shashank uchil » borivali

Bombay vacation 2009 Part 2

shashank — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:27:03 +0000

so the next day we headed to Vashi

and that involves

crossing the bridge to vashi as bombay is an island

yellow tyres means a garage nearby

and we bought some samosa and vada

crossed a vegetable market

and some more

how often do you find a dog on a BLUE cart

but again this is india so…one can expect colors like these

the next day sis fell ill

did some house cleaning

mom watching life go by on the street below

later in the evening i caught up with suri, bhushan and his wife…its quite strange to see my friends getting married…its quite surreal

after some cofee bushan and shereen headed home

while suri and i walked around the colony

mom playing sudoku

loo

bathroom

dad doing some financial stuff

while mom prepares lunch

and gives me some tips

olve arrived from Oslo and i took him to my school

the yellows looked nice

but the chapel looks like some kid painted it

religion is seen everywhere…and not just Hinduism…

went to gorai beach…

luckily it did not rain

and we got some good lighting

love beaches…with palm trees

some kids were playing cricket

on our way back home we stopped at the Global Vipassana Pagoda
**The center of the Global Vipassana Pagoda contains the world’s largest stone dome built without any supporting pillars. The height of the dome is approximately 29 metres, while the height of the building is 96.12 meters, which is twice the size of the previously largest hollow stone monument in the world, the Gol Gumbaz Dome in Bijapur, India.**

when completed it will look like this…

view from the inside

took a ride on a horse cart back home

Bombay vacation 2009 Part 1

shashank — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:55:02 +0000

I was in Bombay(i still use Bombay as i grew up with it, nothing against Mumbai) from 3-29 July. This trip was quite different from the the earlier ones for quite a few reasons. I took gifts for my folks and friends…which i never do, must be an age thing. I also informed people about my visit and did not just drop by. Took Lufthansa and not FinnAir. Got picked up by my friends at the Airport. Which involved me picking up Kunal who being a sardar was waiting for me at Departures. My cell phone did not pick any network. Anyways…

waiting for the plane…i have realized that one can reach the airport 1.5 hours before the flight and still make it

in the plane

no good company and my inability to sleep on planes meant…

i had to take random photos…

to entertain myself…

getting close to Bombay

tip…eat veg dinner and non-veg breakfast…no i did not do it…but i wish i did

home…i have a strange feeling that my sis took these two shots

like them

sis and i went to Inorbit to shop where we met surhud and ashwini

more photos by my sis

later in the week i visited few relatives…and this time i took portraits as they are…ahem getting old
this is mom, Sumangala. She is 58 years old, she had to wake up at 5am and climb a steep road to get to the hospital. I was born at 6am.

this is RT, he is 75 years old and the patriarch of the family. He will undergo an operation tomorrow. I wish i had taken his photo when he was doing well. He told me how he moved to Bombay and had to struggle for years. His generation, which my father was part, were the first to come to Bombay and have lots of stories, most of which are full of hardships and hunger.

this is his wife Renuka. She is 65 years old and my moms eldest sister. We call her Dodda-amma which translates to Senior Mother. When my mom moved to Bombay(before getting married to dad) she lived with Renuka and RT in a one room apartment. I have seen the apartment and all i can say is…Respect. Makes me quite proud of my extended family.

Renukas eldest son…Pravinraj(Raja). He is 43 years old and had two sons. Time flies, i remember riding an Royal Enfield with him as a kid.

His wife Roopa.

from Raja and Roopa’s house we went to visit Santosh

this is Santosh

Santosh is my moms eldest brother. He is 70 years old. I love to photography him. I grew up being utterly scared of him, with time he has softened. He is an extremely interesting character.

Then we visited Pradeep (Paddu), moms youngest brother. He is 48 years old. I remember as a kid not letting him into the house when mom was out. He has two sons.

His wife Rekha

went for a walk in my colony(i c colony)

there were farms here…now just a road

this is how i c colony feels…has lost its glory and charm

met up with friends…childhood building friends. This is frank. He works on a cargo ship and is from Goa.

Kunal sister Shivani

Kunal…it was his birthday and the reason i goto bombay in july

met up with delna and went to Inorbit…again

delna took this one…one of those rare relaxed moment with my sister…rest of time is spent being 8 years old

delna is a parsi…wiki it. she is a talented animator and works at prana, the biggest and best animation studio in india.

as you can see…delna drinks a lot…this one was at Firangi Pani.

