Why these Ragamala Paintings are so famous? One finds a fusion of poetry, music and painting in these marvellous paintings.

we find raga,a sanskrit word,  in the famous book Natya Shastra, written by sage Bharat.   Raga is defined as the act of coloring of  moods and emotions.  Ragamala  means  a  garland  of  ragas.  Raga is a musical form of swara, a melodic scheme,  on which Indian music is  based and rendered extensively.  According to traditional rules, these ragas have been formed and have alphabetical notes as the base, and  differ slightly from one raga to another.  These ragas are played  at particular seasons and  at particular  time of the day. Ragas have been classified as dawn ragas, mid-day ragas, dusk ragas and mid-night ragas based on time theory. Mainly, the ragas have a strong association with nature and reflect the cycles and moods of nature in a subtle and sensitive way.

                                 Bhairavi Raga,  one of the main six ragas on which ragamala paintings are based, is a morning raga.  Associated with summer season, this raga is one of the rare ragas, which is played in all seasons. The reigning deity of this raga is Shiva.  Bhairav is another name of god shiva, who is  the creator  of  the world.  So we find a number of paintings based god Shiva in Bhairav  ragamala paintings [Bhairava –raga, and Bhairavi- ragini  - are male and female ragas]. The paintings  based on this raga are religious, devotional, and spiritual. In this series, one sees  god Shiva in different forms and being worshipped. This raga evokes a peaceful and soothing feelings; sometimes serious and sad feelings too.

                              Shaivism is practiced as a religion widely in India. Usually in the temples, Shiva is worshiped in the form of lingam. Linga as a signifier denotes Lord Shiva, and the signified is creation of the universe. Linga and yoni, representing the universe and the earth respectively, in union as the creators of world, are worshiped throughout India. This philosophy speaks about the origination of life on the earth and the relation of soul with the divine and its evolution. This philosophy reflects in the paintings through the amalgamation of music, poetry and painting.

                                                                            Visually rich and poetic ,this painting offers a view of  a woman  worshiping lingam, which is  a sign of Shiva, the creator of the world. The mood of the painting gives a feeling of peace blended with devotion and spirituality. The background with rhythmically flowing water, and flora and fauna, signifies the birth and the activities  of life. The amalgamation of blue and white colors in soft tones, in the composition, produces a peaceful effect.  Horizontally and vertically arranged forms offer an interesting visual effect to the viewers. Another woman seems to be assisting  and  chanting devotedly.

 

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                                         In Indian Mythology, we see number of gods with specific animals as their vehicles and with their particular weapons and musical instruments. Here in this interesting painting, we see Shiva sitting on Nandi, a bull. Bull as his vehicle is seen in all shaiva temples throughout India. Usually, Nandi [Bull] is seen in seated position in front of lingam. Trishul is Shiva's weapon; damaru his musical instrument.  We come across big size bulls in front of lingam, in Shaiva temples throughout India. To get insights, these small details help to identify the significance of forms and relate to other forms. These paintings shows what was the culture of that period and how they revered and glorified beauty of  nature with music, poetry and painting.

Gayatri Desai Art Blog: Why these Ragamala Paintings are so famous ? One f...

Gayatri Desai Art Blog: Why these Ragamala Paintings are so famous ? One f...:   .                                                                                                                   ...

What makes this Ustav Rock Garden so interesting for students ? Utsav Rock Garden Gotgodi near Shiggaon : a perfect showcasing of folk Art forms which are vanishing in the context of globalization, which has influenced the remote corners of the world……

                                                                As I remember, it all started almost three- four decades back. It is one man’s vision which has been materialized and zoomed to its zenith. No one ever thought the artist, the man behind the project, had nourished such a beautiful dream in the depth of his mind and a strong desire for it in the secret corner of his heart, all these years. To speak about the project, it is almost similar to the Rock Garden Chandigrah by Nekchand  ,  in vision,  but the concept and outcome are totally different. It took years to realize his dream, a splendid dream in fact. The man behind this project is artist Sri T.B.Solbakkanavar. Before taking up this project, he was teaching in an art college, in Davangere, Karnataka. He took voluntary retirement to pursue his dream, which indeed was a very daring step in those days. His faith, commitment and perseverance finally have crowned him with fulfillment and success. His relatives too  have supported for this project.

