Wheels of time.

It isn't easy to imagine a world without the high-speed automobiles and airplanes we now take for granted. It's fascinating to think of how what constitutes "fast" has been constantly redefined through the ages and continues to be with every passing day. In the 1800's a stagecoach which could travel at 8 or 9 mph, and a small locomotive which could move twice as fast were amongst the most speedy forms of available transport, accessible only to the affluent. Today's post is a series of notebook sketches tracing the evolution of transport.

The human body.

"The body is a sacred garment- Martha Graham" Today's post is a series of tactile swatches I created several years ago. As a student of textile design in India, it struck me that most of our traditional patterns and prints revolve around floral motifs, paisleys and the occasional geometric surface. This was an attempt to look beyond the obvious.

Inspiration lies within all of us. The Human Body is a rich source of inspiration full of life, energy and love. The following patterns have been derived from red blood corpuscles as well as the thoracic ribs and neural networks.Inspired from the Red Blood Corpuscles and articulated through an Indian craft technique known as “Tritik” or “Stitch Resist.”Patterns inspired by the Thoracic or Rib Cage derived from “Batik” or “Wax Resist.”Block Print yardage created from nerve endings and neurons.

I'm no hoax!

"Do you think God gets stoned? I think so ... look at the platypus!" - Robin Williams When we need to name some animals, the platypus is probably not the first to strike anyone’s mind. Eighteenth century scientists didn’t believe platypuses existed even as they examined one. When a platypus skin arrived in England in 1798, biologists thought some prankster had sewn a duck's bill, a beaver's tail and four webbed feet onto a rabbit's body and that the entire animal was a hoax. Darwin even went on several exhibitions to hunt this creature so that he could study it. In his words, the platypus was "wonderful."

Platypuses are now regarded as the nearest thing biologists have to a missing link between the earliest reptiles and mammals. All this brings to mind an old joke about a zookeeper who wanted to order two of these animals but didn’t know how to express the plural form in his request. So he sent out a note which stated: “Please send me a platypus. And by the way, send me another.”

Bull Dozing.

Not having access to the internet/ television / telephone these last few days (peaceful and painful at once!) gave me an opportunity to reflect upon several memories. Often, it felt as if days stretched on endlessly and time stood still. Made me reminisce about an incident in Ahmedabad, India when I battled insane traffic to reach an art exhibition only to be stopped by a lazy herd of cows who had decided to settle down in the middle of the street for their afternoon siesta. No amount of cajoling would tempt the holy animals away from their space and everything around came to a grinding halt. Once again, time stood still. How many cows can you spot hidden in this herd?