Anupama - Strings of Heritage

Calling

by Anupama | Mar 15, 2018 | Musings

Here I am sitting before the screen for the last half an hour, however not working. Instead I am advising my friend on how to overcome the stress of her hectic schedule, not snap at people around and also be creative, all at the same time. Difficult na? And the advice is coming from me…that’s the joke. Because I myself, have been so muddled the last few days. The problem is that I want to do too many things. I love to paint, teach, meet and talk to inspiring people, want to be there for my child and spend time with her, learn Bharatnatyam (And I don’t even know the A B C of dance), love to write, am learning pottery, want to travel and explore, be a great cook, maintain my garden, keep my home spic and span (that’s a big challenge for me)….there’s just too much to do and half my life is over! So there is so little time. And I haven’t even found my calling!

Calling

/ˈkɔːlɪŋ/

noun

a strong urge towards a particular way of life or career; a vocation.

Immersed in Dance

Calling – Inspiring people at ‘Under the Raintree’

I wonder why is it that I can’t just be, happy that I have a good life. Maybe it’s because I am still working on my calling? Have you found yours? There must be something that calls to each one of our souls….what I can’t live without, may not even matter to you. And that’s the beauty of our life. Each one of us is so unique. I don’t think our mothers and grandmothers had the luxury to pursue their passion…many a times limited by society, family and their own circumstances. But even with those constraints, they did manage something.

Calling

Pic credit- Arun Subramaniam, budding photographer but a techie too.

My paternal grandmother was from a rich family but my grandfather had a business and it was not always great. My granny loved craft, knitting and weaving wires. She was creative to the core and found a unique solution to her problem. She would ask my neighbor to buy her the materials and would weave them beautiful bags. Though she didn’t get to take them, she had the satisfaction of doing something she loved (My kind neighbor gave me the bags after my Granny passed on). She was also an expert at desserts and different savories. Even today, 16 years after she passed on, the images that come to mind are of her sitting and frying malpuas, preparing murabbas( of star fruit, gooseberries) and my mom asking her to taste the pickle and see if it needs any adjustments in seasoning. I was reading this book ‘For She is the Tree of Life’ which is a compilation of memories, poems and stories by women writers on their grandmothers. With this book, my grandmothers have been on my mind for quite some time now. When it was time to plant saplings in the garden, I made sure there were one of gooseberry and one of star-fruit. Looks like I did get some genes from her after all. The murabba is out of this world…and just with equal measures of sugar and fruit. You have the best murabba in the world.

Calling -Woven by my grandmother, a good 60 years back.

Then there’s my Mom who loves to sing and is a big fan of Mohammed Rafi. Now in her sixties, she is enjoying bhajans (Devotional songs), Rafi’s songs on YouTube and also singing as part of a Bhajan group. She hates going away from town as it means missing her singing classes. So I guess it’s never too late to start doing all that we love to do.

Calling in Dance

Though I haven’t been productive for the last two weeks, the coming few days I am going to make up for it and bring to you many such inspiring people. People who found their calling and changed tracks, talented people who made it big through the internet, people who are still looking for their calling….real people who are on a quest. The journey is as important, as the destination.

But off course, my problem remains! I love too many things…..

Lots of twinkles to all of you.

Anu.

Tesor

by Anupama | Feb 25, 2018 | Tours & Experiences

The review for Tesor has been on the cards for quite some time now. One of the partners Raghavendra, was an ex-collegue and a friend. But when I went to Tesor, it was for the art workshop I was having there. Their studio space has a lot of potential to be used as a hobby space. It was after a gap of 11 years that I was meeting Raghu. What I remember of him was his colourful ties and flamboyant attitude. He was super fun to be around and a good friend. Well the years change us and that’s for sure. If I have gone from reserved to talkative, Raghu has mellowed down. Oh well! That’s life for you. But they have a wonderful collection at Tesor and that’s what Iam going to show you here. When I say show, its because sometimes words are redundant, especially when there’s so much beauty around us. So for this review, I am going to let the pictures speak.

Tesor for home decor

Tesor…means treasure in Italian. And it’s quite a treat to visit this store. Located in the upscale locality of HSR in Bangalore, sprawling across three floors, the store offers home theatre systems and home décor solutions. Right from the smallest décor item to furniture, they have it all

Tesor for home decor – Hand painted glass

Tesor for home decor – Blue pottery

Tesor for home decor – Masks from Bali

Tesor for home decor

However contemporary in our lifestyle, a bit of the traditional and the desi in our décor makes our house a home. Be it for festivals or a regular day, Tesor has a wide range of home decor vignettes, mantaps in wood, gods and goddesses in brass and bronze, urns in copper, tiled nesting tables, all that you need for a fragrant home, hand painted glass items, blue pottery from Rajasthan….and so much more.

