Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Burnt Offerings at the Altar



The first six months of this year were idyllic and enjoyable apart from a couple of little hiccups here and there which are but natural in a life’s progression. Just as I was getting used to the good life came June and Saturn moved forward and trined with Uranus  and made a hextant with Jupiter and all the planets conspired together to drag me by the hair through the Tunnel of Horrors at this year’s amusement park. Just twenty days into June and I've had Cat crises! Freak fright! Police pounce! Towering terror….! What next I ask, what next!


Last weekend a couple of friends (QGM and KFP) decided to show me the sights and took me to Malleshwaram, a place I had always associated with quaint Masala Dosa joints and temples. Instead I got to see the gigantic World Trade Centre, a man made lake and thousands of little cubby holes where people are supposed to live. Nature inspires awe but man made monoliths create intimidation. I felt small and insignificant. Then I made the mistake of visiting Mantri Mall soon after and got flattened completely by zillions of consumer goods hurtling towards me at top speed. My eyeballs fell out of their sockets when I saw thousands of shiny women descending escalators each of them laden with hundreds of shopping bags (have you ever watched ants progressing in a row carrying crystals of sugar?). I threw myself into an auto, charged home and collapsed into bed exhausted. The doorbell rang at six b**** thirty am the next morning. I felt my way through to the window to see the gardener come to make up work for a missed day. I mumbled something and grogged back to bed. On the way I saw myself in the mirror, I looked like the picture top left. Badly frightened out of all remaining sleep I went to the kitchen and drank three cups of strong coffee …then I just drew plants and bottles for the rest of the day. Somewhat soothing that. That’s why I have this blog, to cram it with drawings of bottled plants. 


Why am I even posting this post? Who are you people even reading this ...this...stuff? My inbuilt blog sitemeter tells me that I have people from Ukraine reading this blog. Ukraine and Finland and  Alaska. 
Who are you? Say hello to me.




26 comments:

whizkid said...

Hello from Bombay :)

Priya Sebastian said...

Hello back whizkid. You have a nice blog :-)

Anonymous said...

A second one from Bombay, Hello. :)

aneri_masi said...

Hello.

I want to know about the police pounce.

Priya Sebastian said...

Kash: Hmmm. Apparently you are supposed to park at least 3 feet away from a turning. I didn't. Soooo...

I think I already know Sagar. Hello.

Priya Sebastian said...

Where are you Ukraines, you Finns...?

Anonymous said...

Hi Priya - I am in US and I just LOVE your blog. Loved this posting especially because of your observations on ladies on escalators - my observations exactly - ants carrying mountain loads of stuff!!

Priya Sebastian said...

:-)

mizu designs said...

I'm saying hello but you already know me so it's not so exciting. Australia not the Ukraine, sorry about the disappointment :)

Those shiny shopping ladies are here too. I loathe shopping but some seem to thrive on it. Was just talking with a friend about the demise of the physical bookshop (they're all starting to close here due to online purchasing of books). Bookshops are the only shops I go into except for shops with food. Recluse, here I come.

Love this post, btw!

mizu designs said...

One more thing - my blog stats tell me I have readers from Russia, Ukraine, Oman, Iran and other likely and unlikely places. Interesting, no?

JMH said...

Hello I'm Jon. I'm not from Alaska, though, I'm from Chicago. Not having been there, I've always wondered if Alaska exists or if it's just a hallucination brought upon by hypothermia. It must exist, though, if people are visiting your blog from there.

I like your art.

Priya Sebastian said...

Jon: Chicago! Well, that's pretty exotic for me here in Bangalore. Hello :-)

Hi Kylie: The bookstore of my childhood has been razed to give birth to yet another Mega Mall. I read somewhere that Kindle users now exceed book buyers on Amazon but people do still buy books - to decorate their homes! Our browsing and rummaging days are over.

I am starting to wonder if the Ukraine, Finnish and Iran stats are an electronic myth perpetuated by Blogger.

janet said...

Hi Priya! Greetings from Menomonie, Wisconsin. Been following your blog since the previous one.
Carry on!
-janet

Priya Sebastian said...

Hi Janet, I'm so glad to meet a long time follower. I'm glad you left a comment because now I am looking through the pictures of the bike trails. They are lovely. So much empty space, no people, lots of trees....:-)

GB said...

Hi from Indy in midwestern USA.......Ukraine would have been SO much more fun.

Loved this post!

Priya Sebastian said...

Hi again GB :-) so Indy is where you live.
Lovely to hear from so many US bloggers, some of whom I hadn't met. Now I know why the US portion of my Statmeter is dark green :-)

Haven't yet given up on a Ukraine comment. When I see a mixture of letters I can't make sense of it will probably be the long awaited Ukrainian comment :-D

Anonymous said...

Hello from San Francisco! Been following your blog for a while and love the energy of your work. Even tried to get friends in B'lore to attend your workshop, but I'm sure they ran towards the escalators instead!

If I find myself in Bangalore again, would love to meet and learn some of your brand of charcoal magic!

pallavi
psssst: Maybe you need a special drawing to draw out the Ukranians! ;)

Priya Sebastian said...

Thank you Pallavi :-)
Lol, yup, I think there needs to be that one drawing which will have those Ukraines commenting away!

Shilpa said...

hi. your drawings have energy and soul... like everything when you put your heart and angst into it. they soothe me and give me courage, yes courage, to find myself and be one with me.
-shilpa, mumbai

Priya Sebastian said...

Thank you Shilpa. I've very touched to hear that I have given courage to yet another blog reader by simply being myself.

Tororo said...

Hi pRiyA! I'm neither from Ukraine nor Finland nor Alaska, may I say hello anyway? From my quaint little place in France, I enjoy reading your blog!

Priya Sebastian said...

Hi Tororoshiru, so you are the reason why the France area of my Statmeter map turned green! Hello!
I am learning French. One day I will be able to read your blog :-)

janet said...

Dear Priya, no people on the bike trails. Just bears.

Priya Sebastian said...

@Janet: !!!!!!!

luis scafati said...

Hola PRIYA, te escribo desde Argentina, esos dibujos de botellas y hojas valen la pena, un abrazo

Priya Sebastian said...

Yaaay! A comment from Argentina in Spanish!!! Thank you :-)