Of People and Places

  Black-winged stilts, Shahpura Lake, Bhopal

  Watercolor sketch of a boatman on Shahpura Lake, Bhopal

  The world is a little fragmented at the moment,  What gets us through is the deeper connection we have and  the grace with which we say our hellos and goodbyes. 

  Experimenting with illustrations - this is a mixed media sketch - with watercolors and newspaper cutouts. Water buffaloes are very precious livestock, hardy and well adapted to difficult terrains and climates.

Illustration/Sketch of an Oriental Magpie-Robin  Oriental magpie-robins fill our homes with their symphonies as they flit outside, swooping down to get a drink or eat a few crumbs from the many pots people place outside on the walls of their homes or on the streets. They have sweet voices and when in a particular bid to woo the ladies, they croon their hearts out - it is indescribably beautiful. They hop about and bob their tails and you could instantly recognize them by the distinctive white streak on the wings. Read more about birds -  Birds in Bhopal Birds in Belgaum Red -wattled lapwing in Bhopal An Ashy Prinia on the balcony White breasted Waterhen in Belgaum A Black-naped Oriole in Bangalore Black - crowned night heron at Madiwala lake

  A piece of the Bhopal sky with pretty leaf shapes that I couldn't resist painting. It's good to look up and find such beauty :)

 Trying to paint the delicate nature of Amaltas blossoms - they dangle upside down in bunches and add such a lovely vibe to any neighborhood they adorn. We are fortunate that the lanes outside our house are lined with many Amaltas trees. A beautiful name for a beautiful tree. A friend makes elegant earrings, pendants, bookmarks set in resin to immortalize favourite flowers and the memories they bring :)  and the ones she makes of Amaltas are among my favourites - here, take a look -  Amaltas bookmarks (Picture courtesy - Jwala Dadhich, guftgu phoolo ki) Amaltas earrings (Picture courtesy - Jwala Dadhich, guftgu phoolo ki)         Amaltas coaster/paperweight (Picture courtesy - Jwala Dadhich, guftgu phoolo ki) Visit Jwala's profile here   Follow on instagram - @guftguphooloki

  Drongo near Shahpura pond

  Sketching at Chinar Park 

  A sketch of an artist friend...Silent companionship is so rare isn't it?  That's the nicest thing about being with like-minded people, no? The bliss of not having to spell out things. The joy of being understood without words. And having a shared vision of beauty, seen differently but felt in unison.

  This is a gif, please wait a few seconds for the next slide to appear From the 6th floor of our apartment in Bangalore, we see a tree full of  rosy-ringed parakeets that sit there in bunches, cleverly camouflaged between the leaves. Just around sunset, they rouse themselves and fly away, sure of their destination, making as much noise as they can muster. They brighten up my days with their voices and their colors and the whole earth seems younger, brighter, happier with the light of their presence. This is just a little whimsy to share that experience with you...Pictures below in sequence :) 

A sketch of Taj-Ul-Masajid A portion of the Taj- Ul -Masajid seen from under the shade of an old old tree - a well spread out one in the vast courtyard, giving much needed respite from the 4 o clock sun. The facade seems to be made for sunsets, glowing a rosy pink and orange in the setting sun, while prayers take place inside. Thanksgiving and grace only seem natural in such a setting.   We do sit inside the main prayer hall just before people start milling in and it is magical. The silence and calm hangs undisturbed, the light filters through the windows and you are mesmerized.  The Taj -Ul- Masajid ( yes, spelled Masajid) is the largest mosque in India.  It is truly beautiful and I hope you get to experience it :) 

Sometimes, I have to scout long and hard to find a composition that would be good to sketch. Most of the times, I have to edit the scene - add a bush here, remove a tree there, add a person there, remove a light pole here. But on rare occasions like these, there are some beautiful elements all ready for you, waiting to enter your sketchbook, inviting you to park yourself in a shady nook and put pen to paper. For company, there is a drongo close by who seems to be unafraid of humans, he swoops down to see how I am making my progress and returns to this fork in the tree that he seems to love. There is a kingfisher who flies away as soon as I draw close. There are several sunbirds feasting on the flowers. There are boys playing cricket, intent on their game. But what company does a person need when there is a palash tree close by ?  

