seasons greetingssssssssssss

Mom's got an idea sirji.............

My mom dad still lives in their own sweet world, and yes like everybody in that generation, they know how computer, laptop looks like but well that is almost what they know about it. Apple, blackberry are just fruits to them. So today I get a call from mom asking if I have 3G in my phone. I was stunned for sometime. Well, the story behind!! She wanted to buy a sweater for me, but since she knows that I might say that the style is outdated and not end up wearing it, she really wanted to be sure, so she wanted us sisters to see it. I'm guessing that this classic idea was suggested by the shopkeeper MR. KNOW ALL.........LOL..........So anyways,she supposedly sent a picture to my eldest sister but till today we have not got it............but isn't it amazing how out parents are trying to catch up with the technology around us......I love them and I would definitely slow down......and hope technology slows down or reach a level where everyone feels one.......(This happened on 18/11/2011)..............just wanted to remember the date......

After a long long time

We call it winter here, whatever the world feels about. We have been waiting for that one day when we could pull out those fancy sweaters out from that one hidden corner. All of us in Mumbai are very hopeful, that winter might come true. Our lips are chapped, our skin are dry but we still sit in air conditioned environment. The sun still feels hot but the sky is hazy.............and yes we are hopeful our winter is around the corner

My very own khadi stamp................

After running after for a long time for "THE" Khadi stamp of Mahatma Gandhi, I finally have my own. Yeaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh...............Its a collector stamp, and for the first time, printed on another material other than paper in India.

Anyways, with this whole running around for this stamp, I realise with "JUGAAD", and a little "SIRJI", everything works and same applies to super fat Mumbai. May be it works the best here. A very nice gentleman from post office in Mumbai,called me and my friend Aarti, after two months of meeting him that we can come collect our stamps. First we thought, we might have to pay extra money but no we paid the price printed on the brochure. SO my point is, THERE ARE SOME REALLY NICE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD!!!!!

doodling dj feels rain are awesome

It's a rainy day and there will be lots more....the roads may be filled with potholes and jammed...but are awesome.....!!!!!                        and doodling dj loves you to the core!!!!

We the people.....I mean we the current generation of like minded people!!!

Today while loitering around on facebook as usual, I saw my friend Sonia from Manipur had posted a link about a newspaper article she wrote on social integrity of Manipur. I'm so proud of her and I'm so glad that our generation is full of like minded people around. Yes, no doubt we do also have a class of people who don't care about all the social issues we are facing but well we really don't care about them and we also know for the fact that, when time comes, they too will join the movement. It is indeed a sad thing, what cities are going through. City doodles completely feels sad that one day it would stop seeing humor in cities and only see fear and cries......But well me and city doodles is hopeful that we the people of today will be successful in making our voices heard!!!!

And its here........................monsooonnnnnnnnnnnn

Monsoon is here..............finally and Mumbai will soon change it colours....most of the scenes will be in black and white, like those old days romantic movies...........we will curse the dirt, the traffic jams but we still will love it. Our minds will be along the sea coast while we would be brooding infront of our laptops....Its a beautiful season.........take a break and get drench sometimes....if you start hating it remember those heat in the month of May,,,,then you will love monsoon....happy rains people...............

zangooraaaaaaaaaaaaa

Nautanki Mahal.....thats where Zangoora is performed

Well, Zangoora is a name of a bollywood musical which I recently saw in a place called the "Kingdom of Dreams", its a story about a gypsy prince and the about the details, you got to see it to feel Zangooora....hahahah...I'm obsessed with the name. It is a combination of theatre, dance, animation, visual technology and architecture etc etc etc. I believe it is designed on the lines of Broadway theatre. For India, it is the only one, thats what I'm guessing. It is a development for entertainment as well as for people who would like to organize an event there. Architecture wise, I dont want to comment much since its kingdom of dreams, and being someone's dream, I will not judge it.

Culture gully with a sky dome ...tadahhhh!!!!

It has also a place call the Culture gully, where you can shop as well as eat with a sky dome. Worth going there!!!! Zangoooooraaaaaaaaaaaaa................... 

There must be more here, but I could check out only these two............

Psycho shopping....

It has become a very dangerous affair to go out on weekends, when every possible human being is out there looking for something to buy for a better bigger lifestyle.............malls, shopping streets, showrooms......no room!!!! It is amazing how every one is out there. I remember, when I was a kid, weekend was about being together, cleaning up, a delicacy cooked by mom, dad cleaning his scooter. Morning would start with breakfast over our favorite Rangoli on Doordashan channel with cartoon following and mom cooking up something real nice and all of us watching Mahabharat. A nice nap and a nice regional movie in the afternoon..........what a wonderful weekend....now its all about upgrading our homes, ourselves with numerous shopping trips.........hmmmm............

