Roosters

I made the illustration for the rooster pictured above for a book cover. After I sent it across, my art director sent me the drawing below which was done by her five year old daughter upon seeing my picture.
I have included the drawing in this post with Devayani's kind permission because I cannot help but be impressed by how well she has drawn it. What strikes me most is the surety and confidence with which the head of the rooster is drawn, the most difficult part.
Thank you Devayani, for letting me include your drawing in my blog.

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What I've come to learn is that the world is never saved in 

grand messianic gestures, but in the simple accumulation of

gentle, soft, almost invisible acts of compassion.

                                           ~ Chris Abani

The Toronto flatmate kept a Lily of the Valley in a bottle on the kitchen table. One of her many small gestures that made a difference. I learned that these tiny flowers also have a beautiful fragrance. 

Things I do

For Suttonese People -

Hers and His birthday cards.

Pink Snowflakes

 Tabubia trees in my part of town have a wild party every summer. All the roads are pretty much covered with pink snowflakes during this time. 
The picture of the spectacular tree above was taken from the car while on my way home and the giant pink candy floss in the picture below is mine, right inside my garden, greeting me with gentle confetti whenever I stand outside.

This is what I see when I look up.

And this, when I look down.

This is the huge pile of pink snowflakes ready to be cleaned up again and again, pretty much like how they shovel snow in that other city where I used to live.

The Bottles at my Window

There are no lines in nature, there are only areas of color set against each other.
~ Edouard Manet

Gold Tree

Last evening, as I was driving home, I caught sight of the Peepul tree in front of Buddha Vihar. The tender new leaves, yet to turn green had turned into pure gold instead. The entire tree had turned into this shimmering cloud of gold which was sparkling in the evening light. I stopped my car, got out, stood on the road and stared. The pictures I took in my camera are a pale shadow to what I saw in real life and I swore to come the next day and photograph it with my DSLR.

This morning the leaves had already changed color, still spectacular, they had turned a copper red. I did my best with my camera and these are the results.

I have been told that the Peepul is called the Tree of Life because the leaves never stop moving. Indeed the cloud of leaves on the tree tremble with life and energy and it is probably for this reason that the tree is considered holy and has temples for worship built under it.

I am adding a picture of another Peepul tree below. This one from my childhood which I used to pass on the way to school every day. It has a temple below it. When I took this picture which was some weeks ago, the new leaves had turned a bright, clean and sparkling light green. They shimmered and sparkled with life above the sea of traffic.

I wish all the trees in Bangalore are considered holy. I wish there is a complete and total ban in cutting them.