CSB Xclusive! Sahil Anand Arora

For most of us, when we bump into a fashion spread of a sexy guy, we get curious to know more about him. And then there are some bunch like 'yours truly' who get into a search mode on who clicked the snap. While being entranced by the sight of the gorgeous hunk and the creativity of the photographer, it doesn't come to us to think about those 'artists' who the make the models camera-ready, giving them a flawless look. CSB Xclusive! presents to you one such unsung hero.


Sahil Anand Arora does make up and hair styling for models for their fashion shoots. He also train modelling and self-grooming. When I first saw his pictures, I got totally smitten by his looks. This guy is the perfect blend of being uber cute and handsome (not to forget his gorgeous bod). So I approached him, asked whether he would be interested in being featured on CSB. And Ooh la la! Here he is!!

24 year old Sahil was born and brought up in Calcutta, India in a Punjabi family. He shifted to Delhi seven years ago for studies and was working as a freelancer for the past two years. He then realized Mumbai could offer much more in terms of contacts and opportunities and that pushed him to relocate to the Bollywood-city.

It's been only 5 months since he did that and things are already shaping up well for him. Here he met the illustrious fashion photographer, Sayan Sur Roy. Sayan saw that Sahil had the potential to be a model. Surprisingly Sahil happens to be camera-shy and it was Sayan who made him comfortable to pose for snaps.

And as you can see from the photos splashed across this post, Sayan was indeed right!

Sahil, thanks a lot for sharing these pics. Hope we can see you pretty soon on those ramps and billboards. So here's wishing you all the very best. Go for it and give us many more shots that will leave us spell-bound!

Photographs #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #9 (from the top) shot by Noor Khan & Photograph #8 by Sayan Sur Roy. Click them for their complete and higher resolution versions.

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CSB Xclusive! An Interview With Ronald N. Tan
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Indians Being Homophobic And More

There is a strong intolerance brewing in India. Probably, it was always there, probably I was ignorant about it, but now the frequency by which it makes headlines almost every other day makes me sit up and wonder, what is frikkin' wrong with us? Why are we so hell-bent in intruding other’s personal lives and decisions? By some twisted justification given in the name of ‘honour’, mothers and fathers kill their daughters and sons, brothers take the lives of their sisters and brother-in-laws, and relatives decide the fate of young couples. [link][link][link][link]

What is more shocking is the fact these people have no remorse for their bloody actions and firmly believe what they did was right. I can’t help but look at them with the same lens that I see terrorists who slaughter in the name of ‘jannat’ and take pride about their heinous acts.

Last year's gay parade at New Delhi. Courtesy: Associated Press

Post striking down section 377, it is encouraging to see journalists being more open to writing about homosexuality. On July 2nd, which marked the one year anniversary of the landmark High Court judgement, Indian dailies extensively discussed about matters concerning gays. The stories mostly reflected on the hopes and dreams of millions of Indian gays - to be accepted for what they are without any grudge. Celine Jaitley, the actress and gay rights activist, penned a wonderful piece on Hindustan Times trying to make readers see that this is not just about gay rights, but about human rights. (Read the article here.) But I still get that irking feeling when the word “choice” gets mingled in this whole debate. Deciding which flavour of ice cream one wants is a CHOICE, but to be GAY or STRAIGHT is NOT. Homosexuality and choice do not sit on the same boat. Period!

Though there were numerous articles that touched upon homosexuality very positively, I’m not sure how many got read by those who hold the prejudice. And the reason? The photos used for these articles were supporting the stereotypical beliefs. If I were a homophobe, and I see an article about homosexuality with a snap that enforces my prejudiced believes, would I be challenging myself to see situations differently? May be the transgendered and cross-dressers are more “camera-friendly”, but I feel that the media should resist the temptation of magnifying stereotypes. A picture indeed screams a thousand words and we badly want to see something that we can identify with.

Harish Iyer (centre) with his colleagues at Shobiz. Courtesy: Economic Times

With that said, the above image which appeared on Economic Times for the article that discussed about how things are finally changing for gays in the Indian workplace, was refreshing; thanks to Harish and Bharat Chanda (the photographer).

