Recently, I visited Ziro. Ziro is a small town in the Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh. The Wikipedia quotes the total area of the district to be 10,135 square km and the total population to be 97,614 (as of 2001). Ziro is basically two small towns in one. The old Ziro and the part known as Hapoli. We stayed at Hotel Blue Pine in Hapoli, and for a town so remote, the Hotel was really a surprise. The quality of service and the hospitality were really outstanding. We were there only for a single day, so we couldn’t enjoy the whole of Ziro. I have heard that there is a Shiva temple in Ziro, but due to time constraints we couldn’t visit it. But our hosts took us to a place called Ziro point. It is the highest point in the entire Ziro valley. One can see the group of villages that constitute the Old Ziro town, as well as the airport. I wander whether any planes land there or not. The following photo is a panorama i took from the Ziro point. Beware, before clicking, the image is very large.
This is my latest portrait. It is actually done using pen on normal paper. As you cannot vanish pen strokes, so I have used cross hatches to highlight the darker tones.
ये पोर्ट्रेट मैंने पेन द्वारा A4 कागज़ पर बनाया है। इसको बनने में कोई पेंसिल या रबड़ का प्रयोग नही किया गया है। चुकी पेन के लिखाई को गायब नही किया जा सकता, इसलिए मैंने cross-hatch प्रणाली का उपयोग किया है। आशा करता हूँ की आपलोगो को ये चित्र पसंद आएगा।
I love painting and I have been doing it for as long as I remember। I don’t know how it happened or whether it is a coincident or what, but most of my paintings or sketches are portraits. Even some of my most earliest paintings are the same. The one below is the first oil painting I ever made. This was way back in the sixth grade. I tried doing John Constable, but it became something else. (The original painting appeared in one of the “Great Artists” issue)
Back then, when I used to look at it, it used to be O.K. But now, when I see it, I doubt my judgment about human proportions. Look at the nose and the eyes. 
Recently, I did a watercolor. Its “the Sapera”. (The original photo appeared in one of the Lonely Planet’s India issue) 
Now, when I look at it, its proportions seem perfectly fine, but I am afraid that in the future the proportions are going to change. God, help “the Sapera”(सपेरा)
Today was the first quiz for this semester in Computer Communiation Network. Due to my other engagements, I couldn’t study a thing for the damn exam. So, when it was asked to write about the internet network protocols, I was basically trying to invent cool names which would sound similar to the actual once. But, you know what, inventing such names is not child’s play. The geeky engineers and the nerds, who actually created the internet and such names as ICMP, IGMP, ARQ, OSI, etc. made sure that students like me, – who bunk most of the classes and study the night before the exams,-face a tough time re-inventing them.
So, the quiz was basically a joke. The teacher probably will either laugh at me after seeing the paper or he will throw me out of the class the next time we meet. Same goes for most of my friends. Last night, instead of studying the actual LAN architecture, they were having a LAN party, where they fragged each-others butts in Counter Strike. Today morning, instead of revising or studying they were analyzing their Counter Strike exploits. I wish, I was that lucky. You know, staying at home sometimes makes me sick. I miss the late night addas (अड्डा) and the LAN parties. I miss the feeling which you get when you know that you have to study or do something important, but you keep telling yourself, “OK, this is the last game. After this I’ll study”, but the last game never comes.
I don’t know what life has in store for me, what other people I am going to meet in the coming years, but one thing is for sure, wherever I go, wherever life’s journey takes me, I will always miss my dear friends from NERIST.
It is the Oscar season now-a-days. The entire film fraternity, all over the world is busy in discussing and analyzing the Academy Awards for this year. Almost everywhere the attention is on Hollywood. But in India, Oscars seldom create any news. Most of the people here do not know about the Oscars or the Academy. Frankly speaking, they don’t even care.
India is totally focused on Bollywood, the hindi language film industry of India…. For your information the Indian Film Industry is the largest in the world. To get an idea of the scale we are talking about, consider this: Bollywood being a part of the Indian Film Industry produces about 1000 films a year and generates about $3.6 billion in Ticket sales. . . .Just imagine the scale of the whole Indian cinema industry. The numbers which come up are truly astronomical.
