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

Belgaum has many beautiful houses dating back to colonial times. With gothic arches, linear shaped buildings, terracotta tiles, they express a serenity and calmness that is hard to find these days. Some people do continue to live in these houses whereas some have an abandoned look. These buildings have an interesting blend of British, Kannada and Marathi architecture.Most of these houses are built from stone, mud bricks with high ceilings, cast iron railings,ornate windows and roofs. I wish we had a heritage walk in Belgaum where we are guided by experts on the history of these buildings. I am sure it would be an enriching experience.