Nisargadhama

 A Painting and a Story # 13

The pen-drive feels heavy in her wallet. Meenu (short for Meenakshi) strides towards the boardroom with the appearance of a confidence she does not have. She has to make the presentation today. The client is known for being sarcastic and dismissive. Her colleague Sharat smiles encouragement and whispers, 'Go for it!' 

Her mind! In a jiffy it transports her to another place, another day! Twenty years ago...

The river Kaveri curves around a small mass of land near Kushalnagar making it almost an island. This gorgeous place is called Nisargadhama... Heaven on earth! Meenu (short for Meenakshi) steps on to the bridge connecting the mainland to Nisargadhama. The bridge sways a little when they walk on it. She holds the railings of the bridge and enjoys the sway! She quickly catches up with her family. 

She can't believe it... she is actually stepping on to an island. She recalls a picture in her School Text Book. An island is a mass of land surrounded on all sides by water! How is this land standing here? If too many people come here will the island sink? If everyone jumps up and down at the same time... will it tilt? She is secretly worried. But she keeps quiet.

Meenu watches her Thatha near the spotted deer, offering them some grass and nibbles. 'Go for it' says her Thatha. She holds the nibbles in the palm of her out stretched hand. A spotted deer walks to her daintily. He leans into the nibbles and licks them up . His tongue feels wet and rough on her fingers. She withdraws with a squeal. She tries again. and again. What fun that was! Her Thatha takes her for a quiet walk into the bamboo grove. Sshh! He says. 'Be quiet and listen'. And she listens to the rustling, the creaking and the whispering of the bamboo groves. Much later the entire family wades into the river. At places River Kaveri gurgles over boulders and rocks. Uncles, aunts cousins wade in and sit on the boulders, splashing each other and having a whale of a time.

Meenu gingerly steps into the water. It is cold! The rock is smooth. Her father holds out a helping hand. Come he says encouragingly. Meenu looks at Thatha... 'Go for it' he says. And Meenu does! 

Adult Meenu steps into the boardroom and recalls with a smile, the fuss she had made hours later to get out of the water!! The presentation is over. The client requests for a follow up meeting for further clarifications. Her colleagues clap in appreciation. 'Awesome Meenakshi... treat treat' They demand playfully.

We are overcome by fear at many instances in life and break in protesting sweat. Stepping into a rocking boat, signing up for a trek, facing a room full of audience, leaving a comment, asking for a raise, owning up a mistake... we put off the dreaded act for moments, days, weeks! Suddenly one day we do it. And what a feeling of power and relief that brings. ONE of the greatest discoveries man makes, one of his greatest surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do. - Henry Ford.

My painting for this week is a door. A door that is waiting to be pushed open. What is beyond?

Acrylic - The door

Acrylic - Door

Kailasagiri

A Painting and a Story # 12

Meenu (short for Meenakshi) waits patiently in her Maruti 800, her 'a brand-new-used-car'! Kitta her brother has gifted it to her in celebration of his new status as Employed-MBA. She is waiting for a friend who has planned a day-long getaway. Saroja joins her quickly. They are driving to Kailasagiri. It is the first day of a short winter vacation. Meenu is a teacher. She has grabbed the first job she could find after her post graduation.  Two others will join them at the ornate Archway at the entrance to the park, Kailasagiri. The famed Archway is the pride of Visakapatnam. 

But Meenu secretly dislikes it! The earthy archway stretches across the large road and has human sculptures in various postures all over it. Intermingling with human forms is flora in the form of vines and leaves. It's unique. Just like Kitta, Meenu smiles fondly! The gift of the car was splendid, generous, but ... a little overboard, don't you think! Added to that he has installed a mini fire-extinguisher in the car. Seriously! What was her brother thinking! 

Anyway the girly outing turns out to be a super success. They giggle and click pictures like teenagers in the ropeway that takes them all the way up to Kailasagiri. They walk around in the pleasant green park, visit the dominating white statues of Shiva and Parvati and avoid the toy train ride! The food stop is fulfilling. They share plates of mirchi bajji, muri masala (puffed rice) bread pakoda and scoops of ice cream! All in all a day well spent. Promising to catch up again, they decide to return home.

Meenu notices two guys on a bike at the Simhachalam junction. She drops Saroja off at her apartment and moves on stealing a glance at the rear mirror. The two guys on a bike have been behind her car for quite some time now. She accelerates ahead but doesn't get far as there is much traffic on the road. She takes a quick right hoping they miss the turn. But to her dismay they are right behind her now. Just then an autorikshaw loaded with fish comes to a spluttering halt right in front. Meenu apples brake and the bike cautiously moves up to her window. Not willing to slide the window up in obvious display of fear, she looks at them sternly. The young man in front pulls off his helmet and says, 'Madam this fire-extinguisher in the car... good madam!' Meenu doesn't know what he's saying. The young man continues... "My company madam. I work in Sun company" the man says GROWING TEN FEET TALL with pride. Relief floods in. Meenu is herself again! She smiles at him and nods her approval. 'Madam, have you used it' he asks the bewildered Meenu. 'No' she says and shakily moves on now that the road is clear. (Some things you buy as safety nets, medical insurance, fire-extinguishers, raincoats...! You don't really look forward to using them!) 

Pride in the company that employs us, pride in the work that we do, what wonders it does to our life and to the way we live it. Good healthy pride ensures integrity. Our souls sing. And we are in what modern thinkers call The FLOW. 

