All posts filed under: Hobbies

The Penland Diaries: Washing dishes and making them

Published by Anita

From washing dishes to making them has been the tagline of these last few days. And I’m borrowing and modifying the phrase from my very talented sister Ranjita (who used to be a chef and is now a potter) who says she went from: “Making dishes to making dishes”. Exhausting. Hectic. Overwhelming. Intense. Fantastic. A few words to sum up my experience at Penland so far. Time flies when you’re having fun and it really did. I have no idea how 10 days went by–it’s like one of those sprint races with Usain Bolt. It’s over before it started. The 18 member group worked at breakneck speed to fire “Rosie”, Penland’s three-chambered wood kiln. After 24 hours of stoking and firing, making sure all the three chambers were heated up, we stopped a bit past midnight on Wednesday. It was a first time for me working together with a team to fire a wood kiln and it was memorable. Now, I can see the reason why people fire these things. It’s tough and challenging–I still …

Showcasing Karnataka: Looking back, one year later

Published by Anita

On November 1, 2014 (also Karnataka Rajyotsava Day) a motley gang of 6, displayed the labor of their love at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishad. Photographs taken over a 3-year period, traveling through the width and breadth of Karnataka. It was difficult to choose around 48 frames out of the more than 30-40 trips we had made individually and collectively. But, it had to be done. That’s all we could fit into the hall we had booked. What we remember though was that it was some of the best times we spent discovering the rich and abundant state of Karnataka, my home for nearly 10 years of my life. Not only did we challenge ourselves from an artistic angle, learning from and motivating one another; we also had some really fun times. Here’s a glimpse of some of the frames we displayed. We learnt so much from the time we spent together. But most of all, all of us forged a unique friendship that’s rare to find. While we had grand ambitions of putting a book …

Taming the bull – on cycle and on foot!

Published by Anita

Our destination: Nandi Hills, located about 60 km north of Bangalore and about 4800 ft above sea level. On top was Tipu Sultan’s summer retreat and the remains of Tipu’s fort still remain. Tipu’s Drop, a 600 metre high cliff face, where prisoners were hurled down the precipice when the king was really angry. Not a place you want to venture close to! If you reach the top early enough – say between 6-9 am or so – you can experience the mist covered hills and drive through the clouds.

Right on “Trek”!

Published by Anita

So a year or so ago, I was presented with a Hercules bicycle. It’s a really reliable cycle and stood me in good stead over quite a few long trips that I made. Of course, by the end of the trip, every muscle of mine would be strained, but at least I was getting some good exercise in the bargain (and burning more calories too). But I figured that it was time to upgrade. Especially seeing folks talk lovingly about their Treks and Meridas made me also think of taking a step up in the cycling world. Of course, it’s always difficult to make that decision. Which bike to buy? ~ Road or MTB or hybrid? ~ How much should I spend on a bike? ~ Which brand? Trek/Merida/Cannondale/Bianchi/Hero/Firefox?

Day 1, 2 & 3

Published by Anita

It was pretty hectic the last two days. People have been streaming in through the day. Lots of friends (and lots who promised didn’t turn up, but that is always expected!). Some nice surprises, people who came in through this blog and Bangalore Metblogs also. The Slimes refused to feature us, and we didn’t get a mention even in their events listings 🙂 We did get some coverage in the Deccan, Bangalore Mirror, The Hindu and the Express the day prior. But most of the publicity was through online forums, blogs and personal invites to friends/family. So thank god for the Internet! I have to thank the BWS group for coming out and supporting us. They were wonderful and especially Peevee, Sreelesh, Akshath, Prasoon, Srividya and the rest of the gang : Soumya, Lavanya, greeshma, Yogesh, Danny, Kushal (I’m sure I’m missing some names but the whole gang who came!). Some of them were there not just for the exhibition but also for the talks on Sat and Sun. It really meant a lot to …