A big thank you to Priyanka Haldipur for  very kind words on my work. You can read the article here.

Just to let you all know… The Delhi Twestival was able to raise 50,000 INR from the sale of my Ganapati paintings. Although Protsahan is still to receive the money…I have no doubt it will eventually get there. As per my understanding, three of the paintings were bought by the Madhya Pradesh Emporium and one by a private buyer.

Thank you

Since the funds raised will be used for the education of 59 girls from various streets and slums….this seemed an appropriate image!

Please do follow all the good work they do at:

Details : http://www.protsahanindiafoundation.org/
Twitter : @NGOProtsahan
Facebook : Protsahan

This is what I have been working on the past few weeks…

Thats my friend Rakesh Shukla for you.

Jokes aside, he is one of the most ardent dog lovers that you can find. Between his office and home, he has 10 dogs. Only two are pure bred, the rest are strays. He also looks after about a dozen stray dogs in our locality. He feeds them and takes care of their medical needs too. All of them have been spayed / neutered at his expense.  And he lives in hope that they can find a loving home. And if they don’t, then as he says- ’Main hoon na’.

However, lest you think he is a saint…He has a real foul mouth on him sometimes and believes everyone is guilty until they can be proven innocent!! Which of course makes for ear reddening comments from time to time. The thought blurbs illustrate those The dog tags depicted read- ” Bad to the Bone” which he says he is and “TWB“- the company he co-founded and runs.

I once asked him how he manages to control all the dogs… and he answered “They know who’s the Alpha Dog ” !!

Oh! I almost forgot to mention….he is an artist himself. There are many ways to paint a portrait of a person. And I have painted a traditional one of him before. You can see it here. But, I think this one is more him. It kind of better captures the essence of him. I sure hope he agrees otherwise I am going to have a mighty offended friend on my hands!!!!

My work made it to the LIFW 2010 runway.

This is in my studio right now.

Deepika got in touch with me during my last exhibition and picked up two Ganapati thalis then. She wanted more!  And I had the pleasure of making two custom Ganapati thalis for her.  She was kind enough to send me pictures of them in her home

Hi Everyone,

You all know that I love to paint. I have also been extremely lucky in the support that I have received from all of you. And I shouldn’t really ask for more. But, I am going to. Help me. I need you to buy four of my Ganapati paintings. They are done in acrylics on canvas and have painstakingly been studded with tiny sequins for his jewellery. It was agonizingly slow work. In fact these four paintings are what started my journey two years ago- the kitsch, the bright colours, all of it started with these four paintings. All four have been framed in brocade and distressed gold frames. Ganapati is auspicious, he helps start new things, he wards of evil and he brings good luck. I have seen his magic first hand. Please help me spread some of that magic to children who truly deserve it. The paintings are being auctioned with a reserve price of INR 10,000 each.

All the proceeds from the sale of these paintings will go to Protsahan.. 100%. I promise you that!

These paintings are being sold through the Delhi Twestival.

Here is a little write up that they sent to me…

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You must be wondering what’s Twestival?
We use Twitter /Social Media to interact,and converse.People like us utilised the power of Twitter,and used the medium to generate funds for an NGO and support a cause,and thus was born ‘TWESTIVAL’

I’m adding a link to help you know better about the origin of twestival.

SUPPORTING CAUSE: We’re supporting NGO Protsahan
(Last year,because it was Twestival Global – Each and every chapter supported CONCERN Worldwide,and as it’s Twestival Local this time,we’re supporting a Local NGO which is actually good,as we can see the convertibles and solid impact ourselves,which we will hopefully be able to create)

Details : http://www.protsahanindiafoundation.org/
Twitter : @NGOProtsahan
Facebook : Protsahan

Fund-Raising/Cashflow : All the money received under Sponsorship,will be categorically transferred to NGO Protsahan foundation,as we’re not charging anything from the Audience,Chunk of Fund-raising is from the Supporters(Minus the Organisational Costs)

How Can You Help?
Sponsorship/Donation – There is an excellent ROI on investing in Delhi-Twestival (Explained via links in Media Section. We’ve started receiving help from some of our friends in kind,but we are in urgent need of cash to set things rolling.

Involving your Company/Business/Brand – Does your company have a social-media presence in Delhi? If not,propose them to be involved with Delhi-Twestival,so as to help them bond with the Delhi Community

Build the Community – Please support us,by following our Twitter handle,and encouraging others to do the same http://twitter.com/DelTwestival

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Do come ahead/ share it across your facebook walls…someone might just come ahead. The funds raised will be used for the education of 59 girls from streets and slums. They’ll be used for transforming lives. Help me help them For more, call at +91-9540781011 (it’s a Delhi number).

It took a lot of time and effort to do these two trunks. But it was well worth it in the end. They are painted a dull gold on the inside and are absolutely divine. Even if I say so myself
Here are some in- progress shots.