Tuesday, February 28, 2012

aPaulogy ~ Curious Illustration

I met Priya Sebastian for a cup of chai few days back.
She suggested we drop by at this quaint place at the edge of Richard's Park in Richard's Town, which houses the work of Bangalore-based illustrator Paul Fernandes.
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Not knowing what to expect I just followed her obediently into this space, habitually taking out my camera while she exchanged pleasantries with Mona and Jatin of aPaulogy~ Curious Illustration.

As I looked around this colourful space, I was at once enveloped in a multi-hued world of water colours!
What followed was an hour of surfing the waves of sheer nostalgia of the years spent in the beautiful Cantonment area of Bangalore.
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Paul Fernandes' illustrations are an ode to this charming part of Bangalore. Light-hearted, funny depiction of scenes from the days gone by~ the 70's, his memories and experiences and of friends and families.

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He's work has captured some grand landmarks of the area, which conjures up numerous memories in people who have lived here. The work is also a satirical take on these fast disappearing heritage buildings and structures.

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The charming Mona taking us on a trip down memory-lane. She narrated such delightful little stories associated with each illustration and also some very interesting piece of information.

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Thom's Cafe, a landmark building on Wheeler's Road! I have such fond memories of picking up their warm, fresh out of the oven bread, you drop a blob of butter on it and it would melt:-)

Mona tells us that, in 'those days' it was the only cafe in the Cantonment area which had a Jukebox and they played some lovely music.

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His gallery is peppered with vintage furniture, collectibles and memorabilia's that are remnants of the old Bangalorean charm.

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Paul is a collector of miniature vintage cars...

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An old framed photograph.

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Miniature cars glide on window sills and on tables...

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Paul has captured some beautiful heritage houses, which are fast disappearing.

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This illustration depicts the sincere policemen of yesteryears checking for lit oil lamps on the cycles. There is an antique lamp placed next to the artwork, which almost brings the scene alive!

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Priya and Mona engrossed in one of the illustrations depicting a scene of a pre-wedding Mangalorean party.

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What a fabulous treat it was to the senses, we walked out feeling like one of the characters that Paul Fernandes so beautifully brought to life, from another era.

A little melancholy lingered in my heart thinking about the heritage buildings, that filled us with so many happy memories, were slowly disappearing giving way to huge concrete structures.

Presently Paul Fernandes walks the various mains and streets trying to paint the other remarkable landmarks of Namma Bengaluru!

Kudos Paul Fernandes!

(images by Arch)

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Second to None Flea Market, Bangalore.

I have long nurtured a child-like dream, to save the world.
...but how? The answer remained ambiguous.

Strong emotions surged in my throat when I heard casual remarks like, "Look at that road so dirty! There is garbage everywhere, why isn't someone doing something about it."

Last summer those emotions got channelized into a tiny endeavor when a friend gently nudged me towards the idea of composting at home. Composting one's own kitchen waste and converting it into a soil enricher for one's own garden and thereby reducing the garbage that goes out of house completely appealed to me.
I wanted to be that someone doing something about it.

Composting gradually changed my perspective on waste management specifically and life in general. It made me alive to simple facts of living. Living a more meaningful life by going natural, going organic, evaluating eco-friendly options, reducing what goes out of the house, recycling and reusing.

When I first heard about Second to None {220} in June last year, it completely echoed with the ideals I believed in.
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Second to None {220} is an initiative started in the form of a Facebook group by Anu Gummaraju, Reena Chengappa and Shilpa Kamath Prabhu. A platform to promote the idea of recycling, a space for like-minded people to interact, share recycling ideas, buy and sell used goods.

The online initiative soon took the form of Second to None Flea Markets at Jaaga (a space which lends itself perfectly to the cause.)

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A green wall at Jaaga.

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(L) Reena Chengappa, (C) Shilpa Kamath Prabhu and (R) Anu Gummaraju.

Last Sunday I visited the 3rd Second to None Flea Market to meet the inspiring trio and experience the market that buzzed with innovative recycling ideas, fresh organic produces, delicious treats from home kitchens and products that remind us to reduce and reuse.
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Old computer keyboards converted into finger accessories! By the creative guys at Pink Nation.

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Upcycled eco-friendly earring by Sejals Handcrafted Jewellery.

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Deepika Rathnakar's jewellery made from couch cover material.

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Tanushree Nair of Karaashilp with her upcycled home decor products. The old CDs get a new lease of life as coasters.

