I started painting large faces on canvas a few years ago. They were borne as a response to a painting of a Theyyam dancer I had done as a gift for Good Homes Magazine. See the link here.

While doing research for that first painting I found that it takes the dancer many hours before he is ready. The dancer almost goes into a trance by the end of the entire ‘dressing up’ phase which includes 8-10 hours of face painting after which he dons the elaborate costume. By the end he is said to channel the divine within himself.

I got thinking and wanted to paint the face of the dancer when it was still just a man with a painted face and not anyone channeling divinity yet.

Which in turn led me to start painting faces where we use marks as masks. It does not matter whether the entire face is painted or there are some caste/religious marking – horizontal or vertical across the face/forehead. I find even make up is a mask of sorts…

This series is an effort to show the man behind the mask with all the fallibility and irreverence of man.

Do have a look at the progression video of this final painting. You can see additional work on my Instagram feed and my Youtube channel

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As a theme, Theyyam lends itself well to artistic interpretations. By it’s very nature, it brings forth goodwill to those in its presence and promises to ward off evil.

Theyyam is an artistic dance form where metaphysical thoughts and expressions of immortal souls are impersonated by a believer through a mortal body. Theyyam originated from “Kaliyattam” once practiced by the tribal community of north Kerala. Theyyam has grown to the present form through many transformations since it’s origin. Landlords and chieftains of those days are the main forces behind many of such transformations. The community and its body began to use this art to propagate the major theme of social enforcement. The artists are also encouraged by the authorities to introduce new themes into its traditional layers and classified different acts and expressions to match specific needs for their desire. The character representations were very broad. They range from mild to wild in representations.

Theyyam is a sect in which old heroes are sanctified and worshiped as the guardians of villages and homes. Yet, it includes a complex universe centred on the belief that a man can—after suitable mental, physical and spiritual preliminaries—don the costume of a particular deity and then become that deity. In this elevated state he assumes superhuman and divine powers—speaking, moving, blessing and even healing as a god or goddess. What is crucial is that the person is not possessed by the spirit of the deity. It’s important to understand that Theyyam has a larger purpose that goes beyond the territories of performance – to all those in attendance, it assures assistance and security during times of crisis, promising to resolve all their conflicts.

You can read about Theyyam here – http://theyyamat.blogspot.in/

My friend – Shreyans Jain

Shreyans Jain. Super achiever. Warm hearted. And really nice. I met Shreyans briefly in Kochi but that conversation over lunch at Pepper House was enough to show me insight into a young man who had a firm head on his shoulders and a very savy idea on how to make money and change some lives in the bargain. And I mean that in the nicest way.

I met Shreyans at the Beach House Project in march this year at an idyllic week long residency in Fort Kochi. You can read about that trip here. Late nights over good music and even better conversation can get people to bond pretty fast. And that is exactly what happened. Shreyans is next in my series of Effortless Friendships. Read on to find out more about him.

What did you study in college?

I did my Bachelors in Business Management (BBM) from Christ University, Bangalore.

How did the jump to designing events/experiences happen?

When Anto (my partner) and I began talking about the problems that the youth of our country were facing, as college students we realized that there was no one that took the largest demographic of our country seriously. We wanted to create something for the youth. A platform, a community and a congregation of young creative folks who could speak, showcase and even network.

What is your company called and why? How do you manage a crowd of youngsters so effortlessly?

Our company is called Under 25 and we are media and entertainment company for the youth and the young. We are also popular for organizing India’s largest youth festival, The Under 25 Summit.
Nothing about this was effortless, to be honest with you. It was four years of endless effort from us and our team who worked tirelessly to build the company, the festival and the philosophy of feeling Under 25 🙂

What are some of the challenges you face?

Getting brands/organisations to buy into our philosophy and supporting our endeavours has been slightly difficult. But over a period of time, that has gotten better too. We are also a bootstrapped company, which has its own challenges, but we like the advantages of that, so it works out ☺

How do you stay relevant and young in this fast paced/ ever changing world?

Firstly, since we are young, it works out in our favour. Also the average age of our company is 20. We want to continue maintaining that by consistently bringing young folks on board to run Under 25.

Could you share a typical work day with us? What is your process/thinking/philosophy?

