Blurr

WINDOWFRIENDSHIP

BLURR

Recently I was visiting some places not very far from Srinagar city (JK, India) and shot some pictures.

The first one was an ancient temple in a distant village off Srinagar, thousands of years old (place called Naranaag, en route to the high lying lake--"Gangbal") and I named it "WINDOW". I feel the way the window is looking at the wilderness is very touching. Generations must have looked out of it and seen the apparently changing times. However "time" has made the window "timeless" as it has refused to change.

The second one were two little girls holding hands playfully and singing childhood tunes. I like to call this symphony of marching happiness "FRIENDSHIP". The holding of hands is very appealing and the marching very confident. The blur in the surroundings seems to reinforce their closeness and make rest of the world irrelevant to their happy little niche. The innocent look to the stranger (me) is very peculiar. One is skeptical and fearful, the other happy and careless. Will they still hold hands when they grow up and be adults. May be. But I am skeptical like the first one. How and why do we lose that innocence?

The third one was a child running alongside my car excited to see me, near the same village. The child and the foreground are blurred. The background is relatively in focus. It reminds me of the fleeting moments of happiness that the innocence of childhood carries. The boy and his immediate surroundings are waning with the same pace as his excitement will very soon after I leave. The good innocent happy days pass off soon, and even one day we all pass on. The world remains same though. It has and will remain the same just as the "window" has seen it. People will continue doing similar things. The little schemes we all make are naught in the sands of time. Nothing lasts-childhood, men, fame, happiness or gloom. Our present is a "mere blurr in the background of eternity". I'm sure the "window" has seen enough of this.

Calvin and Hobbes-the best!

Bill Watterson drew thousands of Calvin and Hobbes strips from 1985 to 1995 producing one of the finest comic strips ever. Whilst no more are being drawn, his creative genius lives on in fan sites.

Here are some classics. Click on the individual strips to get them full size.
For those who dont know Calvin, well he' s a just another rebellious six year old kid who's only best friend is Hobbes-the stuffed tiger...actually his imagination and partner in crime, who comes to life when no one else is around. Calvin lives in his own world and sees it just like a six year old would...like we all once did...

CALVIN & HOBBES QUOTES:

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."-Calvin

"Do you hate being a girl? What's it like? Is it like being a bug?I imagine bugs and girls have a dim perception that nature played a cruel trick on them, but they lack the intelligence to comrehend the magnitude of it."-Calvin

"Susie, if you want to see your doll again, leave $100 in this envelope by the tree out front. Do not call the police. You cannot trace us. You cannot find us. Sincerely, Calvin."-Calvin

"So the secret to good self-esteem is to lower your expectations to the point where they're already met?"-Calvin

"Life is like topography, Hobbes. There are summits of happiness and success... ...Flat stretches of boring routine... ...And valleys of frustration and failure."-Calvin

"You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocketship underpants don't help."-Calvin

"I understand my tests are popular reading in the teachers' lounge."-Calvin

That's the difference between me and the rest of the world! Happiness isn't good enough for me! I demand euphoria!

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I have a hammer! I can put things together! I can knock things apart! I can alter my environment at will and make an incredible din all the while! Ah, it's great to be male!

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Calvin: I'm a genius, but I'm a misunderstood genius. Hobbes: What's misunderstood about you? Calvin: Nobody thinks I'm a genius.

Calvin: "I'm a simple man, Hobbes." Hobbes: "You?? Yesterday you wanted a nuclear powered car that could turn into a jet with laser-guided heat-seeking missiles!" Calvin: "I'm a simple man with complex tastes."

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Calvin: "See Any UFOs?" Hobbes: "Not yet." Calvin: "Well, keep your eyes open, they're bound to land here sometime." Hobbes: "What will we do when they come?" Calvin: "See if we can sell mom and dad into slavery for a star cruiser"

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Calvin: "I'm not going to so my maths homework. Look at these unsolved problems. Here's a number in mortal combat with another. One of them is going to get subtracted. But why? What will be left of him? If I answered these, it would kill the suspense. It would resolve the conflict and turn intriguing possibilities into boring old facts." Hobbes: "I never really thought about the literary possibilities of maths." Calvin: "I prefer to savour the mystery."

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Calvin: "Bad news Dad. Your polls are way down." "My polls?" "You rate especialy low among tigers and six year old white males."

I'm looking for something that can deliver a 50-pound payload of snow on a small feminine target. Can you suggest something? Hello...?

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Calvin and Susie on phone: "Hello Susie, this is Calvin. I lost our homework assignment. Can you tell me what we were supposed to read for tomorrow?" "Are you sure you're not calling for some other reason?" "Why else would I call you?" "Maybe you missed the melodious sound of my voice?" "WHAT? Are you crazy? All I want is the STUPID assignment!" "First say you missed the melodious sound of my voice." "THIS IS BLACKMAIL!"

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all time best: "This meeting of the 'Get Rid Of Slimy Girls club' will now come to order. First Tiger Hobbes will read the minutes of our last meeting."
"Thank you. (9:30) Meeting called to order. Dictator For Life Calvin proposed resoultion condemning the existence of girls. (9:35) First Tiger Hobbes abstains from vote. Motion fails. (9:36) Patriotism of First Tiger called into question. (9:37) Philosophical discussion. (10:15) Bandages administered. Dictator For Life rebuked for biting."
"Is this a great club or what?"
"(10:16) Forgot what debate was about. Medals of bravery awarded to all parties."

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• Brief Biography of Bill Watterson: Click here
• Official Calvin and Hobbes webpage: Click here
• Complete collection online:Click here

Names-origin:

Calvin, of course, is named after John Calvin, the 16th century theologian who was a huge proponent of predestination. We don’t know Calvin’s last name. Watterson has said that people often assume that Calvin is based on his own childhood, but he disputes this fact and says that he was actually a very quiet, obedient kid.
Hobbes is named after Thomas Hobbes, who said that the natural state of humans was to be at war. Watterson has said that he feels Thomas Hobbes had a “dim view” of people. Hobbes’ feline characteristics were based on Watterson’s cat, Sprite.
Miss Wormwood got her name courtesy of C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. In the C.S. Lewis tale, Wormwood is the nephew of an experienced demon and is being advised by his uncle on how to damn men to Hell.
Susie Derkins received her distinctive last name because “Derkins” was the nickname of Watterson’s wife’s family’s beagle.

Calvin and Hobbes is copyright © Bill Watterson and Universal Press Syndicate. Calvin and Hobbes are registered trademarks of Bill Watterson and Universal Press Syndicate

The Streets of Srinagar

In an interview today on NPR, Steve Coll talked about a recent article he published in The New Yorker. It brings to light some of the many unfortunate happenings in and about Kashmir to the broader world. (Click here to go to the abstract and the audio-slide show)

The audio slide show below are pictures and narrartrion by him in the same issue of the magazine, and what he thinks is the current situation. Lost sons, burnt homes, graves and gloom stricken faces with lost hopes greet you in this very short haunting video clip. Not that they are something new, or the entire picture--just a reminder and a lament! One of the pictures--the old woman looking at the news paper scraps probably for her dead son's picutres is especially a riducule to the leaders on all sides, the world at large and fate itself!

"The Streets of Srinagar"
March 2, 2009
Steve Coll discusses tensions and the recent election in Kashmir’s summer capital, and visits a village graveyard where local police bring unidentified rebel fighters. With photographs by Alixandra Fazzina. (full article)