Artist Sri T.B.Solabakkanavar in the centre

 The tentacles of globalization have touched the remote corners of the globe, bringing lot of cultural changes in villages too. A  close survey discloses that the people in the villages have to switched to modern ways and have got accustomed to new technology and trendy gadgets, discarding their age old methods and objects. With the advent of new technology and villagers’ openness in embracing modernity, life has become easier and comfortable now, even in villages. As a result, the gap between the city and village culture is collapsing very fast these days. Folk Art, Folk Literature, Folk Music and Dance are all the outcome of folk life lived and experienced richly in villages are slowly fading. To preserve our traditional forms, be it literature, dance, music or art, for the posterity, one has to make herculean efforts to revive these forms through contemporizing and making it suitable for the usage of present generation.

 It is very difficult to document folk literature and music especially, as these have been handed over from generation to generation, through oral tradition, whereas the folk art forms have continued as rituals in daily life even today.

   The artist wanted to recreate the fading faces of village life and culture through his undying enthusiasm, for the posterity. The project materialized after  many years’ efforts and hard work. In this site, he has tried to recreate the routine activities of village life which ceased to exist almost decades’ back. A vast land, acres of land, has been used for this dream project, and artists working day and night  here, this space has become one of the best locations for the nearby  high school students to visit for an educational trip. Situated near a town called Shiggaon and the place is known as the Ustav-Rock-Garden  Nearly, thirty thousand people visit this site every day and during the holidays it exceeds more than fifty thousand.

             

Village atmosphere has been recreated here by building houses, shops, cattle sheds, huts and so on. Life size sculptures made in cement and plaster of paris inhibit the houses and shops with rich colorful folk costumes and ornaments. The vessels and other objects of significance relevant to different situations and rituals  have been collected and installed here to represent the rich heritage of village life. The cattle shed is a master piece – life size buffalos, bulloxes, cows stand majestically in this space - the mirror images of these robust engaged in different actions, doubles the visual appeal to the viewers. Life sized folk women sculptures, dressed up in saris and blouses with typical folk design and colors, immersed in diverse activities like cradling, grinding, cleaning, harvesting make the folk literature and songs come alive once again. The village life scenes with all the details presented here show how life has evolved gradually. Along with this, the important historical personalities of this region also have been covered with suitable background. These visuals enlighten the students who visit this place. The artists engaged here keep on experimenting with new materials and methods and come up with creative outcomes. The diverse subjects handled sensitively make this site interesting and informative.     

By Gayatri Desai

What makes this Kinnal Art so precious ?

        The origin of this art can be traced back to Vijayanagar Empire, which had given royal patronage………

                                

                                                                                                   In the previous centuries, art and artists flourished only when the benevolent kings gave them enough encouragement, support and patronage. No doubt, only with the royal support art flourished and survived in India, in the early times. A deep look into the history of art unveils the facts that the rulers  of  India  were so  cultured and well versed in art, literature, music, architecture, religion and philosophies that they initiated artists into building up marvelous architectural monuments like Ajanta, Ellora, Sanchi Stupa, Taj Mahal and GolGumbaz, and creating long lasting literature and creating  schools of paintings. Different dynasties came up with different styles of architecture and paintings, which were the outcome of  the visions of the rulers as well as regional influence. To name a few, the confluence of Persian Art, Greek Art with Indian  Art has  led to a rich, vibrant art development and legacy in India . The magnificent ruins of Hampi stand as testimony to the patronage of Vijayanagar rulers. The Vijayanagar rulers ruled from 1336 to 1565 AD.  During the Vijaynagar empire, art, literature, music, architecture culminated to its zenith.    

