It took me four and a half months to complete this painting- not because the painting was tough but, because I always found enough excuses not to sit at my desk and paint- first, I complained that the weather was too warm to paint. Then, when I moved my desk to a smaller room with better air-conditioning, the room felt too cramped- I said, it didn’t feel right. When I moved my table back to its original place, I simply got busy with writing and this A3-sized paper just kept staring at me from the table. I suppose it also had to do something with the painting itself- in the beginning, it looked like a mess- the colours being dull and me, having something in my mind that I wasn’t able to bring down to paper.

I finally managed to sit down the last week and paint. I’m not sure if that change was brought about by the rains or the fact that my daughter was home from University. But, here is the painting that was in a lurch for the longest time – one that I had little inclination to complete but, no intention to discard either – a catch-22 situation.

This painting is done in watercolours and is inspired by my trip to Benaras. It’s on an A3 size paper. My younger daughter disliked the dark colours but, the moment I shared it on Instagram, someone put ‘dibs’ on it. So, it’s gone, and I can’t wait to begin painting again. But, I have to until I’m back home from my holiday to my hometown. I’m determined not to take as much time in getting back to it this time.

And here’s the painting…

For all those who read about my trip to Benaras, you would recognize this painting. It’s inspired by one of the photographs I took there.

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