Inspired by Sathyajith Bhat’s week notes that Ninad Pundalik has been religiously sharing on Mastodon, I am here to give weekly notes another try. Maybe in a different format? Maybe with more photographs? We’ll see. I wondered, at first, if it might be something to start in 2024. After all, the new year is not too far away. But I have realised that these artificial markers of time mean little to me, and chances are I’ll be more successful if I don’t tie myself to them. Case in point: sharing more of what I do for India Street Lettering on Mastodon.
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING
1.
I traveled to Goa right after Diwali to escape the air pollution in Delhi and to spend time with Prateek and Rhea. It has been a few years since I was in Goa (thanks to the pandemic, grr!) and I’ve enjoyed every minute of being here. Staying in Fontainhas has been amazing, except for the throngs of tourists who are constantly disregarding the privacy of residents and blocking pedestrian and vehicular traffic to take selfies. In fact, they made me terribly conscious of my own attempts to photograph the street lettering in the neighbourhood, and I’ve been making an extra effort to be as considerate as possible in doing so. I had planned a few photography expeditions for India Street Lettering in advance, and they went really well, so the website should see dozens of new pictures in the coming weeks.
We also spent a morning at the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, where I saw not one but eight lifers. Among them, the lesser adjudant and white-bellied sea eagle were majestic beyond words.
2.
Because I was in Goa, I missed Opn Art House in Delhi, where my India Street Lettering zines were exhibited last weekend. That did little to dim my excitement about this, though.
3.
Harshay and I worked together on a little project earlier this year and while it still needs to stay under wraps for a couple of weeks longer, I got some exciting news about it last week, which means that we’ll be traveling to Bangalore pretty soon. Just when I thought it was not possible to fit in any more travel this year, I’ve somehow managed to add another trip to my schedule.
4.
Over on Primarium, I finally added all our essays about handwriting education in India, which feels quite special to me. It was fascinating to learn about the history of the handwriting style I learned as a kid, and trace how it may have arrived in India.