Throughout art history, be it eastern or western art history, one learns that it was mainly either empires or religious institutions which  patronaged artists  and  made great efforts to the promotion of art. Only at the end of the 19^th century, we come to know of artists practicing independently and making artworks for their satisfaction.

History of KinnalArt                                                                                                                                                                                               It is a branch of Vijayanagar Art, which flourished in 14^thto 16^th CE in Karnatak. VijayaNagar was a very famous and rich empire, which it had a glorious flourishing time during the reign of ruler Krishnadevraya. During his period, art, literature, music and architecture developed like anything. Hampi – the vast area stretching for kilometers requires at least a couple months to cover monuments and appreciate the art works, which have spread across.  Hampi has beenas recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The VijayaNagar Empire[ 1336 – 1565 CE] was attacked by Deccan Sultanates, resulting in defeat and looting all the treasure the empire had. The battle of Talikota was a battle between the Deccan Sultanates and Vijaynagar ruler  in a place called Tallikote ,on 23 Jan, 1565. In this battle, Vijaynagar ruler was beheaded and the Vijaynagar empire was taken over by the Sultanate.  After the fall of the empire, the artists lost the royal patronage. The disruption led the artists to migrate to different towns and cities which had favorable conditions to survive. Some artists moved to Kinnal, some to Mysore, some to Surpur, and some to Tanjaore. Wherever the artist went and settled, they developed a unique style imbibing the traditional local customs and religious aspects. This combining of the local elements with the previous streaks of Vijaynagar art led to a different unique style that has evolved over the years and survived till today. In the present scenario, it is really difficult to nurse these traditional art forms until and unless they are revived on new lines keeping in mind the present day demands of the market.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   

The procedure  and artefacts                                                                                                                                                                           

An art student learning the traditional art form

 Kinnal is situated near Koppal, on the way to Hospet. It is a small town where many families in town are engaged in Kinnal art practicing. Kinnal art form is very attractive to look at, but is a very laborious process. Light and delicately painted wooden artifacts are handmade.  Neem or drumstick tree wood is used for preparing the works. Usually, the works are done with light wood. The color preparation process is very lengthy and rigorous. Earlier, the artisans were using organic colors, but since the process is very laborious, the present day artists are using chemical colors that are easily available in the market. With tamarind seed paste mixed with liquid gum, the ground is prepared for the painting. The pebble powder mixed with glue is used for embossing. First and foremost, the works gets started with yellow primary color. Red, dark brown, green and blue colors are used subsequently. For the embossed part, the foil paper is stuck with glue, which gives a unique beauty and splendor to the art work. The artisans make chairs, tables, cradles, plaques, god – stands and so on. The tables and plaques usually have six or eight corners. Kinnal dolls, fruits and vegetables are also equally famous. Kinnal “Gouri” , a figurine of goddess, is very famous.  Since it is detachable, it is easy for decoration and preservation, after the ritual

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Sri. Narayanappa Chitragar  demonstrating 

Now in Kinnal town , only a few families are practicing this art form for their lively hood since it does not fetch a handsome income to survive on, as these artisans do not know how to market these art works. The families who are engaged in this art practice are called as Chitragar.

Religious themes like Puranas and Dashavatara adore the body of the artifacts along with creepers, fruits, flowers, birds and animals. A close observation reflects the influence of Deccani Miniatures, which has  been absorbed in the subsequent years. After the Vijaynagar Empire’s royal patronage was lost, it was Nawabs and Desais of Koppal who extended patronage to this art form to survive. But , at present, these artists do not have any kind of support like the yester years.

In the present situation, these art forms need revival and proper marketing strategies to survive and flourish.  By contemporizing the forms and changing the materials to the requirement of the market, the art form can survive and the depending families too can flourish economically.

