letters of recommendation / ajanta, ellora / ‘sin city’/ prince

letters of recommendation are annoying things to write. they have to be constructed so carefully, treading carefully over some rather delicate issues and raving madly about others. i always feel at the end of a letter, that i am describing a weird idealized (not necessarily better) version of someone. i run out of synonymns for good, efficient, brilliant, beautiful (not really) and sexy (not yet) and i wonder whether the intended audience even bothers to read them.

meanwhile, dad and mom have finally decided to go to aurangabad and take that long postponed trip to ajanta and ellora. i remember going there twice- the first time on that drive to amravati from bombay when i was in the first year of architecture. hemant mama’s sumo. the next time with ninads class. the first krvia study trip i went on. nashik and then aurangabad. can remember caressing the beautiful serene sleeping buddha. i cant keep my hands to myself when it comes to sculpture. the stone was cool and hard under my palm. since then it seems they have barricaded the sculptures from the roving hands of people like me. good for them- too bad for me.

mukul and me saw ‘sin city’ last night. saurabh had raved about the look of the film and it was definitely worth watching. like a comic book made into a movie. and like a comic book - not meant to more than a terrific thrill ride with great drawings translated into stunning noir imagery- stark high contrast black and white with bright highlights added for effect. the plot? straight talking good hearted violent men are our heroes, whether they are gangsters or cops; and the women are gorgeous- exotic dancers, waitresses, prostitutes. the story line involved some serial rapists and killers, corrupt politicians and clergy, werewolf children, mutant yellow criminals, and lots and lots of killing. very cool.

i am not really looking forward to next week. while the work in college seems like its gong to get worse with the caa inspection just around the corner, all my prospective clients seem to have woken up after diwali on the same day. meeting at 7.30 in the morning at sai baba complex and all day today- first the lokhandwala flat and in the evening raheja estates. and its only sunday.

in the car, right now, i am rocking to prince. i dont know why so many people are turned off by his pronounced sexiness- its not sexuality (is it?). it does border on the pornographic and like all pornography is alternately titillating, exciting, embarassing, hilarious and silly- but man it is so much fun. funky fun. great lttle songs all over the place-sign of the times (the entire album) especially 'if i was your girlfriend' ' little red corvette' and d m s r from 1999, anything from purple rain, kiss from parade.. the man is a god- and he can play the guitar.

here are two photographs from the goa trip on the drive back in the early morning.