Of People and Places

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...

An Ashy Prinia on our balcony, illustration Right in the middle of the busy chaotic traffic junction that our apartment is close to, there is a tree. Unmindful of all that rushing and hustle and bustle around it, this placid tree stands like an oasis. There are tiny birds in this tree, which my mother tells me are called Ashy Prinia.  Sometimes they sit on the electricity wires that connect our part of the locality to the other side of the road and they look so pretty - like some kind of lively fairy lights, the way they twitter and weave their way. Specks against the sky, finally settling to a comfortable spot. There are too many of them and it is delightful to see their industriousness. They usually confine themselves to the tree. Only during sunrise and sunset and in the rains, they scatter about the terraces. We can see  them from our sixth floor apartment and through the binoculars, we can get a pretty clear view of what they are up to. My mother can often be found with h...