No day is the same, which is the only way we’d have it. As a team we also spend a lot of time brainstorming about new ideas, new IPs and ways to increase efficiencies. Our philosophy is simple- run the business like a ‘dhandha’. A business that makes money in the present tense. All our creativity, our events and all efforts are still focused on running Under 25 like a ‘dhandha’.

What is the next step you see for your business? Expansion plans?

We want to become the go-to platform for all things youth around the country in the coming years. Everything from online content to offline experiences, we want to be the voice of everyone under the age of 25. More so, create all of this for this very demographic.

Favourite drink/ movie/book/go to place?

HUGE fan of organic teas. Love ‘Shantaram’. Social is my go-to place 🙂

Shreyans Jain

www.facebook.com/under25official
hello@under25club

Kathakali as Krishna

Many years ago I got a request from a fellow blogger asking permission to use an image of my first Kathakali painting on his blog with due credit to be given of course. I said ‘yes’.

Cut to the beginning of this year – that same gentleman wrote to me. He requested a painting for his new home. He wanted a painting depicting a Kathakali dancer as Krishna. And the painting needed to be ready in time for the house warming ceremony.

I was touched and humbled. I was also a tad bit daunted by the very specific list of what the client wanted. He was very specific about the pose the dancer had to be in, his dress, his headgear with peacock feathers etc. The difficulty arose from the fact that the amount of wall space available versus the final proportion of the painting incorporating all that he desired would not match. So I had to crop out the headgear and the peacock feathers from the final image composition. But I did find a way to incorporate it in the final canvas 🙂

This painting was a pleasure to paint. And that it went to someone who obviously loves the finished work and has given it pride of place in his house… I could not be happier.

Do have a look at the progression videos of both the final painting and one of just the face developing. These two videos along with many others are also up on my Instagram feed.

I leave you with images of the finished painting as it rests in his beautiful home.

Sadhu #7

I love painting faces. In the last few years I have painted portraits of my four legged friends as well as faces of the people that inhabit the dark recesses of my mind. Some are portraits of friends where I try and capture more than just a likeness to them physically and then others may have started with a photo reference but then the canvas quickly takes on a life of it’s own.

Over the next few posts I will share some work that has not yet been documented in the annals of this blog. Some will be videos and others just photographs. The right side on this blog has a categories drop down. Please do use it to access older work and videos.

I often get email asking if I can teach. I have not started that yet. Maybe someday. But until then I hope the albums on my Facebook page and the demo videos here on the blog and on my Youtube channel can help you. Do subscribe to the channel for updates on new videos. I am hoping that those interested will be able to find this helpful in some way.

This canvas is roughly 7′ x 2.5′ and is done in Acrylics on canvas.

My friend – Amit Bhardwaj

Amit Bhardwaj. Tenacious. Focused. In for the long haul. 6Degree. At one of our first conversations Amit and I got into a long drawn out argument on how to grow our businesses. Over the course of three nights and very vociferous conversations, we finally found an equilibrium. Amit is one of those rare souls who is willing to argue and discuss all aspects of a point of view before settling into a more comfortable well thought out stand.

I met Amit at the Beach House Project in march last month at an idyllic week long residency in Fort Kochi. You can read about that trip here. Late nights over good music and even better conversation can get people to bond pretty fast. And that is exactly what happened. Amit is next in my series of Effortless Friendships. Read on to find out more about him.

What did you study in college?

I did my MBA (Telecom) from Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management, Pune. I finished in MBA in 2008.

How did the jump to fashion happen?

We started 6Degree for the Music industry initially but there were lot of IP issues in this industry. Following advice from a few mentors we decided to explore the Fashion ecosystem. After a 3/4th survey and meeting a lot of fashion professionals, we decided to apply our 6Degree concept to the fashion industry. Since the fashion industry is very unstructured, the concept of bringing the ecosystem on a platform made perfect sense.

What is your company called and why?

My startup is called 6Degree. Six degrees of separation is the idea that all living things and everything else in the world is six or fewer steps away from each other so that a chain of “a friend of a friend” statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps. The idea behind naming our startup as 6Degree was because we want to connect the entire fashion ecosystem.

What are some of the challenges you face?

