Vinayak Hegde

Last year I had been to a friend’s place and seen a painting at her place which I liked a lot. She said she had bought it at Chitra Santhe. Chitra Santhe is typically held on the last Sunday of January every year along the Kumara Krupa Road. This year it was crowded and buzzing with activity and I saw several people carrying cartloads of paintings. This year, Chitra Santhe attracted more than 1300 artists and the road was choc-a-bloc with paintings of various styles. Also every other person seemed to carry a DSLR to take pictures of the artists and paintings. I did not carry my camera but the fair was a treat for the eyes. I bought a series of paintings depicting dances of India – Odissi, Bharatnatyam and Kathak. If you are in Bangalore during that time of the year, this is one event you should not miss.

Udaipur is a city famed for palaces and Lakes. But there are some hidden gems off the normal tourist circuit. One such is Bagore-ki-Haveli, situated on the picturesque bank of Picchola Lake. It was built by Amarchand Badava, chief minister of the former Bagore thikana in the 18th century. It was restored after falling to ruins in mid-20th Century. The restoration is partially funded by a Rajasthani dance programme held every evening. Must see if you visit Udaipur. The photo is of the many paintings in the gallery housed inside Bagore-ki-Haveli. This one caught my eye as I didn’t realise it was a face until I looked at it closely.

More technical details about the photo at my photoblog (click on Image Info).