Bombay 2008 part 3 | Analog

shashank — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 21:53:27 +0000

Previous Film entries from the same trip

Film I | Film II

Previous Digital entries from the same trip

Digital I | Digital II | Digital III | Digital IV | Digital V

…so did my trip to India…after 4 weeks it was time to head back to Oslo. Was it perfect…not it was not…but what is? like i said in my earlier post…nothing is simple…but thats how life is…at least mine. Mom tells me thats how it has always been for my sis and me…things have never come easy to us…has always been a struggle. Strangely though i am not complaining anymore…guess i have come to accept it. Accept it and move on…and keep mind that the only constant in life is change.

Its 11:00 at night and i got a call from a friend to go out for some drinks…and for the first time since i got to norway i said NO. Dont know why…guess i am at peace and am tired of trying…maybe a bit too hard. Its a bit sad that i have given up on Oslo…but even i have my limits and i am pretty must at the end of it. Good thing is i am much relaxed now. Made some more prawns for dinner…will make some chicken tomorrow.

I have been reading Salman Rushdie’s “Midnight Childen”…initially i was really pissed of with the book but with some time now i am enjoying it…his style of writing is quite different. Not very easy but quite engaging. Must thank suri for recommending me the book.

another day another walk…we used to come here as kids…glad that some things have not changed

glad that some friends have not changed as well

this one is for suri

kunal found a boat among the mangroves

kids…carefree and careless

this is where they live

it was getting pretty dark and looked like it was about to rain…so we headed home

damn…rich kid…hey but my dad gave me my first camera, thx dad

kunal bought an engagement ring…little did he knew that things would take a turn for the worst in the next few days

taking a walk of the colony at 11:00 at night and kunal needs to take a leak

crazy flare

teaching sis how a rangefinder works

buying some chopsticks…

waiting for takeaway food at Uncles Kitchen malad

having coffee at 11:00 at night

visiting some relatives with sis

met up with kunal and met up with his girlfriend…was not the best thing to happen that night

on our way back the rickshaw broke down on the highway

stopped at gokul to have pav bhaji for dinner

and then some pan

walking home…man i miss all the walks and talks…miss it

last frame for india…

this was the most…eventful vacations ever…and just so you know i am not depressed or anything…hehe so just relax and have a awesome weekend.

Eat good food

Bombay 2008 part 2 | Analog

shashank — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:11:12 +0000

Previous Film entries from the same trip

Film I

Previous Digital entries from the same trip

Digital I | Digital II | Digital III | Digital IV | Digital V

Lots to do at work…and now that i have a laptop…lots to do at home as well. Like playing QuakeWars…and making this blog. I also have to tags all the photos…which totals to about 15k. Not too much.

Gyan time…nothing happens easily. Everything is so complicated…but guess that how life is…my sis would agree with me. Wish things were simpler…but then its not half as exciting…innit.

Flashback

Went to the market with dad to get the daily food supply…yes i know…more food talks…i should become a chef…totally.

Anyways…had to buy some fish…but first some fresh crabs…by fresh i mean…live crabs. Over the years one finds their regular suppliers…my dad is no exceptions.

bought some crabs…we dont get good crabs anymore…

not being a big fan of fish…as a kid i would hate this part of the market as it stinks…of fish, and is all wet…

lots of fish

we always buy fish from this lady…we bought some prawns this time.

right

left

time to buy some vegies

bananas in norway are SHIT…its never ripe…dunno how people eat it

the flower market

photo studio…its always moving to see a grandparent with their grandkids

outside the market…shopping done…time to go home

why so serious DAD

view from the rickshaw

weekend went to OnToes…met up with delna…waiting for sis to join us from work

even managed to find carlsberg in a glass bottle…

sis joined us…was pretty dark…must be 1/4

all done…time to pay the bill

dinner at some fancy place…dont rem the name…loo shot

dad..

looking at the old photo he took when he was my age…

mom posing for a photo…

and then she gets all cuddly…sis took this one…

sis being strange…as usual

next day mom, sis and me went to meet moms bros in mira-road…buying train tickets

final leg of the journey in a rickshaw

first the elder bro…

the younger bro…with his kids

both me and sis can chit chat with him for hours…

sunday…kunals bday…akshit helped in preparing the food…not surprising as he is a chef

still stuck to his mobile…speaking to his girl all day…

lali joined us later…had good food…good times…

Bombay 2008 part 1 | Analog

shashank — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:10:41 +0000

sheitan_(ost)-fr-2006\06 Pucc’ Fiction Sheitan.mp3

Previous Digital entries from the same trip

Digital I
Digital II
Digital III
Digital IV
Digital V

This summer i was in Bombay for vacation. 1 month of awesomeness…this was planned so that i could be there for my childhood friend, kunals bday.

