B-Log

The land of stock photography is more coloured now. It has acquired a few new shades.
Now flooded with pictures of Indians, proliferation was never before expected to show its traits in such ways.

Wherever you search, something Indian would appear atleast once on each page of the search result. No more are we depicted through pictures of Rajasthan or roadside beggars. Our pics are as slick, classy and clean as the others’.

The country has started to make a mark at every level in the world. The world needs to cover all the developments and its effects. We are also becoming more comfortable in our skins. Realising that being an Indian isn’t such a bad thing after all. There’s a revival of national pride. Therefore brands talk to us with visuals which depict us as we are. Indians are working at par with people of other nationalities. They have more things under their control now. Therefore, commanding more respect.

It is being recognised that we have a different set of perception and identity. Our value sets and aspirations are unique.

This is, as I said… just a trait… a sign.

I saw this chair at Kilol in New Delhi and stared at the hinge for a while, trying to figure what the hell is it doing there. Could not understand if it was just some ornamentation or was it designed to do something. I started to fidget with it and just then a rather bemused sales lady showed me what it really was. (I assume she does this everyday in order to maintain the chair’s existence.)

And there it was. It opened up into a step-ladder. I loved the way it hinted you that it can turn into something and teases you. And then there’s this “wow” moment of seeing the way it’s designed and it’s transformation. I am not sure if it was really an old chair or was it conditioned to make it seem so. The store has ethnic Indian clothes and linen. And if the chair is old… just imagine the sense of design and utility they used to have back then.

There you have my handsome model, Adi, demonstrating how to use the step-ladder who’s head I mistakenly chopped off in the shot while rushing to make sure he doesn’t jump off the ladder.