[Guest post by Tapas Mitra in Bombay and Delhi, India]
In the last six months I have travelled a lot from Bhopal (where I live and work) to Bangalore where my ailing father was staying with my brother’s family. There is no direct flight and I had to go via Bombay or Delhi. Long or not so long layovers at the two airports gave me opportunities to sketch people and atmosphere. The waiting allowed me the opportunity to capture socio-cultural glimpses of my country. Above, this sketch captures a man typing or gaming on his mobile phone. He is in the midst of many other figures, a car commercial banner, certain hairdo and style statements, yet he seemed to be mentally disconnected from the world around him. He represents our gadget driven introversion.
In Bombay, one remembers the color riot in popular Bollywood cinema. Involuntarily, my sketches were executed on the spot in color
with my limited number of highlighters.
The Bombay airport has a merry and chic feel. In this drawing, the bar counter has many bottles and glasses. Yet the chair is curiously empty. To my mind, it makes the atmosphere of the scene seem incomplete.
The sketch below was at the Delhi airport. It captures a man with a shaved head. I felt him to be a pathetic figure in the midst of the busy and hurried movements of the other passengers and frantic last calls at the gates of departure. His movements indicated a recent history of grief. He seemed a man in mourning.
At the Bombay airport, a waiter serves drinks.
Waitresses are rare in India apart from 5-star places.
Below, the woman in the foreground is in western wear. Her attire suggests changing social norms. She seemed indecisive while she got up to grab a drink.
Tapas Mitra teaches architecture and urban design at the School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal, India. He lives in Bhopal with his architect/planner wife and daughter.