There were lot of challenges we faced in our initial phase, but I would like to mention few:
– Not being from the industry: It took us a lot of time to fully understand the industry and thus our time to market took a long time.
– Building trust: The fashion industry is very flexible & value driven and as we were very new to the fashion industry our prospective/new clients took a lot of time to trust us.
– Funding: As our concept was unique & there are very few companies like us in the world, it look time for investors to understand our business model & believe that it is an investment worthy startup.

Could you share a typical work day with us?

Well we are a very flexible startup which is driven by goals & values. This reflects in my typical work day. I generally reach office by 10AM & start with green tea and checking mails. Next thing I do is checking our previous day’s social media performance of our posts. Work continues till lunch. We generally have lunch together as a team & have a lot of laughs over it. Post lunch its a routine to have a 10 min walk to get fresh air. I close my day by 5:30/6 PM & take an Uber home 😊

What is your process/thinking/philosophy?

I am a free thinker who believe in equality for all. All my product thoughts are around usability & multi-operability.

What is the next step you see for your business? Expansion plans?

We plan to launch an app that will form the “digital backbone” of the entire fashion ecosystem. We also plan to build an international footprint. One line answer – “Be the Google of Fashion the Ecosystem”. Thus all of you looking for your fashion business – 6Degree is the answer.

Favorite drink/ movie/book/go to place?

Drink: Scotch
Movie: Invictus & The Terminal
Book: The Prodigal Daughter
Place: My village

Amit

amit@6degree.co
www.facebook.com/amit.bhj
www.twitter.com/bhardwajamit

My friend – Manas Kunder

Manas Kunder. Artist. Illustrator. Unassuming. Mad. On a Madtrip. Manas is that guy who I would be happy to spend hours discussing art and life with. Somehow everything about him is calm and non threatening. His art and way of thinking is so different from mine and yet… his sketch book gives me insight into a very complicated mind. And it is one I would love to unravel over a few drinks just talking and painting. This guy I wish lived closer…

I met Manas at Beach House Project in march last month at an idyllic week long residency in Fort Kochi. You can read about that trip here. One week together can get a bunch of people quite close quite fast. And that is exactly what happened.He is next in my series of Effortless Friendships. Read on to find out more about him.

What did you study in college?

I completed my B.F.A (bachelor of fine arts) from Rachna Sansad College of Applied Arts and Crafts. It was a four year course which took me five years to complete as I had flunked in the second year board. It did come as a big surprise as I had flunked in art rather than all the other boring things I’d studied, but it did give me a push to excel more and I passed out topping the university in the last year.

What made you pick art/ design?

I have been inclined towards art right from the earlier days of my childhood right from making my own paper toys to silver foil creatures. My grandma”s wall was all distorted and had paint chipped off, so when she would try to put me to sleep in the afternoons I would stare at the wall and form all kinds of different creatures in my head. Post college I spent five years in advertising and design, I figured my strength lies in creating funky illustrations and not being restricted by any brand. So I created my own brand called ‘Madtrip’. I also freelance as a designer, make murals and also recently started teaching part time in Pearl academy.

What made you expand?

My range of merchandise in ‘Madtrip” are limited to what I personally prefer or what I would like to get or buy as a consumer myself. For instance the reason I started designing sleeping masks was cause I love sleeping and I mostly end up sleeping in the day. In the start I got lot of doubtful questions from people around me as to whether it would sell or not but I was quite confident with the concepts that I had in mind and it worked out great.

What is your company called and why?

Well my company was initially called “Manimal” but then I saw that there was an existing clothing brand called Manimal so I asked the people on my Fb group at that time to suggest names and finalized on Madtrip which was suggested by a close friend and it fit in perfectly.

Could you share a typical work day with us?

Well I don’t have a fixed routine, but during tight deadlines I would wake up at eleven and have a good breakfast with a cup of coffee. Then start doing some research on my topic with some rough sketches. Eat food at three and start my main work by seven thirty and go on till late at night.
My work schedule also ends up getting split between designing or printing orders from amazon for Madtrip and my freelance designing.

What is your design process/thinking/philosophy?

