20.5x28.5 inches; Pen drawing on acid free textured paper with watercolour wash (Click on image to enlarge)
SOLD. In private collection
Embarking on a long journey in the sleeper class of a train,
tucked in the side lower berth (of course sharing it with a stranger for half
of the journey) is how I like to travel. The swinging rhythm, the strange
interactions, the plethora of smells, the books with pages curled at the corners,
the variety of food, the beggars, the hawkers, observing the behaviour of
co-passengers and the sleepless nights... everything has a veneer of adventure.
My favourite pass time is to watch the view outside, through the windows of the
train. Everything races by in the opposite direction as if fleeing at the news
of our arrival. The cities, towns, villages, stations, hills, lakes, rivers,
trees, farm lands, bridges, clouds, sun, moon, stars, people... everything
rushes by. But sometimes when the train stops, unscheduled, at a remote place
between cities or towns and villages, one gets to occasionally observe the
undisturbed beauty of nature. Nothing is more refreshing to me after a fidgety
night, than the sight of green fields broken by the deep blue creeks dotted
with pearly white herons and cranes gathering for their breakfast, washed in
the early morning sun light. Sitting huddled on my berth with a cup of steaming
tea and a plate of lukewarm ‘puri bhaji’, watching these birds search for their
early morning meal in the wilderness is an experience I cherish.