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The New Face Of Indian Homophobia
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The Look-Alike

"Hey.. You look exactly like one of my friends!”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah, you so totally look identical to him. Where are you from?”
“I’m from this city.”
“Are you sure you don’t have any relatives in Kerala?”
“No, why?”
“Just checking whether you are even remotely related to my friend.”

When they say there could be seven people out there who might be having identical faces, it feels weird when you bump into one who looks like a carbon copy of someone you know; except that this guy was chubbier and had coloured piercings on his left eyebrow. But his smile is oh-so-totally just like my friend’s.

I should have chatted with him, but I didn’t.
Then I could have exchanged numbers with him, but I didn’t.
And I could have clicked snaps with him, but I didn’t. It would have been fun showing them to my friend and to see him flip out. And so yeah, the above conversation is just another ideated one among the many could’ves-should’ves-would’ves that echo in my head.

At the 'Parents and Relatives (of gays) Meet' organised by Gay Bombay, it was good to see fathers also among the higher number of mothers. The discussion steered towards how parents can be offered assistance in their process of coming in terms with the truth that their son/daughter is gay, which led to taking an initiative of forming an Indian PFLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays), similar to the one that exists in US (www.pflag.org). But the highpoint of the meet for me was when a mother shared her experience - when her son came out to her, she took her son and his boyfriend for dinner that night to celebrate!

You can read the full report of the 'Parents and Relatives Meet' here.

By the way, do you think it is a coincidence that I get to read this soon after the look-alike-encounter? (Click on the pic to get a readable version.)

Courtesy: Hindustan Times Cafe

Arya Babbar happens to be one of my favourites for obvious reasons! ;)

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CSB Xclusive! An Interview With Ronald N. Tan

His clients include magazines - DNA, reFRESH, BeautifulMag, Vertu, Horizon, M Mensuel; French apparel brand - Vilain Garcon; and model agencies - Bleu Model Management, City Models SF, Click Models LA, Ford Models SF, Renegade Models NYC; to name a few. But Ronald N. Tan doesn’t let the success and fame go to his head, has his feet both firmly on ground and prefers to be regarded as an "emerging photo- grapher." Born in Burma, his family traditionally held professions in medicine and Ronald himself is a baccalaureate in Applied Physics & Pre-pharmacy. In 2007, he took that leap to chase his dream of becoming a photographer and there was no stopping for him after that. In this interview to me, Ronald shares to CSB readers about his journey of being a men’s fashion and beauty photographer, his deep love for India and Indian men, and also about his ongoing exploratory project titled "Personal Project."

Just FYI, Ronald’s photography was previously showcased on CSB at here.

Crazy Sam (CS): You chose to chase your dream of pursuing photography instead of staying on to be in the academic field. What gave you the courage to do such a scary shift?

Ronald N. Tan (RT): The spark that ignited my passion into an evolved conflagration is when I finally grasped the reality of my homosexuality in 2006. The newfound elated liberation gave me the courage and the strength to pursue my dreams of being a visual artist.

Click the pics for their complete and higher resolution versions.

CS: Did you have to put in a lot of effort than you thought to bag that first assignment?

RT: It was effortless for me because the Paris-based M MENSUEL Magazine editor found my photographs of Los Angeles actor Marco Dapper on the French blog site of Vilain Garcon, ran by Monsieurs Michel Sétan & Matthieu Croquette. Fred LeFeuille contacted me shortly and issued me my first cover with a featured six-page spread in his magazine that circulated into mainstream neighbouring countries of France, French-provinces of Canada, and the New York City. It was interesting because my adventures as an "emerging photographer" started thereafter.

CS: Currently what all assignments are keeping you busy?

RT: Personal Project is keeping me busy for now. I welcome and accept assignments! I'm going to be on my best behavior and look forward to serving my clients. :-)

CS: A photographer you admire?

RT: Tony Duran. Because I am going through my "B+W" phase.

CS: I know you have a special affinity towards Indian men and you consider yourself at times a "Desi-at-heart." Could you give us an insight to that?

