Niklas pointed out to me the other day that I hadn’t updated in a while. Well, guilty on that count, but I have been feeling strangely blog-dry lately. Anyhow, since “writing” seems to be the flavour of the season right now, here’s a little look into what I’ve been working on.

1. Kale’s Folly (working title): You could technically call this book four of the Halvard series. It’s four years since the events in The Timeless Land, and… oooh! something’s happening.
2. Kinnel’s Prison/Azure Conclusion: Kinnel’s Prison was a short story I did based on an idea I had for a novel. I am currently working on fleshing the whole thing out. I have the basic story, all of the characters detailed out, the setting ready, but there are key missing bits.
3. Azure Conclusion/WiRE: No, it’s not a typo. I haven’t decided if I want to use the Azure Conclusion concept in Kinnel’s Prison or keep it for WiRE. I can’t say anything more about WiRE except that I really love the idea. I even have the characters, but they have no names, so they’re a bit like stick figures at the moment.
4. Kris and I (working title): This is going to be my first attempt at humour, if it comes off. I hope to work on this during NaNoWriMo 2008.

However, when all is said and done, if even one out all these ever gets completed, I will be happy!

~PD

This update is being done through the Flock 2 Beta blog editor.

For the uninitiated, Flock is more than just a plain old Web browser. If social networking is your sort of thing, this intriguing application is certainly worth a look at. With its integrated blogging, media sharing and “people” services, it should keep any online social bunny busy for a bit.

Interested? Check it out for yourself: Flock. The latest release is Flock 1.2, but a beta version, Flock 2, based on the Firefox 3 release is available as well.

Happy Flocking

~PD

Sunday, 29 June 2008, sees history being made in Bangalore. For the first time, the city joins Kolkata and also-first-timer Delhi in having its first ever LGBT Pride Parade.

Worldwide, the modern LGBT movement is largely acknowledged as having had as a catalyst an event referred to as the Stonewall Rebellion. On 29 June 1969, following a police raided on Stonewall Inn in New York City the previous day, violent clashes resulted as the LGBT community came together to resist police harassment. A commemorative march was held the following year in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Over the years pride parades around the world became more about the celebration of being gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and others in an increasingly inclusive society.

In the Indian context, though, we are far from that stage. Thus, Sunday’s pride event is not just a celebration, it is a stage for every human being who believes in a free, fair and inclusive society to stand up and say so.

From the poster:

New York, 29 June 1969: Following a raid on Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, five days of protest marked the Stonewall Rebellion, where people stood up for their right to be who they were. This landmark event is widely acknowledged as the beginning of the LGBT pride movement.

Bangalore, 29 June 2008: Times change, and with it, people. This is your chance to step up and claim your rights. Whether lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, hijra, kothi, intersex, straight — join us if you believe in reaffirming the right to live and love.

Silence is death. We need you to fight for what is right. Come and revel in the sunshine of Bangalore’s first pride march. Join hundreds from Delhi and Kolkata in celebrating this event.

In Bangalore the parade starts at 2:00 pm at National College, Basavangudi and ends at Puttanna Chetty Town Hall, J.C. Road.

In Delhi it starts at the corner of Barakhamba Road and Tolstoy Marg, just south of the Metro station on Barakhamba Road, and in front of the Intercontinental Hotel on Tolstoy Marg, and ends at Jantar Mantar. Time: 5:30 pm.

~PD