Of People and Places

Watercolor sketchbook My grandmother has moved to a new locality in Belgaum which is a little away from the city - from the top of her house there's an amazing bird's eye view of monsoon greenery (Much of the surrounding area is defence land - therefore, unexploited...so far, that is) This little shed with the blue roof caught my eye - it looked beautiful close to two silver oaks, glistening with raindrops. It was still cloudy and thunderstorms were expected. A lovely little memory captured with watercolors. And just in time, because it did start raining again - cats and dogs!   Here are some delightful birds I met during my stay there -  Birds in Belgaum  Whitebreasted Waterhen

A sketch of a woman at Sethani Ghat, Hoshangabad On a cold morning, a woman offers prayers to the river Narmada at Sethani ghat. She is more sparrow-like in real life than in the sketch. She walks briskly up the steps, readjusts the shawl to cover her ears snugly, and disappears into the crowd. Even at this early hour, the road to the ghat is fairly crowded with devotees, wayfarers, sadhus, cattle, stalls selling poha jalebi, religious items, stray dogs, umpteen tea stalls (serving the best tea in the world!) goats, goatherds, boatmen. All Hoshangabad posts from this blog -  The Signalman of Hoshangabad   The Saptaparni tree in Hoshangabad Nostalgia in a bottle In Bachchwada Dhana in Madhya Pradesh Bandrabhan

An illustration of a devotee in Jejuri, outside the temple of Lord Khandoba There are old men and women, sprightly and more energetic than me, climbing ahead to reach the fort temple dedicated to Khandoba in Jejuri. But embarrassed as I am, I am not unhappy, because each time I stop to catch my breath on the steps that lead to the shrine, I am amazed by the sheer variety of people that I see around me. Devotees, tourists, sellers of wares, children, people of all faiths, photographers - all through a misty yellow haze. Turmeric on the walls, on awnings of the shops, on all the people, on the steps gives everything a golden tinge. Little wonder then, that it is called ' Sonyachi Jejuri'.  Men in spotless white dhotis, kurtas, topis and pants on the bottom most step are transformed by the time they reach the topmost step , blending into the yellow precincts of the temple with its pillars and arches.  From the top you get a beautiful view of the town and the mountains. Many are...

Some more sketches from outside Government museum, near Cubbon park. That entire space - with Venkatappa Art gallery, the government museum and the gate to Cubbon Park, close to the bandstand area is really lovely. You should visit sometime.  Read more -  Government museum sketching - 1, Bangalore Government museum sketching - 2, Bangalore