Bangalore Metblogs » bglr_karthik

I would rather…

bglr_karthik — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 15:38:55 +0000

Yet another ususal weekend passes by… Catching a new movie and eating out are two of the most obvious things one would on a weekend. I tried thinking of other things that I have really enjoyed doing on weekends:

I have…
- gone carting
- watched a funny play at rangashankara
- watched the sunset from the hill near my old house in girinagar
- wasted time chatting at the sweet chariot cafe in jayanagar

Also, wouldn’t it be awesome if Bangalore had:
- a beach to hang out at
- a small theatre that you can rent out to see nice old movies
- get to play tennis/badminton/sqaush without paying lakhs to join a club

What interesting things have you been doing in the weekends ?

Gandhigiri Works !

bglr_karthik — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 18:29:44 +0000

One of my collegues pointed me to this nice little story showing Gandhigiri at work.

This also reminds me of an awesome TV ad-campaign that was telecast a few years ago. The ad starts off showing a taxi driver at a traffic signal, spitting on the road. A babe in a car nearby drives close to the taxi, lowers her car window,looks in his direction and says “Cheeee” making a grimace. The taxi driver gets really embarrassed and the slogan shows up: “Say Cheeee, Keep Mumbai Clean”

We should try this in Bangalore.

Commute Easy

bglr_karthik — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 22:53:11 +0000

There are two ways to fix Bangalore’s most pressing issue: Either you wait for the government to build good roads and efficient public transport… or you go ahead and solve it yourself. A couple of people in ThoughtWorks chose to take the problem head-on. They spent some time outside work and kick started the car-pooling initiative in Bangalore by building a really nice online community. Check it out !

Here’s a nice little summary about the community from their website :

What is Commute Easy?

Commute Easy is a pooling initiative that aims to make your daily commute easier by connecting you to commuters across Bangalore who share your route.

Pooling can radically change the chaotic traffic scene in Bangalore.
By opting to commute easy, you can -

* Help decongest traffic in Bangalore.
* Lower your own travel costs and stress levels.
* Bring about a reduction in pollution levels.
* Broaden your social network.

So go ahead, breathe easy and commute faster!

Twenty – Twenty at Chinnaswamy

bglr_karthik — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 15:42:36 +0000

Had been to the Twenty-Twenty match at the Chinnaswamy stadium last month and absolutely loved it. My friend Vinay and me were passing by the stadium and realized that the tournament was on. I had always wanted to visit the stadium when it is not crowded. Moreover, Vinay has been closely following domestic cricket in India, so was damn excited about the match.

The 20-20 format seemed to draw a surprisingly huge crowd. The new format does seem to work: the music, the cheer-leaders and all the explosive batting. It kept us entertained through out the match, but I have to admit that the music got to us by the end.

It was nice to see quite a few of the young stars in action and of course it was awesome to see KSCA win the finals :-)

Weekend Photography

bglr_karthik — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 02:28:56 +0000

The digital camera has inspired many people into the field of photography and has probably been a source of frustration to many of their friends :-)

I have often witnessed this: A group of friends are hanging out together. The budding photographer in them, sees something beautiful when everyone else has ignored it. He attempts to capture the moment but struggles to find the right angle, the right frame or sometimes the right camera setting. If the pressure of losing the moment wasn’t enough, the friends pitch in to add some more by trying to hurry him up. The result… a missed opportunity.

I had been in this situation a few times myself, and was looking to hangout with a bunch of people who are also crazy about photography. This is when I stumbled upon the Bangalore Weekend Shoots flickr community. They are a bunch of shutterbugs who meet every weekend to shoot at interesting places in and around Bangalore. The community is open and people are welcome to join them on any weekend.

Memory Lane – from the early morning Nandi Hills shoot

I have joined them on two occasions in the past, once to the Malleshwaram flower market and then to an early morning shoot at Nandi Hills and its been awesome fun. We had beginners, experts and professionals, all shooting together. In fact, Vivek M one of the authors on this blog also takes active part in the group and has been a source for some really awesome snaps.

Sprinkles of Light – from the Malleshwaram flower market shoot

Nuts – from the Malleshwaram flower market shoot

Some observations about the group:
- They share an awesome attitude towards photography and people.
- They love street photography and love shooting at markets across Bangalore.
- They have mastered the art of waking up early in the morning :-)

I am yet to learn a lot in terms of composition, processing, framing, etc. from these guys and what better place than flickr to have a community like this.