By Gayatri Desai

Rain,Reading,Ginger Tea Make the Monsoon Memorable: My son's father by poet Dom Moraes and Raj by Gita Mehta

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             This year the monsoon set in earlier than the last year. The monsoon is always awaited eagerly and passionately, year after year. One never gets tired of this season. This year, the monsoon is bit special. It started early, it came with a great force, it confined all of us to home nearly for more than a month. Staying indoors for more than one month without the glimpse of sun rays appeared a little upsetting as we Indians are used to sunny days, but other things made the house confinement fruitful and interesting. The rain has been lashing day and night, filling the rivers and canals to the brim. Some places have received such a heavy rainfall that the roads,houses, hospitals,offices and undergrounds are filled with water, inconveniencing the citizens for weeks together. Every day, the newspapers alerting about the continuation of heavy rain fall have been reporting the devastation that  has been created in different areas, but the other side of the  monsoon cool and romantic, favorite of all creative persons. With the rain outside, with endless cups of tea and tasty snacks like pakodas following , the monsoon appears as the heaven for a creative person.

 In my town, it has been raining day and night. Sometimes, it lashes so furiously that the sound makes one scary. The continuous rain has kept me indoors, except for brief visits to the shops to buy necessary things. After lunch, covering myself with a shawl, I huddle into a corner with a book  and a couple of cushions for  comfort. A book and cups of ginger tea make the day !

 Since  a long time I wanted to read My Son's Father, a famous autobiographical book by Dom Moraes.  I got engrossed into it as I started it. Very candidly written book this is, which reveals the journey of a budding poet. Dom Moraes was an Indian writer and journalist. His father Frank Moraes was an editor for many leading news papers in India before independence, and he was an Indian correspondent for war times in Burma and China.  Because of his father's profession and extensive contacts, as a boy Dom Moraes had lot of opportunities to meet famous and influential people and visit many countries, even during war time. The exposure to politics, exposure to war situations, exposure to different geographical locations in the childhood offered ample scope to have wider and multiple perspectives and to crystallize his thoughts as a sensitive poet.  On the other hand, he unveils the traumatic childhood experiences regarding his mother's health, but his father 's unfailing love and support enables him to realize his dream as a poet, finally.  The interesting part in the book is, he meets famous poets and authors during his studying abroad. Life in Oxford, meeting with poets, discussions with great personalities in the cafes, girlfriends, travelling to  the European countries at the age of 19 - all the realities of western world and culture have been written very frankly. It is definitely a very interesting read.

          After this autobiographical book, I laid my hand on the book Raj which is written by  Gita Mehta, who happens to be the daughter of Biju Patnaik and the sister of Naveen patnaik, the chief ministers of Orissa, India. Gita Mehta studied in India and England- Cambridge University. She has worked as journalist and documentary film maker. Though the book is in fictional form, it is based  on the well researched historical facts of the colonial power  in India. The book deals with the colonial period and presents the vivid picture of the changing conditions of the Maharajas[ princes] in the colonial era.  Some incidents like famine show how the people of India suffered , resulting in endless death and dire poverty.  The issue like the British convincing princes to give land for the railway projects  enlighten the readers on many subtle hidden agendas. No doubt, it is a very interesting fictional novel based on historical facts. There are some details and descriptions of Maharajas attending the coronation of queen Elizabeth, which tease the sensibilities of readers. On the whole, it is a good read with historical details.

Still the rain has continued and the sky is overcast. The smell of ginger is lingering.

Rain,Reading,Ginger Tea make the Monsoon memorable:My Son's Father, a famous autobiographical book by poet Dom Moraes and Raj by Gita Mehta is a fiction based on researched historical facts

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

                                                                          This year the monsoon set in earlier than the last year. The monsoon is always awaited eagerly and passionately, year after year. One never gets tired of this season. This year, the monsoon is bit special. It started early, it came with a great force, it confined all of us to home nearly for more than a month. Staying indoors for more than one month without the glimpse of sun rays appeared a little upsetting as we Indians are used to sunny days, but other things made the house confinement fruitful and interesting. The rain has been lashing day and night, filling the rivers and canals to the brim. Some places have received such a heavy rainfall that the roads,houses, hospitals,offices and undergrounds are filled with water, inconveniencing the citizens for weeks together. Every day, the newspapers alerting about the continuation of heavy rain fall have been reporting the devastation that  has been created in different areas, but the other side of the  monsoon cool and romantic, favorite of all creative persons. With the rain outside, with endless cups of tea and tasty snacks like pakodas following , the monsoon appears as the heaven for a creative person.

