Sketching Trip to God's Own Country

Watercolor sketch at Fort Kochi Beach

Last year I made a long due sketching trip to God's own Country, Kerala. The trip had been on the cards for couple of years now. In fact I was all booked to go to Kerala in 2016, but had to cancel the trip at the last moment due to bad weather. But finally I was able to make it to Kerala in November end 2017 and boy what an experience it turned out to be.

My first day was spent sketching around the sleepy town of Muvattupuzha. To me small towns in India are far more beautiful than the big cities and they offer you great locations and ambiance to sketch outside. Muvattupuzha offered more than that. Where do you get a river passing through the middle of a town except for in Kerela! So I painted the river and areas around it. I thought it cant get any better than this till the next day when I visited Fort Kochi.

A morning sketch at Muvattupuzha River

Fort Kochi literally took my breath away. The Chinese fishing nets on the beach, fishermen busy trying to get the best catch of the day, boats lined up one after the other, fish market stacked with fresh fish straight out of the sea, people taking a walk on the beach, hawkers trying to sell something to them, old buildings with tiled roofs, churches, spice shops, narrow lanes, antique shops, art galleries, good looking cafes and what not. It was as if I was transported to a parallel world. Amidst such overwhelming experience I was somehow still able to sketch and ended up with my best piece from the trip.

Sketch from Latha Park overlooking Muvattupuzha River

On the last day I made trip to Bhootathankettu, which is a small wildlife sanctuary on the bank of Periyar river. The forest was like no other I had seen before. It was dense and dotted with ancient trees, many of whom were used for their medicinal properties. Few anecdotes associated with Bhootathankett were narrated by our guide, which made the walk through the forest even more interesting. Finally we reached the edge of the river and I found a great shaded place from where I could paint. There was only the forest, the river and me. Painting at Bhootathankettu was one of the most blissful experiences ever.

Watercolor sketch of Periyar River at Bhootathankettu

After three days of experiencing God's own country and capturing it through my brushes I bid farewell to this beautiful place with a heavy heart. But I am looking forward to be back there soon. Till then I have a lot of paintings to be done on Fort Kochi.