Selective Amnesia

Music in ads, then and now.

Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:13:37 +0000

To the visitor from Brampton, Ontario

Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:31:53 +0000

Hello!

Much, much, much many thanks. 27 page views over 30 minutes? Wow! Even I don’t spend that much time on my blog.

Presenting, Chandrachoodan

Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:24:33 +0000

Word to the wise. If you have an important presentation tomorrow, and you don’t yet know what you are going to talk about, don’t sleep. Stay up till 7 AM, upload photos to flickr or manically facebook.

On the other hand, if you have a VERY IMPORTANT presentation tomorrow, and you don’t yet know what you are going to talk about, go to sleep NOW. Wake up half an hour before you need to present, shower and get to class.

Remembering

Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:14:39 +0000

Till I got to Bristol, I had no idea how deep the wound of the two world wars were in the western world. In the last 2 something months, I’ve come to appreciate that and know how much the people here have been shaped by the war.
Every town, every village remembers its soldiers. And a war memorial/cenotaph wherever space can be made.

An event on a comparable scale happened in India. Though, it has gone largely unnoticed and hurriedly, perhaps guiltily, forgotten. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy.

I was 2 years old and in Madras when that happened, so I cannot really claim to be affected by it in any way. But I do know of what happened and to whom, from reading reports and stories in the last few years. This year is the 25th anniversary of that event, and a few people are doing all they can to see that, if not justice, at-least recognition and remembrance is given to the victims of the accident.
With them I shall say “I’m a Bhopali“.

The twentysixth Chennai PhotoWalk/Mylapore Festival Walk

Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:34:20 +0000

The PhotoWalkers, particularly me, like Mylapore. Which’s why, 5 photowalks have happened there. In fact, the very first Chennai Photowalk in, um, Chennai, began at Mylapore. Vincent D’Souza of Mylapore Times has long been a Chennai PhotoWalk enthusiast and supporter. He is also one of the principal agents behind Madras Week and Mylapore Festival, two events I cannot stop gushing of, like a high-school boy on his first crush.

So, it was only natural that at some point the two (not the high school boy and the crush. PhotoWalk and Mylapore Times) would come together. And that is now.

Announcing the first ever Mylapore Festival PhotoWalk/Exhibition and the 26th Chennai PhotoWalk.

The idea is simple. This December, the PhotoWalk gang will grossly invade privacy of home owners in Mylapore by taking photographs of classic Mylapore houses. Once we shoot the houses (with the permission of the houseowners, of course.) we will exhibit these photos as part of the Mylapore Festival, to be held in January.
This promises loads of fun and the only official chance to walk into a random house and shoot the owner. With Cannons.
And Nikons and Sonys and Pentaxes and Olympuses, as well. This also promises good fame and popularity and press mentions and a chance at becoming the future prime minister of India.
So anyway, that’s the big picture idea. Now to the details.

Since I am here, in Bristol, and slaving over a presentation I have to give in two days and have no solid material to work with, Vatsan is organising the walks and doing the routes. He’s come up with the following.

Walk #1 will be on the 13th of December, starting from the 16 Pillar Mandapam of Kapaleeshwar Kovil at 7 am

Walk #2 will be on the 20th of December, starting from the Kutchery Road Police station. at 7 am

Further information on exactly which houses to photograph etc will be provided soon. All you have to do now is mark your diaries and your calendars and your best aperture number, and wait. With breath bated or otherwise.

Links for 2009-11-25 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

Materialities

Vote for a change.

Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:46:00 +0000

So, this year’s edition of Indibloggies is out. As expected, I wasn’t nominated. Much like Seema Goswami, I have a theory. But unlike Seema G, I shall not subject you to it. Instead, I will say this. Most of this year’s indibloggies nominees are all my shoulder lifted growing babies wonly. Talking of which, August 28 marked the 6th year of Selective Amnesia. I am a fossil. Funnily, also an archaeologist in training.

Anyway, if you feel up to it, go and vote for the nominees. I wholeheartedly support and endorse Negha maami, Anand, Ashok, Ideasmith, Nitin, Gopal, Akshay and Shripriya. Since Anand and Ashok, and Akshay and Gopal are nominated in the humour and photoblogging categories respectively, each of them have offered to perform special favours and guest-blog on SelAm if only I stop endorsing the other one. I shall let you folks decide which man deserves to win.

