Diwali Delights – Besan Laddooos

I doubt if there is any other festival like Diwali…the festival of lights. Each festival brings its own joy but the euphoria created by Diwali is beyond comparison with any other festival. Since childhood, I have loved flocking to the market days ahead of Diwali to see the glitz and grandeur. Of course, with time and security breach incidents in my city, the trips have become focused towards malls. The unique decorations fascinate me and I keep standing there in silent appreciation of the creativity, till an irritated Mr. Hubby signals me to move ahead.

Each year, reports of adulterated khoya and sweets being seized hurt my ears almost like the loud bombs the naughty neighbourhood kids are splurging on, right now! Diwali is a festival of feeling the brightness and joy within and sharing it with people around. But I wonder what pleasure do some people get by spreading ill health, for some materialistic stuff called money that they would anyway end up burning in crackers.

So this year, Mr. Hubby and I decided not to take chances. Mithai boxes were replaced by juice hampers and dry fruits. Even the relatives loved the healthy transformation. But the problem was still not over. Lakshmi pujan is incomplete without sweets, however, I had decided to keep everything home made this time. As I was scratching my head heard for a solution this morning, I remembered a recipe I learnt during the initial days of my Hotel Management course. Besan Laddooos. 

Here’s how Mr. Hubby & I made yum and simple to make besan laddoos for the evening puja

Ingredients (For 12 laddoos)

Besan (ask for mota, thick besan) – 250g

Desi Ghee – 150g

Powdered sugar – 200g (can vary to taste)

Cardamom powder – 2 tsp

Assorted dry fruits – 100g, finely chopped

Method

We heated a kadai and poured the ghee into it. Once the ghee became warm, we put the entire besan and started stirring on low flame.

Tip: Patience is the key to getting the color and consistency right. Mr. Hubby and I stirred the besan alternately as it was getting painful and boring for one person to do it all alone.

After some time, the aroma of besan being cooked reach papa in law in the living room and before I knew, he was asking us when would the laddoos be ready as he was super tempted to eat them. “These are for Prasad papa, no laddoo before evening”, I announced as a helpless papa said “Oh…kay”.

It took us almost 20 minutes of constant stirring on low flame to get the colour right. The smell was more intense now and any more heat now would have made the mixture overdone.

We removed the mixture from fire and even though the smell enticed us to gobble up the mixture there and then, the Puja factor got us some patience. We waited for the mixture to cool a bit and slowly added the powdered sugar, mixing vigorously with hands. Mr. Hubby was hesitant initially but after he saw me enjoying mixing like a halwai, he too pitched in.

Along with the sugar came powdered cardamom and assorted dry fruits. The mixture was still warm when we made it into 12 small balls and kept aside.

Once cooled, the laddoos were all set to pamper Ganeshji and Lakshmiji.

Even though God might not speak explicitly, he loves the little gestures we do to show how much we love him. The laddoos were such a hit that Mr. Hubby and papa in law finished the entire dozen in few minutes (they would go to the kitchen at the pretext of having water and gobbled the entire lot, after the puja of course)…I really didn't know whether to frown or laugh as they looked at me like naughty kids trying to conceal a mischief!

Here’s the Traditional Diwali Menu for the evening -
Pethe ki sabzi
Aloo tamatar ki subzi
Poori
Kheer
Besan Laddoos
Choorma
Cost of the meal - Sunday afternoon siesta sacrificed
Look on the faces of my loved ones - priceless...

Just like our dear Lord Ganesh…I too love Laddooos. You can read my blog about the best places to have laddoos in Delhi here…do visit and feel free to add to the list!

Bon Appetit!

Happy Diwali!

Dance it out for a safer and independent “her”

So what if the feet are bruised,

The spirit to strive gives me wings

A melody plays in the background

I forget the pain the heart sings

I may not have the best dancing shoes

But my spirit if set free

Would run and grab that precious chance

And as if no one is watching, I would dance!