 In my town, it has been raining day and night. Sometimes, it lashes so furiously that the sound makes one scary. The continuous rain has kept me indoors, except for brief visits to the shops to buy necessary things. After lunch, covering myself with a shawl, I huddle into a corner with a book  and a couple of cushions for  comfort. A book and cups of ginger tea make the day !

 Since  a long time I wanted to read My Son's Father, a famous autobiographical book by Dom Moraes.  I got engrossed into it as I started it. Very candidly written book this is, which reveals the journey of a budding poet. Dom Moraes was an Indian writer and journalist. His father Frank Moraes was an editor for many leading news papers in India before independence, and he was an Indian correspondent for war times in Burma and China.  Because of his father's profession and extensive contacts, as a boy Dom Moraes had lot of opportunities to meet famous and influential people and visit many countries, even during war time. The exposure to politics, exposure to war situations, exposure to different geographical locations in the childhood offered ample scope to have wider and multiple perspectives and to crystallize his thoughts as a sensitive poet.  On the other hand, he unveils the traumatic childhood experiences regarding his mother's health, but his father 's unfailing love and support enables him to realize his dream as a poet, finally.  The interesting part in the book is, he meets famous poets and authors during his studying abroad. Life in Oxford, meeting with poets, discussions with great personalities in the cafes, girlfriends, travelling to  the European countries at the age of 19 - all the realities of western world and culture have been written very frankly. It is definitely a very interesting read.

          After this autobiographical book, I laid my hand on the book Raj which is written by  Gita Mehta, who happens to be the daughter of Biju Patnaik and the sister of Naveen patnaik, the chief ministers of Orissa, India. Gita Mehta studied in India and England- Cambridge University. She has worked as journalist and documentary film maker. Though the book is in fictional form, it is based  on the well researched historical facts of the colonial power  in India. The book deals with the colonial period and presents the vivid picture of the changing conditions of the Maharajas[ princes] in the colonial era.  Some incidents like famine show how the people of India suffered , resulting in endless death and dire poverty.  The issue like the British convincing princes to give land for the railway projects  enlighten the readers on many subtle hidden agendas. No doubt, it is a very interesting fictional novel based on historical facts. There are some details and descriptions of Maharajas attending the coronation of queen Elizabeth, which tease the sensibilities of readers. On the whole, it is a good read with historical details.

Still the rain has continued and the sky is overcast. The smell of ginger is lingering.

Photo Albums: Mirror to cultural evolution

An old album containing several small and big snaps unfolds before me. I turn the pages passionately to catch the glimpses of my siblings, parents, relatives and friends.  With the passage of time, the pages of the album have worn out and become brittle; the photographs too have turned yellowish and look faded. The yellowed photographs frisk me from present to the past, with nostalgic memories flooding. The thin transparent papers alternating after each thick black sheet of paper have crumpled at the edges; some holes too have appeared in their fragile bodies. With the threads of space and time, these albums have preserved our memories and lineage gracefully over all these years. These albums stand as testimony for the evolving culture. Long skirt with a small top and a dupatta was the ideal dress for the grown up girls then.   Girls and women in their early thirties or so, sporting two plaits was quite a common sight. Slowly, the two plaits would turn into one plait or into a bun, or in to a knot as one aged gracefully accepting reality. These hair styles manifest the trends of those day, in the photographs. We as school girls have been photographed with colorful ribbons made with various materials and eye- catching designs with folded plaits. In those days, no woman was using safety pins to keep the sari in place, especially the pallu. In these old photographs, I look at myself and my

friends in saris, shoulders fully covered with sari pallu. We really look funny, innocent, and beautiful.

