BIRDS NGO 2

The younger Patilji took us, along with a local farmer and another man who knew many musicians to see a Shahnai (a high pitched wind instrument with a narrow mouth piece and large opening at the end) performance in a mandir in another village. We drove out to the Laxmi Devi Mandir. In the courtyard, children were playing around a holy tree with green bangles strung about it by grateful mothers giving thanks for their healthy babies.

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Bangalore

Flew in to Bangalore to visit my friend Jayashree; a documentary filmmaker I met in Los Angeles when she came for a screening of a film about HIV and Aids drugs and how companies are trying to create patents to prevent generic prescriptions. It had been over two years since we'd all seen each other, and I have to say it was great to see her, meet her other half and son.

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Old Ahmedabad

I went on the walking tour called the Ahmadabad Heritage Walk. We started in the old part of the city which I had yet to see at an incredible Mandir. The walk took us through old lanes, past people making kite string, beautiful old buildings with layers of history in their architecture. To me, the old parts of towns in Pakistan and India are the most fascinating. They may not have all the modern amenities, nor are they the best planned for modern traffic, but within that chaos is that unique identity of that city as a sort of living culture and history.

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Manav Sadhana 4

I spoke to the puppeteers for a while and watched all these interesting puppets do tricks. We talked for quite a bit about history, different arts and I tried to share how what I do is very much like what he did as a puppeteer, but on a computer. For me, that was really the most exciting thing, was to sit down and speak to a wonderful puppeteer.

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Manav Sadhana 2

I had peeked into the school the day before and I can't quite describe how excited I was to share animation with them. The children I met so far have really been an energetic and amazing bunch. Many are not used to discussion questions in class so carrying on an in depth class discussion has not really worked, but they are bursting with energy, creativity and most of all a genuine desire and willingness to try new things and learn. This really does a lot to make what I am doing with the children possible.

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Manav Sadhana 1

Anjali, one of the amazing people at Manav Sadhana met me and within minutes was on the phone arranging workshops with the various schools in Manav Sadhana. I was really grateful for how everyone invited me in and trusted me with their precious time and resources. It is very humbling to walk into a group of truly dedicated and amazing adults and kids and to try and share something that you hope will be worth their time.

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Sonu and the Taj

On the train there I saw a young boy with an impressive mustache named Sonu. Sonu, along with his drummer sister is a performer who dances and rolls through the train cars for money. It's quite sad really. These sweet children perform much the way street performing monkeys do. I hope he and his sister are well fed and loved. I asked the little sweetheart his name and he said "Sonu".

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Manzil Animation Workshop in Delhi

Thanks to Kristeen Singh I had the pleasure of doing my first animation workshop in India with the amazing people at a very special org in Khan Market, called Manzil.We met up with some of the folks from Manzil at Lodhi Gardens, where there was some beautiful old architecture and a picnic for special needs kids and kids from Manzil. Afterwards, Jimmy who is volunteering there took us to Manzil's Khan Market location where we cut used paper to be used as small flipbooks for the workshop. The idea was to use readily available, recycled materials to show the kids how to create animation in a way that they could continue long after I was gone, without materials they did not have access to.

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Delhi, Nizamuddin Auliya's Dargah

So, I arrived in Delhi, tired, but happy. I went to Nizamuddin Auliya's and Amir Khusro's tombs. These are two amazing figures in the history of North Indian Classical music, Qawwali and various other forms of music.These were two important figures in the Chisti Sufi Order who are remembered not only for their musical contributions, but by people of all faiths in India for their life long efforts to bring people together.

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Moving on out

So, I moved out of my apartment in LA and took to the road...er air. I'll continue doing freelance work as I travel. It has been a crazy busy month with the Montezuma Film Festival, CTN Expo, moving out and prepping for India, but well worth it.

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Sketches from Mongolia

Here are some sketches I made in Mongolia last year. The first is a band at an Irish pub in Ulanbataar. The next 3 are Mongolian and Korean musicians playing out in the planes during the Nadam Festival. Then there are two landspaces painted out in the beautiful country and lastly some wrestlers also from the Nadam festival.

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