Wednesday 30 October 2013

Indiblogger DID4 Meet - #DanceItOut for Women Security

It was the time to #DanceItOut as Dance India Dance Season 4 has to start in another three days and the new judges and ZEE TV chose Indibloggers as their partners. I was very excited to meet all the blogger friends after a lot of time and also as it might be my last meet this year as I am travelling to other country for sometime. Just like everytime, the event location was awesome and this time it was The Oberoi, Delhi. With the amazing food, snacks & drinks being served everyone was sure to follow their passion to dance and to blog. Again it finally came down to the moments of truth which again became the meet theme. The social issues we are facing today was the theme to #danceitOut and finally blog it out after the meet. 



The safety of Women- a topic that called for heated discussions and massive protests throughout the country. India has witnessed a huge uproar, a revolution against lecherous members of the society who have caused immense shame to the entire country through their heinous acts.

The question on everyone's lips… the question that has been echoing around the globe, which has been blaring out of televisions and radio stations worldwide – “What is wrong with Indian men”?  Why is it that there are incessant incidences reported almost every day and even after numerous claims and promises by the government, police and judiciary nothing seems to have improved? Infact, the situation has worsened over time. Who is responsible for the safety of women in a country of 1 billion people?

The answer lies within each one of us, the only problem is we do not realize it. It needs a lot of brainstorming to identify that WE are responsible for all that is happening around us. Eve teasing, molestation and rape are the draconian forms of everyday petty incidences at our homes that we ignore. Each time a couple repents the birth of a girl child, however secretly, a shameful sin transpires. Each time a family favors their son over their daughter, the seed of superiority is sown in the mind of the little boy. The family gives fuel to this fire of superiority everyday by showing preferences towards the boy. It can be as trivial as letting him to go out and play while refraining his sister from doing so or dividing the responsibilities of household work among siblings in such a way that the girl gets to be holed up in the kitchen while the boy can go out to the market. As Mahatma Gandhi has said, for the first seven years of their lives, children are like clay. They will mold into respectful, responsible and honest citizens if you teach them to. This is the time children need to be taught equality and respect towards the opposite gender. We have to nip the mere thought of gender inequality in its bud.

The momentum gathered by the fight for a woman’s safety reveals a sad and bitter truth about our society. I believe that this issue cannot be solved superficially by shouting slogans or amending a few laws. After all, it is upto us to either follow the laws effectively or to flaunt them. If every father stops feeling the burden of his daughter’s marriage, if every mother seeks pride in letting her daughter make important decisions of her life herself, I bet the problem is solved there itself.

The situation we face today is not because of a man’s libido. Nor does it depend on the clothes of the girl or how late she chooses to come back home. The problem lies in the eyes of the beholder. The problem is the lack of respect given to women in this patriarchal society, by men and women alike. If every individual recognizes that a girl is not an object, that her place is not reserved in the kitchen, that she is not merely meant to cook and make life easier for her husband, that she is someone who has her own priorities, ambitions and dreams, we will triumph over this problem.

A major lesson that we all need to learn is that the Indian man is not solely responsible. At a time when everyone is ready to jump down the throat of every man they see, we must not forget the brave men who stood up to protect their friends, girlfriends, sisters or even complete strangers. Many men, like Keenan and Reuben have lost their lives fighting to stand up for the equality they believe in. Let us not forget that women are equally responsible. A few days after the Delhi gang rape, a woman sensitization program was being conducted by a senior woman scientist. In front of a large audience comprising of policemen, the public and senior government officials she lambasted the victim .In her opinion the gang rape victim should not have fought back while being raped since that may have ‘saved’ her intestines. She also wondered what she was doing at 9 PM alone with a boy. When powerful women are actively participating in victim blaming, how do we expect to change the mindset of boys who are brought up by these women?

Let us not forget that the responsibility of keeping a woman ‘safe’ is not merely restricted to protecting her from rape. It encompasses protecting her dignity and self esteem even after she has been raped. It means to never, ever blame the victim or make any excuses for the crime. It implies never questioning her intentions of staying out at night or wearing what she wants to. Would we question our sons if they wanted to wear shorts and go out for ice cream at midnight? Protecting her safety signifies protecting her from discrimination at every single step of her life.

Today, when the entire nation is clamoring over the problem, cribbing over the rules, criticizing the judiciary, the police and the government, I appeal to the people of India, dig deep into your family, because you have the capacity to bring about a change in your family and your neighborhood. Feel proud to be the father of a girl, don’t curb her freedom. Instead teach your son to respect his sister. Teach your daughter to be fearless and independent. Teach your children equality. Do not let their genders guide what you teach them. 


