Menavlicha Wada, near Wai

The tortoise at the entrance of the main temple room. Maharashtrian religious carvings are usually austere and not overtly ornate. Perhaps it is the basalt stone that does not lend itself to decorous stonework unlike the marble temples of Rajasthan. Perhaps it is the austere aesthetics of the patron.

The main deity is in a sunken room. I wonder if the room gets filled with water when the river floods in the monsoons.

I don’t have photographs since I was not allowed to take any inside the Wada, but this wada has 7 courtyards. I guess seven was an impressive number. A man’s wealth was judged by how many courtyards his house had in that time. We saw about 2 and also got to go upstairs to see Nana Phadnavis’s bed with the hand operated fan over it. The ceilings of the rooms were elaborately carved with a repetitive jaali cum flower motif, similar to a 'fleur-de-lis' shape. The windows in the bedroom were small, set inside the thick wada walls, they let in just enough sun to light up the room. You wouldn't be able to read a book in that light and you weren't supposed to. Reading, writing, sewing were all supposed to take place in the corridors adjoining the courtyards. The indoor-outdoor spaces where you spent time with the family, received guests - had lots of light and were very well ventilated. It was fascinating to see how the building functioned as both house and a barricadable fort.

Prabhat Road

The gallis (lanes) of Prabhat Road.

A grand old bungalow, supposedly the movie 'Virrudh' was shot here.

This time when I went back home (its weird how I still think of it as home, I think I travel between two homes), I managed to go to Jai Narmada Apartments, where I lived between the ages of 2 and 12 and take some photographs of the buildings. As it happens I was just in time, the building is now being demolished to make room for a bigger apartment complex. I look forward to seeing something new in the place of my former home, but I can’t help feeling a little nostalgic when I think of my childhood spent there. Prabhat Road when it wasn’t so busy, when mothers would not allow their children out in the afternoon as it used to be so lonely, so quiet. Who would believe it now, who saw Prabhat Road as of today? It is still green, still verdant, I still feel like I am home under the green canopy that shelters me the minute I enter any of its lanes. The trees hardly let any harsh sunlight in. What is filtered through is diffused greenish light, lots of shade and coolness. I swear the temperature drops at least 2’ as soon as I enter Prabhat Road. I admit my past visits have dismayed me, the rampant commercialization, the crowds, the hordes of people. Not what I remember, not what I am used to, not what I wanted to go back to. But I think I am making my peace with it. I found a wonderful new trail this time and I admit its super convenient to have the bakery, the medicine store, the laundry so close by. Especially convenient after the drive everywhere suburban lifestyle that I lead in the US. Of course my son will never play in Kamla Nehru Park like I used to in the morning, then there was no fighting for the swings or the slides. The old watchman will not come out to make sure we are not getting into mischief. The bhajiwali no longer recognizes me, my friendly neighborhood cobbler is gone. I don’t see the ricksaw wala who dropped me of to school, then Ferguson, then architecture college and then ‘sasari’. I am not sure if I would have been so sensitive to the changes that I see had I not moved away. I guess I am not sure if this the price that we pay for moving away or for growing up.

Two potraits

These are two attempts at potraits, one in pen and ink and one in acrylic. These were done a long time back, but finally thought about posting these.

Mother and child

Ganpati Inspiration

This year, I felt like I wanted to celebrate Ganpati by drawing an image of one. So here is what I came up with. Its not complete, but I wanted it to look festive, but at the same time, I love the austerity of stone idols. I tried to achieve a balance by keeping the idol gray, and the background, I colored in the very Indian tones of saffron and fuchsia. The two colors remind me of zendu (Marigold)flowers and gulal. I would never dare to wear those colors together, but they make me feel happy.

Art work

It seems to me this blog has a mind of its own. I started of thinking that it would be more or less about travel and food. But then politics took it over for a bit and now art will. Is this spontaneous morphing or is it just fickle old me?

Cooking for Mr. Latte

I just finished reading and rereading 'Cooking for Mr. Latte' by Amanda Hesser. A long time back, my friend A who also shares a similar appreciation for books about food, (not cookbooks really) had recommended this to me. But with the more pressing challenges of graduating on time, this sort of remained on the back burner. A few months back I came across it on the shelves of the public library and got it home. It was such a good read that it went straight to my birthday wish list and R bought it for me. I have always liked books where the narrative is interwoven with stories about food, houses - 'Under the Tuscan Sun' being a good example. This book follows a brief window in the author's life - her courtship with Mr. Latte and the role that food played in it from their first date to their marriage. I like the ease with which the author, (well she writes/ wrote about food for the New York times, so that would explain the ease) writes about her life, invites the reader to follow her experiences with her family and his, and the progress of their relationship, in all of which, food plays a part. In all it was a light, feel good read, for those times when you just need a break!