The words are mine but the spirit is hers. She, the woman of India, who loves to dream, dare and dash. She loves to sing her own song and dance like no one’s watching. But the eyes of hungry wolves hovering in her city wouldn’t just let her dance. “She is a girl, she should be shy, behind the scenes, since when did she dare to step out, forget even dancing”, they say. And so, to discourage her, they play various mean games to stop her – teasing, taunting, and assaults. But she is a woman of steel. She knows how to get the step right and if required stomp on the foot of that guy getting too close. She might stay out to work for her family but she sure knows her duties back home, and smartly does the juggling solo dance with finesse! That’s the woman of today – brave, independent and with a heart of gold. 

She loves to live as if there is no tomorrow and dance like no one’s watching. And when troubled, she surely knows how to get back at them in her own way. Thinking of dancing against all odds, I am reminded of the famous artist Padmabhushan Teejan Bai. Born in a backward village of Chhhatisgarh, she faced suppression from the men folk for performing in a form that was male dominated. But she faced them all and went on to perform her way to success, and she is an icon today.

Saluting the spirit of freedom, Dance it out Indiblogger meet was apt to the women who dare. Unlike the usual meets which wrap up by sunset, this one went on till night. The microwaves came in handy as hubbies were instructed to be on their own for a day as wives had the full evening to dance it out.  As the meet progressed, there were few frowns as women safety is an issue that has been discussed and abused time and again. But the performance Jyoti bani Jwala, sent the message that no matter how many hurdles come our way, we need to keep the flame (Jyoti) burning inside. So, all inhibitions were kicked off, as we were safe in the unsafe city with numerous friends like us and the brave heart spirit.

As the winning team was announced, my face was lit up. For the Jyoti inside us had won! I chose not to look at my watch and danced it out for the women in my country who shed away the fear and step out of their homes to chase their dreams.

(Incidentally Jyoti is also the name of the December 16, 2012 gangrape victim who the nation named Nirbhaya. She too, went out to chase her dreams and to enjoy a free life. But some people couldn’t tolerate a girl enjoying her freedom and did their best to teach Jyoti and the women of our society a lesson. Jyoti may have died but the flame (Jyoti) inside every woman burns strong. I dance it out for every woman in my country who dares to live her life without being deterred by the if’s and but’s of the society. She may look fragile, but she is fiery like a tigress. Try harming her freedom and she will show how she can keep herself secure and safe.)

Here’s a song I wanna dedicate to the cause (women safety) that I dance it out for..."badal pe paon hain"

This post is written for the Dance India Dance Indiblogger meet...a once in a lifetime experience where we got to Dance it out with the Dance India Dance Season 4 judges...Master Mudassar and Master Feroz! Here's the facebook page for the Zee TV . Running in its 4th season now, Dance India Dance is a  famous dance show that has taken television like no other show has. 

Some pics from the Indiblogger meet… 

Good Girl Gone Bad!

Every year I promise myself to stay away from Big Boss. But the Mr. Hubby – mom in law duo ensure I fall prey to the juicy gossips and join them in watching all the episodes.

When this season began, I was least motivated to keep up with Big Boss 7. Only Andy and Gauhar gave me some hopes of an entertaining season. It has been a trend that people engulfed in some controversy or generally not doing anything in life are called to participate in Big Boss seasons (who else would have three months to spare?) So when Tanisha’s name was announced, I wasn’t too surprised either. All I remember of her is the Kajol connection and a certain “Neal n Nikki” movie which we had comfortably opted to leave after an hour of watching.

On the launch night of Big Boss 7, Tanisha’s name was announced with much fanfare. Honey coated introduction by Salman made him sound more like a representative of the Bollywood fraternity rather than the host of Big Boss 7. But when Tanisha arrived in the “yucks” red dress look, she justified her selection for Bigg Boss!

Not everyone is blessed with a fab body but madam could have shown a bit poise rather than choosing to lift the dress (typical Jhalla walla style!) while exploring the Big Boss House.

