Of People and Places

  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.

  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 :)

  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 :) 

  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 t...

  Black-naped Oriole  in Bangalore - watercolor illustration This bird always comes at the same time in the morning and always sits on the same spot on a Ficus tree. On windy, rainy days, she looks just like the vivid fluttering leaves around her. Her striking green and yellow feathers look marvellous in flight. The most recognizable feature is the black band around the nape.  I am assuming it is a she because her wings are greener whereas males are supposed to have more yellowish upperparts. She doesn't stay for long, screeches like someone's throttling her ;D , sometimes ending in a long sneezing sound. She leaves just as quickly as she appears, no dawdling around.  More posts about birds and trees -  An Ashy Prinia on the balcony and hope  Black-crowned night heron at Madiwala lake   Whited breasted water hen in Belgaum The Saptaparni tree in Hoshangabad Fun with Babool tree pods, Bhopal The Baobab trees of Mandu Birds in Belgaum A love letter to th...

An illustration of a Chola bronze sculpture in Royal Palace Museum, Thanjavur Tagging along in my usual half-dazed way, I woke up when I set my eyes on the voluptuous, stunning Chola Bronze sculptures in the Royal Palace museum in Thanjavur.  I simply had to sketch them - these absolutely exquisite representations of the grace of the human body. Made by highly skilled craftsmen enjoying the patronage of the Cholas, I understand much more about form and simplification as I draw. I also see how certain poses bring out the angles of the human body much more gracefully, how the fingers splayed out, extended can bring movement to inanimate bronze and make it live. How the hips and the shoulders align, how there is tension and relaxation and lines formed in the drapery and jewelry - all of it resting on a delicate balance to create an illusion of perfection. This particular bronze sculpture that I referenced for my ( vector) illustration was found in Thiruvengadu around 11- 12th centur...

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...

A sketch of Mark Cubbon's statue in Cubbon Park, Bangalore On 1 November, we went to Cubbon Park to find it devoid of people! Unimaginable, right? But slowly they started to come, and I felt happier than I have in months.  It was a little weird to be sitting in our favorite place - the stone bench near the government museum canteen, which is generally so full of families out on a picnic, but now I have come to see that it was actually a fantastic chance to be alone there. Not a soul - just the trees, us, the squirrels, birds and the sculptures from some obscure period in history, surrounding us.  I love sketching random people in parks, bus stations and cafes - it is super relaxing and a passive way to get better at making art. So, in the absence of people, what could I sketch? Statues and sculptures.  A sketch of one of the sculptures outside Government museum, Bangalore Actually, they are fantastic subjects. Firstly, they don't have the annoying habit of moving ;D . Sec...

Gray Langur sketch, Mandu We saw this scruffy fellow near the railing overlooking the Kakra Khoh Valley, where we had stopped on our way to Mandu. Gray Langurs' resemblance to humans is remarkable. They often keep their body upright and their hands are very close to human hands. I find them quite beautiful and more dignified than the Rhesus Macaque, the usual monkeys who are noisy and troublesome, sniffing out mischief in every way possible! The Gray Langur is also called the Hanuman Langur - I remember seeing large groups of them at Hampi on the Anjaneya Hill ( One of the many places that claim to be the birthplace of Hanuman ). They are considered sacred and I think, enjoy a better status :-)  Their tails are very interesting - much longer than the body, often held looping in a curve over the body as they run, walk and amble. I wonder why they evolved such long tails... Do you have any answers?  All my Madhya Pradesh Posts -  Hindola Mahal in Mandu  Impression of M...

Saptaparni tree illustration, Hoshangabad It was a dark night. I stood in the doorway, bewitched. The whole day, I had been longing to go closer to the tree, but I couldn't spare the time. Its fragrance, mysterious and exciting kept up a silent call that I finally gave in to. The Saptaparni tree was in full bloom. I walked the length of the grounds that joined the building to the gate. I strolled, breathing in the peculiar fragrance that got stronger and stronger as the night wore on. I was hungry for more.Yes, the devil tree had found its mark - I was intoxicated. I was aghast that a treasure like that had been hidden from me all these years. I would never have known of its existence, had I not stumbled on it in the Eklavya campus at Hoshangabad. Saptaparni. What a beautiful name. This evergreen tree has clusters of seven leaves that glisten.Its pale green flowers are dangerous - you will long for them the whole year round! Though, of course these are my sentiments. M...

Se Cathedral illustration ( Sé Catedral de Santa Catarina  ) , Velha Goa ( Old Goa)  I had listened in to this lovely talk by Tahir Noronha about Old Goa, tracing its history, from the ancient city of Govapuri, which then ceded its glory to another port that developed on the north bank of the Mandovi river - Ela. (You could listen to this on the facebook page - Soul.travelling  - Forgotten City of Ela by Tahir Noronha, Tahir is an architect working with Charles Correa Foundation ) Ela was the first settlement on the site that has now grown into what we know of as 'Goa'. Ruled by local chieftains, the places were not unified. It was not until the Portuguese added bits of these territories to their 'empire' ( Estado da India) that the present Goa came into being. Ela was known to the outside world, much before the rest of India. Owing to the trade coming in from the sea with the Arabs and the Chinese, it was  a highly coveted city - facing attacks from ...

I met Rajeshwari ( name changed) when I was assisting in the documentation of a project run by an NGO in some of the garment factories of Bengaluru. Shy, dignified,she told me her story of how she was buoyed up in her struggles with her oppressive family by the strong sisterhood that exists among them because of their involvement in the project. Run like a community mobilization project that sensitizes garment workers about sexual health, gender inequality, domestic violence and alcohol abuse - there is an air of empowerment in all the stories I hear from the women, but with a strain of the old oppression. Mulling over it and my experiences through the whole documentation - I wrote this short story - it contains all the women that I met there and other women that I have observed outside of this experience :) Let me know what you think! At the seams Chandrika gazed out the window of the car, her thoughts far away. The view was monotonous, one of Bangalore’s newly...

The ground is strewn with these pods that look like a string of pearls. So I thought, why not have some fun with them? The first thought  I had was that this resembles the pots that Rajasthani folk dancers balance on their head in Bhavai  dance.  Women twirl and sway gracefully as if balancing eight to ten pots on their head is as easy as breathing! And a girl with some loooooong braids !! Some old style party wear anyone? Pods from the Babool/ Babul tree - Aren't they pretty? ( Acacia Nilotica - Gum Arabic tree)  The Babul tree, Bhopal