Talking of vote, I urge you all to stop doing what you are currently doing (except finish reading this paragraph) and vote for my photo to be included in the December issue of JPG Magazine. I’ve submitted it to the theme ‘Decay’. Vote now. For me. And then for the others.

The first Chennai PhotoWalk?

Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:46:30 +0000

Reasons yes: Super cool, twin-lens reflex camera, and Photowalk former regular, Anand K.
Reasons no: They are in a car. Lame!

The twentyfifth Chennai PhotoWalk updates and other things

Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:53:00 +0000

In a recently resurrected annual performance, the rains, and roaring rivers running on roads, ravished Madras. So Vatsan et. al had to reschedule the 25th Chennai PhotoWalk. The new dates to mark on calendars and diaries: 29th November 2009. For details and to generally pester the brains out of Vatsan, call 9444999456.

(Don’t you just lurrrve the way the Rs roll?)

On to other things. I wrote this a while ago. Since then, I’ve learnt that I cannot perform poetry for shit. Or any incentives whatsoever. At best I can hem and haw and glare mightily at scraps of papers. But I do know I can do one thing – recognize good poetry when I read it, and put critique on bad ones. I also know I can do Dennis Leary in ways even Dennis L cannot do. I really am an asshole.

On the other hand, I am not. Or how else would you explain why people dub me the perennial brother? If a group of people (namely most women) were asked to reduce me to an abstract of my best qualities, I’d be a statue entirely broad shoulder and listening ears.

Not having much to do in Bristol (except climb hills, chase credit points and provide brotherly services) and having too much time to do it in, I have discovered many ways of keeping up with what other people are blogging about. Pity is, save for three, nobody is really writing anything worth repeating. In fact, the more pitying is that most people are purely repeating, without the rinsing.

Therefore, I am currently reading (besides the much treacly and academic essays as part of my course) Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. Yes, yes. I know. Behind the times and all. And not exactly highbrow stuff. Plead guilty. But in my defense, I should note that I never had a brow, its position on my face, therefore, does not enter the debate.

Drafts are still fishes behind glass.

The platform expands.

Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:23:22 +0000

In, I believe, a first-instance-ever in the world, I’ve managed to explain films about the Holocaust using Sangam poetry. A.K Ramanujan’s ghost would be proud of me.

Links for 2009-11-16 [del.icio.us]

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

naRRiNai - நற்றிணை

Chandrachoodan, and truth and justice, prevails

Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:17:12 +0000

Today I won.
A truant force, as strong and unbending as I’ve ever encountered, an entity that would not subject to any authority but itself, yielding to none but its own will, flourished and grew unchecked in Bristol. From the day I landed in this city to this afternoon, I watched its growth, marked its progress and measured its strength. Today I decided enough was too much. I fought hard, I fought fair. For sure, I used special tools and weapons, carefully chosen and well wielded. Its numbers on one side, me and my weapon of choice this side. It took time. It took perseverance and skill. The battle could have gone any way for both sides were obstinate and enduring. Eventually, I won, as I knew I would. An enemy was conquered. A territory was subjected to my rule and a will was broken to my command.

I combed my hair.

(Psst, you might also want to see this.)

Links for 2009-10-18 [del.icio.us]

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Spiced vegetable biryani recipe - Recipes - BBC Good Food

Links for 2009-09-07 [del.icio.us]

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PDT

single room houseshare nr gloucester road. cheap rent ashley down Bristol flatshare houseshare rent
Find a room to rent in Bristol today - View hundreds of ads for rooms in Bristol

Links for 2009-07-30 [del.icio.us]

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Pipes: Social Media Firehose
via:kingsleyj

Links for 2009-07-14 [del.icio.us]

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Madras Musings - We care for Madras that is Chennai
Art Deco, a popular international design movement that flourished between the 1920s and 1940s, was adapted by cities such as Bombay and Madras almost immediately. Chennai's combination of Indo-Saracenic and Art Deco in the University Examination Hall, the Hindu High School and Kingston House (Seetha Kingston School). But all these are rapidly changing with many buildings either being defaced by modern ornamentation or being completely demolished to make way for new constructions. An example is the Oceanic Hotel which was classic Art Deco and which has since been razed to the ground for an IT Park. The language department of the Madras University is another.

Links for 2009-03-19 [del.icio.us]

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Philip Greenspun's Weblog: How rich countries die
Interesting read.