if it doesn't come bursting out of you in spite of everything, don't do it. unless it comes unasked out of your heart and your mind and your mouth and your gut, don't do it. if you have to sit for hours staring at your computer screen or hunched over your typewriter searching for words, don't do it. if you're doing it for money or fame, don't do it. if you're doing it because you want women in your bed, don't do it. if you have to sit there and rewrite it again and again, don't do it. if it's hard work just thinking about doing it, don't do it. if you're trying to write like somebody else, forget about it. if you have to wait for it to roar out of you, then wait patiently. if it never does roar out of you, do something else. if you first have to read it to your wife or your girlfriend or your boyfriend or your parents or to anybody at all, you're not ready. don't be like so many writers, don't be like so many thousands of people who call themselves writers, don't be dull and boring and pretentious, don't be consumed with self- love. the libraries of the world have yawned themselves to sleep over your kind. don't add to that. don't do it. unless it comes out of your soul like a rocket, unless being still would drive you to madness or suicide or murder, don't do it. unless the sun inside you is burning your gut, don't do it. when it is truly time, and if you have been chosen, it will do it by itself and it will keep on doing it until you die or it dies in you. there is no other way. and there never was.
quasiLog
quasi and his doings
Wednesday, September 04, 2024
So You Want To Be A Writer
Saturday, August 24, 2024
Patterns of Life
- Isaiah Berlin
To be “open to receive beauty" is to cultivate a mindset of reverence and appreciation for all the that surrounds us - both minute and grand. We need an “active openness" which requires us to engage with our surroundings with mindfulness and intentionality.
William Blake, in his glorious poetic wisdom, said:
“To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour."
When one adopts such an open stance, patterns of beauty reveal themselves with a magical clarity. The interplay of light and shadow, the juxtaposition of myraid forms, the cadence of the wind and water and of life itself — all become agencies of joy and a reminder of the inherent order and harmony that govern the universe.
In this state of openness, beauty is not merely observed; it is experienced. It becomes a source of inspiration and a reminder of the interconnectedness of all things. As John Keats wrote, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness." Beauty, therefore, is not transient; it lingers, enriching our lives with each encounter and leaving an indelible mark on our souls.
To see beauty and the patterns it forms is to embrace life with a full heart - it is an invitation to look deeper, to feel more profoundly, and to live with an awareness that transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Photo taken at Badami on a Sony A7R3.
Saturday, July 20, 2024
Sunday Flower
If you never know what you want to be, if you live what some might call the dynamic life but what I will call the artistic life, if each day you are unsure of who you are and what you know you will never become anything, and that is your reward.”
― Oscar Wilde
Monday, June 24, 2024
Portrait: The Minchin
Camera: Sony A7R III
Lens: Sony Zeiss Plannar 50/1.4
Light: Portable square softbox with strobe
Thursday, February 08, 2024
Mutton Rassa
1 Kg Mutton (Thigh and Chops with little fat).
Wash throughly a couple of times.
Take: 1 tsp Sea-salt 1/2 tsp Haldi 1 tbsp ginger-garlic pasteMassage into the mutton.
Marinate in fridge for a minimum 3 hours. Cover with cling wrap so that there is minimal air contact.
The Watan (gravy mix): 4 black cardimum 6 green cardimum 10 black pepper 12 cloves 3" dalchini 1 star anise 1 javitri 3 bay leaves 2 tsp jeera 1 tsp badisoap 1/4 cup sabut dhaniyaRoast in pan with a little oil, remove and keep aside.
Add following to same oil: 10-12 Garlic 1 1/2" Ginger 3 Medium-big onions 2x2" Dried coconut 6-8 Kadipatta leaves 1 tsp white til 2 tsp khuskus 10-15 coriander stemsRoast-fry in a Kadhai (wok) with little oil till onion is golden brown.
1 Medium-big onionGive a couple of cuts and roast on fire till light brown inside and a little charred outside
1x2" dried coconutRoast on fire till completely charred.
Grind all the above to a fine paste.
Take a good amount of oil in a large pot and get it hot.
Seer mutton in the hot oil for a few minutes and keep aside.
Saute the watan till texture changes and gets curdly and oil separates
Add mutton to the watan and saute for a few minutes
Add: Chilli powder (to taste) Kala masala (2 tsp) Garam masala (2 tsp) Salt (to taste)Add enough hot water to cover the mutton and cook covered for 60-90 minutes on very low heat.