Tesor for home decor

However my favourite was the art gallery they have. The art is affordable, stunningly beautiful and has enough variety to appeal to all. Works of artists Sandhya Sirsi, Sanjeev Mandal, Biswa Ranjan and many others are among their collections. Diffferent mediums like watercolours, acrylics, oils, mixed media and subjects ranging from landscapes, traditional art, portraits, abstracts….they are all here under one roof.

Tesor for home decor – Ceramic planters

They also have natural plants in ceramic planters for the plant lovers. So if you have to revamp your home space or are planning for a new home, Tesor will have all that you need to decorate your home. Hop over to their store for some serious shopping overdose.

Lots of Twinkles to all of you.

Anu

Museum of Goa

by Anupama | Feb 1, 2018 | Tours & Experiences

The idea was not to go to a museum. It was just another beach holiday. Though we were born and brought up literally next to the beach, once you uproot yourself and live elsewhere, the beach has a special pull. And with a five year old, reason goes right out of the window…otherwise who in their right senses thinks of a beach at 11 in the morning? Well to cut the long story short, we just gave in to her demands and set off for the beach.

Museum of Goa

At the intersection to Calangute beach, we see a board ‘Museum of Goa’ History of Goa through contemporary art..five minutes away. Well, guess what? We take a detour. I think so much like life…you set out with a plan but life offers you an unexpected choice and you change your mind. Everything happens for a reason. The Museum changed the way I saw art and especially contemporary art. I think just like the artist Subodh Kerkar, whose work is displayed at the museum, I have to start educating myself on how to interpret this beautiful medium of expression.

Museum of Goa

A holiday in Goa cannot be complete without a visit to this museum. Right from social, economic, religious and emotional aspects, it explores Goa through the medium of the ocean, shells, coconuts, chillies, laterite stones, indigo dyes and all that has shaped, transformed and made Goa, the Goa we all know. Subodh Kerkar’s work explores the many social, economic, emotional layers of Goa and the Goans. Also on display are works by other artists …..

Museum of Goa

The video happening in the auditorium gives us a glimpse into the artists mind and motivation. Subodh Kerkar is a successful doctor turned to watercolour artist to an ocean artist working in contemporary art and art installations. His work speaks of his evolution and inturn helps us evolve and learn. I especially loved the different formations by the fishermen as a boat, a fish demonstrating their oneness with the ocean. Their life and fortune is entwined with the ocean and the tides. This depiction totally moves an empathetic audience.

Museum of Goa

Then there was the collaboration with the ocean….sounds wierd right? How can an artist collaborate with nature or something as vast as an ocean? The artist Subodh Kerkar, deposited antique ceramic plates in cages on the ocean bed and after months when they were retrieved, they had oysters and pearls on them.

Art For Kids

by Anupama | Jan 16, 2018 | Workshops

I follow the ritual of making resolutions every December to promptly break them …say by mid march or so? But this year it was different because 2017 was a little different. How different you may ask…For one thing, I started my blog ‘Strings Of Heritage’ which has opened up a new world for me. A world that is beyond a salary and a 9 to 5 job. It’s the world I love, interacting with people who love and live art, writing about them and their work. So this December I was just chalking out the next few blogs and then my tag line just struck me…. ‘passing on the legacy’. Was I really doing that? Not really. So I did not make elaborate plans or resolutions, but just started working on how I could take art and make it art for kids.

Madhubani Art For Kids An Introduction

And my dear daughter was all there to help me out. I would just try something and ask her to try her hand at it. This was how I conceptualized and started my journey with children and art. ‘Madhubani Art for Kids – An Introduction’ was my first project as Madhubani Art is something I totally love and have been doing for quite some time now. Having done this on the wall many times over, I felt it was just the right folk art to start with. Sankalpa Montessori School with its sprawling premises right in the heart of Vijayanagar was a God sent venue. I keep counting my blessings in this regard, Ms. Jyothi Chetan the Principal has been very generous and supportive.

Madhubani Art for Kids An Introduction

Madhubani Art For Kids An Introduction

So minus the resolutions and with just five days of planning, brainstorming with my friend Kavitha, and experimentation I started the day of the workshop full of trepidation on how the day would turn out. Would the parents and children share my love for this folk art? (Doubts, I say) As I started telling the children about Bihar and the beauty of Madhubani, my anxiety was forgotten. I could feel their keen interest and excitement on seeing the piece they would all do that day. Luckily for me, my friends Jyothi Adithya and Sahana pitched in as participants started coming in. Sandeep Nayak was all ready to click away as the kids were busy doing their masterpiece.

