(Originally written for My India Report, a Channel [V] initiative.

My close friend Melody and I, along with 6 participants of the show would be contributing to this blog on regular basis for the next couple of months. The layout still needs lots of a little fixing but please don’t let that deter you. So yeah, drop by…and baanto your gyaan.)

Homosexuals. This word as most of us are aware is used for individuals who dare to voice their desire of expressing “different” sexuality. Things that do not fit within the society model are considered different.

So do I think homosexuality is a crime? Yes, would be my reply. It is nothing less than a crime, especially when placed in the Indian sub-context. For centuries it’s been a taboo and considered a curse. To top it all, homosexuality is classed as illegal under an outdated 141- years-old law that prohibits “unnatural” sexual acts, resulting in a punishable offense. This legal stance has made virtually impossible for the Indian Queer community to be completely open about their sexuality.

Click here to continue reading ‘Is Homosexuality A Crime?’

I usually don’t promote blogging sites however today I am making an exception just for the Indicast Team, one of the most experienced Podcast presenters in the country today. With every episode, Abhishek and Aditya bring together the best of general, business and technology news from all over the world from an average Indian’s perspective.

So what you waiting for, click it and hear them out.

[Just to make things clear again, no monetary compensation has been given for this ShoutOut, only a “feature” promise in one of the upcoming episodes.]

Yup, my blog is a year older than it was last year. And what can I say, the past one year has been truly self-satisfying – feeds have gone up, in-coming traffic has been good, money is decent and boosting too much but couple of Media mentions has done good things for my ego. From Blog Meets to Blog Camps, all have been informative and yet truly entertaining.

However the most important accomplishment has been the “people” I have met and friends I have made via TEIO. Some ended up being good off-line friends and some I haven’t met in person yet totally adore. Though on the downside, I did lose some special people as well but I guess this is all part and parcel of what we call “life”.

Anyway, without drowning you guys further in the bucket of boredom – just wanna thank you all for sticking around and hopefully this journey would only keep getting (more) interesting with time.

And lastly, would like to yell-out my special appreciation for Ms. Rakhi Sawant and Mr. Karan Johar - the ones responsible for the added sparkle to my blogging world.

[The above picture has been graciously donated by a dear friend @ The Voice In My Head]

Don’t know whether to put it as last weekend or this weekend – basically I am talking about the weekend that just went by. It was in all probability one of the busiest in the past 6 months or so and undoubtedly one of the best.

To begin with:

Take 1: Kicked off Saturday evening with watching “Seeds and Flowers” at Ranga Sharda (Bandra). The play is produced and en-acted by a theatre group from the US called Krea and is based on life-experiences of two Indian couples settled in US and working hard towards fulfilling the so-called “American Dream”.

Frankly speaking, I was a little apprehensive going along with friends who do not share the same fondness for theatre as I do and so was worried that they wouldn’t appreciate the effort of these young folks who had flown across seven seas to showcase their talent and that too for a good cause. But little did I know that they would end up liking it much more than me.

Seeds and Flowers beautifully illustrates - real people, real relationships and their very real struggles. The story is well-scripted and the director has done an equally fantastic job by paying attention to the very minute details. The set was very well-designed and did its job of creating the “right” surroundings as and when required. Each and every character was there with a purpose and the actors effortlessly walked thru their parts; especially Dheepa who not only is responsible for Direction but superbly played the role of Priya, a woman caught between failures of her husband and her own aspirations.

The down-side, the sound quality was a little shoddy. Special attention should have been given here considering the stage at Ranga Sharda is quite big, plus it’s more of an auditorium and less off a theatre. At times I felt certain actors stepped a bit over their character (or maybe it was just their accent). And then there was this disturbance caused by late-arrivals, some almost 30 minutes into the show.

Seeds and Flowers, on the whole was very impressive in most aspects, be it on stage or behind the scenes. Many of us, especially those belonging to the corporate culture would easily be able to relate to the situations and the decisions taken by ones caught up in the enigma called ‘Life’.

Click here to continue reading ‘The Weekend That Was…’

When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. So, let’s all get drunk and go to heaven!

- Brian O’Rourke

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people.

It’s one thing to love something and a totally different ball game to be passionate about it. And this is what came to my mind when I read about the guys from Krea Play Group. Headed by a very talented lady, Ms. Dheepa Ramanujam and her equally supportive husband and friends, together form a group of individuals who pursue the Art of Theatre with immense passion.

Currently in India from the US with their latest production, Seeds and Flowers – I recommend all theatre followers to check them out.

Please note of all the proceeds from the play go to an NGO called Udavum Karangal.