We viewers are not that ruthless after all. Puppy fat, kiddish tone, bad dressing sense, we took them signs of an overprotected, immature kid and thought that considering the family she comes from, she would prove to be one of the most balanced contestants of the house.

Poor Tanisha dear…the balancing act lasted just a week or two until Tanisha’s eyes met Arman’s. And thus began Tanisha’s journey from good to bad. I wondered who is Arman, a 40 something short tempered arrogant uncle who still finds him cool dude. He calls himself actor, but when I googled it out, it showed he has delivered all flops till date! The only movie I could relate to was a certain Jani Dushman where Mr. Arman plays a snake (True to his quality of spitting out doses of poison!)

What Tanisha saw in Arman, she only knows, for that something made her dance to his tunes like no other snake would. She took on almost all other housemates, passing her unwanted judgement on other people’s matters. While Arman earned all the footage, Tanisha earned all the brickbats. What more, even the Arman she countered the world for, snubs her away whenever other inmates question their “just friendship”. The last time this happened, I recalled Kajol’s comments about her sister entering the Bigg Boss house. She had said Tanisha has the quality to lead and organize everyone. Little did she know that fatal attraction robs away even the best of qualities in a person and Tanisha too is just a human being, though quite a dumb one.

Every weekend, it is the good old industry boy Salman who gives Tanisha subtle hints for what not to do as per the unspoken rule book of her filmy family. Be it his suppressing Protyusha to stay Tanisha afloat in the argument, or reminding Tanisha and Arman about the number of cameras in Bigg Boss house (the unsaid in that comment provided so much food for gossip minds!) Every Friday I watch Bigg Boss with bated breath, it might be Tanisha’s chance to get evicted, going by the rising number of dislikes among the housemates. But whenever, Salman Khan announces her safe, I wonder, are the industry folks being partial to her?

While watching the show, often I think aloud – what is it that makes Tanisha so vulnerable to Arman, what is it that makes her run around him and do a constant display of being by his side, a’la true Bhartiya naaari! I know many women actually fall for guys who are dominating and arrogant, as they find it macho. But coming from the family of superstars, Tanisha certainly deserves someone much better than the baddie Arman. So, is it love for Arman, or love for footage that makes Tanisha hover around him? At her age and looks, she could be easily overshadowed by the Ooomph overdose Gauhar, or the cutie cutie Ellie…and maybe this Arman affair is just a spotlight gimmick. Whose name will be printed alongside hers on the wedding card, only time will tell...but my only advice to Tanisha would be –

People come to reality shows to save their failing careers. If you can’t do anything good, at least don’t go bad. Will make groom hunting easier for your family! 

Book review – Baramulla Bomber

Author – Clark Prasad

Publisher – Niyogi Books

Pages – 316

Price – Rs, 395 (You can also grab it from Flipkart)

Sneak preview from the book

An ancient weapon from the Vedas & Bible

Once hunted by the Nazis

Powered by the sound of the universe

Reborn with the help of Quantum Physics

Going to be Unleashed onto the world

& Kashmir holds it’s secret

The only way

To save the world

Is to challenge one’s faith

Multiple intelligence agencies are tracking Mansur Haider, a God fearing aspiring cricketer from Kashmir. His girlfriend, Ahana Yajurvedi is trying to locate her missing mountaineering team, which vanished after a mysterious earthquake struck Shaksgam valley. Investigating Mansur and the Shaksgam valley incident is Swedish Intelligence officer, Adolf Silfverskiod, whose only relationship to God consists of escorting his girlfriend to church.

A dual China-Pakistan battlefield scenario facing the Indian Home minister, Agastya Rathore, whose ancestoprs carry a prehistoric secret linked to the stars. He is faced with the challenge of finding a lasting solution to the Kashmir crisis.

Which Biblical weapon was tested in Shaksgam Valley? Why is MansurHaider important?Is there a solution to the Kashmir crisis? Can destiny be controlled? Does a cosmic religion exist?