One of the biggest releases of this year has been the historical film “Jodha Akbar”. The film deals with the romance between The Great Emperor Akbar and Rani Jodha. The film has been very well made by the director and is sure going to be a big hit, if not the biggest. But the issue I want to talk about is the banning of the film by the state governments of Rajastan and Madhya Pradesh. They have banned it saying that what the film depicts is historically incorrect. They say, that the name of the rajput princess whom Akbar married was not Jodha but something else and that Jodha is the name of Akbar’s daughter-in-law.
The question arises, What is there in the name? and is it right to curb the freedom of speech and expression of the director based on such petty issues? What I find most disgusting is that this is gradually becoming a trend in the Indian society. People here get offended very easily and the only way they resolve the matter is by banning or stopping the cause, instead of just ignoring it. One has to hear many things in one’s life. Does that mean that s/he should start beating or bashing every time s/he hears or feels something offensive. If India has to develop and become truly great, then we have to keep aside our petty differences. We should understand that our heterogeneity is a two edged sword. If it can make us , it also can break us.
Sometimes you need to know how to say “NO”. This is something which I can seldom do. As I have mentioned, I am not part of the info-club in Shristi 2008. Rather, i am the photography and video in-charge. But due to my lack of “saying No” habit, I am suffering. I was up all night yesterday making the poster, which in the first place I am never supposed to do.
Though it is not yet complete, we have already submitted a copy of it to the organizing body for their approval . I hope that they pass it without any drastic changes. Because if they want any changes to be made , it is just not possible. The prime reason for that is that the mid-sem exams are starting from the 3rd of March and I haven’t studied a thing. I am planning to start from tomorrow.
Hope everything turns out well.
आपना पहेला हिन्दी ब्लॉग लिखने के बाद, मैंने गूगल मी हिन्दी ब्लॉग नाम से सर्च किया। कई सारे ब्लोग्स सामने आए। उनमे से कुछ का लिंक मैं यहाँ दे रहा हूँ।
इन ब्लोगों को पढ़कर वाकेई मे लगता है की इंटरनेट मे हिन्दी और बाकि भारतीय भाषाओ के लिए आभी भी उम्मीद है। पर अभी भी बहुत कम ही साइट्स हिन्दी मे उपलब्ध है। अगर हमे जायदा से जायदा लोगो को इंटरनेट से जोरना है, तो हमे और सरकार को और भी जायदा साइट्स हिन्दी और बाकि भाषाओ मे उपलब्ध करवाने होंगे। तभी जाकर भारत मे इन्फोर्मेशन टेक्नोलॉजी का विस्तार हो सकेगा।
Though I am in no way associated with the Info-Club in Shristi 2008, I am the one responsible for designing the 3D logo of our University. The logos are presented here. 
The first is the one which i traced from the original printed logo in Adobe Illustrator. 
The second one is the 3-D version of it.
Actually, the info-club wanted the improved logo for the flash website and presentation. But, as they were knee deep in other work as well, so they asked me to design the logo. I suppose I have done a good job and that they will be pleased.
Shristi is the name of the annual Technical Festival of my university. It is held every year in the month of April. This time it is our turn to organize it. I have been made the “photography and video” coordinator. Basically it means that I am responsible for documenting the entire festival.
Yesterday was the “budget proposal” meeting. All of us submitted the tentative budget to the organizing secretary. Incidentally, mine was the lowest at Rs. 13000/-. I hope and pray that this proves to be sufficient. If it doesn’t I am doomed. I don’t know what made me come up with such a meager amount. God help me.
This is the second part of the sapera painting. so here i will start with step 6. For the part I, click here.
Step 6
Here I have started the hand. the hand in the 5th step was a bit small compared to the rest of the body. I have made it proportional here. Also, the initial wash has been added along with the shadows.
Step 7
Here the second wash has been applied on the hand. after each wash the shadows are reinforced. This is important as it ensures the contrast between the shadow part and the light part.
Step 8
This step involves another wash on the hand and some basic painting on the shirt and the piece of cloth. The turban has also been modified.
Step 9
The hand is further improved to match the facial color. The details on the shirt and the cloth are also made in this step.
Step 10
This is the final painting. All the details are in place. The background has been added. Also the small details on the pipe have been filled. 
