'Naika & The Tree Trunk'

'Naika & Tree Trunk'-1  Gouache on Paper  22x 30 in.-2008.

'Naika & Tree Trunk'-2 Gouache on Paper 22x 30 in.-2008.

'Naika & Tree Trunk'-3 Gouache on Paper 22x 30 in.-2008.

'Naika & Tree Trunk'-4 Gouache on Paper 22x 30 in.-2008.

WHILE RECOUPING

In Delhi, in this age of information technology, we begin to see through the words of others. We become Dhritrashters. We need Sanjays’ to see for us. We end up admiring Duryodhans. We stop using our eyes and our minds’ and our hearts’ responses. I realized this summer that any pretext, even illness, if it takes us away from Delhi for sometime, is a blessing. You begin to see again with your own eyes. You begin to feel again yourself.

Like last year, as soon as summer started, we, I and Gogi, fell ill. Delhi heat and pollution has become unbearable for us. We suffered from high temperature and congestion in the chest for fifteen days without any relief. Unfortunately, Dr. Kalyan Bannerji who had redeemed us from our suffering last year had gone to Germany. We have taken a resolve that we will depend on homeopathy for the remedy of our ailments. Dr. B. N. Srivastav, who lives in Dehradun, has on number of occasions brought relief to Gogi’s ailments. When, we could not, on our own, improve our condition, Gogi’s brother, Amal Pal, took us away to Paonta Sahib so that we could consult Dr. Srivastav in Dehradun. One week of his treatment, care in the house, the company of Angir and clean air of Paonta Sahib brought down our body temperature to normal and we started to recover.

‘While recouping, every morning, when the darkness of the night is about to leave and the light of the day is about to arrive, I wake up, go out of the house and sit near the mango grove corner of the garden which surrounds the house. The mango trees are laden with green unripe mangoes, each bursting with energy. Every morning I collect the mangoes fallen to the ground which could not encounter the strong wind during the night. I begin to recognise each mango and see its ripening process. There is a mango tree whose twisting tree trunk is like human torso in tri-bhang mudra. In the background of the mango grove there is a large field of eucalyptus trees. Each tree is about hundred feet high. These trees swing along with the birds sitting on them, when the wind pass through them. One day I saw a small bird’s first flight from his nest to the top of the eucalyptus tree along with the promptings of his parents. Outside the entrance gate of the house flows a canal and parallel to it runs the road. In the morning, first to walk on this road are children, in groups and singly, going to school. Some are in a hurry to reach school, some are dreaming and walking and some naughty ones carry a stone in their hands to hit the fruit laden trees to taste the unripe mangoes. Beyond the road is the orchard of lichi trees. Two parrots come there every morning ..... pluck ripe lichies, peel the skin of the fruit with their beaks, eat the fruit and throw the seeds on the ground in spite of the protests of the bald mali.

At about the same time, I wake up, sounds and songs of the birds start. After some days, I started recognising the birds by their voice. A squirrel comes down from the tree on one side of the gate followed by her children , jump on the ledge of the gate. All of them, except one, cross the gate in a line, jump on the fruit tree on the other end of the gate and vanish in it. The naughty one comes down and jumps on the ground, looks around and then runs to join the family. Seeds of eaten fruits start falling on the ground at irregular intervals from the tree in which the family of squirrels has vanished. The dove descends on the gate and after arranging her feathers flies away. A snail has started crossing the courtyard leaving behind a sticky trail. It will take him half an hour to cross the courtyard. Pink lilies shed their petals three days ago, the seed pods are now prominently visible. Yellow lilies are open today. White lilies will open tomorrow with all its spikes and frills. First rays of the sun fall on two butterflies painted by an abstract artist hovering over two mangoes.

It is summer. The monsoon is expected any day, because sometimes you see a small cloud in the morning sky separated from its mother monsoon cloud. This is romance season of the birds. They are choosing partners. They are selecting places for their nests. They are building their nests. Both the partners bring twigs and leaves to build the nests. They are architects by instinct.

Away from Delhi when I expressed in my creative visual imagery, all the eye’s & heart’s intakes entered my creativity.

I also wrote my first short story for the children sitting there while recouping.