Wish I were...

....Chillin' on the beach

Picture taken on the Marina Beach in July, 2010.

Simple Stew with Lentils (Kootu)

Here is a quick South Indian stew - what we call as a kootu in Tamil. In this version I made for dinner on a weeknight, I used the vegetable called Snake Gourd that I got from St. Louis. But any green vegetable would go well in a kootu. I used moong dal which is much easier to cook without a pressure cooker. In a pot, boil together a cup of moong dal and sliced snake gourd seasoned with salt  and a pinch of turmeric. Once the dal is cooked completely and the vegetable is soft, add 2-3 tbsp of shredded coconut. On a separate pan, heat a tsp of oil and temper 1/4 tsp of mustard seeds, 1/4 of cumin, a tsp of urad dal, 2 diced green chilies, 1/2 tsp of grated ginger and a few curry leaves. Add this to the boiling veggies and take off from heat. If it is too thin, add a solution of rice flour to thicken. Serve with rice or roti.

Kolam on a Kolam

This is one of my kolams to which the picture doesn't do any justice at all. And thats because I used a metallic / pearly lavender coat on top of the first kolam before starting the second one in white. Trust me - this piece looks so good in person, and I have actually gotten some compliments on it too! I am liking how the smaller kolams in the corner accentuates the middle piece. I also like the idea of a background kolam, but I think when I try this next, instead of a full kolam in the background, I will have a partial but bigger one in the background without the dots and a more intricate foreground. Any thoughts?

More of my Kolams

These are two mini 5x5 canvases and I am playing around a little bit more, by filling the inside of the kolam. The fillers are metallic paints and hence the bright reflection on the pictures. The blue one also has beads for the dots.

Another Kolam, with embellishments

My latest Kolam on Canvas (6x6). This time I played around a little bit with more colors, beads and double lines. And instead of a brush, I am using a tip for the lines too. No where near perfect, but practicing. I have sent this piece for my friend Sujatha Prakash and hoping she will like it. 

Kolam on Canvas

Here is the latest I have tried art-wise. I was thinking about doing Rangoli on glass, but since I started experimenting with acrylic on canvas, Kolam on canvas seemed like a pretty good idea. As many of us don't put kolams in front of the house as we do back in India, I thought hanging them on the wall could be a nice touch. And I love how they are turning out! The bigger one is with Brooke Stansberry, Grand Island. I do know I have to work a lot to improve my brush strokes, but this is not bad for a rookie, right?

A First!

I love to paint on glass, and have done quite a few pieces over the years. I even sold a lot of them when I was in India. Most of what I painted so far in the US have been given as gifts to friends. I did not have the time to pull out my paints since I started teaching. But with not working this semester, I finally decided to check out the art supplies sale yesterday at one of the local bookstores. I came home with a simple easel, a few canvas boards and an acrylic paint thinner.

I have used acrylic on paper before for craft projects, but never painted on canvas. I practiced a little bit to get an idea about how the paint will be on canvas, before starting on this Ganesh.

I started on the second Ganesh, even as the first one was still drying! This is bigger, drawn on a 9x12 canvas board. I like the flesh color on this one better than the first. Though I have ways to go before I am able to comfortably blend colors and produce more shadows, I love the way this one turned out.

Enjoy the Festival of Lights!

The Bridge to Bliss

Rhesus Macaque

Rhesus Macacque (Macaca mulatta) mom and baby by the side of the road between Siliguri and Gorumara National Park, in Sikkim, India. One of my favorite primates - I hope to work with them some day!

Salt Pans @ Marakkanam

Marakkanam, a small village between Chennai and Pondicherry, on the East Coast Road, is one of the places in this region where we have salt pans. In salt pans, sea water is allowed to flow into small puddles and dried, and the crystallized salt is harvested by the workers. Some of these pans are now run by Women Self-help Groups after the Tsunami in 2004, and can produce about 75 Kgs of salt a week! These pictures were taken on my way back from Pondicherry.

Here is Google's view of the salt pans from up above

@ the Beach - Pondicherry

I had spent quite a bit of time during my Master's program on the beaches at Pondicherry. If I didn't get to go home for the weekend, I will try my best to go to the city on Friday evenings... one of the weekly magazines I used to read came out on Thursday evening and picking up a copy justifies the 12 km trip; in addition to visiting a temple in the city, walking along the rocky beach and getting a cone ice cream was part of the routine. I was glad to take a trip out there last month with a friend. We had lunch at a restaurant across from the beach with a good view and needless to say, it was Good Times :)

Leopard at Sikkim Himalayan Zoological Park

When I was in Gangtok during my recent trip to India, one of our stops was the Sikkim Himalayan Zoological Park. The park is known for its conservation efforts for the Red Panda. One of the animals that seemed to be awake that morning was the Leopard. He was exhibiting stereotypic behavior and pacing when we neared his enclosure.

He seemed to get a little interested in climbing the branch...and we were waiting to see what he was getting to...

But what does a really bored leopard do?

Find a really comfortable spot and remain bored :-(

A night at the Marina Beach

Beaches are special places for me. I don't think I have ever missed an oppotunity to go stand in the waves. Growing up on the coast, Beach is right on top on the list of things I miss in Wisconsin. During this trip, I got to go to Marina Beach three times, and all my visits were when it was already dark! Having spent so much time on the beaches in Chennai, I can't recall being at the Marina late in the evening. Marina Beach, a must see place in Chennai, is an urban sandy beach, stretching for about 12 kms. These pictures were taken when I went there with my family one evening, much later than what we had planned. It was worth the delay to see the Bay of Bengal in moonlight :)

A Substitute for Amy

Blackie, adopted by my parents from the Blue Cross of India, was my substitute for Amy in India. I had the chance to thoroughly pamper this girl, and even got her to get down for a treat. Blackie cries (!!!) a lot when no one is home and contrary to a dog guarding the house, ours advertises when we are not there. She also has the weird habit of running around the house once when my mom or dad comes back home.. may be telling them that the house is still there?

Landing @ Chennai

I spent a month in India - mostly at Chennai, with one trip to Hyderabad and another to Calcutta & Gangtok. Missing my BA flight, due to the lack of a transit visa for changing planes in London, I managed to fly NorthWest, from Chicago to Amsterdam to Mumbai, and then to Chennai. Here's the landing!

Entering the city...

Race course at Guindy and the suburbs..

Touch Down! My house is on the other side of this hill...