Irrespective of their sex, teach your children to cook and to play cricket. Teach them to sew buttons and to plan for their future. If your son is interested in fashion, send him to an art class. If your daughter is an athlete, coach her for the Olympics. While many have labeled this period in India as a fight for woman empowerment, I believe this is a fight for equality.And whatever medium we choose to communicate this feeling we need to stop this degradation of the society. Dance is the best medium to bring out your inner emotions and I feel that I could make a change in the society by changing myself and others with whom I come in contact with. We are all humans and should behave like one. 


Thanks to Indiblogger and ZeeTV for bringing out this theme of #DanceItOut and giving us a chance to meet all the judges Mudassar Khan and Feroz Khan to share our feelings with them. They are the true carrier of these feelings when they express the same on TV, more and more audience will listen and will take a stand on women security. 

Cheers!!! 


Get connected to #DanceItOut on https://www.facebook.com/ZeeTvIndia

Saturday 26 October 2013

An Android App a day - 28. SwiftKey Keyboard

Hi Guys,

It's been long that I wrote about the Android Apps as I was busy attending many product launches. I was introduced to this app by a friend and using the trail version just for two three days made me fall in love with this amazing keyboard app for my HTC One. I was missing Swype earlier after it's trial version expired but now this app really made me invest some money in purchasing the full version of the app. I got this app for Rs. 99 and loving all the features of this intuitive app. 

The best thing I like about this app was the colors when you flow your fingers across your tablet or smartphone screen. Hues of purple always motivates me to flow more and more.

Secondly, SwiftKey predicts the next word automatically based on the first word I have written. Happy birthday messages are so easy to type now. All the hashtags on twitter comes easy now based on the earlier tweets you have done for the brand. I am really amazed at this feature which made my buying this app immediately.





More information about the developers and app can be checked at - http://www.swiftkey.net/en/

Thanks Guys for making this great app. 

App rating - 4.5/5

Cheers!!!

Contact me for your product's review on twitter @araijain or @thelifesway or email - thelifesway@gmail.com

Monday 21 October 2013

NIKON #ThroughTheLens Blogger Meet Delhi 19 Oct 2013

Hi Guys,

@NikonIndia is a very active handle on twitter and is always rich in contests and great photography tips. Saturday morning after my breakfast and tea, I saw a tweet mentioning various famous people inviting for something happening in Delhi. No idea about what that was all about but I too took my chances of promoting my blog and asking about the invite for myself. Soon after three tweets, I got the follow back and the invite to the event which was about to start in another one and half hour at b-bar Saket. I took Delhi metro from Iffco Chowk and reached Malviya Nagar and finally the destination by 145pm. Finally took the desired lift and this is what was there to welcome me.

b-bar is an awesome place and the location has zen like quality and perfection in everything from decor to placement of tables, chairs etc. I got welcomed by the Nikon team and handed over a goodies bag. While walking towards the stage set, I recognised a person whom I have never seen in live but always respected and loved his work. Mr. Raghu Rai was there and chatting with Nikon team. I felt inspired and thanked Nikon team instantly for the invite. I surely knew that this is going to be a knowledge of lifetime by listening to an ace photographer. Meanwhile, we waited for some time and met other fellow bloggers and photographers. Finally, the program started with Raghav Mandava taking the stage and doing his standup comdedy act. Everyone enjoyed his comic timing and jokes through out the event.

It was time to listen to the legend Mr. Raghu Rai, and I was all ears. He started with telling us about how photography has become a religion for him and he feels himself in meditation whenever he is out there in the streets with his well planned gear capturing people and moments. He loves Street photography much more than any other because it's an extended reflection of his own life. He feels that he is a common man himself and then captures the beauty of everyday changing streets across India and world. He said, if you want to take good snaps, empty your mind first and then set your foot on the street. It took him a lifetime to reach a place where he is now. 

I felt, he really had this Zen like calmness and humbleness imbibed into his personality and the perfect place chosen by Nikon India really made all the difference. I really learned a lot listening to him for ten minutes what I could have not learned reading thousand of books.

After this we were welcomed by Mr. Hiroshi Takashina, MD Nikon India to the event. He presented some unknown facts about the Nikon and his personal stint of traveling 92 cities across India. He is one of the most humble guys I have ever met. My love for Nikon brand became much more positive after this meet and meeting with the team behind Nikon India. 