Booked my tickets, Finnair.

Packed a few cloths in a backpack…me likes to travel light.

Sat next to a latvian lady who was going to Bangalore…goto Helsinki…only to find out that the plane has been delayed by 5 hours…5 hours later 7 hours later goto Bombay.

It feels like i never left bay…its all so familiar…the sights…the smell…the people.

Took a rick…got home.

Home sweet home…

Tmax 400 @ 800 + OM1 + 28/2.8 + 50/1.8

waiting for 5 hours can get awfully boring

it can get lonely at an airport

pretty legs

bombay…went for a walk with kunal

we have a LOT of dogs here in bay

1/4

it was nice to meet kunals grandmother after years…

for suri

street

my crib

snacks…A LOT OF SNACKS

kunal in deep meditation…

my dad hates to be photographed…

mom does not…she likes all the attention…she is serving dinner…SHE IS THE BEST COOK ON EARTH…

sis got a new phone…this time in white…

me slept on the floor for 1 month…i surprised myself…

next day kunal got a haircut from a friend of mine who opened his own hair cutting saloon…

weekend with sis and delna…this must be OnToes

mom gazing out the window…

mom preparing lunch…

shot of the kitchen window

mom preparing some more food…I LOVE FOOD

dad and me goto the market to buy groceries

we take a rick…

you cannot make indian food without some fresh green chilies

the main market

1 of 3 posts from india…

Bombay 2008 part 5 | Digital

shashank — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:37:43 +0000

…this update was to be done on sunday…day before i left bay…but i could not do it due to technical difficulties(a net connection that’s slower than dial up).

Thank you
Thank you
Thank you

to all who made my time in bay awesome…

this has been the best vacation in bay so far…this despite all the ups and downs…

strangely enough i did not shoot that much film in bay…4 rolls…gave 6 rolls of film to the lab today…

i also got bored of digi pretty soon in bay…luckily the last few days gave the best frames of the trip…as usual…ALWAYS CARRY YOUR CAMERA

it was blast to be home and spend time with my family and friends…sadly i turn into the most lazy ass as soon as i step foot in my house in bay…

the return trip was also exciting…on my way from Helsinki to Stockholm…the pilot announced that due to a sudden drop in oil pressure we would have to turn back…nice…landed and we were surrounded by half a dozen fire trucks…

goto Oslo…bought a burger from Stat Oil…as usual…got home…which now feels empty without my Austrian mates…and then it started pouring cats and dogs…

before and after being deep fried…

goto to meet bhavin just once during the entire trip…

lali dislocated his shoulder one day before i left…

right across my building gate

love this one…

new profile pic for kunal…

a dash of color and mirror…pro

lali, kunal and me went out to chill and * got this msg from his girl…lots of ups and down…dont even ask…

kunal was also not quite there…thats another story…

kunal took this one…i like it in BW but sis likes it in color…so color…i dont mind being nice once in a while…

akshit joined us later…still talking to his girl on the mobile…i have no clue what couples talk about all day…

lali was playing some really bad bollywood ringtone on his cell…

met up with sis at a doctor…kunal later joined us…went to buy some pastry…and find this wall…so more profile pics…this time for sis…

need to have some streetshot…so here it is

goto the building and found another nice wall with some nice lighting…

i am the only one who likes this frame…everyone else like the earlier one…

sis took this one and the next…i like this frame

mom likes this frame

breakfast…

saturday…comming back home from malad…more nice light…

delna joined us as well…

hotel room in Helsinki…

view outside the room…

thats it for now…more stuff when i get the film developed

Bombay 2008 part 4 | Digital

shashank — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:18:17 +0000

…is the word of the week…

/listens to Animal Alpha – Master Of Disguise

Been a crazy week…my sis took a week off from work…mental…at least in bombay where work=life. So the whole week has been spent shopping and general indulgence.

Amidst all this i have been dealing with all sorts of ups and downs in the life of the people around me. One advantage of living in Oslo…has been the bubble i live in…i dont have to deal with all these issues…basically the thing called LIFE.

All of it is about relations…people happy with each other…or people pissed with each other…pretty simple. Tell that to them…it seems that at some point people just fail to understand things…or choose not to.

The first thing i found out when i got back is that fact that all my friends are settling down…which is kinda scary as i have no clue where my life is heading…and then earlier this week…one of my close friend broke up with his girl…come to think of it…i have seen more breaks-ups in 2008 than in all my life.

