Pictures and words

Today I want to write briefly about my late grandfather, S. K. Prabhakar, as I have come to know him. Daddy, as all of us called him, was the most well-read and upright member of the family. I could not spend much time with him, at least from what I can recall. When he died in 2001, I was only 7 years old. I have a very sketchy memory of him. He was an army man. After his retirement from the services, he started learning homoeopathy on his own. Everybody, especially my grandmom, tells me that he was like me. Earlier, I couldn't understand why they said so. I was too young to comprehend. I actually got to know and understand him better after his death, when I was given access to his room. His room was a treasure chamber. It had a lot of books, mostly on Homoeopathy, Stock market and Self-help. The latter was something I was most interested in. The self-help section had all the bestsellers of his time. So, later on, whenever I would visit my grandmom, the first thing I'd...

Today I met Daulat Jha. Iih had been telling me about someone who became 'Ghajini' (an Indian adaptation of the movie Memento). Iih is a person who'd always make serious stuff sound light. I'll tell you about him later. So, I reached the theater during a practice session in Teku, a place in Kathmandu valley, while Iih waited for me outside. We climb up the building to reach an in-construction theater where some artists were practising. That's when I saw Mr. Jha for the first time. I said a nonchalant 'Hi' and sat next to Iih, keeping him in the middle. In a while Iih asked me to sit next to him and talk, if I wanted to. I shook hands with him and introduced myself. He then told me his name in a much distorted voice. It took me some time to get used to his voice. When he asked me where I lived, I told him I was staying in Patan. As soon as I told him about myself, he took out his phone and started noting my name, and asked me for its spelling. Then he sta...

Lucky 'the magician' AKA Jadoogar Abhay Samrat has gained some weight and his voice is now heavier. He is more confident now. I met him last in 2015 during a village annual fair in the village of Dhrang. You can read that 2015 post  here . It was again a sudden plan to go to Dhrang. Satish and I rode his bike through the scenic Kutch. The village organises a big fair every MahaShivratri in February. The fair, also called the 'mela' was exactly the same, the stalls were similar, the swings were in the same position as three years back. This time the kids-jumping-pneumatic-structure had mickey mouse's photos instead of bikini photos of actresses I was privileged to witness in 2015. Inflatable thing. Crossing through the swarms of people and many plastic-made-in-china-junk stalls, I wondered what has happened to the country, this was one of the most remote mela I had been to where only locals visit. Still all the stalls are filled with cheap picture fram...

Sharing with you some complete, some incomplete sketches from my travel sketchbooks made quickly-on-spot over the years. With the sketches, there are interesting things you can also do when you are around. Would love to know your opinions and comments. Enjoy! 1. Enjoy the M.F Hussain's paintings in B.V Doshi's design at Amdavad ni gufa in Ahmedabad  2.  Absorb the serenity and Gandhi's simplicity in Sabarmati Ashram 's courtyards in Ahmedabad. 3. Trekk to the hidden '7 domed building' in Pawagarh  near Baroda. 4. Rest at the oldest Dharamshala lodge in Bet Dwarka .  8. Eat garma garam maggie in the chilling rain at 'no name cafe' in Mcleodganj.  9. Listen to the Arzan sitting in the tal taliya mandir at the Ghat of Upper lake in Bhopal.  10. Learn to weave in Bhujodi village in Kutch.  11. Climb to the big bell in Prag mehal, Bhuj. 12. Experience the amazing composition of natural architectur...

On a recent exploration in a village in Kutch for a project, I came across an old house with the surname of the owner carved over its main door. What was interesting was the name of the Artisan who built the house was carved above the name of the owners. This is the respect that was given to the building artisans. The person showing us around mentioned that the artisan who built the house was his great grand uncle.

A fellow door lover, Ricky Gui's work 'Singapore Hidden Door' is very inspiring. What is amazing is that it captures whooping 600 doors hidden in the backyards, alleys and forgotten corners of the country. I remember when 'The Doors of Kathmandu' got Published on Archdaily, the first link in the suggestions was the 'Singapore Hidden Door' series. "Behind every 'Hidden Door' lurks possibility of past tales of childhood, romance and history." writes Ricky on his Blogpost . This sentence captures the beauty of his work perfectly. It's appreciable how he worked for one year to complete the series. Check out his entire blog here. This series reminded me of my own adventures in the bylanes of Chinatown and Little India in Singapore. That was my first international trip and it was wonderful exploring a new country. Adding a few photos below.