Noir

Because things look better in black and white.

My nephew - Viraj (top) and cousin - Samrath (bottom)

School corridor on a Sunday afternoon.

Entrance

Exit

Train travel to go to Colaba

Full proof protection from thieves

Streets of Colaba

Second hand books

Take me somewhere nice

The moment I heard the song "Take me somewhere nice" by Mogwai, I fell in love with it. The illustration, the whole concept of berating/being under water fascinated me. It reflected that we are surrounded by a lot of superficial and mundane things. Everyday you go through it and try to survive it. How do you survive all that? By looking for an escape? Or by being ignorant? 

Here I have tried to give a psychedelic effect to add more drama to the illustration.

Here's the video..

Mogwai - Take me somewhere nice

"No Surprises" by Radiohead and "Be quiet and drive" by Deftones also have a similar concept. I hope these songs take you to your safe place.

Radiohead - No surprises

Deftones - Be quiet and drive

Trees - Taller a tree grows, deeper its roots sink.

So, the year 2012 has come to an end. It was definitely the most eventful year of my life. These two paintings pretty much sum up the whole thing.

Mood Shades

Madhubani Willow

"Trees are the poems that the earth writes upon the sky."
- Khalil Gibran, Sand and Foam

Anwar

Does anybody remember the movie "Anwar"? It gave us two brilliant songs "Maula mere maula" and "Tose naina lage". Whenever I listen to these songs, I get transported to a different magical world, where there is beauty in peace. Where there are absolutely no barriers and every soul is mystically connected to one another without the awkwardness of words.

Shama ko Pighlane kaa arman kyun hai
Patange ko jalne kaa arman kyun hai
Isi shauk kaa imtihan jindagi hai

Mohabbat jise baksh de jindagani
nahee maut par khatam usaki kahani

Translation:
(Why does a candle want to melt?
Why does a moth want to burn?
Life is a test of these desires

When love blesses one's life
his story doesn't end with death)

These are my absolute favourite lines from the song "Tose naina lage" and these lines have inspired me to paint this. I hope you enjoy these songs and my painting.

Anwar - Tose  Naina Lage

Singer(s): Kshitij Tarey, Shilpa Rao

Anwar - Maula Mere Maula

Singer: Roop Kumar Rathod

Lolita

"Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my Soul. Lo-lee-ta.

She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita." 

- Humbert Humbert

I was inspired to paint this after reading the book "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov.

Metamorphosis

The moment you stop being yourself, do you ask yourself, “Am I transforming, evolving into a being that no longer resembles its original self?”

When you do that, what do you see? Do you see the reality, or are you simply hypnotized, possessed? 

Symbols

Shell

With your fragile wall you protect me, you are the sound of the ocean and the bead of my necklace.

Touch

You are something very difficult to understand. But, I have understood one thing that you act like seasons. Summer - warmth and Winter - cold pain.

The end is near, the summer days
All the great things go away
Feel the cold coming round the bend
Everything is going to change again

Down another day, Down another day

Oh, the winter I adore
Summer's gone forevermore
Someday you'll come back to me
Seasons change to set me free

Down another day, Down another day. - Limp Bizkit

Owl

The creature of the night, symbol of wisdom and transition, protector of the dead and a messenger of secrets, the Mystery keeper.