Garnish with coriender and finely chopped mint.
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Friday, October 06, 2023
Solapur style mutton kheema balls | सोलापूर पद्धतीचे मटन खिम्याचे गोळे
During my school summer vacation I used to visit every year. My mausi used to make excellent 'kheemyache gole'. Those lazy summer vacations were about doing almost nothing - I used to hang out at my maushi's place and spent time with my elder sister. My mother and younger brother used to stay at my Aaji's place which was nearby. The afternoon's used to be super hot with the tar on top of the roads melting. Everyone used to just sleep off the heat. After 5pm it used to cool down and the town would come awake.
We saw at least a movie each year. Visited my Aajoba's garage to play in the oiled soil. We used to drink sugarcane juice at 'Poonekar Kamte' at Daffrin chowk. I used to go to the Kaljapur Maruti mandir with my Aaji. Sometime even to shop for groceries.
Sometime my cousins from Kolhapur used to also come down. Then it was a lot of activity. Aaji used to get a large basket of 'chokhi aamba' (small mangoes which we suck the juice out of) and all of us had a free hand. Then there was the ice-cream making activity. My youngest mama used to get the ice from the ice factory and then we used to put Aapus aamba and milk and sugar in the ice-cream maker and work it. It was a lot of fun and the ice-cream used to be awesome. We used to go the Park to eat pani poori and pav-chatni.
In the earlier years when I was younger my Aajoba had taken us on several drives to nearby places in one of the many cars he kept building at the garage.
This all happened till my grandparents were alive. My mother used to cry while leaving every year - as did my Aaji and Aajoba both. We used to head back in the Siddheshwar express which left at about 8:30pm. It reached Kurla at about 6am next morning. Then the auto ride to the campus ... and home!
By the time we got back the first rains would have turned the campus into a beautiful heavenly place.
Monday, August 28, 2023
Portrait: Poonam
I try to look for that fighter, hidden behind the usual light banter and laughter...
Camera: Sony A7R III
Lens: Sony Zeiss Plannar 50/1.4
Light: Portable square softbox with strobe
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher - The Jewel of the Konkan
The Kathikar's had come down from Nagpur. Ravi and Sanket from Mumbai. The ODK - as the Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher is lovingly called in the birding community - was the center of our attention. Samadhan Pawar from Kalle Village on the outskirts of the Karnala Bird Scantuary had a couple of hide's setup. It was my first experience of photographing from a hide. about 8 of us sitting in silence for about 6 1/2 hours! I was the only noisy one.
The birds used to come to the perch (setup opposite to the hide) with the food they caught for their budding hatchlings. They used to rest for a couple of seconds, look around and then pfffft! fly away. Those were the sessions when all the cameras went clicity-click-click-click.
Thursday, July 27, 2023
NEX-3 and the Voigtlander Color Skopar 35 F2.5
I am still not over the fact that this beloved setup of mine is gone forever.
The Sony NEX-3 came out more than a decade (13 years!) ago. I was already a Sony digital user with Sony's first A100 DSLR from 2006. But the mirrorless usecase (and hence the future) was obvious to me so I sold my DSLR and got the Nex-3 with it's 18-55 kit lens.
The reason I came to Sony was that my friend Himanshu had a couple of Minolta lenses. So when I earned my first money and ran straight to the JJ Mehta camera shop we naturally gravitated towards the Minolta cameras. I got the Minolta Dynax 5. After a while Minolta got taken over by Konica and they rebranded as Konica-Minolta. After a while apparently Konica sold the camera division to Sony and Sony continued with the same Minolta A mount. Hence the Sony A100 with the A mount.
Coming back to this setup: the NEX-3 was a fantastic camera. Super light weight and compact - hardly larger than a serious point & shoot. But the lens was long and of average quality. So I went in search of used rangefinder lenses on the forums as the new E mount was adaptable to other mounts. I purchased this Voigtlander Color Skopar 35/2.5 lens from a stree photographer in New York city. This lens, even with the adapter, made the overall package exceptionally compact. People did not believe that it was an APS-C setup. The rendering of the lens was endearing and many of my best photos are clicked with it. I miss it.
