Inktober-2018 / Day 29

My very first 'Inktober' sketch!! The the prompt for day 29 is 'Double'

Vampires live amongst us and roam around wearing charming masks. They suck all happiness, hope, excitement, will and reputation so one must be careful of the company he/she keeps. Janus faced people are very toxic and sadly are so ubiquitous these days.

Medium- Pitt pens

A Blind Date with Art!

Travel is a not a dessert, it is the proper meal. I mean it is not optional; it is something I cannot just do without! Travel opens mind and takes to a world you had only imagined. It is that bridge that joins dreams and reality. To travel to familiar places like that to relatives, acquaintances and friends does not really give something to write home about. So, what makes a travel special? It is definitely the suddenness of the trip and novelty of the place that makes it memorable.

This world is like a garden, open and inviting with variety of plants- some thorny from which I would rather stay away from, some lovely and charming, some shady trees that can relax mind and soul, some tall and stylish ferns that can only be admired while some carnivorous plants that can swallow you up in a moment’s notice. This is a garden that has its own peculiar beauty that can be described only with a language called as ‘travel’. Another thing that travelling does is that it opens the mind and makes us realize that life is not only short and uncertain but that we live in a pigeonhole from which we must get out for the world is like the very universe, it is too vivid, fascinating and vast to be described in one life. Moreover, travel can make a place immortal. Travelers like ‘Ibn Battuta’, ‘Marco Polo’ have documented and as if captured a place in a particular era. We can, through their writing, always visit that place in that era, hundreds of years back. I love to go on impulsive travels, such surprises break the slumber and make me excited for something unknown and enthralling. As an artist and writer, travel is nothing short of oxygen for it pumps life into my works and makes them far more relatable and interesting. I have heard a lot about the sculptures of Italy and the canals of Venice. Being an artist, I am open to all the influences hence I would love to visit Italy to explore various forms of art. So here is my #TheBlindList  ready

The Last Supper (1520)

Now, I imagine I am on my way to Italy, the heaven of art and sculptures. The genius ‘Leonardo Da Vinci’ belonged to this place. Another sculpting genius ‘Michelangelo Buonarroti’ was an Italian too! Works like ‘The Last Supper’ by Da Vinci at Santa Maria Delle Grazie in Milan is a miracle. It is said that during World War II when Milan was bombed, the room was almost in rubble but the Last Supper’s wall remained standing! ‘Raphael ‘was another young artist of Italy and died only at 37. His painting ‘Transfiguration’ at the Vatican Museum is considered as a groundbreaking work that introduced a new style. 

David (1501-1504)

There is much more to see like the 17 feet tall statue of ‘David’ by Michelangelo at Galleria Dell’ Accademia, Florence. It was completed in less than three years!  This little European country has a rich history of art. I can imagine myself living and growing through this enriching experience and thrill that it gives me is priceless.

The Doge's Palace

My next stop will be Venice, the city of gondolas! This city attracts me like moth to a flame. It was built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea and there are only canals and surprisingly no roads to connect one part to another and that’s what makes Venice different. My blind date allowed me to live the experience of stepping out on a boat and not land. Imagine you step out of the house and as you open the front door, a small boat is parked instead of a car! It is as exciting as it could get! There are various places to visit like ‘The Doge's Palace’ which is a palace constructed in the Venetian Gothic style. An example of the Italo-Byzantine architecture, ‘The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark’ will be a fest for the senses and soul. Apart from these places, ‘The Grand Canal’, ‘The Rialto Bridge’ and an 11-kilometre long sandbar in Venice, ‘The Venice Lido’ where the ‘Venice Film Festival’ takes place! There is much to explore and I have just started. I feel like a little fly in the deep forests of Amazon!

Travel is so enriching and a major self-exploration! Lufthansa is always there to connect me to my dreams! With Lufthansa, I can confidently #SayYesToTheWorld!

What are you waiting for! Go on a blind date with the world, travel, explore, fill your life with colors and enjoy every day to the fullest!

Just Say Yes To The World and go ahead!

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Pic sources-

atrl.net

Wikipedia.org

lufthansa.com

Book Review- A Basketful of Lies

Title- A Basketful of Lies

Author: Geetashree Chatterjee

Publisher: Creative Crows Publishers

ISBN: 9789384901687

MRP: Rs 199/-

When I received an autographed copy of this book, sent lovingly by the author, I was excited about the cover. You will come to know the reason by the end of this post. However, as and when I started reading the stories, the cover took a backseat and I could not stop wondering at the mesmerizing lyrical prose with which the author has clothed her brainchild. This work is her debut collection of short stories that revolve mainly around urban life and complexities in coming to terms with an inevitable change. Be it the old dignified ‘Maamone’, who chooses an austere life and self-respect over everything or a shrewd small town girl ‘Aninda’ who makes a whole career out of a yesteryear’s superstar, the characters in these 15 stories are very relatable and one can feel them popping out of the paper, for the portrayal is so real.

A few stories have spooky and surreal plots that are fun to enjoy and offer nail-biting twists. Some are about star-crossed lovers and those stuck in sepia memories buried under the nostalgia. Reading these, I felt a range of emotions, from a surge of sympathy for the sincere ‘Probir’ to pity for the old ‘Kaku’ managing a forgotten bookshop.

I will call this remarkable collection as a very ‘balanced’ one for many reasons. The plots are varied yet connected with a common thread, like beads in a string. The prose is lyrical yet it does not crash under its own weight; the passages are beautifully described yet the writing does not go overboard with unnecessary descriptions. The author has a very good command over the language too. So, in a nutshell, if you are a lover of meaningful, clean and well penned literature, this one is not to be missed. I am sure you will thank me after reading this book!

Regarding the cover, I am glad to have sketched the cover artwork. Each painting is done in color pencil and conveys the respective story-line. 

Rating- 4/5

The book is available on Amazon and Flipkart

The author blogs @ Panacea

A Basketful of Lies

I am excited to share this amazing news with you all!

Congratulations to Ms Geetashree Chatterjee as her debut book 'A Basketful of Lies' has hit the stands! In this collection, each short story is a gem presented in a lovely lyrical prose. Everything from concept to language and from flow to the ebb, has been handled very meticulously. I just loved reading her work!

I am so glad to have done the cover illustrations for this title.There are six illustrations in total, done in color pencil. Each one reflects the respective story line. I sincerely thank the author for putting her trust in me.

This book is available on Amazon and Flipkart. 

Get your copy now!