Some of the pictures from my latest work, a book on the history of women’s movement for rural and semi urban readers. The narrative evolves around 7 women who meet and talk about different concepts, life and what it is like to be a woman in today’s India.

The book is scattered with debates, songs and poems.

I found the text quite bold and rather well written. There are references to Mira, Sita… debates about the ‘nobility’ of Ram who stood by as his wife had to undergo a trial by fire.

These 3 illustrations are some of the final options I arrived at for some text on patriarchy. The client and I had a hard time getting this one right. The concept of patriarchy is more easily explained with words, putting it down into a defined visual proved not very easy. Especially because pictures can be interpreted in so many ways… but then that’s what is rather magical about visual language I suppose.

A few of the motifs and borders that will be scattered around in the book.

This is the first of 4 books. And it is exciting to be part of something that you know will lend to some change however small, but significant nevertheless.

Shami wrote the story.

The books talk about several issues; based on a play format, and the audiences range from rural to semi-urban to urban. The books will be published in both Gujarati and HIndi and the attempt is to try and not resort to any stereotypes, keeping the characters generic.

Its been fun evolving these characters. These women meet and talk about their lives, societal norms, patriarchy and some the arguments presented in the book had me sit up!

For instance, in one segment, the women are talking about Ram, Ram is historically presented as the ideal man who was always righteous. The women question how he could have subjected Sita to the trial by fire? They say that if Ram was all that righteous he should have gone away with Sita, when her chastity was questioned, he should have forsaken his kingdom, as she had done when he was sent into exile. That was the right thing to do.

There can be several counters to this… but the idea somehow seems so simple and logical. I like the fact that the writer of the book has presented interesting and even somewhat radical ideas like this… it heartens me further that somewhere, there will be this woman, or women who will read this text and choose to look at their lives differently.

I am so happy to invite you to my first solo exhibition, hosted by the Alliance Francaise de Bangalore from the 23rd to the 25th October. Do come by and take a look at my work.

My toes touch the sky, the wind plays with my hair,

Three little sparrows say I could almost fly.

3 feet by 2.5 feet

Acrylic on Canvas

3 feet by 3 feet

Acrylic on Canvas

Detail

Cover Page:

Some of the illustrations:

Trees as pink as candies. Clear blue skies and big orange flowers stretching as far as I can see. Playing truant from school to stand and stare at a blackbird in the tree.

Acrylic on Canvas

30″ by 30″

Detail.

The house rules:
* Each person tagged has to write random facts/habits about themselves.
* Those that are tagged will have to write a post on their own blog (about their twelve things)
* At the end of your blog, you need to choose two other people to get tagged and list their names.
* Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

My 12 random thingummies:
1. Unless all the furniture, stationary, stuff, cushions, dabbas, randomness are not arranged in neat right angles, I get ulcers.
2. I love making extensive to-do lists and ticking off things I have done with a fat, black pen.
3. I am obssesed with my hair/or lack of it
4. I go crazy in food stores, I love buying tons and tons of food and stocking my fridge. I have a huge fridge which I paid big bucks for just to do this.
5. I secretly think that I must have been an Egyptian in my past life. I am deeply fascinated by the pyramids.
6. I have 6 lovely saris hanging untouched in my cupboard. I take them out, look at them and put them back.
7. I was always cast as a boy in all my school plays. I had a ‘boy-cut’ till I was in 9th standard.
8. I am deeply terrified of horror films and spiders. I will not watch Arachnephobia even if I was paid gazillions (of euros).
9. Every single time I order a fruit juice… it has to be Mosambi juice.
10. I have always wanted to learn to bake. A quasi Vianne Rocher (Juliet Binoche in Chocolat) of sorts. A french accent would also be nice.
11. I am crazy about freshly, brewed filter coffee. I drink upto 3 cups a day.
12. My dream is to have a house with a shingle roof, vegetable garden with a wide, comfy jhoola.

So these were my 12 random things. I now tag Shami and Shreyas.

36″ by 36″, Acrylic on canvas.