Well I still have so much to learn, but as of now I feel it’s a balance between creating certain designs that are more abstract and personal to art which is more relevant to the people. When it comes to designing or creating illustrations for a Madtrip product, I wouldn’t invest time in it unless the concept moves me and I can visualize it being something that’s not been seen before.

What sets your work apart from another designer?

That would be my style of art and a certain sense humor that I assume I have 😛

What are some of the hurdles you face as a young business?

Keeping a balance between management work and designing. Also a balance between my personal and professional life. I’m still in search for the right market place for my original designs.

What is the next step you see for your business? Expansion plans?

Well a website is on top of the priority list. More outlets to circulate my merchandise and get some one to manage my online marketplaces. Planning to test my designs in the US by the end of this year.

Favourite drink/ movie/book/go to place?

Drink – Lemon Barley in the summer and Old Monk in winter.
Movie -I love watching Japanese animi movies its super inspirational.
Go to place – It would be on the Docks of Versova where you can take your own bottle of alco and get fresh fish to eat by the sea.

Manas

www.instagram.com/madtrip/
www.facebook.com/madtripin/
www.behance.net/madtrip
www.amazon.in/s/ref=sr_pg_1?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Amadtrip&keywords=madtrip&ie=UTF8&qid=1492423240

My friend – Rishi Kartik

Rishi Kartik. Quiet. Unassuming. Wild card! Musician and Film Maker. My introduction to Rishi was unassuming and of no seeming significance. He came across as a young man still trying to find himself. Till the introductions happened. And he told us of his history. That first evening with all of us sitting together late into the night really brought out his personality to the fore. And may I say he is one WILD card. But absolutely adorable and charming. That is one lethal combination. Oh! and he termed the phrase “Best Mom Ever” for me. The reason that came about may not be appropriate to share so publicly but suffice it to say. He thinks and my kids just have it made with such a cool mom who is a little unaware shall we say…? 😉

I met Rishi at the Beach House Project in march last month at an idyllic week long residency in Fort Kochi. You can read about that trip here. Late nights over good music and even better conversation can get people to bond pretty fast. And that is exactly what happened. Rishi is next in my series of Effortless Friendships. Read on to find out more about him.

What did you study in college?

I did my graduation in Computer Applications but I finished my Masters of Mass Communications from Symbiosis Pune.

What made you pick music and film making?

Music has been an inherent thing since our childhood. I’ve grown up listening to Vividh Bharti as well as the Cassette and CD’s phase. My brother and I used to perform locally at a Kids Garba (EDM for Gujarati’s) and that’s where my love for Beats and Performance started. As I grew, my voice started to change and I couldn’t sing anymore, but it just opened up another window of possibilities. I use to fidget around with DigiCams around 10 years back and I made some films and even a sent off video dedicated to my brother. I loved how 2 different pieces of audio and video came together and evoked an emotional response. It was power of an unprecedented kind uncovered by him. I listen to a lot of western classical music and imagine epic war sequences, even now. This is where it comes from. To be able to manipulate people’s emotions, that’s the best part of it.

What are Bombay cab sessions (BCS)?

In one line.’ It’s a Music Series inside a cab, shot live with one take’. In the current scenario where technology has overtaken a lot of the aspects of Music Making, I am willing to go a bit old school in terms of making the music. Music doesn’t need a confined space. It can come from anywhere. And the main reason is to support Independent Music. We use to have an era in 90’s where a lot of artists came out of the independent music scene. That got completely diluted and it’s almost dead for a decade now. I want to bring the Era of Pop Culture back.
At BCS, we want to break these barriers and bring out these artists on a much bigger platform. And it’s the one chance, one take which is all it takes. The artist and their creation are the core of every episode. It not only gives them a chance to showcase the song but also to talk about the story behind it.

How did the idea come about??

Like how all good things happen post 12 am, this one happened in a pretty similar fashion. More than the idea what fascinated me was the possibility of being able to achieve a product of a decent kind without big moolah. We experimented with the Bombay Taxi, but couldn’t fit more than 2 people with a guitar and the noise factor of the car. So we tried a couple of iterations before we found the best possible way to shoot and record the audio and video live.

Could you share a typical work day with us?

