1 Minute again at the smallest gallery in Kerala

 Local artist of Kochi, Kaladharan is alarmingly shedding weight ! From the 100+ that he was when in his element, what a slip that was ! Something that should have graced ME instead with all my pious wishes over a dozen years to get reduced without sporting a smear of sweat.. :(((

  The homely couple on way back from the Siva Temple. The inauguration of the exquisite stone-lookalike pencil finishes of goddesses was this time on Dinesh Shenoy, the recreator of heritage buildings in monochromatic sepia . But, once the bald man entered, suddenly it was his job. Kaladharan lighted all the wicks, snuffed the flame out and rekindled it, ritually. Dinesh never knew that sacred pattern, neither me or anybodyelse in-outside the gallery. Now, Dinesh will have to wait for that rare turn to be getting invited to inaugurate. 

He appeared clueless, dejected...forlorn 
like a heritage building...! 

 

 Kids among you, study this pose. 
This is the standard pose I, like any international counterpart of mine , am continuously being compelled to adopt before stoic or phlegmatic or shifting or smile-less faces of 80% of the blokes sitting before me. At that time, my pefectly round face would have broadened alarmingly without any immediate chance of return to normalcy. This is the time to pounce on my subjects because only those seasoned campaigners from smileless families of long pedigree would still refuse to buckle. But, by providence, this segment forms only 3.78637% of the total caricature seekers. So, I pull off easily. Then, my bulk acts as the buffer ensuring a smirk from my subjects. Altogether, no season is bad for me :)

The doctor from Amrita Hospital was among the first.

I thanked him publicly for carrying this face.

Even more deadly was Kaladharan's second son, umpteen times my model at the kids' camps at his house. I felt like crying for joy for getting two killer faces in 2 minutes, that too one after the other .

Sreekanth, the show was his. Pencil sketches of Bhagawans and Bhagawatis. He uses just 8B for shading. Repeated soft gracing on the paper will render the pic that stone-sculpted look.
 

Francis master, a great art teacher of the islands and Guru of the artist in the limelight, Bose Krishnamachari . Always sports a smile. His resembance with a former state minister is so much that the artist gets fidgety if he fails to hit the usual quota of a dozen acknowledgements from strangers

Another deadly face. Wafts about in the atmosphere. So light !

I continue to be jealous of his neck.

  local man..

another one

followed by this young boy having a bit of music in him

local businessman

the girl was never seen speaking a word..

The cameraman of the local TV channel came late

My first fisherman in Ernakulam :)

but not the first TV reporter

 

neither the first hotel boy

or the hotel 'muthalaali'

I have murdered Jayanth, the gallery owner, twice before

A young artist

 

The never say die Dinesh Shenoy, the apostle of monochromatic sepia in Kerala

Dinesh's son is so keen to take after his father that he has already started remaining bathless for days together, as per the age old prescription for great artists.

Amongst the gallery owner and four local artists..

Ajith, artist-businessman

1 Minute at an art gallery in Kochi

When I opened the door at 7am in my government quarters, there stands the compulsive cyclist of an artist, apolegetically snuggled to the wall, armed with that disarming smile - Dinesh R Shenoy again – that incomparable craftsman of monumental buildings in monochromatic sepia ! For statistical purpose, had to invite the Fort Kochi artist who was already in and about to be seated on the dining chair.

I have drawn Dinesh twice earlier and posted down here. But the two you see here were to amuse my deaf, chronically asthmatic AMMA who I could see struggling these days to get out of the trauma of the death of her elder sister, of whom she hoped to become neighbour one beautiful day. Just 2 minutes, and I could make her smile once again at my scribble pad.

I always remind my Siddharth to take care to nudge to his grandma....touch her...and if he can, smile at her while she goes through the obituary columns in the newspaper because she is going through something terrible that millions of old people like her anywhere in this world never wish to share with anybody. I could see my mother heaving heavily while struggling to balance on her weak limbs onway to the kitchen to make coffee for her son's friend.

No one can explain breath better than an asthmatic....

10 minutes later at the gallery where the train 

drawings of Dinesh hung in special frames. 

Perhaps, this simple looking young man would be the pathbreaker to that gallery culture where in you could 

shop for originals worth from Rs.100 to 1,00,000.

The owner of the teashop next to the smallest gallery perhaps in the whole of Kerala. In 20 minutes, I would cajole the 'boy' who brought the black tea with his caricature, futher unsettling the  standoff between the bourgeoisie hotel owner and the younger prolet.

This Infopark engineer with kid in arms who passed by was the first to volunteer. By reflex, I ran my fingers through the back of my head. There was a time when the comb refused to proceed further through the dense black forest. I looked at the young man again with envy but then the baby gave me hope.. HiHo !

Come to Netteppadam Road across Govt. Girls HS, Ernakulam and you will find this effervescent SRK lookalike, more SRKish if he chooses not to bare teeth. Beneath the half a dozen layers of knitwear lies  a panicky, intensely deep prayer invoking the Gods of 6 to 8 packs ...

Typical trade street fare this. Here is  a helper from the neraby

Ayurvedic pharmacy. The red smear in the forehead has been

correctly positioned to square off the villainy on the face :)

Colleague & Senior-in-arms of the above in

Ayurveda matters was exactly not a success.

The traditional cap donned by this photogenic chap 
during special occasions has been not so 
cleverly concealed behind the caricature.

One of the thousands of insecure drivers in the city. 
He was so eager to show the surprise to his kids, 
I was insensitive to ask the names of... :(

An official in the government furniture store. The pefectionist cut short his smile seeing the 'thing' to the right, my 5 second furniture that I decided to display before signing off.

The cricket fanatic boy watched by 
his shy mother from a distance...

The plumber of the bylane

then, the travel agent..

next, the clerk in the courier agency...

followed by the rich son of the teastall owner we met earlier..

My predecided 20 minutes was about to be finished. I had announced, just 2 more, I would be going .... I had forgotten to ask the vocation of the chap. Just seated him in the most unstable wooden bench I created in recent times..

JAYANT, the gallery owner. I only wish he learns the trade of packing his wares the earliest. His son (below) whom I drew on the inaugural day might one day save his father from debts with his exceptional watercolours ...

 

The hotel'boy' I referred earlier suddenly 
flaredhis dental structure without provocation, 
which would be any caricaturists instant delicacy. 




2 days back...

Dines chose 'me' as most suited to fill the smallest gallery

               Akkado Mikkado or whatever, the offeseason tourist                                 who relented while casually ushered in by the artist