My view

When BlogAdda sent me Baramulla Bomber for review, I was quite uncertain if I would do justice to the book. For it is a science fiction espionage thriller. I have been often disappointed by many books claiming to be science fiction stuff when all that they end up doing is revolving around some plot, unnecessarily complicating it and then winding up everything in a hurry.

The cover seemed very impressive and even the impressive illustrations and the maps. And no sooner had it arrived that I thought it would be the perfect companion for my metro rides. But don’t get caught by mis notions. It’s a book with many a twist and turns, and one has to concentrate else the ever changing situations and the constant inflow of new characters will leave a reader thoroughly confused.

The author has created a heady cocktail with ingredients like the Kashmir issue, Indo China relations, science, mythology, a dash of cricket for humour and lot of thrill. Each character has his own story to tell – Mansur Haider, who undergoes the transformation from an aspiring cricketer to the Baramulla bomber; Agastya Rathore, the home minister who has to find a way to save a nation; the author has done justice to the characters and the fast pace of the book.

Overall, Baramulla Bomber is sure to keep your thrill quotient high with its fast pace and lot of twist and turns.

The one area where I felt the author could have fared better is the length of the book. It was a real struggle to keep up with the book in the initial hundred pages, coz the overflow of information and illustrations was beginning to get irritating. However, once you cross that mark and started to get the hang of the story, it is sure to keep you hooked on. Full of suspense, in fact the author has even mentioned a disclaimer in the book for bloggers not to give details of the plot or plot spoilers, so grab your copy now!

About the author –

Clark Prasad, aka Suraj Prasad, was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He has mostly lived in Lagos, New Delhi, Mangalore and Kozhikode.

A pharmacist with a management degree, Clark currently works as a management consultant and is based at Bengaluru. Baramulla Bomber is his first book.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Book review – The Guardian Angels, By Rohit Gore

Author – Rohit Gore

Publisher- Grapevine india

Pages – 328

Price – Rs. 125

Sneak Preview from the book

The Guardian Angels is the epic and tumultuous story of two star-crossed lovers who weren’t just soulmates but were also each other’s protectors.

…he is the son of a billionaire,

…she is the daughter of a socialist

…he is quiet and unassuming,

…she is a firebrand and spirited.

My view

Somewhere in life, we all encounter that special someone who understands the hidden us, can read the unexplained in our eyes, can decipher the things unsaid from our silence and gets the telepathy right from miles away. S/he might be a friend, a lover, or even a sibling…a true soul mate. That’s what The Guardian Angels is all about, the story of two soul mates,  who as the title aptly explains, are each other’s guardian angels.

The story revolves around the lives of Aditya Mehta and Radha Deodhar. Aditya is the bright future of the Mehta group, while Radha is the grounded daughter of a former trade union leader. Adi and Radha’s paths cross early in life when the bold and blunt Radha saves the nervous and lonely Adi from a bunch of buffoons near the school. Her presence of mind and bold attitude has  Adi impressed in the first interaction itself, for the simple and sweet looking girl has the brains to utter a lie that drives the buffoons away.

Radha too, is charmed by the shy Adi, and pens down every bit of her feelings in her journal. She is impressed by his sudden show of courage when he takes on the buffoons all by himself when they try to harm Radha in revenge. From then on, begins a relationship of a lifetime, sans a definition or a name.

The book alternates between extracts from Radha’s journal and incidents from her and Adi’s life. Adi grows up to be a bright cricketer and is perceived the future of Mehta empire. He values his family, empire, passion for the game and the friendship of Radha. As Adi’s mother once points out to him, Radha keeps him grounded amidst the glitz and glamour of his high profile life.

The next several chapters see Adi and Radha grow up and choose their respective fields. But no matter how far or how different they are, they never fail to be there when either one of them is in trouble. Radha is a responsible girl who stands like a rock by Adi in every moment of crisis – be it his mission to rescue his sister from a bad boyfriend, the one moment that destroys his shining career in cricket, or even taking upon himself to prevent his family from falling apart.

Adi and Radha are life the tracks of a train. Apart but always for each other, and whenever needed, they cross to give that required support.