Generally I try to finish all mundane tasks and the tasks which will keep me outside by sunset. I prefer to work at night. It’s much peaceful, lesser distractions and I have found a sweet spot after many years of permutations and combinations. Whether it’s writing or editing any video, I find the night to be extremely important. I make sure to watch at least one film everyday. It’s an exercise I’ve put myself through to make it a habit.

What is your process/thinking/philosophy?

Every project is a different challenge and has different approaches. I tend to get involved in all the departments. More than involvement is the curiosity to know more. I used to get carried away by success and the failures would make me go crazy and have sleepless nights. This is something I still have to adapt myself to and find a middle road.

What sets your work apart from another musician/film maker?

I feel as a film maker I’ve the power to manipulate emotions and people around me. I want to be remembered for those 2 lines or 3 words which will leave an impact for a long time to come and that is what makes sets me apart.

What are some of the hurdles you face as a young business?

Being taken seriously was my first hurdle, I founded Noah Productions to start Bombay Cab Sessions as my first independent project as a producer at the age of 24. So to start from there, it has taken a lot of patience and time to be given an equal platform.
I also feel that in this day and age when things happen at such speeds, our system and the people running those systems need to upgrade. Solutions do not get implemented even with the right resources.

What is the next step you see for your business? Expansion plans?

The immediate plan is to bring the Cab Sessions Part 2 which will feature 10 artists from all over India. I also want to start a platform to create very short format content. I am also in the process of writing an Independent Feature and directing it by the end of the year.
I would love to get into producing features and web-series as well.

Favourite drink/ movie/book/go to place?

Drink: Thums Up.
Movie: The Secret of Kells
Go to Place : Goa

Rishi Kartik

www.facebook.com/rishikartikk
twitter.com/rishikartik
www.facebook.com/baycabsessions
www.youtube.com/channel/UCq13aVOZ5i0f6YEjkvFnWBw
www.instagram.com/rishikartik/
rishi@noahproductions.in

My friend – Cheelu Chandran

Cheelu Chandran. Resilient. We have all heard of that person who gets knocked down by life a million times and then gets up a million and one times… Cheelu is that person. This is going to be a short personal introduction because I am genuinely at a loss for words. She had a huge impact on me for very personal reasons. Made me realize that there is nothing that one cannot over come. One just has to want to! Read on and you will know at least a little bit of why I say this.

I met Cheelu at the Beach House Project in march last month at an idyllic week long residency in Fort Kochi. You can read about that trip here. One week together can get a bunch of people quite close quite fast. And that is exactly what happened. Cheelu is a huge follower of the Ketogenic diet and I got to re-learn a few principals of how to treat my body. She is next in my series of Effortless Friendships. Read on to find out more about her.

What did you study in college?

I majored in Psychology, Journalism and Literature. I later did my P.G diploma in Psychotherapy and Counseling

What made you choose therapy?

One of the reasons I chose to major in the subjects that I did because I liked the combination and there was only one college that gave this option. Apart from that, I was interested in all three. In my later years, I came across far too many life challenges which made me re think a lot of things and reassess my life. I began to research as a part of my own soul’s journey, the nature of human behavior. The more I researched, the more I delved into my own pain to make sense of all the things that had happened and were happening in my life. As I dug deeper and got more intimate with my feelings, a whole new world started to unravel and I wanted to reach out and help as many people as I could to tell them that there was a way out and there was someone here to reach out to and someone who understands. This was something that I didn’t have in my own life. All my learning was through intense self-discovery. I learnt that often in our lives, we are at what I call a V junction. One goes down to the Victim road and the other, the Victor road. There is no right or wrong road. It is just what we choose. I often say to my clients, “since we are still alive, why not give joy and triumph a try. If it doesn’t work there is always our
default mechanism to fall back on”

What is DeBox?

DeBox is a philosophy, a concept I created to break the boxes of conditioning that we all live with. The rules of black Vs white, right Vs wrong, good Vs bad can Vs cannot, must not, should not have left us rooted in fear and limitations of what we are capable of. In other words, DeBox helps you dig in, break boundaries and puts you on the road to optimum holistic wellness and harmony. This is done through workshops, one on one counselling, healing through sound and a proper food plan The three-pronged strategy is Think out of the box; Live out of the box; Destroy the box. DeBox. It was conceived in one corner of my bed in 2014 when I was recovering from a sudden paralytic attack I had in 2013.

