The holiday mutt

Our resident dog from the NID campus, with perhaps a whole catalogue of names to its credit. Add two pairs of white stockings and a pair of melting brown eyes and you have our darling lil mutt. Loves to burrow into the sand to avoid the sultry weather and of course, sleep off those extremely long afternoons. A common visitor to our BBC area, enticing us with its feverish wags. A real gem of our campus.  

Nymphadora

This was an illustration that I attempted during the Visual Language lectures last semester. Back then, I started out by drawing random features in detail without really knowing what the form would end up like. I wouldn't really call it a sea horse, but I guess the form came through after watching many underwater documentaries that month. :P.

The Carbon groove

Another friendly mutt from my neighbourhood black lab society known by the name of "Carbon". He is such a cool dog. And let me tell you there's a limit to how cool a dog can be. This kiddo didn't even know how to bark till two months back! Unlike my dogs, he doesn't seem to have a panic button in his system, this guy won't even bother the newspaper chap. Totally chilled out. I don't know but I kept getting this image of the hippie seventies whenever I looked at him!?! So I did this photoshoot on him and dug my eyes into some playful rendering techniques as soon as I reached home. He may not be the ultimate guard-dog, but he sure can groove!!

Backyard aesthetics

My mom's vegetable garden has been doing quite well this month. Thanks to the never-ending downpour, even the pests seem to have taken a back seat and let Gaia unfurl her magical harvest. I was particulalry impressed by how well the pumpkin grove was doing, and as I moved in for a closer look under the bamboo frame, I was amazed by the way the light came filtering through the bamboo mesh and accentuated the creepers. I don't know, but it looked pretty to me! :P If I were to choose the most beautiful vegetable, I'd choose brinjal (don't have those growing right now!) because I simply love the deep tone, unlike any purple I've seen before and the smoothness of its surface. Gawd, you must be thinking I'm crazy!!

Nestled in the tea shrubs

What I love best about June is the aftermath of prolonged showers. A shimmery green landscape that soothes your eyes. It's almost like you're staring out of green-tinted shades, only more natural. Today was one such day when I was glad to abandon my umbrella and trek across the meandering tea estate paths. It's something that I have been doing since childhood, but nowadays, its become more of a solitary retreat (ocassionally accompanied by my dogs). I can guarentee you, that Assam is the only place where you'll find goats smaller than a tea shrub! I like to call them pygmy goats, who seem to be blissfully unaware of their abnormally short stature as they go grazing across the lowlands. What's more, you'll find long-lashed pygmy cows here, and not to forget the nearly endangered 'pygmy hogs' that are found only in Assam. Anyways, while I was strolling, something shiny caught my attention. Nestled safely upon the canopy of the tree shrubs, was a beautiful turquoise egg. But what's the amazing part is that there was not a single nest nor a tree near this spot! How could an egg have emerged from nothingness?? Ah! But that's where the 'dispersal' phenomennon comes into play. Perhaps, a handiman must have plucked from a nest and (godforbid!) forgotten to retrieve it. Anyways, I've adopted it, and am reading articles on 'artificial insulation' and praying that one morning, a little head peeks out and goes 'Chirp!'. That would make my day!