Saturday, February 5, 2011

Nostalgia

Urwa Market  pencil sketch 3 1/2 x5" 

Urwa Market Digital Photography

Last week I made a trip to my home town Mangalore after many years. Parts of the city were changed beyond recognition- gone were the paddy fields that littered the city, the old landmarks, the independent small houses and in their place were high rises, shopping centers and apartment complexes.  Here and there I recognized a building or two from my school days. I was totally lost in the city until we came to my old stomping grounds, where the house I grew up still stood, the small market that served the community, the temple by the house, the little algae filled pond, the fields and the coconut groves beyond that -- here the time had stood still.  I know this pocket will soon be gone too so I got very busy with my camera -- I needed help to tuck it all away in my memory!    

The sketch is of the market that still looks exactly like it did when I was growing up. Even though I had visited my city before, it had been 30 years since I last went to this market and I was tickled to see it looked the same! The only change I noticed was the ad for the cell phone service provider.  I think there were a few more plastic baskets piled high with fresh produce  and fewer cane baskets. Alas, there were also a few plastic bags flying around too. The fish market side is to the right of the camera and I was happy to see the cats were still there enjoying the morsels from the fishmongers :)  Having grown up completely vegetarian, it was my first time going near the fish market -to capture the fishmongers as I remembered seeing them from afar! 

13 comments:

Unknown said...

I would love to see it in color! I've been browsing back through your abstract work from last summer! I need to learn about warm and cool colors!

Unknown said...

Mira,

Thank you for this post. Please share the pictures of Urva. I do not have many recollections of this part of Mangalore. My home was in Falnir and our market place was what might be termed downtown Mangalore.

I hope you are having a wonderful time. I can just see you being more accepting of the fish market. Most of my dear vegetarian friends growing up could not stand the smell of this market. Your memory of this market is that of the cats whereas mine is of fresh just caught fish - the taste and texture of which is fresh in my mind's eye.

Enjoy our beautiful Mangalooru. Happy travels!

thiliMy said...

That algae filled pond really impressed me as a little kid -- I'd never seen anything like it! I'm glad you've been taking lots of pictures.

I wonder if parts of Poquoson will look unchanged in 30 years ...

Meera Rao said...

Thank you Katherine! I do hope to paint at least a few photographs from my travel :)

Dina, Thank you! I plan to post a few pics soon :) There were always very cute kittens near the fish market and I loved to watch them!!! May be someday there will be technology that will capture the smell along with the picture!

Thili, The algae was greener and more abundant than even I remembered:) I hope parts of Poquoson will stay the same for you :)

Hema Penmetsa said...

The sketch and the photo bring back memories, Meera! When I recently went back to the town where I'd spent some of my childhood, part of the town was completely untouched. But it looked, sadly, old and tired. The rest had grown beyond recognition, with apartment complexes and shops with gaudy advertisements on their fronts, like you mention...

Meera Rao said...

Thank you Hema, it was a bittersweet journey through the memory lane. While I appreciate the new shiny conveniences, there is surely something that is lost in the transition to new. But, oh well, 'Change is the only constant', no? I was grateful for one more chance to savor some of what I had experienced and remembered.

Anudeepa Kadiresan said...

Hi this is beautiful meera,whatever happens our hometown relation with us won't change a bit.
wold loe to see the colored one of this sketch.

Kathy Staicer said...

A wonderful sketch and photo too. I love your story and hope that some places stay the same!!!

Meera Rao said...

Anudeepa, Thank you! yes, hometowns have a special place in our hearts.

Thanks kathy!!! I guess we all have to work harder at making sure in the name of development we don't loose our beautiful natural habitats, and heritage sites and learn to strike a balance.

gemma said...

Very beautiful work! Are you going to do this one in watercolor? I think it would be so beautiful and vibrant. Thank you for sharing your talent!

Meera Rao said...

Thank you Gemma :) I really appreciate your visit to my blog and your encouraging comments! I do hope to try in watercolor a couple of scenes at least from this visit.

B said...

hope you are enjoying your visit. looks like all of us a market just like thos down memory lane :)

Meera Rao said...

B, Thank you - I guess we are all lucky that way :)

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