Single people want to be a couple and couples want to be single…and grass is still greener on the other side of the fence and sun still rises from the west.

Dont feel like taking any pics…there is roll of cheap film in the camera…but my ass is lazy as ever…

someone is hooked to Ghibli stuff

bought Monopoly and Scrabble…my sis owns me in both of them…

dad joined the game as well

mom gets excited while my sis does some crazy shit with her hands…

shady deals

mom makes more awesome food…those bangles are made of gold

getting terribly bored I

getting terribly bored II

someone wanted to know how to break a coconut

grated coconut…I DID IT!!!

Bombay 2008 part 3 | Digital

shashank — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:22:46 +0000

…

I have been walking around my colony…hoping to connect to the past. But over the years things have so much that all the things that made this place my home are left just in my memory. I feel completely detached. The past seems like a dream…growing up…going to school…playing with friends…fighting with my sister…

Strange…

I am glad i now have a camera…at least i can freeze time…parts of it…

The speakers are singing Shine on you crazy diamond by Pink Floyd…i still remember the day suri gave me a cassette on which he recorded some tracks by Pink Floyd and Pearl Jam.

As a kid i always wanted to grow up…and now i miss those carefree days…i guess thats the price one pays for growing up…

Kunal and me were wondering where we will be in the next five years…who all will get married…who all will have kids…and come to think of it…five years will pass by and we wont even notice. I hope we still remain in touch…

we have a small garden in our apartment…

i prefer cooking over flame…

took a walk with the 50/1.4

pink asbestos sheets…

one of the few bungalows left in the colony…most have been replaced by towers…sad

its monsoon here…but it hardly rains…

people waiting for the bus

holy cross road

one of many crosses on the road…lots of Christians in my colony

love this one

kids going home from school…

a corrupt politician with a merc

took this one from kunals bike…

bought a cotton pant…for about 100NOK

my latest toy…hopefully i will get the batteries tomorrow…its kunals dads camera…

most of the pics are taken with the 50/1.4 @ 1.6…

Bombay 2008 part 2 | Digital

shashank — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:11:52 +0000

While my friends are spending their summer in turkey/paris/crete, i am here in Bombay relaxing…spending time with my family and friends…

week has been quite uneventful…eating…relaxing…sleeping…i miss my bed though…i hope one of my roomates are watering the plant in my room…

what else…went to a pub called totoes and then had dinner at some other posh place…moral of the story…Bombay is more expensive than Oslo…

what else…what else…

…met up with relatives on sunday and talked of the good-ol-days where we were kids…

someone in Oslo…did not know what a JackFruit is…this is it…

the first day i got to bay…sis and me were looking at the old albums…when my parents were newly weds…my dad had taken a LOT of pics of my mom with his AGFA cameras…

28 years later…mom still looks great…wrinkles and all…

she is still extremely irritating and nagging…

met up with friends at night…hanging around…

nice one lali…watering the plants…

dinner at kunals house…ordering dessert…free home delivery should be a law

my sis…still trying to figure out how to use a camera…

mens Wimbledon finals…we ended up watching it till the end…2am in the morning

lali joined us later…after spending some quality time with his girl

obligatory lamp photo

the ice-cream was decent…

it is still raining…

and i am still learning to cook from my mom…

thats potato and cauliflower in tomato and onion gravy

thats it for now…lots of pics on film…but that will have to wait till i get back to Oslo…

Bombay 2007 part 5

shashank — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 08:53:08 +0000

Another day

Another post

Another film

This time some color…Fuji superia 800.

All shot in Bombay/India

These are what you get when suri gets a camera…abstract stuff!!! two frames of it!!!

Met up with lalit and went to my old school to shoot. After having an argument with the security guy we managed to get in. This is quite a special place. Best days of my life…lots of fun. I shot my first roll of film in the FM10 right here. These school buses used to be a nice shade of blue…now they are yellow…sad.

We could see the entire town from this point. The school is quite old…build during the british era

Lali…

Thats the IC Curch

School…curch…play ground…cricket and football…brings back fond memories

Apparently this tree flowers once in 15 years

Who says bombay is all concrete

Another view…still amazed how the film does not clip highliights

model of the day

very suri type pic

love this one…makes your eye move…haha

No parking…yeah right

Clean bombay green bombay…we were supposed to live in this building…it was never completed…life

Tulsi plan outside lalis house…holy

snacks

market…best shot of the roll…this is what is so special about film

sale…people love to be photographer…unlike…

It was the beginning to ganesh chaturthi

dad and me buying some awesome sweets…we got the wrong one though!!!

FOOD!!!