When water meets land, and when man meets nature............

                                                                                          courtesy:google earth

In my work, I use google earth a lot. And while googling, I come through a lot of landforms which never fails to awe me. I, therefore decided to share it because I know for sure, urban designers like me, artists, or for that matter a person with a curious mind should love seeing such amazing stuff of nature with a touch of man here and there. I for that matter will keep googling, keep thanking google earth and keep sharing......smile!!!

Happy holi..............use natural colours......be good to each other's skin.. ;)

URBANISATION...as we see it today.......we just build....don't we???

Thanx Aarti

Thanx aarti for helping me protect my blog...........................

CITIES.........Let it charm you............

In cities, quite often we come across a space, something which is highly unusual. Its a maze, one corner may be a dead end, somewhere you never want to come back again, and one may turned out to be an amazing adventure, which gets into our mind.
This is one the many reason, while designing, we always intentionally include elements of surprise. What fun is it, when everything is straight forward. A little struggle, a little fight for it, increases the charm of a space.
A city thus is always charming, we stumble across a place, very usual place but with a very interesting history, or a huge gigantic building waiting to become history.
Lets not let it frustrate us, lets get charmed. I know, its painful a lot of times, but a little struggle makes us a little humble.....

city doodles............Image season 1

City doodles gets its first image......its city and its pink sky for 2011

doodling river........

doodling Mumbai....a city where anything fits in

" Mumbai.....a city of big and small, of rich and poor, of flanking skyscrapers and sprawling slum, of burgers and vadapaos, of bhel puri and chinese bhel..."

Thinking ......

city doodles: its all about streets

city doodles: its all about streets: "Under the J.J.flyover................its much crowded believe me but well thts what that place is all about!!! Broadly know as Crawford Mar..."

city doodles: mumbai.............................

city doodles: mumbai.............................: "Structure of Mumbai due to the railway lines"

city doodles: Once upon a time, we played in real open spaces

city doodles: Once upon a time, we played in real open spaces: "Remember the time, we played in open spaces, climb trees and run across empty spaces...today we play among cars in parking lots. The space d..."

doodling trees.....do we see enough trees in cities????

Trees look really good on any architectural, design drawings.Well, I don't know how much of them actually gets planted on the site. Infact, according to my experience, I see people promising to replant trees....I have my doubts

Networking ....mumbai city

In a quest to add more postage stamps to my collection, me and friend ventured out to South Mumbai, to the Philately bureau of Mumbai, came across its not just a collection but a whole business......I went there to get hold of the khadi stamp of Gandhi released at INDIPEX, but man I realised I had to pay double the amount and its in waiting.....we might get a call from a third person.

But we managed to pick up some interesting ones too....And what to we discover a shop inside GPO, which sells tribal art, It was really awesome and real friendly people I must say..Then we went to Crawford Market to pick up some essentials, and boom what do we discover, a nice shop on the second floor. A vendor took us there, since my friend wanted to buy a table runner, and on the second floor of one of those old buildings of that area, a house cum shop with export defects of all type of mats with very reasonable rates......thats what we discovered...all happy with our day's out

A good trip and a networking .....city doodles continues....

Tucked away from the crowd.....a place I called paradise

RosaVilla, anybody would fall in love with it instantly. It was once a residence built during the british era, now converted to a guest house. It is situtaed near IIM Shillong. We never expected to find a place like this so well maintained behind the green gate and the high compund wall. The garden is very well maintained. The house is adorned with old family pictures. A dog guards it in the night and what amazing food, cooked according to your wishes......

Street pattern of rome

Retraced from Nolli's pla

 

Rome is a place were we all want to be some day. I began my journey when i followed its streets through every strokes of mine............one day I will trace its streets by walking ....good luck to me and all those who dream of being in Rome...

Ujjain, its nooks and corners

Ujjain, like any ancient city has its various nooks and corners, and its intimate streets which opens upto a space usually known as the chowk. Today Ujjain streets and chowks are losing its character. Many additions, alterations by its various users to serve its need, is changing the face of Ujjain.
To preserve it like a museum is not the answer, but to let it adapt in way it balances its growth is the new way a city should be directed to grow..