The Memory Remains
23 July 2017, Day 2 of the shoot
As predicted by the weatherman, the rain continued to pour. But we had a plan in place. And that plan was to paint at Azad hall where we would be able to get some cover. But I was not really ready for the cover under which I finally painted today.
(Please read the Prologue and Chapter I of IITKGPEPA Diary before continuing!)
After a hearty breakfast at TGH I started off towards Azad hall with my umbrella. As I walked towards my hall of residence memories were starting to come back. The film crew had not reached our rendezvous and I had some time to kill. So I started to move around in the hall. As I walked around the hostel rooms, basketball court, play grounds, mess top, common room and corridors, everything around me were starting to play tricks on my mind. I was suddenly transported back in time. I was standing there not surrounded by buildings, but by memories. Memories that had lain dormant for a long time, but today they were so fresh that they felt more real than the physical reality around me.
I was shaken out of the trance by Ashok Da. And then I met up with Govind Da and Sam D. Azad HP (both ex and current) joined me soon and to my surprise they already had arrangements in place for the shoot. While painting at Nehru Museum yesterday I met with Piyush (Azadian) to whom I had casually mentioned about our plans of painting at Azad hall today. Meanwhile he had gotten in touch with Sashwat (Ex HP) who borrowed a multicolored picnic umbrella from the canteen at Krishna tower, so that I could paint under it.
Now painting under a multicolored picnic umbrella is really not simple. You have these different colors of light tinting your paper while painting which make judgement of colors quiet tricky. But that was the best arrangement that we had today and it is only such unpredictable challenges which makes painting en plein air all the more interesting. So I went ahead. But another challenge popped up even sooner.
I was there to paint the scene in front of me. But my memories had completely overwhelmed me and I wanted to paint my memories. And in this tussle finally the latter won. I guess I had lost interest in the outer reality today as I was in deep touch with my inner reality. So eventually my brushes painted a scene from my memory. A happy memory of coming back to the hall after classes, having snacks at mess and having conversations with everyone. That was the time of the day when I would feel exactly like how it feels to be back home.
And today while painting at Azad hall I was back home.
Next - My Experience while I painted Insti Building
