One Glorious Spring Summer Morning

Since a meeting with new Banglurean blog friend and avid instagrammer Priyanka Sacheti Mehta was long overdue, I invited her for a walk at Lalbagh which she happily accepted. I remembered how gracious my Kochi and Kolkata hosts had been to me and tried to emulate them. I remembered that the first great Bangalore experience usually always consists of the walk in Lalbagh and the meal at MTR afterwards. If you haven't done this, you haven't seen namdu Bengluru.

Here is what we saw during a glorious Springsummer morning today. Isn't it utterly gorgeous? Every visit to Lalbagh always has new surprises in store.

This new creepsome element below right next to the rose garden gorden - Snow White's cottage no less! And with the requisite dwarves and Bambi flitting around as well! So much imagination I tell you!

 Then MTR. When people I meet with say things like, "Oooh, I've eaten and come off, I'm not hungry". And, "Let's share just one plate of Idli", I usually delete them from my list. I was satisfied to note that Priyanka enjoyed food with enthusiasm. We ate a 15 course meal at MTR. They kept bringing course after course and dessert after dessert. They kept saying things like, "Just try a leeetle bit to taste, now go on, try some more..." and then, "Wait, it's not over yet! Other things are coming!" How much more bozz, we've eaten so much already? "Arrey madam, still several more are lined up!"

So here are the pictures that I managed from that orgy. I've managed to photograph the start of the meal with the pooris and the colorful end - the famous candy colored MTR ice cream with the saccharine sweet cherry on top. The entire meal was pretty much the food equivalent of the glorious Silk Cotton tree that I've posted as the first picture.

This was one very satisfying day :)

Sigh...

Burp

A Morning Walk in Summer

Lalbagh is at its best in summer so I am glad that someone managed to coax me one morning into a walk there. He wanted to 'tag' trees, whatever that means and had his nose buried earnestly in his phone most of the time presumably doing his tagging while I tried out my camera. Pardon this picture heavy post, but can you blame me?

I returned with this booty. Alladin's cave could not have offered me more pleasure.

I photographed the shape and texture of the seedpods

and started the beginnings of a sketch that I never completed. There is something else that I want to happen in my drawing. It is like looking for a path and not finding a way. Sometimes the best solution for that is keeping the sketchbook closed. Better drawings are known to happen after a pause.

Red Silk Cotton

The tree, the flowers, the drawing.

A toast to 2011

As 2011 draws to a close I feel the happiness and satisfaction that flows through the system after partaking a varied, unusual and delicious banquet which satisfies all the senses. I find myself more content and fulfilled than I have ever been. For this I must give thanks and I raise my gilaas of strong South Indian filter coffee to my many many friends. There are those who have always been my anchors since eternity, many new ones, the virtual friends who have transmogrified momentarily into reality, the real ones from my past who are now purely virtual and the wholly virtual ones - all of you who have changed my life so much for the better with your kindness, thoughtful actions, your thoroughly enjoyable company, help, laughter and love, I couldn’t have done it without you all.

To that person who once thumped the table and made that grease induced declaration over an empty plate of Gobi Manchurian saying, “You are responsible for who you attract into your life”, I take another slurp of super strong filter coffee, thump the table back and reply, “Yes, dahling, absolutely true!”

I wish each one of you reading this, an enjoyable new year ahead.

an ENTIRE day of drawing

When I bought my new giant sketchbook, I called up Prabha to tell her. We decided to spend a day sketching at Lalbagh and we landed there at 7.30 am one day last week. It must have been one of the happiest days of my life ever. Here are the pictures:

Curious teachers with their school kids wanted to know why we were drawing, 'chumma jaaliya (jolly) pandringlaa?' they asked in Tamil (Are you doing this just for fun?)

Yup!

Here is Prabha's drawing

Naturally we also brunched at MTR and our meal also included delicious Honey Halwa 

and a large ice-cream with fruit. Sugar highs are absolutely necessary to get the drawing juices revved up.

At another table strange creatures from Bangalore's Art world peered and waved their tentacles at us. 

When I said we are going to Lalbagh for an entire day of drawing they looked mystified. Drawing? Huh? What's that?

Giant Silk cotton trees

I need an even bigger sketchbook I think!

Here are some pictures of couples under the trees. I love how tiny they look under the giant benevolent trees and I love how the trees almost seem to envelope and shelter them. Prabha mysteriously commented: It is unfortunate that one can't make out whether a relationship will last or not just by looking at these couples.

The moist, rich and fascinating floor under a Naagalingam tree

And the marvellous tree herself

Finds.....!

Prabha has the eyes of an eagle. She spotted a Barn owl far up on a tree in the distance and she pointed out these red bugs to me.

We were ravenous at tea-time. Back to MTR!

Here are some of Prabha's sketches

We drew till the sun set, chatted with curious old men and children and headed home before the mosquitoes came out.

Some day that! : )