Pictures and words

I met three old men for an assignment today. They have a very special skill which has almost died. They say,  that there are only 4 or 5 Paggis are left in  Kachchh  today. Paggis are men who identify the footprints of People and animals and get information about them. They help people, police and even army in investigating the foot traces of terrorists, thieves, lost cattle etc. I went to their village with Naeven Bhai, the driver of Sehjeevan who knew them well. This meeting was one of the best one since a long time. I had only a few hours to cover their story and come out with a photo essay. With a lot of curiosity, I bombarded them with many questions. A crux of what came out is below: They belong to the Sodha community of Sindh, Pakistan. In 1971, during the India Pakistan war, they crossed the border and took refuge in India, in Kachchh. They were eventually given special 'Paggi certificates' by the police and also once invited by the po...

I was asked by The Futurist blog to write about my journey through college and work so far. Here it is. I have been blessed with great mentors who gave me direction and taught me dedication. I also believe that if we believe in something, we get it.Coming into architecture was not planned in advance.Tandon uncle, a family friend, told mom when I was a kid and liked to play with plastic blocks and random stones that her son was going to be an architect. That prediction for long was forgotten. Like the usual science student living in Delhi and NCR, I also took a two-year coaching program for IIT. That coaching could not anything about the IIT-JEE exam but acquainted me to the beautiful city of Delhi. For one year I explored the city on every Saturday and Sunday, 10 to 5. In the later half of the year when the board exams were approaching, I realized that I cannot solve sums my whole life. I wanted to draw, I wanted to know different cultures, meet interesting people, observe int...

Andrews bar in calengute was once filled with hippies and tourists in the 70s and 80s. The owner, a charming Goan lady lost her husband, Andrews after five years of their marriage. She now proudly runs the bar, handles everything but is nostalgic about the bars golden period and her husband. Meanwhile she put posters of her favorite footballers on the wall.