With growing up also comes confusion, for distance creates the obvious disagreements and misconceptions. Adi moves abroad for higher studies and Radha immerses herself into social activism. The two always know the affection deep inside, and it’s fun to see them struggling to admit it to their own self. Like buddies loyal to some vow, they never stop sharing the minutest of details, be it their interactions with the opposite sex. And the dash of jealousy midst the concern and hidden love for the soul mate makes for an interesting read.

Just when life begins to lose the complexity and love is in the air, a cruel tragedy shadows their happiness. Radha has a rare Huntington’s disease gene in her father’s family. Initially she laughs it away at the pretext of the famous Deodhar forgetfulness. But later, when the disease takes away her father and also engulfs her, Radha takes a practical decision – not to ruin Adi’s life with her diseased self. She doesn’t want to leave the Adi she loves with lifelong loneliness and grief after she is gone. Her decision seems to be getting right when Nicole and Adi get engaged and Radha moves away to leave them in peace.

But Adi has been Radha’s guardian angel whenever she has been in trouble – from saving her from the bullies in school, to secretly arranging for her father’s treatment without hurting Radha’s self respect. When Radha is on the verge of being raped and killed, Adi fights to save her life as if  it were his own.

Does Adi accept this final goodbye from Radha as their destiny? Or he plays her guardian angel again? To know more, grab your copy now!

The book becomes slow paced in some of the chapters. Owe it to the verbosity of the writer, as I felt some chapters could have been cut short. But overall, a nice emotional read, if you are a fast paced reader like me!

About the author –

Rohit Gore, an engineer and MBA works with the IT industry. A sports aficionado and an avid traveller, his greatest passion is reading and it inspires him to write. He is a frequent contributor to many online writing forums and is also the author of – Circle of three, A Darker dawn and Focus, Sam.

The book was received as part of Reviewers Programme on The Tales Pensieve.

Dil Chahta Hai

The perils of working while watching TV – you open the laptop to write about something but end up writing on a subject on the opposite pole!

Dil Chahta Hai (DCH) – a movie which, 12 years after its release still rings a bell in my heart, for a multitude of reasons. It was the first movie to be released when I joined college. Almost overnight, all the Siddharths (and even the Sidhants) in my college were rechristened “Sid”, the Sameers “Sam”. I still remember, it had become a rage back then. One day, my friends and I decided to bunk classes and watch DCH at a theatre near college. That the theatre gave 20% discount to the students of our college was an added advantage! I was super excited coz it was my first movie in college life! We bought the tickets and 15 minutes before the show, I thought of informing mom I would be late. The moment I told mom I was out to watch a movie, she just went ballistic. It was my grandpa’s shraad that day and mom was furious at me for being an irresponsible teenager – how I had chosen to watch a movie with friends instead of coming home for the shraad. What happened next was even more embarrassing – the teasing by my friends, disposal of that extra ticket, and the comments next day in college. I stopped hanging out with that group after that incident!

Pic source: Google search

But that didn’t deter me from buying an audio cassette of DCH and spending long hours with my walkman headphones! Its funny that I still remember the entire sequence of songs on both sides of the cassette!

DCH also brought about a new wave in Indian cinema – that of Farhanism! The wave that continues to give us many such refreshing movies.

If you haven’t watched Dil Chahta hai, you have missed one of the best movies in Indian cinema. A movie that meanders around the lives of three friends – Sid, Sameer and Akash. Three very different people exploring life their way, yet very loyal to the buddy bonding. While life is a comedy of errors for Akash (Amir Khan), for Sam (Saif Ali Khan), the definition of love changes with every girl he meets. It’s only Sid (Akshaye Khanna), a painter who is shown the most sensible of the trio, though he too is infected by the love bug when he falls for a woman much older than him.

The movie begins in the waiting room of a hospital with Sid and Sam remembering the good old days. The story goes in flashback and many beautiful scenes follow. The farewell party of college where Akash creates a scene when he proposes Shalini (Preity Zinta); the fabulous trip to Goa and the roadster drive and the fish eating scene in the title track! (Coincidently, the movie also has Kiran Rao, aka Mrs Amir khan in one of the shots in Goa. She was assisting him with the movie back then.); Sam’s little affair with a foreigner who robs him in his own hotel room also leaves you laughing out loud!