RT: INDIAN MEN ARE MY KRYPTONITE!!! You are all beautiful and I love you all. I think karma and reincarnation made an error and I was born Burmese/Chinese! :-) Maybe in my next life, I'd be born into a Desi family where my mum and dad are the BEST Indian artisan chefs specializing in Madras, Punjabi fine-cuisines. Being born in Rangoon, Burma, my native country conjugated cultural influx with India. I grew up nourished with Burmese food that is influenced from India, Thailand, and China. At a young age, I was enamoured with India at the surface level, but not fully appreciated or understood in-depth. Even today, I have yet to see India with my own eyes and see its people living in reality and not from an illusion painted by the tourist industry. I want to see and experience her beauty - both the good and the bad - later in the future. Obviously I was facetious in the beginning, but my appreciation towards your country and culture is more profound than the assortment of what the mainstream exports.

CS: Your favourite Indian actors?

RT: You'll need a sequel to the interview if you want me to fully disclose my favorites! Mr. Shah R. Khan enticed me into the Bollywood genre with his film, "Asoka." Since then, I have learnt to enjoy viewing films that starred: Amitabh Bachan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Abhishek Bachan, Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukherjee, Priyanka Chopra, Preity Zinta, Kareena Kapoor, Jaya Bachan, Kirron Kher, et al.

CS: Tell us something about your "Personal Project" which you see as being more edgy when compared to your usual shoots.

RT: "Personal Project" is a tentative title of a forthcoming photography book project I am working on with careful attention. Due to the sensitive nature, a minor change in direction or gesture can be turning a regal photograph in the opposite direction. Containing artistic male nudity, it is my first exploratory project on highly provocative sexual images of men, simultaneously exhibiting class and regalia. It is more than a book chock full of naked men. Each photograph of the volunteers I've captured contained a fragment of myself - what I was thinking and what mood I was experiencing when I pressed the shutter on my camera. These photographs are an extension, an alternate glimpse into my psyche as an emerging visual artist facing the challenges and trepidation from societal scrutiny. When I initially commenced this sensitive project, I feared how I'd be perceived. I feel that although I am relatively new to the photography industry, I have artistically matured. I am ready to understand and grasp the intellectual and artistic merit required to appreciate the nude genre. If anyone gives me crap, I am just going to show them my middle finger.

CS: How can models approach you to be part of the "Personal Project"? Any prerequisites?

RT: Volunteers should, first of all, understand why I am involved in PP. They should understand their contribution and role towards PP. If models are interested in volunteering towards PP, they are all encouraged to submit via my website, http://www.ronaldntan.com. Instructions are under the "Personal Project" (PP) gallery. Due to practical reasons, volunteers should be local to San Francisco or Los Angeles.

CS: Can I assume that there is a possibility that "Personal Project" could bring you to India?

RT: DON'T GET ME STARTED!!! This would be a whole new book. It would probably result in my demise.. getting the privilege of capturing my true Adonises. You and your readers know Indian men are my KRYPTONITE. Then again, if that indeed occurred, I want my epitaph to simply read:

"Here lies Burmese photographer, Ronald Nyein Zaw Tan. He went chasing his dreams in 2007, found it, and is resting in peace in India while working on 'Personal Project: The Indian Edition'. His heart skipped several beats from too much Indian hotness resulting in cessation of normal circulation of the blood!"

I better be rested with all my photography equipment so I could finish "Personal Project" in my next life. :-)

The following video contains artistic nudity. Viewer discretion is advised.

Ronald N. Tan reserves the copyright for the images and the video.

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CSB Xclusive! The Indian Hunk Piyush Walia

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The Return Of The Craziness

Yes, I'm back! Yay!! Forget everything that happened here during the past few weeks, I apologize if I caused you any confusion as a result of the drama. But it's heartening to see some of you so attached to CSB. I'm especially grateful to those who posted comments, sent emails and chat messages trying to show me that CSB is one of a kind and it should not be ceased or worse, get deleted.

I'm sure all of you remember our Phunk Factor. Finally, he came to his senses and now he has a blog!! Called Go Phunk Yourself!!, his blog can be reached at http://gophunkyourself.blogspot.com/. Phunk Factor had posted two entries here almost two months ago and you can read the further updates on his blog.

