The Small Town Crafter

Everywhere , especially in the older parts of Calcutta (now called Kolkata), there seems to be a shot waiting to be captured. The monumental architecture catches the eye, sometimes the people. Although time consuming and many times cumbersome, when sketching I perceive better. Calcutta offered many such opportunities, and I took them, on my recent trip to India. I wonder if the B/W version of the sketch is better ? This stunning erstwhile zamindar home was the subject one winter morning. I was out on a walk to the older parts of Calcutta with my brother. This home stood out among the crumbling mansions that surrounded it. The burly looking security men outside kindly let me in, after I showed them my sketchbook. The Indian Thinking Man  Sitting next to the 'Indian Thinking man', I tried to do the massive courtyard some justice. Unlike Atlas, the thinking man of the Western world, this Eastern version had a rotund middle section, long hair and somber express...

I hope Tagore dosen't sue me for using his movie namesake as a title for a blog post ,only a handful will see. I like my home in Kolkata a lot. And not just for the obvious reason, but also because homes like this are hard to find. Even in a city like Calcutta. The mosaic tiles laid out in the balcony is my favourite. The powder blue wrought iron jalli (on the right) is the same as I always remember. The windows on the left have wooden shutters. The same kind that all old buildings in Kolkata have, keeps the sun out and helps circulation of air. Lots of happy memories on this terrace. Not just for me, but for everyone who has ever spent time in this house, since my grandparents' time. Dinners, birthday parties, Diwali celebrations, wedding (including mine). Sometimes, the terrace is eerily quiet. Like the day that I sketched it. There is always some kind of ambient noises like bird cries, traffic sounds and the muezzin calling out the faithful. But ever so rare...