Pic source:Google search

Sam and Sid discover love in their own style. While Sam, who usually finds love in every second girl he meets falls in love eventually with a girl his parents choose for him. But just like his confused self, love also comes to him after a lot of confusion. (And only after he dances in typical retro style to the song “Wo ladki hai kahan”…the song that gave us the famous “Bird dance” step!)

Pic source:Google search

As for Sid, he finds his love in Tara (Dimple Kapadia), a lady much older than him. Love is evident in his eyes as he makes a beautiful portrait of hers and takes her out for dinner on her birthday. But his feelings aren’t understood by his friends and even his own mother, for they fear the relationship wil die a natural death due to age gap and Tara being a divorcee with an alcohol problem. This even creates a rift between friends when Akash makes fun of Sid’s love.

Pic source:Google search

The friends go their own ways with Sid immersing himself into painting (after being rejected by his lady love) and Akash going to Australia to manage his father’s business.

Destiny, however has different plans for Akash. The same person who considers love a fallacy, eventually falls in love with a girl who is engaged to someone else. The scenes shot in Sydney are lovely (the roller coaster ride scene) and the director beautifully shows how a fun loving Akash slowly understands that thing called love during an Opera show, but prefers to hide his feelings under layers of humour. 

Pic source:Google search

Pic source:Google search

Eventually it is crisis that brings back the buddies together and they untangle the knots in each other’s life.

Pic source:Google search

The movie has awesome music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy that will make you keep pressing the repeat button! I loved every track, especially “Kaisi hai ye rut”, “Jane Kyon” and “Tanhayee”

Excellent direction, music, story and act, no wonder the movie won the 2002 National Film Award for the best feature film in Hindi.

If you have already seen Dil Chahta Hai, go for it and relive some beautiful old memories. If you haven’t, well you are missing something!

For the love of Art-our first painting class

This is in continuation to my earlier post “For the love of Art”… for those who had been waiting to read the sequel to my earlier post, apologies for the delay! The lazy me, office, home and most importantly, sponsored posts and contests tried their best to keep this post away…but I ain’t that bad a blogger, I keep my promises…

So here we go…

Was it the love for Mr. Hubby or the hatred for my poor drawing skills that convinced me, I don’t know, but the following Sunday, we packed whatever art material we had (just in case we were asked to begin painting with acrylics the same day! Lol!) and zoomed for our class. My condition throughout the drive was that of a kid going to a dentist who asks his mother “will it pain?”…I too kept asking Mr. Hubby, “U sure na I can do it?” And just like the mother assures it won’t pain much, he too assured me I would easily learn to paint with finesse.

All that convincing dashed for the trash bin when we entered the class…for our classmates ranged from 3 to 12 year olds! As the teacher welcomed us, I gave Mr. Hubby a quick “I will kill you” look and he gave me a helpless smile. I was certain the paints and the pencils will continue to rest inside the boot of the car, as this would be a kiddo type class…which meant this was my first and last class, which meant no more painting without the blame on me! Woohoo!

The teacher, who was younger than us, it seems had other plans…

He began by showing us around the whole area and reading my face, even told me that the students range from small kids to housewives and senior citizens! Lovely canvasses decorated in acrylic donned the walls of our classroom. There were also some very interesting sculptures (one even in the shape of a sharpener made with granite!) and the teacher told us those were part of an exhibition recently concluded.

The more artwork he showed the more I feared, for it became clear the class wasn’t meant to be just simple drawing and painting.  I could see a teenager painting stuff that I can never even imagine myself trying in the wildest of dreams. Mr. Hubby however, was completely at ease and I marvelled at the way he discussed stuff like modernism, cubism, works of Monet, Constable, Picasso etc. with the teacher.

