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Straight from my Art – Workshop 14 – The Hummingbird
While browsing through Pinterest, I found this beautiful hummingbird zentangle that I instantly wanted to attempt. I even sketched it out months ago but real life intervened and this stayed on the back burner for a while. Meanwhile my sisters managed to attempt it and had already posted their designs…
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When I Wrote Letters to Appa
Today is Appa’s 85th birth anniversary. Thirteen years ago, he left us after a valiant battle with cancer. Towards the end of that same year, I began to put my thoughts around this phase of his life in the form of a book. It was very painful to write but…
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Straight From My Art – Workshop 13 – Mango Mandala
I came across this mandala design on Instagram and fell in love with the intricate patterns. My sisters loved it too and we all decided to attempt it in our own time and pace. I started off with a sketch of the basic mandala structure: I then decided to directly…
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What I Learnt From Amma
Those who know me or have been reading my blog posts about Appa know I place him on a pedestal and credit him for the person I am today. When you have such a larger-than-life personality for a father, it also tends to cloud other memories, however significant they may…
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When Love Came in a Green Bucket
When I was born in the 70s, my grandmother whom we affectionately addressed as “Andhamai” came to live with us in Bombay to support my parents. With the addition of me in the family, we were a total of five siblings and my parents I’m sure were grateful for the…
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Straight From My Art – Workshop 12 – Dancing Lady Mandala
A little late for the time of the year this usually falls in, but we came across this wonderful representation of a lady dressed up in traditional ghaghra-choli garb, dandiya in her hands, ready to dance with a group of friends and family during the nine-day period of Navratri which…
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Straight From My Art – Workshop 11 – Diwali Rangoli
This one was a couple of months ago around Diwali season. I found this beautiful semi-circular Rangoli design on Pinterest and wanted to try reproducing that on paper for a change. We all are adept at drawing Rangoli designs, a legacy and tradition that we carry from our earliest recollections…
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A Year of Firsts
2020 was a year we all spent thinking about the last time we did something that we had taken for granted in our day-to-day lives. When was the last time we travelled? The last time we went to a restaurant? The last time we threw a party? The last time…
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Straight From My Art – Workshop 10 – Floral Mandala
The festival of Onam in the Indian state of Kerala is celebrated with great pomp and splendour. Among the many events planned to welcome the spirit of the ancient King Maveli, floral patterns called “pookalam” adorn the entrances of homes across the state. Every year at my workplace as well…
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My Worst Enemy
She is a killjoySure to whisper doubts in my earWhen happiness makes an appearance She is a villianWaiting to throw a spanner in the worksWhenever I feel confident and ready for a challenge She is a saboteurWho fuels my weaknessesAnd makes me derail my own efforts at improvement She is…
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Straight From My Art – Workshop 9 – Fish In Madhubani Style
A couple of months back, we found a beautiful fish Madhubani artwork on Pinterest. We absolutely loved the design and enthusiastically attempt it. For the first couple of weeks, we finished the outline of the design with pencil and then outlined our work with black microtip pen. We then worked…
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mykidneybeans Turns Five!
The past year has not been kind to any of us. While things are slowly looking up, we’ve been through a lot of grief, defeat, loss and hardships to get there. I often find myself thinking, if this past year hasn’t changed us for the better, nothing will. It has…
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Appa’s Love for Singing
A few years back I wrote about Appa’s love for music and the range of songs and music he loved to listen to. Apart from loving to listen to music from some of the greats, Appa was a singer in his own right too. He did not have any formal…
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A Plus B the Whole Squared
Author’s Note: Names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals being spoken about. I have a very vivid memory of my first day of higher secondary school. All of us progressed from secondary to higher secondary with a lot of trepidation and uncertainty. We were about to…
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On World Coconut Day
One of the more pleasant side effects of the pandemic has been more and more special days to celebrate and commemorate coming to our attention. I’ve never heard of these days before and it’s nice to know we have days marking things like happiness, mental health, chocolate and even the…
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CoviMusings – Far From Home
A few weeks back, Indian brothers and sisters all over the world celebrated the beautiful festival of Raksha Bandhan. It is traditionally a promise of protection and an affirmation of the bond between a brother and sister. Ever since I married, I have had the privilege of witnessing this beautiful…
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Straight From My Art – Decorative Planter Base
A few weeks back we bought some additions to our sound system. The packing came with two perfectly round pieces of cardboard. Just the weekend before, we had purchased some more house plants to add a touch of greenery to our home as well as reap the benefits of improved…
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Straight From My Art – Workshop 8 – The Goddess Durga
Our workshops are part of a weekly family call that involves speaking to my mom and praying with her. This is usually followed by general chitchat on any topic that catches our fancy while I interject from time to time to give a drawing instruction. Oh, and we also land…
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Straight From My Art – Workshop 7 – Madhubani Birds
After the beautiful Madhubani we attempted of the decoratd elephant, I found a beautiful artwork in the same Madhubani style of two birds gazing adoringly at each other, surrounded by the foliage from a tree on Pinterest and we decided to try our hand at reproducing this one in our…
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Straight From My Art – Workshop 6 – Elephant in Madhubani Style
My sisters are getting better and better at the artworks they attempt along with me every week. And that in turn keeps me motivated and enthusiastic to give them more artistic and creative challenges. We all seem to love elephants! There is a certain grace and beauty that comes with…