At the studios, the photographs of young women flaunting their long single plaits embellished with jasmine or sevantige flowers were quite common in 60s and 70s. For these exclusive photographs, the plait used to get extended with artificial supplements. The girls stood with their backs, with their embellished plaits, facing the long studio mirrors, which reflected the decoration of the plaits vividly. Every house showcased this kind of photos in the main hall in those days. For sheer fun,  sometimes, small boys would be photographed being metamorphosed into girls, with girl’s attire and hair decoration. Next comes the description of convocation photographs. In every house, a row of convocation photographs used to adorn the walls of the hall declaring proudly the number of graduates in the family. The medium sized photographs in black and white color, framed either in black or white color frames, used to be seen at each and every house in 60s and 70s. A graduate clad in a black gown and holding with both hands a rolled up certificate obliquely in front of her/his chest was the typical pose for convocation photographs. Sometimes, the poses slightly differed— a person would be sitting or standing near a tall table, which narrowed at the top. On the table top, a flower vase would appear invariably. This type of photographs was quite common in the albums, in those days.

When I was studying in college, in the early 70 s, the convocation function used to be a very big event for the graduates. In 60s and 70s, every graduate used to await this event with all the eagerness. After completing the course, it was everyone’s dream to attend the event in the black gown and get the certificate. Only the gold medalists and rank holders would receive the certificate by the chief guest of the prestigious function; others at the office.  When we friends graduated in 73, we were looking forward to the convocation function very eagerly. Standing up in queue, we got our respective gowns and certificates at the university office. On the function day, we wore those gowns  which were not tailor made for our physique, feeling a little bit uncomfortable, but with a bright smile on our face. A sense of fulfillment all of us had on that day.

  During the convocation event, the studios used to be very busy as graduates thronged 

Cafe Mondegar : An interesting cafe with the murals of Mario Miranda — pub culture caricatures.

      Since my college days, as a fan of Mario Miranda, I have been following his cartoons till today. Introduced through The Illustrated Weekly of India to the Indian audience in 70s, Mario Miranda and R.K.Laxman both became familiar names within a short period. Both the cartoonists were totally different in their perception and approach to their respective works. Mario liked to capture the life of affluent and westernised people and unmask their reality beneath that show off, whereas Laxman liked to capture the feelings, aspirations and predicaments of common Indian man in different situations.  Both were equally good in sensitising the situation and bring out the best — both were equally famous.                                                                   

. I was in Mumbai to attend a function in the month of November 2017, and was staying at YWCA , which is  quite nearby to this Mondegar Cafe, to be precise, a fifteen minutes’ walk. It is at the entrance of Colaba as a landmark. Whenever I visit Mumbai, I never miss to visit this cafe because of its ambience, because of Mario Mirando’s exquisite murals on its walls. One needs to visit this place to see and feel the celebrations of Mario Miranda’s cartoons in each and every corner of this joint, in all possible manners. This cafe has two big murals: one reflects the life in Mumbai, and the other one reflects the atmosphere of the cafe. These murals adorning the walls of the cafe since1990s have given visual treat to the visitors who drop in to chill out, after a hectic day.

