Taj - The people

I have worked in a number of organisations and nowhere did I feel more at home that I did in Mumbai. The team at the Taj Landsend was one of the best teams I have ever worked with.This series is dedicated to all my co-workers there. These were all developed during the one great year I spent at the Taj Landsend Mumbai. Sachin, Ibu, Amby, Krits, Annie, Rimjhim, Nitin, Vaibhya, Neha, Payal, Feroze, Penaaz, Caren, Priya, Cyrus and everybody else who made TLE the place it was, this one is for you!!

There are bosses and there are bosses. But there are some seniors in some organisations that never let you feel bossed over. The next one was prepared as a tattoo concept for one such senior of mine: Kritika.  The idea was to design a tattoo for the back of her neck. Its a rudimentary effort and one of my earliest attempts but one which I am personally very fond of.

Kritika- Tattoo Concept

Another sweet friend and boss was Ambika Gurung or Amby as she was more commonly known. This little package was the apple of everyones eye and her work was as pretty as she was. Soft spoken and docile at most times, you still would not want to cross her path as she had the ability to be as deadly as Lucy Liu. Though she has moved to the United States since a couple of years now, she has remained close to all of us in the team. I think I can say it on behalf of the entire team at Taj Landsend, We miss you Amby!!

Amby

While working at the Taj Landsend, an event occurred in Mumbai that shook our country and the world. Being closely associated with the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers, the shock-waves reached us too and left indelible marks on us.  We lost a lot that day but there was one member on our team who had lost a lot more. Pradnya Ingale was moved to the Taj Landsend for a few months as a temporary re-assignment after  the attacks and the way she handled herself was exemplary. These next two pieces were made for her. The arrows in the first signifies her ability to move from goal to goal and the second piece is for her ability to be visible through the chaos around her. I had a peculiar fascination for post-it notes at this point in time and so much of the stuff I did was on small post-its.

Pradnya- Moving forward

Pradnya- Emerging from the Darkness

Guest Relations is a much maligned sub-department. Most people think that all the Guest Relations Executives (GREs)  need to do is stand around and look pretty in and around the lobby. Once you have seen what goes into this tough job, you can only stand and admire the way they stay calm and cool around guests even though there are a million things going on in their minds. And then there are some who go beyond what they are expected to do and help out all over sharing responsibilities with the rest of the team. This piece was made for one such friend and GRE, Rimjhim Jain. I admit, it took me a long time to get around to doing this one but I think in the end, it came out okay!! 

Rimjhim - From the Skies

The next few pieces are for a part of our Front Office team that was very close to me: The telephones department. Away from the spotlight, this team is the life-force of any good hotel and the team at the Taj Landsend was no different!! I was and always shall be proud to have been associated with this team of hardworking and strong young ladies. 

Sarika Lakhwani!! One of the kindest souls I have ever met, soft-spoken, innocent and determined, Sarika took me by surprise with the quality of her work. 

Sarika - Maintaining the Balance

Sundeep Kaur Saini!! True to her roots, this feisty Sardarni was always ready to fight. However, she was also one of the first people to come back and rectify things, a total softie!! Post-its again!!

Sundeep - Bright Sparks

Sun-deep 

Caren Vaz is a perfect example of how you can take the Mangy out of Mangalore but can't take the Mangalore out of the Mangy!! Funny and Smart, Olive Oyl in the flesh!!

Shop till she Drops!!

Skinny and Bright

Again this one ends with a quiz of sorts!! Let me know whats written here and what do you see!! 

Once again, I look forward to comments, feedback and suggestions for improvement!! Signing off, Cheers and Keep Creating!!

Name the Art!!

Doodling is something we all have done through school and college and the percentage of our notebooks that  had actual notes vs. doodles would normally depend primarily upon the skills of the faculty and his or her ability to keep the class engaged. And of course then there are other factors that come into play: who we have a crush on, whats the last movie we watched, where our mind chooses to wander etc etc.

Somewhere along the line, I developed a fascination for writing words differently. I learnt how to read upside down and started seeing alphabets as forms that can be played with. I guess the advent of the computer and MS Word's word-art also played a role somewhere and I started making abstract designs using words. Recently, I have started trying my hand at something different as well and shall put that up in subsequent posts. 

This first post is dedicated to my friend who urged me to get my art off my Facebook album and put in in the form of a blog. Thank you Neha Sanwalka for the inspiration to do this!! This one is for you!!

One of my first attempts came about in a training class at the Rambagh Palace Jaipur

Some thoughts touch our hearts and inspire us. Looking around me I see people getting tattoos for various reasons: some that have true meaning and most that are highly fickle. A close friend of mine asked me to design a tattoo for him after he saw some of my attempts at art. His attachment to his family and his wish to have them inked upon himself brought fruit in the form of a tattoo design which has the names of his father, mother, brother and himself. 

Tattoo design Samarth, Sarthak, Sanjeev and Sangeeta

This next one is dedicated to my old roommate from college: Aalok Patel. Once again, he saw what I did and asked me to make one for him. I like trying to gain inspiration from the names and the people themselves before actually going ahead and making something for them. The meaning of the name Aalok is light and my dear friend is as you can see is Gujrati. I wanted to be able to capture that essence through this piece. I hope I have been successful, with a little help of technology.

Aalok - The Light

This next one was done for someone who is a happy bright spurt of color. Andy!! A good friend of mine based in Mumbai, I did this for her as when I think of her I am reminded of bright colors, fun, a naughty streak and happiness.

Andaleeb Q

Last one in this series is another close friend from Pune. This is one for you people to figure out....its probably the longest name among any of my friends and I await comments from you with what you think the name is!!

Looking forward to some comments and feedback on this my first blog post. Will be back soon with more such stuff!! Cheers and keep creating!!

Remember Remember!!

Remember Remember the 26th of November, when those misguided souls messed up our lives.
Remember Remember the 26th of November, and our men who left behind crying wives.

Remember our friends and their friends who were there, just minding their business as usual.
Remember the screams and those shell shocked faces, when upon them the cop car fired.
Remember the flames that leapt up from the Taj, burning till late in the night.
Remember the heroes that rescued the rest, and put up such a brave fight.

Remember Remember the 26th of November, which made us fill up with hate.
Remember Remember the 26th of November, one unforgettable date!