 This weekend is Ganesh Chaturthi. May we enjoy and be safe in the grace of Gowri and Ganesha. 

My painting for this week is an Acrylic painting Natya Ganapati. This one is now in my cousin's factory.

Acrylic - Ganesha

 

Somanathapura

 A Painting and a Story # 11

Meenu (short for Meenakshi) settles into the single seat in the minivan. Meenu is employed with a publishing company. She is unhappy. She is a creative person and she assumed this company would give her an opportunity to write and publish what she wanted. But no! She is even told what type of articles are 'Must and Should' in every magazine. Really! What kind of creativity is that? Her colleagues! They discuss nail-colour more than literature. duh! 

The minivan veers to the side and parks. They have reached! Annual office outing! Somnathapura, a temple town close to Mysore is their destination. Meenu enters through the small gate. She sees herself as a 10 year old walking on the mud path with her grandpa. Was that 15 years ago? It seems like yesterday! She rushes past the chattering bunch to the star shaped Hoysala Temple. It's an architectural beauty in black stone and she is carried away by the sheer magnitude of the human effort that's gone into the creation of this temple. The outer walls are adorned with awe inspiring stone carvings. Hundreds of them!

A guide is hired. He explains the intricate carvings... 'The bottom line is elephants row. Over that you see horses, then we have flowers lotus, leaf, and then the 7 inch panels of the avatars of Vishnu and stills from familiar tales in the Ramayana ... they carve'. The guide helpfully points each out with a wooden stick. 'How did they carve these stones so fine?' her colleagues wonder aloud. 'Madam this stone is soft when coming out from the earth. Then they carve. Air --wind---rain---It become hard' the guide waves his hand to explain.

Meenu is lost in another conversation.... 15 years ago! ............

'Thatha one man made all this?' Meenu asks in wonder. 'No! The main architect was Ruvari Malithamma. He had many juniors working under him. He decided that the temple would be star shaped. It will have rows of elephants and horses...!' Meenu recalls saying quickly'That's not fair. If an artist wants to make something else...?' To this her grandpa had said 'A set of rules is needed everywhere. Creativity thrives within rules. If you wish to play the game, you need to follow the rules'. 

The adult Meenu kneels down and gently touches the stone panel of elephants. There is not one elephant like the other. Some are playful, some are in war, some are breaking down trees, some are playing in water. Creativity within a set of rules! Meenu slowly joins the group. 'Want me to take a pic?' her friend offers.

If you wish to PLAY THE GAME you need to FOLLOW THE RULES. We enter into relationships, careers, social commitments... even WhatsApp groups... with great enthusiasm ! What we get out of this 'GAME' that we have entered will surely depend on how sincerely we follow the rules of the game and be true to our participation in it? If we stay on the side we will never be 'caught' but we are also missing the thrill. So are we diving in or are we avoiding it?

My painting for this week is a Madhubani peacock a technique that I explored during the lockdown.

One Sunday Morning

A Painting and a Story # 10

It is a warm Sunday morning. The breakfast plates have been cleared. Murali is nursing a tall cup of ginger laced tea by the large window. White sunbeams filter through the thin curtain. The newspaper lies on his lap and his eyes are looking into the distance. Myriad adult thoughts cascade through his mind. Some bring regret some bring plans and some bring plain memories.

Meenu (short for Meenakshi) rushes to him.... tugging at his arm impatiently. 'Come Hoo-Ffoo Kaka come! It will go away. You have to come now', She jerks at his arm. The tea spills on to the floor and makes a mess. Murali is annoyed. He gives Meenu a see-what-you-did look, and determinedly holds back the harsh words that rise up his throat. He shakes off the drops of tea on his wrist and walks towards the kitchen to pick up a mop.

Meenu will not be brushed away. 'Hoo-Ffoo Kaka come it will go away' she says as she drags him to the main door. 'Where are you taking me. I don't even have my slippers on', he says

'Look at my friend'. She says pointing to a squirrel munching on a coconut piece. 'He is holding the piece in his paws and eating it daintily! He is so cute. He is my friend Tupu'. Meenu continues chattily. Murali humours her and tiptoes into the front yard to watch Tupu. His feet are unaccustomed to the sharp gravel in the mud. Meenu doesn't seem to mind! Without warning a quick rain drenches them. Murali hurries towards the dry interiors of the house.

Meenu grabs at his shirt and says, 'It's only rain Hoo-Ffoo Kaka. Look at the sky... RAINBOWS!'

Murali stops to see the gorgeous double rainbow forming in the sky. Will his simple cell-phone camera capture this splendour? Murali takes a dozen pictures, some pictures of the rainbow to share and some pictures of himself and Meenu to treasure.

It's amazing how a flower, a stream or even the picture of a flower or stream can restore faith in ourselves and in the world around us. Those of you, who have plants even in pots will resonate with me when I say that a deep sense of bonding or ownership develops between us and our plants. And when that single yellow hibiscus blooms! What joy! We claim it as 'My Hibiscus'. The bounty of nature can only be experienced not explained.

For this week's painting I display a few of my Mother Smt Nagaveni Rangaswamy's water colours. She liked to paint flowers and liked to gift them to her favourite guests. She passed away at the age of 81 and painted almost till her last days. 

Water Colour - Flowers bring Hope