Tiffinbox

Badmashi

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It's Sunday morning. I am on my second cuppa tea. I flip through the newspaper to the funnies. There is the usual fare – Garfield, Doonesbury, Peanuts. Deep down, I know something is missing. How often do you see a South Asian comic strip?

Mahoot Media is here to fill that great void I know we all feel. Badmash.org, Mahoot's venture in cartooning, is clearly unique. It is a no frills web site that will bring a chuckle to you and your friends. Check it out and sign up on that site to receive the strip in your mail box. Your Sunday's won't be the same. Chai anyone?

666

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I got this today:

Your site stats for 10/18/2003:
Your site “TIFFINBOX” received 1 new subscribers today.
It has 10 total subscribers and is ranked #666 on Bloglet.

Not one to be superstitious, but can someone please SUBSCRIBE to TiffinBox.org [use the box in the left column] and knock my insidious ranking down? Tell a friend or friends.

Thanks! :~)

*Books You Can Use: PHOTOGRAPHY

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From time to time, I am going to go out on a limb and recommend books that are both interesting and useful. While initially they will be about photography, I promise to research books that will interest designers and writers as well. If you are reading this and want to send in your suggestion, I would love to hear from you. Send in your suggestions to me at: seshu[at]pipalproductions[dot]com.

Here is the first of what I hope will be many books you can use:

I am a big fan of Frank Van Riper's column in Camera Works, The Washington Post's online feature about photography. His writing is lucid and his experiences as a photographer universal, such that we can all learn from him and his wife, Judith Goodman.

Last Christmas a friend gifted me Riper's book – Talking Photography – a collection of his columns that have appeared on the website.

No matter how you classify yourselves – an emerging professional or an ardent amateur – I recommend this book to you. Apart from technical “how-to's,” the author clearly describes the “why's” behind doing certain things on photo assignment. The writing is authorative, but not overwhelming or intimidating. You don't have to read it cover-to-cover. You are given the liberty of picking and choosing columns that interest you. Eventually, I suspect, you will end up reading them all. They are that good.

When Sahibs Reigned Free

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Much like my former post post, there is another photo exhibit that's making the rounds in the US. Scroll down below for dates and times.

Associated with the exhibit is a symposium that promises to discuss the political weight images carry (in the context of the British Raj, of course). Hot topic, in my opinion. How are South Asians perceived now has much to do with how we were photographed in the past. I am sure Vijay Prashad of The Karma of Brown Folk fame has something to say about this.

Via India New England News

19th-century Photos Show Indian Monuments Location: Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven, Conn.

Thu., Oct. 16 through Sun., Jan. 11, 2004 at the Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven, Conn.

Free and open to the public.

The Yale Center for British Art presents “Traces of India: Photography, Architecture and the Politics of Representation” – a new exhibition of more than 200 19th-century photographs of India’s monuments. Organized by the Canadian Center for Architecture, the exhibition will show major sites on Indian history and demonstrate the interpretive nature of photography of British India. On display: photographs, engravings, prints, maps, books, postcards, posters and other artifacts. A related symposium, “Representing the Raj,” on Oct. 17 and 18 will look at the photos’ political and cultural messages.

The art center is open Tue. – Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sun., Noon to 5 p.m.. It is closed Mondays and major holidays.

For more info., call (203) 432-2853 or visit www.yale.edu/ycba.

Scholarship for Photo-j Students Announced!

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I recently (as of two minutes ago) heard about this opportunity. Thanks to Jim MacMillan and the NPPA-L (the National Press Photographers Association's list serv) for spreading the word.

Please direct your enquiries about this scholarship to the appropriate folks. I am just a messenger.

$5,000 for your education!

The Ron Patel Scholarship Fund is now accepting applications for 2004. This year, the $5,000 scholarship will be awarded to a photojournalism student to advance his or her graduate or undergraduate education, according to fund president Mary Patel. Deadline is December 1, 2003.

Ron Patel was the renowned editor of the Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer, and Mary Patel's husband, until his death on Jan. 7, 2000.

There are no age restrictions on this scholarship. The $5,000 check will made out to the school and the student so the winner must either be in school or about to begin.

The Philadelphia Conference is assisting with outreach and details.
Complete details are availabe online at:

http://www.philadelphiaconference.org/scholarship

Questions may be directed to: scholarship@philadelphiaconference.org

@ Talwar

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Om writes with great regret about how he is missing out on the Nasreen Mohamedi show at the Talwar Gallery in NYC. I have to confess I had never heard of Mohamedi before Om mentioned it in his blog. Given that I live so close to the city (well, relatively) I should really try and check it out before it closes on October 25.

Anyone else visited the gallery and seen the show? Want to send me a short 100-word report? I'll promise to post it here and credit you for it (of course!)

Talwar is showing her photographs from the 1960's and 70's, which she never exhibited. {From NYTimes}

Say What? Say Om!

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Om Malik, blogger-writer-thinker extrordinaire has had a book out for some time about the telecom industry. One of his blogs – Not Really Indian – is a must read (listed under Desi Blogs to the right).

The Economist just called his book, “Broadbandits: Inside the $750 billion Telecom Heist,” the most entertaining of all the books on the topic. Go out and buy it. Or better yet, check the Writer's Nook in the left column of this blog to find his book and buy it through Amazon.com. You'll be supporting this site and Om.

Say Cheese @ Indian Airports

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GOVT plans to allow aerial photography Times of India, India UDAIPUR:

“As part of its efforts to do away with archaic and irrelevant regulations, the government is planning to repeal the law preventing aerial photography.”

Airports today. Temples tomorrow. One can only hope. I remember being chastised for making images at a temple just outside of Chennai. The guy who came up to me and asked me to put my cameras away was the official “bell-ringer” of the temple. Not your garden variety cop. An argument was inevitable as the man gave no rationale for his extra-curricular police activity. I can understand that the temple sanctum is sacrosanct but can anyone tell me why photography outside the main sanctum is such a big national risk? Anyone else have similar experiences?

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