We went to see Nalini Malani – A Retrospective. I found it surprisingly thought-provoking. The pieces exhibited in the hall where the Wedding Dress was displayed were the ones that resonated the most with me. Listening to Shades was nice as well.

Next was a group show called Is That What You Think. Some of the pieces were interesting – because you really could figure out the narrative behind the artwork if you try. Like the piece by Vivan Sundaram which didn’t make sense at a cursory glance, but as I moved around the room I really began to open up to the feelings that the artist might have wanted to express. One – a piece of video art showing rolling waves was a transporting experience though I didn’t really understand it. Lightning Testimonies was an interesting way to watch the films, and that’s not the least of it. (And by the way if you want to see the drawing larger just double click on it – and then remember to return to this post!)

And here’s a page from a personal journal – I got this beautiful Dreamvilla postcard from Rukminee. May1511

sketchbook

Any given weekend

Random weekends in the last few months – the ones where I got some time to draw!

Other random Sundays from the diary –

Marches11

Don’t judge us for our staid Sundays 😉

Life, sketchbook

The dailies, this week

I draw a daily diary these days. Here’s the one from yesterday.

And here’s another one from a few days ago – not really a diary – but all I wanted to remember from that day.

sketchbook, Technology, travels

Rishikesh, lord of the senses

There is something special about a midweek holiday. Being the crazy workaholics that we are, we surprised ourselves with this rare treat last week, and drove up to Rishikesh in Uttarakhand. The last time we went on holiday, there weren’t any people to sketch, so this time we made sure that we’d get some suitable moments.

[At the ghats we look around for peace, shade and people to draw.]

[The photographer sits and talks about another two months…and then. I couldn’t keep up with his Hindi.]

This is not the brown boy, though it looks like him.

And here’s a restless little flower seller.

[Drawing from life is tough, but it must be done. It’s the only way to get away from the pre-conceived imagery in my head.]

[Here we are at Triveni Ghat waiting for the arati to start. It was very beautiful when it happened.

Prayer and worship always catch me unawares and I never know what to do.]

At one of the ghats we met Or, a graphic design student from Israel. He wanted to talk about moleskines and pens.

“Everyone is a hippie here, or a yoga nerd! I don’t want to talk about yoga or music.”

He was rather funny. “But India has karma, I love that concept.”

Our spiritual quest was punctuated by birthday calls from friends, all recommending their special things to do in Rishikesh, with love. And I kept thinking about all our beloved apps and digital services, which are just isolating us from each other more and more, and that just hearing the voice of a dear one on the phone is all it takes.

When we were not drawing people at the ghats, we spent time on the terrace of the hotel, watched birds, napped in the hammock, and listened to the Vedanta podcast about the price of success.

At other times we talked about the most human human.

Finally while stirring coffee we identified our purpose of the holiday – do nothing.

It’s much easier to have fun after that.

[At breakfast one day this girl was sitting so calmly, and waiting for breakfast. Maybe the point of a holiday like this is really to slow down, savour the moment.]

You can see how much I over-analyze. It’s hard to be in the moment sometimes.

[We stayed a few hours more for the zently relaxing yoga class. What a perfect holiday. Sigh.]

sketchbook

An app called Olinda

Do you want to announce your baby’s birth on the Statue of Liberty? Do you want to display your beautiful digital artwork on the Taj Mahal? How can you make sure that you do something different for those special times? This app Olinda will let you do that.

If you like the idea please sign up on the Olinda site.

THANK YOU

A bunch of friends helped me out – my friends Anitha Balachandran, Vivekananda, Arjun Rajagopal, Prashant Singh, Rukminee Guha Thakurta, Lolita Bhaduri, my cousin Nikon, my colleagues Subbiah Pillai, Sumit Dey and Saibal Datta, and the soundtrack is a cover version of The Beatles’ I Will sung by Shannon Victor Peter.

[DISCLAIMER

I usually do not post my design work on inktales, but this is a side project that I’m really excited about. So if you like it, do sign up – it will help me get investment to take it further.]

Life, sketchbook

For when I am old and grey

When you’ve lived for a very long time, it’s rare that you discover new habits to cultivate. So I’m making these notes to remind me in my old age.

What are some new habits that you’ve acquired?

Life, sketchbook

Losing my language

For those of you who’ve joined in late, an anteater appeared in my sketchbook in the summer of 2009, with his smart-alecky comments, and then he decided to stay. Imaginary friend or not, he always appears when I need him most, ready with sarcasm and wisdom. He turned up again this morning, for all you anteater fans out there.