Saturday, October 13, 2012

Joy Ride

Little Chicken arrived when there was a mood of festivity in the country.  The Dussehra and Navratri festivals being celebrated this month had an effect on her. The display of various dolls happens this time and as I was preparing to showcase them at home, little chicken found Hathi- a locally handcrafted wooden baby elephant. She quickly made friends with him.  Now, both made some plans and Hathi offered to take her around the city of Hyderabad to show her all the sights and sounds….So, quite secretly, they left in a jiffy….and Boy! What a ride she had!  
 

Here’s a li’l tete-a-tete they had-
Little Chicken:  Wow! What’s this lake here?
Hathi: It’s Hussain Sagar, with the Buddha statue in the middle.
Little Chicken: Why are people dancing away, Hathi?
Hathi:  With their dandiya sticks, they are dancing to the “Navratri Dandiya” beats which are hard to resist you see…
Little Chicken: What are the colorful patterns below?
Hathi: They are ”Rangoli” which is put in front of houses and on the streets during festivities.
Little Chicken: Oh look, Hathi, it’s raining pearls! Truly, I’ve arrived in the City of Pearls!!!
Hathi: You bet! :) You'll find pearls of all kinds here...

Little Chicken:  Now, why have you decked yourself Hathi?
Hathi: I’m off to partake in the Dussehra procession. There will be many of my kind, and horses, and camels too… Alright, that’s enough for now, little friend. Let’s return. It was fun taking you around.
Little Chicken: Thanks a ton Hathi! You have made my day!
Thank you Hathi, for entertaining the Chicken. Thank you Little Chicken, for visiting me. Soon, the little Chicken will be flying to meet Evie McLaughlin in the UK. Happy travels Little Chicken!
Here is my Blog with the post. Thanks!         - Anita Badami

13 comments:

  1. Wow! Anita, your painting is so festive and fun! It's obvious that you showed the little Chick a fabulous time during her visit with you and her new friend Hathi! Thank you for making such a creative addition to this fun blog with both your art and your story.

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  2. That's wonderful Anita! I love the way the little Chicken has a perfect spot above Hathi! Just wonderful!

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  3. Absolutely wonderful! I loved reading this, and the colors are beautiful in your painting. And it's wonderful that TC made a new friend that was so nice to take her around on her visit. Great post Anita!

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  4. Thanks a lot Kathleen, Karen and Nan! I'm so happy to read your wonderful comments. :)

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  5. Anita! Such an adventure our Little Chicken had in India and how wonderfully you portrayed her adventure. Thanks for being part of the Traveling Chicken. This has been such a fun experiment in international painters having a good time together!

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    1. I'm so happy TC's adventures in India have been appreciated so well. Thank you for your nice comments,Jill! I feel lucky to have been part of the chicken's travels. Also, it feels great to connect with other artists.

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  6. What a very colourful and cheerful painting, it has a very festive mood. That background blue is delicious. Poor TC, leaving that for grey wet England !

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    1. Evie, Thanks so much! I bade farewell to TC and co today. Not to worry, your warm and friendly welcome will compensate for the English weather, I'm sure. :)
      They are on the way...

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  7. Such a beautiful painting Anita and a wonderful story to go along with it. It sounds like the chicken had a wonderful visit in India.

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  8. Well done! I really appreciate your creativity and playfulness here Anita! Sounds like TC really had fun in India. :-D

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  9. Thank you for the fun post, art and education!! My daughter is currently in India, so I read with keen interest! Julie

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    1. Thanks a lot for your comments Julie! Glad you liked it. Sorry for my late response, for I just saw this comment. I hope you daughter enjoyed her stay in India.:)

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  10. Wow! Anita, love your creativity and painting, it is so festive and colorful.Beautiful work!!

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