CSB Bags 4 Nominations For AGB Awards 2009

In 2008, Poonam of Visceral Observations came up with the concept of Avant Garde Bloggies Awards to recognize and honour Indian bloggers for their contribution to the blogosphere. CSB was nominated for five categories then and awared the first runner-up for Best Courageous Post. The second season of AGB Awards is now live and after tedious elimination processes by Poonam and team, the jury has announced this year's finalists. Out of the finalists, the best gets chosen by a public poll. This year CSB is nominated for four categories:

Best Off-Beat Post
Best Personal Post
Most Beautiful Header
Most Interesting Sidebar

You can click on the above categories to directly reach the poll-site of the respective categories and caste your vote (for me :P). If you like to check out other categories, the finalists and the link to their posts are put up here. And to vote for them, the polls are currently live at http://avantgardebloggies.wordpress.com/. The deadline is 28th March midnight IST (i.e., coming Sunday.) So hurry up and act fast if you want to be an influence in the search for the absolute best posts of 2009.

This is the return of Crazy Sam.

Cover Details

Model: Jessie Pavelka

Photographer: Bradford Rogne

Original Image Copyrighted To: Bradford Rogne

CSB Mock-up Magazine Cover Done By: Crazy Sam

Other Articles Shown On The Cover:

CSB Promotion: Dan Skinner's Photography

When He Gets Your Body Heated Up
"I Heart CSB!" Says Phunk Factor

Update - Monday, April 05, 2010:

'Yuva Dares to Bring Open Closet' gets runner up for 'Best Off-Beat Post' at AGB Awards 09. Thanks to all who voted for me. :-)

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CSB Turns 2!

CSB Now Straight-Friendlier Than Ever!

Year-End Special: 25 CSB Posts Of 2008 Revisited

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When He Gets Your Body Heated Up

This ad is rumoured to be one of the hottest ads ever made and with the guy looking like that, no wonder why he turns all our body heat up!

If you're reading this post from email you will have to access the site to view the video.

The hunk is Nathan J. Owens and his popularity recently skyrocketed because of his cover shoot for DNA. Nathen admits that there had been attempts to pull his clothes off in real life, but no success stories. (as told to DNA.)

Click the pics for their complete and higher resolution versions.

Photographed by Ronald N. Tan.

Nathan can be seen in Esmee Denters' Outta Here music video (video link). Also check out Nathan singing and playing guitar to Free Fallin' at here.

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That Hunk On Men's Health Cover!

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The Cock-Out Attitude

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CSB Gets A Great Review From GayDemon!

GayDemon* recently published a review about Crazy Sam’s Bloginess for their visitors.

Crazy Sam's Bloginess is an interesting, informative and intelligent blog by an Indian man named - good guess! - Sam! This is an engaging guy with great good humor and a light style that still manages to strike home with evocative stories from his own personal life as well as just all sorts of other things. His first post in the edition I am reading deals with his pleasure over receiving an OK from internationally-famous photographer Dan Skinner, offering Sam the 'all clear' to use any of his photos for this blog. Naturally, Sam thence puts up some amazingly tasty pictures of hot guys, including pics which go to high resolution and reveal much more than was initially thought! Sam discusses his own affairs reasonably publicly, including an introduction and very revealing emotional relationship of more than just a few years. His voice is all of our voices, in many ways, as he struggles to accept the affections of someone destined to leave at the close of a vacation, in spite of his deeper desires to hold onto the guy. It develops even more from there in a true-life tale of love and some lust. Otherwise, Sam's voice is nearly casual and easy to follow as he bends our attentions to other gorgeous men, situations and events. This is a fresh and stimulating blog, written by a regular human with honesty and appeal. It is also sexy as hell.

Thank you guys; this is one of the best reviews I have read about CSB. View the GayDemon post about CSB by clicking here.

In case you guys haven’t noticed, CSB has finally got a guestbook which you  can reach through the link that appears on the right most column. Oh, happy 2010 everyone!!

*The link contains images that are not safe for work.

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Valentine's Day Guest Post At Blogbharti!

CSB Rocked In November!

Bloggy Award Reviews Crazy Sam's Bloginess!

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