinct about framing & lighting, being of great help too.  *Once again, no claims of excellence. Just the ones I felt very good about deep inside.

As a self learning hobby photographer with no formal training, taking pictures, for me, has always been about capturing the opportunity presented by circumstances, or engaging with the energy exuded by the people in focus. Certainly, not as much about technicalities like exposure settings and choice of lenses.  Technical knowledge, like in any subject, is essential for delivering well. However, with increasing automation and the evolution of the camera technologies used in mobile phones, it might soon become elective.* I would like to paraphrase what Antoine de Saint-Exupery writes in his famous work The Little Prince ...  "What is essential... is invisible to the eye...   paraphrased for my argument about photography ... " its often more than what meets the eye..."    I am going to admit it even further that much of, what I feel, have been my best pictures**, have happened with almost zero effort from my side. Rather simply matters of coincidence. He...

  The soothing view from Sister Lisa’s waiting room. Many with whom I have worked, will be surprised to hear that I am a certified hardcore introvert. Its just that my profession has seen me morph into a more “outgoing” form, “as and when required”. So oftentimes, I have found myself tongue tied. Things like, meeting someone for the first time or meeting someone after a really long time, has always had me thinking “how do I open up the conversation without making it sound artificial”. People say,  “you will figure it out over time, as you get into a variety of situations”. Though I subscribe to this view, I still find myself in a spot once a while. And that’s exactly what happened to me when I was visiting Mission Hospital after a really long time. It so happened that I had been my company's relationship manager for this Mission Hospital account since early days in my sales career. This long association meant I knew a lot of folks at this hospital, and they knew me...

  The “old” story as I remember: I was sixteen, it was December 1984. The Nation had been shaken out of sleep on a cold winter morning with the news from Bhopal. Poisonous gas had leaked at the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal and thousands of people had died. Even more had run away for their dear life.  It was a chaos, missing people – some dead, some in hospitals, people trying to reach each other & outsiders eager for contact with dear ones. Public administration was overburdened with communications traffic. I remember the cold evening of December 4th, I got a message from my father Shashi (call sign VU2NA), that there was to be a meeting at Vasantbhai’s place (VU2RX) that night. Subject: the HAMS from Mumbai had got a request from Sharan (VU2NB) of  Bhopal.   “Can you guys come – we need some help in establishing an emergency communications   network – to assist the local administration in handling the unprecedented “communications traffic” ....

    Many of us may be already familiar with the book "How to Win Friends & Influence People" - Dale Carnegie - 1936. a guide to human relations, rooted in empathy, persuasion, and positive influence. Carnegie distils principles of social interaction into actionable steps that help readers foster goodwill, win cooperation, and lead others effectively. Here is the exact opposite of it, in the Authorial Voice of... "HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS & ALIENIATE NATIONS": - written by The US State Department Executive Summary: If Carnegie’s book is about charm and connection, the "opposite" would be about alienation, coercion, and manipulation that result in resentment and broken alliances. This "reverse-manual" provides an unwritten playbook —perfectly demonstrated over decades—on how a global superpower inadvertently (or sometimes deliberately) estranges allies, undermines trust, and provokes resentment across the world, while pursuing short-term geopoli...