Finally, it was time to take the stage by Nikon India technical team as they took us through various facts and aspects of DSLR photography and breaking myths every minute. 


 The team started presenting by taking us through DX vs FX cameras and the fact that F mount has not being changed ever since the inception of DSLR camera by Nikon. 80mn NIKKOR lenses have been manufactured by Nikon in 80 years of their opening the shop. Every lens is made with precision it demands and to the best of quality possible.
The difference between ED lenses and normal lenses. Some more diffraction differences between Nikkor lenses and those who are not using that technology.
They took us through various small presentations about DSLR cameras, range, types of photography, the events and Nikon School and some video's shot using DSLR cameras.

The team took us through various genre of photgraphy and I took these images of the slides for one of my friend Kuldeep Singh whose D600 camera got me invited to this event in the first place because I blogged about that camera and various shots I clicked using that camera on our Khajuraho trip.

Wildlife Photography - 1. Get the Range

Wildlife Photography - 2. Get the Sharpness

Wildlife Photography - 3. Get Closer to the Wild

Wildlife Photography - 4. Get the Speed

 I received some awesome goodies from the team as NIKON DSLR strap and a 4gb Lexar SD Card along with a tshirt. My DSLR has started coming to me in parts though but I felt very happy that finally it started it's journey towards my hands! :-)



Thanks a lot to Nikon India for the invite and looking forward to more such events happening in Delhi NCR. Oh forgot to tell you all that this event marked the launch of D5300 and D610 DSLR cameras in India. D5300 has some features added into the D5200 like GPS and Wifi built in capabilties.
More info on http://www.nikon.co.in/en_IN/products/categories/dslr.page?


A twitter competition to win a book by Mr. Raghu Rai was won by our @ArvindPassey with a perfect Street photograph he took in the recent @SoDelhi Tweasure hunt we participated last week. Heartiest Congratulations!

I really felt jealous as I too has that kind of snap but couldn't apply logic that Raghu Sir will like street snap much more than others showcased by everyone else. Meanwhile, I was able to click a snap of his signature on his book on Delhi.

Thanks once again and really felt great to be a part of this event. Looking forward to having Nikon DSLR camera in my hands sooner than ever!!!

Universe....Are you listening? I am sure, you are!

Cheers!!!

Contact me for your product's review on twitter @araijain or @thelifesway or email - thelifesway@gmail.com

Thursday 17 October 2013

Photo Walk - UTV Walk of the Stars - Bandra Bandstand Mumbai Part 3

Hi Guys,

The final part of this trilogy photo walk will be completed in this blog post. I hope you will like it as much as I liked visiting the place.

Anupam Kher is one of the most versatile actors we have in our film industry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anupam_Kher From a grief striken father in Saaransh to Dr. Dang in Karma to P. K. Sharma aka Sharmaji in Special 26 he has entertained us all.


Shabana Azmi is a widely known actress known for her acting in parallel cinema. She is a social activist and is married to Javed Akhtar.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabana_Azmi

Sharmila Tagore is the mother of Saif Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan. She is one of actresses whose song Mere Sapno ki rani was widely popular along with many others from the movie Kashmir ki Kali, An evening in Paris & Amar Prem. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharmila_Tagore
Sridevi is often referred to as the First Female Superstar of Bollywood. She is always known for her bubbly acting which many actresses tried to copy but none could do justice to what Sridevi was able to pull through. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sridevi Made a cameo after 15 years via English Vinglish and really the movie was awesome comeback ever.


Here's me with the evergreen superstar - Dev Anand


The dancer whom I always tries to imitate - Shammi Kapoor saheb. 

The biggest Showman of the Bollywood - Raj Kapoor Saheb. I hope one day will come in my life when I will also be called as The Showman! 
The final photograph is of Yash Chopra who gave a different meaning to Romance in movies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yash_Chopra


Enjoy movies, music and bollywood JAB TAK HAI JAAN...

Cheers!!! Thanks a lot!

Facebook Goodies - CarWale Diary 2013

Hi Guys,

It's been a while I have written about my contests win and goodies received thereafter. Carwale is one brand with which I have been associated for years as I have always tried to participate in all their contests since 2009. Some months back they organized a very big contests with prizes like Apple iPhone, iPads etc and I was only able to win this Diary for the year 2013. Anyway, a win is a win and I appreciate www.CARWALE.com for sending it through to me. Have a look at this colorful diary with vintage cars. 