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Madhavi Rongala-Pavuluri of Yellow Button with Sanchali range of products.
These are handcrafted earrings made using silk scraps by rural women as part of Sanchali Women Empowerment project.

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Up-cycled Linen Pin-up boards from Enthucutlets.

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From Hema Mahesh's kitchen comes Nature In A Bottle range of gourmet jams. A wide range of jams using fresh ingredients and spices with no artificial preservatives.

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Handcrafted flowers made using old wedding invitation cards, plastic bags, cartons etc.

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Upcycled wine bottles converted into 'Message on a bottle' and frames by Anokhi Planet

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I picked up one of those bottles indulging in my love for messages on mini chalkboard:-) On our kitchen counter.
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Super delicious home-baked cinnamon rolls and cupcakes from Sin-a-Mon.

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Monika Manchanda of Sin-a-Mon with her old books and delicious baked goodies.

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Mouth-watering cupcakes by Cup-a-cake.

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The ladies behind Cup-a-Cake, delightful cupcakes.

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Paper Mache lamps made from newspaper and the lampshade using plastic take-away containers by Refresh Studio's Rabindranath Rathnakar

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Bombaat Items, a range of up cycled wine bottles by Athreya Cidambi.

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Pramila Balachandran with her upcycled, self-watering containers and decoupaged products.

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Jaaga with it's green plants in reused plastic water tank containers.

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Bum Bags, old denim jeans converted into bags by A Hundred Hands in collaboration with NIMHANS Psychiatric Rehab Centre.

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There was something to enjoy for everyone who came...

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.....and something to learn.

I picked up few lovely things from the Flea Market for my home but most of all I came back energized by the fact that there were so many individuals who believed in recycling and reusing and were doing their bit for the world.

Let's all become that someone doing something about our world in our own unique way!

You can see a slideshow of rest of the photographs from the Second to None Flea Market here.


(images by Arch)

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Meeting Vineeta Nair.

I sit down to type my post today and I know it is going to be
a different post. A special post.

Never before have I shared my meeting with a creative fellow design blogger here on Rang Decor and never have my colourful photographs been replaced by black & white images in my attempt to capture the moments of creative effervescence, delightful conversations, foamy Cappucino hearts and heady Earl Grey brews.

Vineeta Nair, as many of you might be aware is the multi-faceted, super-talented lady behind the popular design & decor blog Artnlight.
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Vineeta was the first Indian design blogger I met online, around the time I created Rang Decor way back in 2007. Ever since our creative paths have been criss-crossing in the virtual world of blogging.
One Saturday afternoon the virtual path metamorphosed into a real one which led to Bangalore and we met!

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We met, we spoke, we laughed, we walked, we photographed, we reminisced, we connected as creative individuals.

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Happy feet and a dazzling smile.

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She hearts Cappuccino and here is her Cappuccino heart!

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I shared little things from our travels and huge creative passions of my life.

Vineeta shared her evolution from an ex-advertising professional to an independent designer with a vibrant Artnlight range of decoupaged products to a contributor to the book 'Desire To Inspire'~Using Creative Passion to Transform the World. by Christine Mason Miller

True to it's name the book Inspires.

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Over a transparent cup of Earl Grey and a foamy Cappuccino we discussed the book which so resonates with inspiring thoughts and ideas. It instills a sense of belief that every creative individual can make a positive impact in this beautiful world of ours.

It's a book that makes you believe in dreams. It's a book that inspires you to follow your heart. It's a book that shows you that dreams do come true and it is YOU who makes it happen!

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Vineeta signing a copy of 'Desire to Inspire' for me to cherish. I am just a few pages into the book and I want to share a few beautiful lines from it.

" Take a daring leap. Begin to pave your own trail. Listen to the whispers within your heart.
Take micro-actions. Commit to change. Take responsibility for how you live your life.
Embrace joy and release sorrow. Accept that within this moment, you can rewrite your story by taking one step in a different direction, followed by another step...
one action at a time. "
~ Carolyn Rubenstein

"Go! Go in the direction of your dream no matter where you are, no matter if you feel like it is the 'right' time or you have the 'right' resources, because the right time to live your life is now."
~ Mindy Tsonas

Your wings already exist. All you have to do is FLY

On that note, with multi-hued creative auras around us, with heightened levels of positivity we parted ways to meet again in the virtual world.

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That's me and Vineeta spreading smiles:-)