We were soon assigned our first task – to do a still life in pencil of two pots and a glass bottle placed on a table.

the prop

Now, you might wonder, what is so tough about making a pot or two? But lemme tell you it is far tough than it seems – getting the entire finer details and shading right (even the glass!) by using just pencil!

Within minutes I realized not only was I a bad painter but also a terrible one at simple drawings. I couldn’t just get 2 simple pots on a large sheet right! If the left of the pot got too curvaceous, the right one was lesser curvaceous. I sat staring at the blank sheet in frustration feeling stuck, somewhat like Pie in The Life of Pie…in the middle of nowhere!

Just half an hour had passed which meant I had to go through the ordeal for another 1 ½ hours! Since we were first timers and adults, we attracted kids; they occasionally peeped from behind at what we were drawing. As I sat tortured, I saw a hyper enthusiastic Mr. Hubby already done with his drawing and asking the teacher for shading tips. 

The teacher praised him for his work and gave me a funny look, yet reassured me in a friendly tone, “It’s your first time, relax…some patience and you will get it right. Look at that girl, she has been painting that setup for a month now and only now is it near completion.” Patience? I was almost in tears and cursed myself for being so impulsive. “Why did I impulsively go for something that requires so much patience? A painting even takes months to complete and here I am hoping to get a perfect still life in an hour! That’s why I love blogging. Atleast at the end of an hour, I have a post ready and uploaded!”

I remembered the art room of my school, it too had similar still life set ups with perfect spot lights and students working passionately for hours getting them right in paint. I had often laughed at them for being so super vellaaa and here I was. Anyway, I soon realised it made no sense sitting idle as I would be the laughing stock of the classroom if my sheet didn’t look any different after 2 hours!

So I began to try, rubbing and drawing, with a frequent eye on Mr. Hubby’s sheet and another on my watch! I had decided it would be my last class, but didn’t want to look a loser at my maiden attempt. 

They say art is something that requires immense concentration! And here was me! Sweat, hunger, thirst, urge to check my phone, nature’s call…my mind was full of everything but concentration!

Once a blogger, always a blogger! Soon, it occurred to me that these painting classes can give me good fodder for my blog…imagine a separate tab of posts containing my experiences from being a horrible to a great artist! While struggling with my first sketch, I even started imagining the content of some posts!

A tall shadow got me back to the class! The teacher was standing there, smiling and looking at my sketch. I looked at the watch…time up….”Not bad, he said, your drawing is decent, but you need to work on the shading part…Don’t worry, a sketch a day and you will improve in a week’s time!”.

A sketch a day? Did I hear him right? I am a living pendulum between kitchen and living room when at home, and he expects me to make a sketch a day?

He praised Mr. Hubby for his detailed and clean art work and advised him more practice. As I sat in the car, I announced it was my first and last class. “Why?” a shocked Mr. Hubby asked me. I narrated him the entire story in a cranky childlike tone. But he was quick and clever to get the deal of my interest. He sounded super enthusiastic about my idea of a series of posts on my painting classes. He even offered to treat me to Mc Donald’s burger after every painting class! (hehe…) and encouraged me by praising my efforts and perseverance. Art is about trying and exploring and he sounded certain that with practice and time, I too would get it right…

I had thought it to be my first and last class…

But the person who said change is the only constant had some brains after all!

Two months have since passed and I look forward to my art classes now…initially it was for the Mc Donald’s treat but now it is truly for the love of art! I am surprised at how an impatient me can feel so comfortable with drawing…so much that I have tried out portraits as well!

my first still life

Me wonderzzz…

That’s life…a pandora’s box…we don’t know what lies inside…well, a lot of beautiful stuff does…we just need to explore with an open mind!

From still life to outdoors to portraits to watercolours, Mr. Hubby and I have happily gone through the metamorphosis. But it hasn’t been a smooth one for me…specially the day we were taken to a park and asked to do outdoors in pencil! Wanna know what happened next? Well, will tell you in my next post “For the Love of Art – our first outdoor”

 

Wear your attitude!