As I mentioned in my post here, I am currently working on a collection to benefit the stray dog. I am happy  to say it is well underway and am working on it quite furiously.  More on that in the next few posts.

For right now, many of you have written in to ask me why dogs? I say why not?

I love dogs, I’ve grown up around them, they were always part of family…

This is me years ago in Wellington with my father and Choti, an adorable black Labrador

Choti and me again!

This is my Rana, a golden Labrador when he first came home to us

And then he grew and he grew and he grew…..!!

My father with Rana

My brother, mum and I with Rana

After Rana we were too heart broken to keep another dog. But, fate had something else in store for us. My parents and I had the absolute joy of having Natasha or Tasha( as she was called) with us for two years. Her original family were posted to Russia and she would never have survived quarantine for two months. So we dog sat her She was an absolute doll, a gorgeous golden Labrador again. It was heart breaking to give her back to her original family but I wouldn’t trade those two years for anything. Sadly I can’t find pictures of her. Will update as and when I do.

My kids are at that age where they are now demanding a dog. And I am finding ways not to get one. Mind you, I am fast losing that battle. But, with our current situation and living in a flat, with two VERY active kids, a husband who travels…. very hard to do.

Meera, my daughter with Jackie

Mansher, my son with Chintu - a stray. This was a case of love at first sight

There are gods and then there are gods. In India, we have them in all shapes, sizes and denominations. This kettle is dedicated to some of the ‘Gods of Cricket‘ down the ages- Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, M.S Dhoni and the one and only Sachin Tendulkar.

To cricket and it’s many big and small gods – We love them, we hate them, we love to hate them….but as a nation we can’t seem to live without them.

We all have them. Those fears that don’t let us sleep. The demons that show are frailty, our vulnerability. It makes us human.

Superstars have them too!! Both Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan have spoken of their fear of anonymity publicly.  Mr. Bachchan on ‘Rendezvous with Simi Grewal’ and ShahRuhk on a mini series on his life (I forget which channel it aired on now )

I hope this new year brings love, laughter and resilience in all our lives. I hope it allows you, my readers and me to embrace the future without fear.

Happy New Year everyone!!

And to both the Shahenshah and  the Baadshah of Bollywood – I wish you both more success and more fame. May you both never have to fade away into obscurity.

I love writing.

Little thoughts that enter my mind- ideas, possibilities, dreams, desires, hopes… I have been documenting those random thoughts over the last couple of years on little bits of paper, on the margins of writing pads and so on. Some I posted as notes on Facebook. But, there were still others that I did not post anywhere.

Then, I created a page here on my blog and started putting them down. The section was password protected for a while. I just changed the visibility setting…

You can read it here.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the same. I hope my words strike a chord in your heart / mind.

I also love dogs, actually animals. And predictably, growing up I wanted to be a zoo keeper or a dog doctor
I am currently working on a project to help generate funds for an organization that will spay and neuter stray dogs.  More on that later. The following are two articles I wrote on strays.

…every life has value

Bite- Fight- and Property right.

I spent a wonderful morning the other day just getting my hands dirty. Enough talking and sitting on my behind. I decided to practice what I preach. So I wrote a mail to theuglyindian@gmail.com and asked to volunteer for a spot fix. They wrote to me and gave me a date. I had to show up with 200 INR, an open mind and the right attitude.

Got to the designated area at 7:30 Am and was done by 10:30 Am. Not as dirty as I thought I would be and a whole lot calmer than I expected to be. Boy, was I happy. It was solitary in spite of company and very cathartic- almost therapeutic.

Their motto is ‘ Kaam Chalu Mooh Bandh‘. Which translated means ‘ Work and keep your mouth shut”

I highly recommend the experience. If you are in Bangalore and want to volunteer…just write in to them at theuglyindian@gmail.com
Some pictures- before and after. What a transformation!!

You can view their work here – www.theuglyindian.com
On Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ugly-Indian/123459791046618

Update- The Ugly Indian featured in New York Times! How about that

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/18/are-we-all-ugly-indians/

p.s- That is me in the green kurta. My favourite one. It’s now officially my painting smock

p.p.s- I have been writing for a while now…do check out the thoughts section. The link is on the main menu up top.

It’s wonderful to see so much that is ‘ Hand Made’ again.

The other day sitting at home with my husband, I was feeling a little unfulfilled and dissatisfied with life, when there was actually no reason to be. We got to talking about what makes us content as human beings. The answer was actually very simple. Working with our hands! For both of us, the tactile is very important.

We are cerebral souls with a  lifetime of working spent on that aspect of living. But, ever so often we both need to create something that not only fulfills the soul, nurtures the intellect but also lets one ‘touch’. My painting/art gives me all of that. The reason I felt low and lost was because I had not painted in a while… I am happy to say- I have rectified the situation!!

This month, my work got featured in the India Today Magazine supplement called ‘Home’. It’s a feature that celebrates everything Handmade

You can read the article here.

I also want to share with you a wonderful interactive poster by Roland Tiangco.

While removing the poster from it’s envelope, you can’t help but get your hands dirty. The back of the page is covered in ink As the unfolded poster is felt, touched, handled, the text becomes visible: “The future belongs to the few of us still willing to get our hands dirty.”

Brilliantly done.

Simple, yet effective.

I also don’t want to give you the impression that only creating a tactile object of some kind will give me/you that satisfied/ fulfilled feeling. It’s I think, the willingness to put yourself out there, in thought, word and deed. On that note I want to leave you with two more links on what some friends are doing to highlight issues they feel strongly about.

- www.theuglyindian.com
On Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ugly-Indian/123459791046618

- www.strays.in 
On Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/strays.in

 Both are completely voluntary in nature. They are willing to get their hands dirty ( quite literally) for a cause they believe in. 

Are you?

A very big thank you to Rekha Nambiar, Anjali and Aparna for the delightful spread on my work. I am indeed grateful for the chance to be able to speak at length about my inspiration and thought.

See the interactive version here  ( pages 162-171)

I would like to thank the team at ‘What*s up Banglore’ for featuring my work, always a pleasure.

How cool is that?!!

Kehte hain- Daane daane par likha hain khaane wale ka naam. ( It is said- Every morsel has the name of the person who is going to eat it, inscribed on it).
My husband now says- Har ketli par likha hain paane wale ka naam. ( Every kettle already has a patron somewhere in this world).

Oh! and both the kettle and I made it to the pages of Deccan Chronicle on 21st Aug 2011.

 

I started this kettle on Thursday, it was ready by Friday, got lacquered Saturday morning and went to Freedom park Saturday afternoon. And on Sunday it was with Anna!!