Banglur Paused

The first time I met Slogan Murugan must have been 2008. He was still Bangalorean then and still blogging at Which Main What Cross, the mysterious blogger who posted one intriguing picture of Bangalore every single day. His exhibition was somewhere in one of the crosses of Residency Road and when I parked my car and got out I had to hold my breath and levitate over a large pool of sewage water to reach the exhibition. I remember I stood at the doorway panting with the exertion when a slight bespectacled figure emerged from the shadows and asked me, “You are…?” I gasped at him incredulously. He gauged my vibe. He explained that he just wanted to be sure I was The Plum Tree.

The next time I met Murugan, he was a Mumbikar and blogging at Mumbai Paused. He had achieved blogging domination and fame and was giving a talk about his photographs somewhere on MG Road. While I was on time for the show, the hall was already packed with people. Somewhere right in front I espied a chair that was actually empty and I dived at it with the supersonic precision of an Olympic diver. A seat! Two chairs down the row, a bespectacled man leaned forward, looked at me cautiously and said, “Hi Priya!” Look Slogan I got a seat!
Later when I saw the photographs of the talk, there was the audience and in the audience was a woman with hair flying vertically above her head. I realized the woman with vertical hair was none other than I. A stand fan had been placed directly behind my chair and that is why that particular seat had been empty.

Finally after years of virtual conversations, an excellent friendship and collaboration over an illustrated story, I got to have real time conversation with Slogan Murugan yesterday. Banglur paused for a moment. There were no calamities with sewage or hair; in fact there were no calamities at all. The energy was conducive and the conversation over filter kaapi enjoyable enough to make me wish it had lasted much longer.

Here’s to good conversation and meeting with yet another blog friend in real time. Cheers!

A write-up about Slogan Murugan