The Carwale Diary has awesome pictures at some random intervals. 

It's a sure thing that I will cherish for some time to come.

Thanks a lot!

Photo Walk - UTV Walk of the Stars - Bandra Bandstand Mumbai Part 2

Hi Guys,


Considering the time I spent there on the bandstand, I could not see much more than what I have clicked using my camera so presenting only those stars which I have with me in my ages old Panasonic FZ-5. I am accepting gifts this Diwali season from any sponsors who wants to see me blog more using their cameras or 41 or 13 megapixels mobile phones.

Meanwhile, continuing the journey to the UTV Walk of the Stars in hollywood style walk of fame, I came across Guru Dutt.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Dutt  Guru Dutt is a Legend and is so called because of his fans who loves his movies till date, more and more are added daily to his fan list.

 Meena Kumari was known for her tragic roles and till today a lot of bollywood new heroines tries to imitate her in all the tragic scenes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meena_Kumari

Dev Anand is known to all as the evergreen hero who never took rest from Bollywood. All his lifetime he has been involved with movies, movies and movies. He has been the most charming actor on the big screen. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dev_Anand 



Sunil Dutt is usually remembered by the role of Bhola in PADOSAN movie but he played a lot of roles onscreen and in political career too. He is the father of Sanjay Dutt acted with him in Munna Bhai M.B.B.S http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunil_Dutt


Nargis has a legendary romantic onscreen pairing with Raj Kapoor. They become the first ever romantic pair of Bollywood. She played the lead role in Mother India. Nargis married Sunil Dutt as he saved his life in a fire incident on the sets of Mother India shooting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nargis

 India's first rapper, Dadamoni Ashok Kumar with his song RailGaadi is also known for his anchoring role in HUM LOG, the most popular tv program during the 80's. He has been a legend who worked for more than 50 years in the industry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashok_Kumar


Does Kishore Kumar needs any introduction? He is the one whom everyone loves a lot for his acting, singing, comedy timings and much more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kishore_Kumar
His songs inspires generations after generations. A full show is dedicated to him at Nautanki Mahal, Kingdom of Dreams, Gurgaon by the name of Jhumroo. A real gem of India.


Do visit the place and fall in love all over again with your favourite stars. A beach along the walk is great and there are many great sites as Rekha's home Basera is just opposite, Shahrukh's Mannat is also across the road and many more stars must be living very near.

Cheers!!!

Photo Walk - UTV Walk of the Stars - Bandra Bandstand Mumbai Part 1

Hi Guys,

Recently on a Mumbai trip which brought me to this part of the city, I was able to see some beautiful homes and places in Bandra. UTV recently launched a Bollywood Walk of the Stars on the Bandra Bandstand and was looking forward to see it. Here are the pics of the place as a tour in two parts.

Kapoor Family is one of the foremost generations which have made a living in bollywood via being actors, directors, producers and many more roles. Here is a salute to all the legends from this family -

More info - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prithviraj_Kapoor - A Pioneer of Indian Theatre and film industry.

 Raj Kapoor, The Show Man needs no introduction but more can be read at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raj_Kapoor
Shammi Kapoor was known for his dance moves and romantic roles in various movies. He acted in Rockstar with Ranbir Kapoor. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shammi_Kapoor


Eldest son of Raj Kapoor, he is the father of Kareena and Karishma Kapoor. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randhir_Kapoor

Younger son of Raj Kapoor, he was known for his romantic roles and pairing with Neetu Singh. He is father to latest hearthrob of nation Ranbir Kapoor. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rishi_Kapoor Rishi Kapoor remains my favourite actor till date along with Jeetendra and Mithun Chakraborti.
Neetu Singh married Rishi Kapoor to become Neetu Kapoor and acted recently in Besharam with her complete family and Do Donni Chaar. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neetu_Singh


Karisma is daughter of Randhir Kapoor and Babita. Karisma Kapoor made her bollywood appearance at an age of 17 years and become a versatile heroine playing all types of characters with ease. Her pairing with Govinda made some very successful hits. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karishma_Kapoor
 
Kareena Kapoor needs no introduction as she remains the most sought after Heroine today. She has shown her acting skills in various movies with all the Khan actors giving hits after hits. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kareena_Kapoor

Part 1 has all the actors and actresses belonging to Kapoor family but the walk is not over yet. Do checkout this hollywood style walk of fame in Bandra, Mumbai.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_of_the_Stars

Cheers!!!