Sketching The Spirit of A Place

India Art Journal July 22,23,24,25 by Meera Rao



Nagasampige belongs to the magnolia family. It is an unusal and rare flower and I was thrilled to find a tree on one of my walks around the neighbourhood. The flowers were all high up on a huge tree and I barely managed a close up of one. The seed pod looks like a huge cantaloupe! I was able to collect one inner part of the flower - the part that looks like a hood of a snake(naga) and hence the name. It is a very fragrant and beautiful flower. The biodiversity in India is mind boggling!

On July 22nd Indian parliament selected a new President, Pranab Mukherjee and I had to document the event. The reference photo was in the front page of a leading newspaper The Hindu. Its democracy at work in the  world's most populous country :)

It is quite a common site to see people double and triple riding on bicycles and motorcycles in India :) And the kid in the back was really very skinny!

 I was surprised to find the public phone box in an alley with a bench and pole tied to it securely and a make shift cover to protect it from rain(barely)!! These days just about everyone owns a cell phone but since noticing this particular one, surprisingly, I have spotted a couple more phone boxes in the neighbourhood. 

Its totally by accident that there is so much orange in this page :) I don't plan the pages and decide at the last minute what to sketch each day and it is whatever catches my fancy at that point :)

The Subtle Joys

 

India Art Jornal July 18,18,20,21 by Meera Rao

 Our flat is in the middle of the old  part of the city and the area has a mix of old dilapitated but once grand buildings and very narrow roads as well as  modern apartment and office buidings and "double roads."  I never go out without my tiny little camera and try to capture the neighbourhood as obscurely as possible.  But people notice anyway and sometimes oblige by posing even though I much prefer candid shots!

There are beautifully painted horse drawn carriages for hire in a corner of the neighbourhood. I am yet to hire a carriage for my daily errands but I have fond and vague  memories of my childhood days when my grandmother would hire one isntead of taking the bus on the return trip from market in my own hometown. These days the three wheel 'auto riksha' is the prefered mode of transportation for most people when they have packages to carry.  

My kitchen balcony always had the towels hanging on the grill to airdry. It also has hooks for the brooms and mops :) It gets the Sun all day long and I love the play of lights on the towels, dust pan, brooms etc... Now we have a few lines and the towels hang neat and tidy! 

From the balcony is also where I see the lady sweeping every morning. She not only sweeps her doorway but also the road in front :) Then she pours water on the ground and draws a rangoli in front of her door.

An Eclectic Mix

India Art journal July 14,15,16,17 By Meera Rao

While India is steeped in tradions over 5000 years old, the new, the modern and the latest techology is conveniently adopted by all in surprising new ways - like the lady in traditional saree scootering away to her job, a tubelight right by the side of lemon, chilies hanging to ward off evil spirits in a tiny little tailor shop or a water pump on the front stoop by the traditional 'tulasi katte'.  No one bats an eyelid as an eclectic mix of the old and the new intermingle and thrive side by side. 

watercolors, pilot G-2 pen





The Kitchen Is A Country

India Art Journal, July 10,11,12,13

Soon after I arrived my MIL gave me a tube of 'odomus' as a weapon against mosquitos, this being the monsoon season! But I have not had to use it at all.  Sadly, the monsoons are very late this year and reports of draught, spoiled crops fills the newspapers :(  

 

Since most of my time is spent in the kitchen, I think its no wonder rest of the sketches in this page are all about the most important room in the house :)  The kitchen in the house has the bare minimum essestials but fresh ingredients and vegetables from daily marketing means very tasty meals!  It has given me a new perspective of minimalism. As a quote from Grimod de la Reynière says so eloquently,  “The kitchen is a country in which there are always discoveries to be made. 

 

watercolors and Pilot G-2 Pen

Consuming Passions

India art Journal July 6,7,8,& 9  By Meera Rao 

"Food to a large extent is what holds a society together and eating is closely linked to deep spiritual experiences." Peter Farb and George Armelagos
'Consuming Passions: The Anthropology of Eating'

The first few days (and actually throughout the stay!) in India are always about eating and enjoying the delicasies. The food seems to taste different and of course better - especially when my family cooks special dishes for me :)

My Uncle and his family came to visit me soon after I left my parents' place and went to stay with my M-I-L.  Being very generous and extremely considerate, he came with catered food for all ! The food was even served traditional style- on banana leaves - again environmentally friendly with no dishes to wash! And let me tell you, everything tastes superb when served that way :) The next day I had to sketch the tiffin carriers and pails as they sat empty and shiny in the hallway waiting for the caterer. So much variety and leftovers that suffice it to say I did not have to cook for almost a week! The Jackfruit was also one of the many things he brought from his farm :)

Sketches in watercolor and Pilot G-2 pen

Blessing A Day

India Art Journal July3,4,5 By Meera Rao

One of the first things I always do when I get to India is to visit the Ganesha Temple right across from my parents' house and give my thanks for  having had a safe journey over seas and continents :)  At the temple there is always tasty 'prasada' that is distributed to the devotees. In most of the temples, leaf bowls are used to make it easier for all to either consume it right there or take it home while also being environmental fiendly- a practice that is actually very ancient.

Most all Hindu household yards have a little special 'pot' where 'tulasi' plant is grown. Tulasi is considered as sacred, used in religious services and worshipped every day. It also is proven to have potent medicinal qualities and used in traditional treatments.

The lady in the last skectch is decorating the temple entrance with rangoli - elaborate designs that are drawn free hand with rice powder. While chatting with her I found out that she does this almost every morning as a volunteer 'seva' to the Lord. I definitely did not do justice to her beautiful 'rangoli' design.

I would like to end with a quote by Mark Twain from an account of his trip to India:

"In religion, India is the only millionaire....the One land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for all the shows of all the rest of the globe combined."

~Mark Twain.