 A few minutes after the dusk, when we entered the pub, it was bustling with people, mostly youngsters. Big tall beer bottles were sitting at the centre of each table. The Mirando girls with toothy smile on the containers meant for tissue papers were there to greet everyone. The girl holding a fork in hand on one of the containers, with a big smile invited us to a small cosy table in the corner. From that point, we could see and feel the commotion in the other room too. Interestingly, the other room had a very large mural of a man carrying huge wooden beer containers on his cart pulled by a horse and westernised men standing in three piece suits with funny looks, by Mario Miranda in black and red. We ordered beer and finger chips. To feel the hustle and bustle, to hear the clattering of the glasses, to enjoy the visual beauty of the pub, we were there. The waiter came with a tin of beer, a couple of glasses, and a plate of finger chips. Wherever we stretched our eyes, we saw Mario glaring at us amusingly, I thought. With Mario’s drawing on the plate, the finger chips tasted very delicious. The waiters sported Mario’s cartoons on their white T shirts. I politely asked one of the waiters to take some photographs for me,  he obliged very happily after knowing that it is for a blogger. Enthusiastically, he took some more photographs and obliged me and Miranda together.  We said cheers to Mario and enjoyed our drinks with a relish. If every artist’s works adore the walls of public walls in this way, there will be a great  cultural change.  

Howrah Bridge: The Howrah Bridge has stood the test of time — the Second World War.

On the way to Butan, we visited Kolkata for a couple of days in the month of Feb,2005. When we reached Culcutta, it was almost evening.  Our guest house was quite close to Howrah Bridge, and we could see the bridge through the room’s window in awe. From distance, it looked beautiful and majestic and with lot of commotion around it. For Kolkata, I have a strange fascination for multiple reasons. Since my school and college days, I have developed a taste for many Bengali writers — started with Sharatchhndra Chatterjee and moved to Nirad Chowdary — started with Rabindranath Tagore’s paintings and moved to Shantiniketan’s murals — from Bengali cotton sari to Bengal Dothi — from Rasgoola to fried fish in sesame oil in Bengal Club. After refreshing ourselves with tea and snacks at guest house, we set out to have a better and closer look at the life around. The towering look of the bridge across the Hoogli River was very romantic at the dusk, with sunrays adding golden touch to the one side of the bridge structure. Kolkata is very densely populated! When we neared the bridge, we could sense the feel of that density. Like ants, people were moving on the bridge. With streams of sunrays reflecting on the bluish grey water, the river looked enchanting and graceful dotted with boats and streamers, which were ferrying passengers across the river. Beneath the bridge, life was in full swing, looked like a market place with oily faced people with Bengali accent — the smell of raw and fried fish engulfed us. On small stoves, raw fishes being fried, the smell had spread  everywhere. The smell of the water from the close by river and the smell of frying fish clubbed together had created an unusual aroma therapy for the tourists whether one required it or not. Watching with greedy eyes and watering mouths, dogs and cats too were under aroma therapy near the stoves. When I read about Howrah Bridge celebrating its 75^th year, my nostalgic memories  unrolled. A big salute to the bridge !  This February 3, 2018, the people of Kolkatta were happy to see that the Howrah Bridge was celebrating its 75^th year.  The Howrah Bridge was constructed in 1943 by the British during their rule in India.  The inauguration of the bridge was a simple affair; a tram travelled from KolKata city to Howrah Railway Station to mark its beginning; th British purposely did not go for the grand inauguration as the war had started. The Howrah Bridge has stood the test of time — the Second World War. The bridge would have collapsed and there would have been no trace of it , had it been bombed during the Second World War as the Pearl Harbour of America. But today, with great pleasure, we all look at this majestic infrastructure which has served people for 75 years. With the coming of the British, India got introduced to some new things like roadways, railways, industries, English medicine, and moreover, western culture. 

Loving Vincent : An animated film based on the life of Van Gogh. 65,000 hand-painted frames in the style of Van Gough are used to create this animated film. Nearly 125 artists from different nations have come together to work out this project; and it has taken seven years to complete this beautiful movie, which explores the causes of the suicide of the artist through his letters and paintings.

                           The life of world famous artist Van Gogh has been a great source of inspiration to filmmakers and novelists.  As an artist I have read and reread the book based on his life Lust for Life many times. The more one reads this book, the more one becomes sentimental and emotional and gets attached to the character. His passion, dedication, love for nature, romance with colours and canvass ­— all interest and engross readers immensely with no end. From generations to generations, his life lived frenziedly has inspired many producers and directors to make films with multiple viewpoints. During his life time, he neither earned enough money to support himself and to lead a lavish life style, nor was he recognised for his outstanding brilliant works, which speak volumes till toady. A sudden tragic end to his life, at the age of 36, left his experimentation into the art field half-way and incomplete, it seems.

