There’s nothing like blog friends to make you feel guilty about ignoring your blog!!!!! Stuart first slaps his own wrist makes his affirmations a couple of days ago, Aparna pings me today with a one-liner in her sign-off on a quick chat we had today:

“ok gotto go now - will talk more about the project later…btw I wish your blog would have more than just links for the day

Gulp. I’ll be back soon. Just been crazy busy with a large motivational research on condoms (Shubhangi and I, along with out Client, also a qualitative researcher, now feel we have done everything, and can talk to anyone about anything!!!). Quick trips to Hyderabad and Calcutta.

Right after that, without a day’s breather, we were off to Delhi on a recky visit for a Learning Journey we’re hosting in Mumbai and Delhi, for a group of health-care professionals from the US, early January. It’s quite challenging organizing both content and logistics for 7 full days. Visits to NGO’s and ayurveda centres and scouting venues and meeting documentary film-makers in 3 days of recky. And to rural Uttar Pradesh.

Have lots to share on my visit to two villages in the Ghaziabad district (the amazing pic above is captured by Shubhangi) - but for now, just this one. My field person there - Mithilesh - who I met after a pretty long while, reminded that the winner of Star Voice of India, Ishmeet, had been a participant in an ethnographic study I was doing in Chandigarh many years ago. This was a project on Sources of Cool among Youth, for MTV. In fact, she also reminded me that he had actually taken us to his college and hangout joints to meet his friends, as part of the study. I hadn’t made the connection till then.

Heh!