DeBox is about holistic wellness to take you from a space of merely existing to living a full life. To take you from a fearful existence to a love filled life; from limited thinking to an abundance mind-set. This is done through using very simple and easy to do process. Every process contained in the DeBox program has evolved from within me from doing 20 years of research and soul searching on emotions and behavior and something I have personally tried and tested on me. That’s how I know for sure that it works.

Why a Ketogenic Diet?

After my paralytic attack in 2013, I was under heavy medication, from steroids to sleeping pills and everything between. Add to it the enormous insecurity that I faced because of loss of balance as only my left side was working. Everything suddenly became unfamiliar and most of what and who I knew, disintegrated into unfamiliarity. As a result, I turned heavily to food as a source of comfort mostly because the medications made me extremely hungry. I gained enormous amounts of weight. It took me three years to gauge the amount of weight gain and more than that to accept it and still love myself because being fit is of prime importance to me. Even though my wardrobe had shrunk to a few clothes that fit, I was in denial up until December 2016. That changed when I went in to hospital for a dental surgery and I stood on the weighing scale. The reality hit me like a bolt of lightning. Up until then I had tried almost every diet under the sun and I had imagined that they were working. Keto was almost like a Divine message that I received. I was angry and desperate when it came like a flash from a conversation I had had with someone in the recent past. That was it. I did my research and it made a lot of sense. I have been on it since January 2017 and the results are starting to show, slowly but surely. Most importantly I am feeling healthy and haven’t fallen ill since I started. I used to be down with a fever almost every month since 2013. Whenever someone asks me how I am, this is the first time I am saying that I am very well.

Could you share a typical work day with us?

My single workday involves multiple things. It is an amalgamation of clients for one on one counseling and/or sound healing, creating keto recipes, researching on how to use sound as a powerful healing modality. I am also doing my Shamanic and Angel therapy studies.

What is your process/thinking/philosophy?

My process: if I can a make a difference to one person I am one step closer to my life mission.
My thinking: each one of us is already infinitely wise and immensely capable of achieving whatever we set our minds to. Everything is just buried under piles of conditioning and boxes.
My philosophy: each one of us is born to thrive, not just survive. Our default mechanism ought to be joy, peace and love.
My motto: at least one of them: If I can so can you

What sets your work apart from another?

All the life skills I impart in my workshops and one on ones are something that I have developed during my twenty years of life challenges and research. In that sense, they are original ideas. What further sets me apart is that I have tried and tested all my processes on myself. I have lived and continue to live with what I teach. I also take the emotional roller coaster ride along with my clients and feel their pain. Thus, it makes me more empathetic. I do not dish out advice and I do not quote from psychology books. I help you build bridges, based on your unique life experience and inculcate self-love. Therefore, there are different processes for different people.

What are some of the hurdles you face as a business?

More recognition of what I am doing, more collaborations for where I want to take this. Right now, I am single-handedly managing everything. I have had team members who joined of their own volition and left of their own accord.

What is the next step you see for your business? Expansion plans?

Forming collaborations and teams to look after various areas of the business. A chef, a musician and a work space.
Step 1: to open a sound healing center and a keto café preferably in Goa.
Step 2: to make DeBox global as a premier holistic wellness center
Step 3: to be the next Louise Hay, from India to the world

Favourite drink/ movie/book/go to place?

Favorite drink: coffee with cream
Favorite movie: I cannot name one. I love horror, true stories and court room drama
Favorite book: again, I have several that I love, apart from the ones that I will and am writing
Favorite go to place: Starbucks, my home and kitchen

Cheelu Chandran

www.instagram.com/cheelu.debox/
www.facebook.com/cheeludebox/
www.facebook.com/cheeluchandran/
www.facebook.com/groups/1409567432411440/
www.facebook.com/groups/1917816055171310/
www.facebook.com/groups/427152144301381/

My friend – Jaytirth Ahya

My friend – Tanya Gupta

Theyyam #4

My friend – Shreyans Jain

Kathakali as Krishna

Sadhu #7

My friend – Amit Bhardwaj

My friend – Manas Kunder

My friend – Rishi Kartik

My friend – Cheelu Chandran