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I’ll read my books and I’ll drink coffee and I’ll listen to music, and I’ll bolt the door.

~ J.D. Salinger

About a week back, I was trying to complete yet another drawing when I found myself getting into knots over the picture, frantically erasing and redrawing over and over. Then I paused and looked at the work and realized how mentally exhausted I was. And why wouldn’t I be?  I realized I have more or less single-handedly dismantled my life in two different cities on one side of the world and assembled it again in a completely different world on another side. I will be taking a break, a much needed one, from everything.

My website has a new wardrobe. Take a look >

Rangoli

On the way to the shops, I almost always pause for a moment at the gate of this tiny house and admire the colours of the Rangoli on the steps and the vermillion enhancing the doorway.

One does not want to idealize on the blog. Around me there is noise and filth, but beauty like this in the midst of ugliness makes one stop, admire and breathe easily for a moment before carrying on.

India's Chaotic Lesson in Letting Go

Back to Work

"And lastly, when other things in life get tough, when you’re going through family troubles, when you’re heartbroken, when you’re frustrated with money problems, focus on your work. It has saved me through every single difficult thing I have ever had to do, like a scaffolding that goes far beyond any traditional notions of a career."

~ Teresita Fernandez

I am Elephant

This illustration is for my mushroom hunting friends who will be leaving their forest in Sutton to live in Montreal. I drew this picture so that Aaney the Elephant and champignons will be with them wherever they go.

Since returning to Bengluru I find I cannot quite remember whether one has to say le elephant or la elephant (something all students of French will agree has caused them to bang their heads on their Francaise textbooks and die), so when translated from French, the words within the bubble in the picture read ‘I am Elephant’. Aaney of course is the word for elephant in Kannada, the language spoken here.

The card was meant to be a surprise but since it has been well over two weeks since I posted it and since I am fed up with waiting for the package to reach I have decided to put up the picture on my blog.

Ashte

Heartfelt

My long time blog readers will know that entwined hearts and tangled vines carefully rendered in graphite is rather unusual subject matter arriving from my table, but I made this picture for a friend of mine who is going off to Italy. She is someone who has shown immense grace, kindness and dignity towards those around her while she was going through challenges of her own.I admire her for that. She once told me what her dreams are and it is that which is what I have tried to depict in this picture. I hope her stay in Italy makes her dreams come true. This is my heartfelt wish for her.