Of People and Places

As the morning unfolds, the Jama Masjid looks gorgeous. Close to the Nainital lake, it sits there glinting in the winter sun, framed by the mountains that surround Nainital. I have spent the morning loitering around the lake and sit down to sketch. In the pleasant sunlight, two boys are flying a kite. In the Flatts ( where there is a playground), NCC cadets are practicing. The sky is clear and bright. What more can one want. Slowly the boys with the kite come closer, curious to see what I am drawing.One of the boys wants to see it. I tell him, it isn't finished yet, and promise to show it once it is done. Finally when I do show him, full of disclaimers, saying that the perspective is wrong, that it looks quite wonky and not quite like the Masjid, he nods sagely and says, " Koyi nahi didi. Agar aap hamare school ke drawing competition mein bhaag leti to aapko first prize milta.* " Kids can be really kind, sometimes. (* It's ok, didi. If you had taken pa...

Sights of Colva beach at sunset.   As I plopped down in the soft sand, the sun hid in the soft clouds, for some reason, embarrassed.   This was an amazing sight. If it weren't for the horizon line, you couldn't make out where the land ended and the sky began.  The sea and solitude. This lonely figure stretched its arms to the sea as if wanting to be swallowed. The other three were blissfully unaware, secure in each other's company.   The sea speaks - of lost loves and longings, of broken dreams and shattered faith. Things we dare not express the waves imbibe and reveal. 

Painting trees is one of my most favorite things to do. I love foliage and can never get tired of painting or sketching their different hues. I have improved a bit on my technique, all thanks to Sadhu Aliyur sir and practice. Apart from the technique, I think what I learnt the most from Sadhu sir is his passion for work and his immense patience. He has a very unassuming, nonchalant air when painting - If the artwork is ruined, it is ruined ( and it is really ruined in watercolor!All those wasted sheets!) - now move on to the next sheet of paper and try it again. In the midst of all that practice and those failed attempts, once in a while you get something you're happy with. An effect that is brilliant maybe or light and shade that is captured correctly in your sketchbook.  And this 'once in a while', is enough to sustain an interest and make you want to paint more. I think Sadhu sir will paint at any time of the day ( or night) - all he would need is some paper, brush...

We were given an assignment to build an impression of Mandu through illustrations. We spent a week there, explored all the places and monuments to our heart's content and built a relationship with the place. This doesn't often happen when you travel as a tourist. So, I was glad. This assignment made me focus on the place, on what made it different from other places I had visited and the kind of mood and ambience it had. As soon as we enter Dhar, the landscape changes slightly. There is a fantastic view of the valley and a very prominent gorge enroute - called suicide point. Cliched really. I wish it was called something else. The current name is not befitting something as magical as Mandu.  We enter the fortified town through a large, ancient gateway.It is quite dry and arid outside. The Vindhya ranges that Mandu is located in show their characteristic flat- topped, plateau-like peaks. The Gray Langur, more human than animal, watches us from the tree near the ruins. The...