Madhubani Art For Kids An Introduction

Madhubani Art for Kids An Introduction

And you know the best part about the workshop? Seeing the parents as immersed in the colours as the children, seeing the joy and sense of accomplishment on the children’s faces was pure fulfillment for me. It was not just art for kids but a beautiful bonding experience for the parents. Tiny tots as small as two and half years right upto twelve years enjoyed working with the colours and Madhubani. And I could see many parents totally oblivious to everything except getting the outline right. Little Mihika who was very sure about the colours she wanted , Srishti who liked green, Nihal who wanted to draw some more, Stuti who liked orange, Aarav who wanted to make sure that the final painting was perfect, the names are many and so are the memories. Each child so special in all that they express and the way they do it. I couldn’t stop smiling for two days straight, just remembering these children. They don’t need to be taught to draw…they just need to be introduced to our rich heritage of culture and art.

Madhubani Art for Kids An Introduction

Madhubani Art For Kids An Introduction

This is joy. Being able to write about it and plan the next workshop is joy. Knowing what your life is about is joy. Finding my piece of heaven is joy.

Lots of Twinkles to all of you.

Anu

Touch and Feel Vs Touchscreen

by Anupama | Jan 15, 2018 | Tours & Experiences

Do you remember the games you played in your childhood? For me it was scraping tender coconut fruits (Bondi) which fell off, pretending to be cooking- complete with leaves as curry and some rice from Amma. We had this nice shady place in our huge backyard with the washing stone. It was so much fun. Then there were the flat stones in our yard… All this being in Mangalore which receives wonderful rains..in the rainy season the water would be like small streams around these stones and we would pretend to cross the river jumping across these stones…I could go on forever and bore you with my memories and plays. But I wonder what memories my child will have of her childhood. When she looks back will it only be Mickey mouse and nick junior or will she remember good times spent with friends? Will she remember the games she played? Right now the pretend plays are based on Bahubali…When I saw this ad by Skola toys Touch and feel vs Touchscreen I could totally relate to it. After all just the previous day we had been for some book shopping and my child picked up everything related to cartoons…it was depressing!

Exploring solutions. Skola toys. Touch and feel vs touchscreen

When I see kids as small as one handle touchscreens, phones, iPads and tabs…my heart worries. What are their memories going to be like? Will they even know that it’s a lot of fun to make friends and play? In these times where most kids are without siblings, parents are exhausted working and no grandparents staying with them… touchscreens seem the natural choice of play. It all begins with rhymes, but you never know when they graduate to games.

Exploring solutions. Skola toys. Touch and feel vs touchscreen..we did it!

Exploring solutions. Skola toys. Touch and feel vs touchscreen

Skola toys are doing a great job at creating toys which bring learning through fun. I especially loved the finger puppets. These can be used to create fun games without parent supervision and the child will learn to make different words while enjoying the learning. And this was just one of the many options where learning is according to age and concept. They have very well defined parameters and guidelines based on which you can choose at each level. I wish my child was two so I could go back and try with all their toys. The toys cater mainly to the 2 to 6 years group and are designed to play with minimal supervision. So the time you just want to be, instead of giving the remote control to our kids we could give them this game and offer to join them in a while. I also loved the sand pendulum which traces the path taken by the pendulam in sand. The best part is that all their toys are made using natural materials like wood and concepts based on textures. They are so much more sturdy and gives a good feel. Infact Jayshri’s child from mommyswall who is all of four could identify the letters based on textures much faster and more accurately than all of us. These toys are available online and also in some stores. I have decided to buy the pendulam set, the multiplication set and the word wheel… All very useful and fun.

Exploring solutions. Skola toys. Touch and feel vs touchscreen

This Children’s Day I can truly say that I relived my childhood and more. Right from the puppet making workshop at Taneira with Puthali toys, the bloggers meet by Skola where I happily played with toys and made new friends, to the Puppet Show at Sankalpa by Rangaputhali...each learning was wonderful, insightful and loads of fun.

Exploring solutions. Skola toys. Touch and feel vs touchscreen

And I have enrolled for a pottery class at Slow Pottery. I am yet to write about it…it’s therapeutic I tell you!
But for now keep the kids away from gadgets. Spend time with them, play with them..because Touch and feel Vs Touchscreen, it’s always your decision.

Life’s a play…

Lots of twinkles to all of you

Anu

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