An Acquaintance Revisited...

The feeling that overwhelms on being able to capture the perfect selfie in the first try is indescribable as far as millennials are concerned. However, the enthusiasm to partake the masses in going on a selfie-spree had gradually caught on with me a couple of years back, when the world was also enveloping in a self-imposed blanket of self-love.

More often than not, it is the finer details that are overlooked when one embarks on a selfie spree. Numerous factors have to be taken into account before zeroing-in on the perfect dose of narcissism that can be fueled by the social space for the admiration of one's network circles.

Apart from being a series of trial and error, being able to capture the perfect selfie is also to be complemented by the best-in-class technological advancements especially as far as the camera and battery life of a smartphone are concerned. So much so, that most leading brands in the market have come up with the concept of selfie phones itself that is solely dedicated to the task.

For me, however, capturing selfies is more about freezing memories in a frame rather than unadulterated self-love. One such capture that is especially close to my heart is this.

Another celebrity selfie for the envious lot, you may think. However, this capture has an interesting anecdote that forms for the 'Fable Behind The Frame' as I like to call it.

As an educator since the past three decades, I have realized that nothing or no-one rather, is able to leave as lasting an influence on a child's impressionable heart and mind as a teacher. For it is at such a crucial stage in life that a student becomes a student of life in the true sense.

If I were to rewind to what makes this selfie so likable to me, it would bring me to the beginning of my career when I had recently completed my post-graduation and had joined one of the premier educational institutions in Delhi during those days.

There was an equal emphasis on academics and co-curricular activities, which should ideally be the case too. This led me to Hyderabad, early on, with a contingent of talented girls aged 11-14 to participate in an inter-school dramatics competition on the occasion of the silver jubilee celebrations of the establishment of one of the most prominent girls' schools in the city - Nasr School, Hyderabad.

How the journey from Delhi to Hyderabad was made possible was because of the fact that The Nasr Dramatic Society (NDS), founded in 1980 is the youngest and the only school dramatic club to be affiliated to the National School of Drama, here in the capital city till date.

It was here that I spotted a ten-year-old effervescent youngster bringing on stage a certain grace, charm, and maturity as a budding thespian. I could see the sparkle in her eye but had I ever imagined that such a sparkle would turn into the radiant Dia Mirza that we all know now!

Yes, I had been to Dia's school and witnessed her in action, excelling in dramatics at such a delicate age. I am sure she had put her best foot forward at academics as well. Our school eventually brought the trophy home as it was customary that the host institution would participate but not be in the running for accolades.

It was then that our girls were called on stage and I accompanied them to receive the prize on behalf of our institution. There she was, Dia, being the vivacious girl she is, holding the certificates in tow on the stage. It was then that I appreciated her participation and told her that I could see her achieving heights in life, in the long run. That was my brief tryst with Dia Mirza, who now comes across as an effortless artist with a brilliant stage presence.

Back to present time, where I spotted Dia as a brand ambassador at the launch of a new range of air-conditioners if I am not mistaken, by Panasonic last year. I had completely forgotten about our tryst but at the back of my mind, I was a fan of Dia's acting prowess. I was coincidentally seated at the front during the Media Briefing and after the QnA session, Dia herself was quick to recognize me and thank me for being one of her initial audience apart from her parents, peers and school teachers.

As a consequence, an acquaintance was revisited as I was made to wander in the bylanes of the pleasant past. Yours Truly was a novice at capturing selfies until quite recently and that is where Dia took the lead by adjusting the angle of the camera standing up and close to me with her hand on my shoulder. It was at that moment that the 'perfect selfie' was captured by Dia herself. 

While this was happening, I could hear people whispering (and being green with envy, of course), as to how this was an extremely personal encounter with a star, that is out of reach for most, if not all. After all, Dia is a person who transformed her dreams into perfectly executed plans! :)

As much as being in one frame with Dee, the Diva is a delight, I am also joyous about the fact that Dee is the 'Diva with a Duty', as she firmly voices her opinion on issues concerning our immediate surroundings and the society as a whole, the latest example being her pledge to beat plastic pollution at the recently concluded IIFA 2018 Press Conference.

As a sweet gesture, she even wrote a note of thanks and signed an autograph for my daughter. 

On the whole, the key to the ideal 'Selfie Experience' is a suitably crafted 'Selfie Camera', and many would agree with me about the same. Amongst the upcoming players in the market, I see tremendous potential in a Vietnamese smartphone brand founded in 2009 - Mobiistar. In line with their motto being 'Enjoy More', they are all set to set foot in the Indian market with the promising proposal of a device that features crisp technicalities in the form of a front, dual selfie camera that captures a 120° wide-angle shot. 

Apart from being the perfect arsenal for an ideal group selfie, such powerful features also guarantee more smiles as there would be no complaints of a comrade being cropped out or the picturesque background being compromised. 

