Of People and Places

Waiting Women with crying babies and old men in little shorts wait patiently for their turn. The garish, brightly painted Anganwadi is brimming with people today.  A school bench is the makeshift waiting room for patients, while little ones play on in their own universe of tiny claypots and pans, beads and slates on the other side of the room. The doctor, in a plastic chair is attending to a drunk man who has a skin allergy. Old men and women, weighed down, bent double, sit on chairs and carpets waiting for the doctor and the nurse to attend to them. A young woman in her teens in a brightly patterned nightie pats her wailing baby to comfort him. This is a small village in Doddaballapura Taluk in the Bangalore rural district of Karnataka.   Every Thursday, People wait in line for the mobile health van. It is a small village and I am alarmed to see few youths. Where have they gone? Working in the farms? Yes, a few.  But most of them are off to Bangalore...

The beginning of summertime in Bangalore is a treat. The tabebuias are in full blossoms,  their delicate blooms falling down in a soft shower on the streets, kids are looking forward to their summer vacation and all the untold pleasure that it brings. Adults are more relaxed and willing to be wooed by the charm of the season. Even working in this season is a pleasure, all you need is a window to gaze out from time to time, to get into a good mood and feel motivated to work! Cubbon Park is at its best, offering perfect spots for family picnics and boxed lunches, nooks under trees to lie down in and while away time with a good book, or take a nap in the warm grass, hoping the ants won't crawl into your underpants!  I have seen many families, replete with grandparents and little kids get huge tiffin boxes full of mouthwatering biriyani. Puliogare, Chitranna, Sandwiches, Upma, Stuffed parathas,Pulau, Bisibelebath, Bhel, boiled eggs, need I go on? So go out and seize the ...

Maheshwar is an understated place. Maybe, I prefer it that way. After a disappointing visit to Ujjain, being pushed and pulled by people to have a quick glance ( barely) at the deity in the Mahakaleshwar temple, Maheshwar felt like an oasis, because there was space to explore at my pace. The whole Ahilya fort is charming to visit. Very peaceful and quaint. I especially liked Rani Ahilyabai Holkar's residence - one of the most elegant, simple, no-frills palaces I have ever visited. This was a sight that we saw in the courtyard of the Rajwada - A local woman had stepped out of her house in a beautiful yellow and green sari that made it a perfect composition for a painting. I find Maheshwar breathtaking - Definitely worth another visit ( or many more visits!). 

My favourite place to visit in Hoshangabad is Bandrabhan. It is the confluence of  Narmada and Tawa rivers. From Hoshangabad twenty of us would go there on a sketching trip and have a gala time drawing, sketching or just plain wool-gathering. I couldn't believe such a gem existed when I first set my eyes on the place. You need to walk a little way downhill to get there and cross a vast expanse of sand that leads into the river and the wind roars past you, billowing your clothes and hair. Try turning and walking backwards and suddenly everything is calm and quiet just as it was noisy and chaotic a few moments ago! ( I hope nobody was watching me. I must look eccentric doing that!) Across the river there is a temple with a structure in the shape of a  trishool glinting in the sunlight, surrounded by shrubs and bushes. It looks so tranquil in the evening.  Once, when we went in the monsoons, our feet sank down in the sand and slowed us down as it stuck to our foot...

Near the tower of victory inside Ashrafi Mahal, you can find ruins with beautiful stone carvings. Ashrafi mahal was originally built as a Madrassa and dates back to the time the Khilji Dynasty took over administration in the fortress city of Mandu. The Ashrafi   Mahal must have had wide spacious balconies, but   now there are no traces of that. The outer walls have crumbled and the structure is sky clad. You can witness a beautiful sunset if you come here just before closing time. The flight of stairs takes you through the complex and it has been built so that one can have a direct view of the Jama Masjid across the road. This monument, along with the Jama Masjid and Roopmati’s pavilion are close to the heart of the town with its market and small restaurants and sweetmeat shops. I can only imagine the splendour of this square in the old days, especially on a full moon day. Mandu has a mysteriousness I am yet to find in any other place.

On the way back from Nashik to Pune by bus, we stopped at a wayside dhaba for tea. It was around four in the evening and a very beautiful windy day outside. I saw this unforgettable landscape - A goatherd in a red turban surrounded by the beautiful green of the countryside and the goats happily grazing near the trees. As the bus moved away, they almost disappeared until  I could see only a bright red speck in the distance with black dots hovering around it. 

I spent Makar Sankranti   last January at the house of a friend in Jaipur.   This was the first time I saw a paper lantern in the night sky. The first time I was part of a mohalla kite fight. We spent a greater part of the day flying kites. I should perhaps say I did this platonically, since a novice like me is no match for the veterans who mean business as far as kite flying is concerned.   But to my credit, I didn’t let it swoop low whenever it was generously passed on to my hands :D   All around on the rooftops and the roads, in the scorching midday sun schoolboys, girls and old men flew their kites with so much glee that you could see it was their own soul that was soaring and not just the kites.   We went near hawa mahal for a bit of sightseeing in the evening. To know why Jaipur is called ‘the pink city’ you must go out in the evening a few hours before sundown.     The rosy pink of the evening light and the earthy pink and reds of mos...

I had heard so much about baobab trees and I finally had a chance to meet one at Mandu. Mandu or Mandav is an ancient fortress town in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh. It is a place after my own heart with ruins scattered all over the place making it a town of breathtaking beauty. Much more about Mandu later (I haven’t even begun!) Let’s go back to our baobab tree. Fields with yellow and green dot the path to the village and in the midst stand these curious trees.   They have massive trunks that store water. To me, they look like a cross between a bottle and an elephant – and I find their shape comforting.   These trees are native to Africa. I am curious to know how they got here! Apparently, they are among the most ancient trees on earth.  Locals sell the baobab tree seeds, they are called   Mandu ki imli. They taste like tamarind but have this incredible zing and saltiness. I liked it but not a good idea to eat too much of it (My cavities are tingling at...

Art on the train Digital illustration is not in my comfort zone so thought I'd take a shot at it :) There was a little girl on my train once She colored a man yellow Took my sketchbook and my markers While an old passenger did bellow “She’s ruining your book, Don’t give it to her Whoever heard of a real live man Being colored completely yellow!” The girl looked at me worried Waiting for a rebuke I just looked at her and smiled So she went back to my sketchbook. She next drew me a landscape A town of yellow houses A four coloured rainbow with two clouds In bold lines without pauses. “Have you ever seen houses so tawdry So out of whack and childish?” The old man scolded and grumbled We paid no heed and enjoyed ourselves While the train in the tunnel rumbled. This was an annoying encounter for me on the train from Hoshangabad to Bangalore. I have met a great many kids in my train journeys and invariably,when they see my sk...