Sitting quietly beside a lake (Uttara Kannada, India – June 2018)
We were traveling in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka which falls in the heart of the Western Ghats, a mountain range running along the western coast of the Indian peninsula. It is also called the Sahyadri (benevolent) mountains.
PRIVATE 43, Other Side India Everything was a lush, verdant green with the recent rains. I saw a tiny lake somewhere in the countryside, with farmers relaxing around it. One of them was fishing and had caught two fat, Bangda (Mackerel) for dinner. Another was playing with his son, who kept trying to climb all over him.
The lake with the lotus pond and overcast skies presented an irresistible image, one that you cannot plan to see. It was the middle of nowhere, no particular name to the place, and the anonymity of it all made it a unique landscape with life in it; a breathing, throbbing rural life that is integral to a vastly agricultural country.
The serene waters called to me and I sat with the farmers for a while. Rain clouds were approaching. The tinkling cowbells added to the sweetness of the moment. Man and nature seemed so much in harmony. I quietly savored the moment.
After a hard days work (Uttara Kannada, India – June 2018)Reflections of cloudsCattle grazing nearbyA place to hang out.Lotus flowers that sprouted at the bottom of this muddy lake. Now in full bloom for the world to see.A Lotus leaf; it is one of the most water-repellent surfaces found in nature.The farmer takes his herd home just before the approaching darkness. (Uttara Kannada, India – June 2018)
Seema Misra (1985) is a self-taught artist and writer. She has been a part of the communications industry for over nine years and currently works at Hewlett Packard Enterprise as a Technical Writer. She also undertakes freelance projects for illustrations, content creation, and social media marketing through her blog Lonely Canopy.
To unwind, she watches world cinema or travels across it. She talks to her plants and sometimes people as well. But more often than not…you will find her curled up in her favorite corner reading a book while sipping strong coffee.
She is as passionate about travel as she is about her art. She figured that the best way to combine her two passions would be through a self-illustrated travelogue of her cozy and enchanting sojourns across the country.