Sketching close to flowing water. Bliss. There were bats screeching around us and my friend spotted a gray hornbill. There was beautiful sunshine all around - It's a fantastic park - worth a visit :) 

  A palace in my sketchbook A view of the Kamlapati Palace from Ginnori road.  A very understated building, its beautiful ( and simple) facade catches my eye as I trudge down the road towards the Rani Kamlapati Arch Bridge. The view from the palace of the bridge itself is spectacular. It is less visited and conducive for contemplation and sketching. Although, I would have enjoyed it a lot more without the hot sun blazing down on me!  What visitors can see now is only part of the original construction built by Rani Kamlapati, the widow of Nizam Shah, the chief of Ginnaurgarh. As per legend, Kamlapati was an enchanting woman, renowned for her beauty. I read this charming couplet that immortalizes the beauty of the lake and Rani Kamlapati ( from an ASI board) -  ताल तो भोपाल ताल बाकी सब तलैया  रानी तो कमलापति और सब रनैया।  Tal to Bhopal Tal baaki sab tallaiya Rani toh Kamlapati aur sab ranaiyan All other lakes are mere ponds, not worth the name Kamalapati is the only worthy queen, whateve

 A sketch of an ornate entrance at the temple of the sacred tooth relic, Kandy . 

  One of a pair of red-wattled lapwings in Shahpura lake An incredibly noisy bird, the red-wattled lapwing, known as Titahari in Hindi is a frequent visitor. His alarm calls - which one can hear often, since this bird seems to be well, alarmed, at everything, was once the scourge of hunters in the old days.  Red-wattled lapwing chicks are beautifully camouflaged, and may be hard to find on the ground, as they huddle close to leaves to escape from predators. The mottled patterns on their backs are lovely.   All my tree/birds/animals posts -  A Black - naped Oriole in Bangalore Sketching in Belgaum rains An Ashy Prinia on the balcony and hope Black-crowned night heron at Madiwala lake White-breasted waterhen in Belgaum Birds in Belgaum A love letter to the Flame of the forest Kathotiya forest near Bhopal The Saptaparni tree in Hoshangabad Fun with Babul tree pods, Bhopal The Baobab trees of Mandu A Gray Langur in Khakra Khoh, Madhya Pradesh Bangalore eighteen years ago Sketching in Dande

                                                        An evening at Shahpura Lake, Bhopal. Chasing after a sunset to capture the reflections. As the sun dipped, the water broke into a million pieces. There was a lovely orange glow that I just can't describe. My dry brush technique needs work - and I also need to rethink the colors I have used and the strength of the washes too - ideally, they ought to be much lighter. Speaking of dry brush here is a nice tutorial by Shibasaki san  This one is much more closer to the actual scene - but I think it lacks finesse. Not to mention the colors are all wrong. This one looks like Northern Lights :P Northern Lights in Bhopal lol.( Oh, the last two have been painted on this lovely forgiving paper called Baohong Watercolor Paper - seriously, anything you make on it turns out quite beautiful!! And the first two on handmade paper)  More posts about Bhopal -  Birds in Bhopal  Sunrise at Kaliyasot Dam, Bhopal Sunrise at Manuabhan Tekri Fun with B

Biscuit is the color of a freshly-baked, hot out of the oven, melt-in-the mouth, well, biscuit. His two light-brown spots remind me of a warm, sun-kissed beach, and I can't help thinking that he's been given a perfect name by one of the kids in Thulir, Sittilingi.  A lion at heart, he seems fearless. You should see him walk on  the road, barking, growling, challenging all the (so far non - existent) ferocious dogs of the area. It's a disaster to go outside the campus because he will invariably follow you and create something of a doggie turf war, with you helplessly stuck in the middle.  A lion at heart, I said. Not so much in his actions. Because once he had barked out his challenge, and the other dogs responded with gusto and run like crazy to try and attack him, he would promptly shut up, go quiet as a mouse and conveniently skulk, hide and cower behind our legs!  Luckily for me ( A coward at heart, and in my actions) I had two friends armed with experience and sticks, f

Sunrise at Manuabhan Tekri, Bhopal,Watercolor sketch  It's a beautiful view of Bhopal from Manuabhan Tekri. I sketch the sunrise and the electricity wires look like the strings of a guitar :) Have you ever been here?