Loving Vincent, biographical film of the artist, was a nominee for 90^th Academy Awards. Loving Vincent tries to unveil the truth of the artist’s suicide centred on the last available letters written to his brother Theo.  

 The director has a very interesting approach to the film making here. Instead of going for the present-day advantages of the technology, the director has painstakingly opted for hand -painting method for her animated movie making. Before the introduction of technology, a series of hand- painted frames were to be used while making animated movies, and, no doubt, it was indeed a laborious work and time consuming also. With the advancement of the technology, the making of animated films has become pretty easy and the numbers of films also have increased remarkably. But, here for this feature film - 65,000 paintings have been hand painted in the style of Van Gogh — for the very style he was mocked and criticized during his life time — both by his friends and critics. With this huge body of paintings, the film has been made with all the dedication and hard work, which took almost seven years to complete. The 93-minute-long film showcases 65,000 hand-painted frames sequentially, and each second shoot requiring an average of12 canvases.

 For this project, nearly 125 artists from different countries came together and produced a huge body of works based on the life of world famous artist Vincent, especially in oils. This body of works details about his life, friends, his home, his belongings so as to give details of his life. These paintings are painted with oil colours which was the prevalent medium then. We all artists know how Van Gogh used paint his canvasses — he literally used to squeeze the tubes of  oil colours directly onto the canvases — the thick pigmentation applied frenziedly evoked criticism  — because smooth application was the trend then But he never compromised though his friends tried to dissuade him to follow the trend and to be on the bandwagon.

As a result of combining her passion for cinema and painting, the film director Dorota Kobiela has woven this film with 65,000 frames, each one hand painted. One has to appreciate the efforts in bringing out the film based on hand-painted frames as everyone is turning to technology even for small works. Though the film could not get the award, it deserves to be watched for its innovative approach.

Mixed Media Paintings

New Year Resolution : If today be sweet, why fret about tomorrow ?

New Year Resolution : if today be sweet, why fret about tomorrow ? 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                

                                      The year 2017 is ending very soon; and 2018 will step in with new resolutions and hopes.  Last year, I started the New Year with lot of dreams in the eyes. But, when I look back at the time passed and gone, I realise it is definitely a mixture of good and bad moments. But, we all tend to cherish the beautiful moments though they are countable. This way the life moves on with positivity.  If today be sweet, why fret about tomorrow - one of our school teachers had written in my autograph book , which we had collected while leaving our school and moving on to college. Every year, in the beginning, we plan for the whole year very enthusiastically; but slowly life takes its own hold and course and keeps us moving with such a force that we all forget about our resolutions.  So living meaningfully for a day is more important; now that is how it seems to me.

Can we make our each day special and live to the brim? Trying to walk on a new horizon, trying to get enlightened with new ideas, trying to change our attitudes, exploring new areas – this kind of small small efforts towards  will definitely bring changes as well as some colour to our mundane life.  Conscious efforts in this direction can add different dimensions to our lives.  In this process, one has to keep on experimenting with learning and unlearning.

With every passing NEW YEAR come new calendars and dairies with new numbers. We all wait eagerly to place our hands on hardbound gold lined dairies offered by various firms and companies. Beginning days start very enthusiastically with the entries of daily activities into the diaries. Is life limited to only to daily routine mundane activities?  Is there anything beyond that?  Instead of jotting down the daily routines, dairies should be able to bring out the best in a human being by cogitating and reflecting. Each year the dairy should help to uncover the human being  in such way that by the end of the year he/she should be a new human being.  This new change in one’s outlook will definitely enrich one’s life and others surrounded.  A day how we spend is more important.  Fret Not for tomorrow; live happily for today!