Monday, July 03, 2023
Blue-eared Kingfisher
Me and the wife went on an impromptu trip across the Konkan. The daughter had gone to some camp and we wanted to be in the vicinity. On day 3 we went to a remote village called Abloli. Sachin Karekar runs a nice eco-tourism place called Gaarva agro-tourism. Nice stay and excellent local food. The area is thickly wooded and home to many birds. Sachin is an excellent guide to birdwatchin.
These little buggers hung out in the under sides of bushes on the river bank. Very dark spots. They are so quick. I loved watching them fish. But they were too fast for me to capture on camera. We spend well neigh 2 hours prowling the river banks for these photos.
Camera Sony A7R3 with the Sony FE 200-600/5.6-6.3
Sony A7R3 with a Sony FE 200-600/5.6-6.3 G lens
Monday, June 26, 2023
Birds of Phungus Sangameshwar - May 2023
Brahminy Starling
Black Shouldered Kite
Jungle Babbler
?
Indian Blackbird
Indian Blackbird
White Cheeked Barbet
White Cheeked Barbet
Pipit
Red Vented Bulbul
Yellow Footed Green Pigeon (हरियाल). State bird of Maharashtra.
Common Iora
Tickel's Blue Flycatcher (Devrukh)
Fantail (Devrukh)
Camera Sony A7RIII with Sony 200-600 F 5.6-6.3 on a Getzo Monopod
Friday, June 09, 2023
The Shekru: A Glimpse of Vibrancy at MTDC Mahabaleshwar
Deep within the lush greenery of Mahabaleshwar, I had an encounter with one of India's most captivating yet elusive creatures – the Shekru or Indian giant squirrel. That early morning, armed with my camera, what I experienced at MTDC Mahabaleshwar was nothing short of enchanting.
When one thinks of squirrels, the imagery that often comes to mind is that of a small, agile creature, darting about with its bushy tail. However, the Shekru is a revelation in itself. Boasting a length of up to 45 cm and a tail that rivals its body in size, this arboreal wonder is truly the 'giant' of its kind. But what truly sets it apart is its resplendent multi-colored fur – a rich palette ranging from deep reds and purples to creams and blacks.
Capturing the Elusive ShekruMe and Jo woke up early at were taking in the early morning sun-in-the-cool-breeze. As sunlight pierced through the dense canopy, there it was - a Shekru, leaping gracefully from one tree to another. Its vibrant colors seemed even more striking against the backdrop of verdant green.
Thankfully I had the camera with me. It took a lot of patience and slow moving as to not scare it to get some nice shots. It jumped from branch to branch, foraging it's food. Then it climbed up to the higher branches and into the light! Each photograph felt like a story – a testament to the squirrel's survival, beauty, and grace.
For a photographer, every shot is a moment immortalized. But photographing the Shekru was not just about the aesthetics; it was about the narrative. The Indian giant squirrel, though not endangered, faces threats from habitat loss and hunting. Their very presence in a region indicates a healthy forest ecosystem.
The MTDC Mahabaleshwar region, with its conservation efforts and natural beauty, provides a haven for such creatures. And while my photographs capture a fragment of the Shekru's life, they also highlight the importance of preserving such habitats.
As we made our way back to the resort, the encounter with the Shekru felt surreal. It wasn't just about adding another photograph to my portfolio; it was about witnessing the splendor of nature up close.
For fellow photographers and wildlife enthusiasts, MTDC Mahabaleshwar offers a chance to observe and appreciate the Shekru in its natural habitat. And for me, it was a humbling reminder of the myriad wonders that India's biodiversity has to offer.
To the Shekru – the vibrant sentinel of Mahabaleshwar's forests – and to many more adventures that await.
---
If you're in the MTDC Mahabaleshwar region and love nature, keep your eyes peeled. You never know when you might encounter the mesmerizing Shekru. Just remember to maintain a respectful distance and ensure their safety and comfort at all times.
---Wednesday, June 07, 2023
Pratapgad from Mahabaleshwar
In the morning we took a walk to the 'Sunset Point'. Its a plesant walk down the road from the MTDC. The morning light was falling on Pratapgad. There was a fair amount of atmospheric haze. We got an unusual look of the gad from so far away. The picture below is an 100% crop. We can see the temple and I can even see the hotel were we uaually have food when we visit!
Tuesday, December 13, 2022
Egg Curry Solapuri | मामीची सोलापुरी अंडा रस्सा
I made this egg curry under the instructions of my Mami in Solapur. Very tasty.