Coupled with a long-lasting battery and economical pricing marketed exclusively as 'Mobiistar on Flipkart', I am sure that #Mobiistar would be able to create a substantial impact in the Indian Market with their catchphrase aptly being #EnjoyMore. :) 

 ~~~ 

P.S.: Images concerning Mobiistar have been taken from IndiBlogger. 

Because I'm A Delhiite...

In My Delhi Manifesto, I presented some of the causes maligning Delhi.

Here, I would like to present some viable solutions to the same and hope for the best.

• For improving the situation on the Security front, helpline numbers of hospital, police, fire station etc. should be readily accessible and the officers dealing should have an empathetic viewpoint so that one will not have to compromise with Security issues.
  
• Regarding Traffic Rule Violations, more strict rules for everybody including pedestrians, rickshaw pullers, bikers etc. and not just for cars and heavy vehicles need to be implemented, as many a times the former do not follow rules but traffic personnel do not nab them, or guide them to follow proper lane rules. Hence, even if they are at fault, the latter are made to suffer.Mobile traffic police devoid of corrupt officials should be appointed so that no one can escape by bribing them.
  
•  No one should be allowed to throw garbage and other stuff in the waters of the city - not even in the name of religion - so that crores spent in the name of Clean Yamuna don't go waste.
  
• Commercial vehicles polluting the city air should be checked from time to time and their licence should not be renewed if found unfit. Only heavy vehicles should be permitted to ply on Diesel fuel. Expensive Diesel cars and SUVs  should be banned.
  
• No illegal migration should be permitted in order to prevent messing up with basic civic amenities.
  
• Illegal encroachments must not be tolerated at any cost. Politicians (local MLAs etc.) should not compromise on this just to expand their vote bank.
  
• To keep a vigilant eye on the Mafias operating, proper sentencing and judicial procedures in the scenario of the accused being adjudged guilty must be followed diligently.
  
• Moral education for all levels of bureaucracy and politics needs to be revived from the old - school curriculum to create a sans - corruption environment. Strict & sincere vigilance is the need of the hour.

~~~

This is My Delhi Manifesto in association with BlogAdda.com.

My Delhi Manifesto

Delhi - our very own "Dil Wallon Ki Dilli" - Why and How it has deteriorated so much that instead of being the pride of the nation (being the capital) it has got labels that no one of us is proud of!

      

So many problems have taken the shape of chronic wounds and Delhi is suffering as a diabetic patient - i.e. wounds are not healing fast or rather not at all. I fear if amputation stage is nearby!

     

  No one wants that certainly. But for that we have to first detect the cause and then the solution.

        

In My Delhi Manifesto, I would like to point out some of the problems we face daily.

So, here's the list of Delhi's Woes :-

• Security of children, women and elderly - both indoor and outdoor is at stake.
• Traffic rule violations committed by all types of vehicles is increasing day by day. Whether it is red light jumping, over speed, rash driving, wrong overtaking, not driving in their lane or no rules being followed by pedestrians, cyclists, rickshaw drivers, carriage autos, buses and trucks etc.
• Water pollution in Yamuna - by the industries or by the people throwing just anything from domestic waste, ashes, religious leftovers, painted idols, and what not into the erstwhile holy waters!
• Air pollution is also spreading at a fast pace. Neither the industries nor the automobile owners are ready to sacrifice their selfish motives for the sake of our environment.
• Illegal migrants from all neighboring states and Bangladesh, in particular are creating major infrastructure problems.
• Illegal encroachments of houses and shops are flourishing, hence destroying the once praised green cover of the city.
• All sort of Mafias - be it tent mafia, land mafia, beggars' mafia or eunuchs at the red light  harass people. Even Police are either hand - in - glove with them or show their helplessness in keeping a check on them. 
• The Root Cause Of All The Problems Is Corruption At All Levels!

~~~

This is My Delhi Manifesto in association with BlogAdda.com.

Bidding Farewell To The Ravana

Everyone bids farewell to Ravana on Dussehra. But people living in Tatarpur Village, New Delhi bid farewell to him one day earlier than the others. It is the day when other people take him to their homes or society compounds to burn him on Dussehra.

         Tatarpur is the hub where thousands of effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkarna & Meghnada are prepared. Infact  we, the people residing in its vicinity at Tagore Garden and Rajouri Garden witness the process from day one -  approximately two months before festivity knocks on the door!

Right from their skeleton of bamboo to their first covering by brown paper to their decorative covering with Crepe Paper to the painting of their crowns, mustaches and facial expressions  we witness it all, year after year.

 

 

          Huge heads, torso and limbs are strewn over each and every footpath , lane , garden and even under the running Metro - in between its pillars.

      

Effigies which have transformed from zed black to multicolored hues - yellow , pink , green and even fluorescent are available in various sizes too.

Baby Ravan For Kids

Few unfinished ones are still lying never to reach their ultimate destination.

Today since morning we are jostling with the traffic congestion , diesel pollution and noise pollution of blazing horns as lots of trucks and tempos line up to lift these effigies to take them to their ultimate destination.

           Bye-Bye Ravana -------- to be continued in my next post tomorrow...

Extinction And Its Impact On Biodiversity

Extinction is not a new phenomenon.It is a part and parcel of natural evolution.Our country has had
her own share of extinctions in this century.

 

'As dead as a dodo'....becauseTheDodo went extinct from the earth in 1681.

The Indian Cheetah was hunted out of its existence in 1947.

Once a species is lost, nothing can ever bring it back.

 

Forests have aiso declined over the years both in area and quality.Only 11% of our country's land is now under forest cover.

Many of the forests are under pressure from variouskinds of  competing uses - timber extraction, artificial plantation and mining.

Scientists have found that some of these forests no longer support all of the animal species that originally belonged there.

 

The expansion of human population and its demands on nature all around the world has led to a situation where other species' habitat is decreasing.

Rivers and lakes are also on the verge of decreasing their capacity to support the aquatic life in them as water pollution is constantly increasing.

816 species have been driven to extinction during the last 500 years. Hundreds of species are on the brink of extinction. In future it can be our turn too. Hence we should do our best to come out of the grip of this biodiversity crisis.