CHITRAALAYA - a Conceptual Beginning

I found myself saying CHITRALAYA instead of ChitraShaala during my conversation with my cousin Kameswari (buchchi gari Kameswari, now smt. Bulusu Kameswari, to be more precise because there are several Kameswari s in our Family named after my maternal Grandmother Smt. Parupudi Kameswarammagaru). Actually Kameswari was the one who inspired me and I was climbing the staircase railing and peeping through the ventilator above the window while she was painting. I was very impressed by the beautiful blue colour and the Krishna, Radha pictures she used paint. Had she had an opportunity to learn art, she would have surely become a successful artist. Kameswari was vouching for the name Chitralaya and was saying that ChitraShaala sounded like NartanaShaala. I said " Yes! You are right! That is precisely the inspiration. I named my art school then itself, soon after watching that movie. Dance is not `allowed' in our familis. But now I would say Dance is very important for physical, mental and spiritual health! However, personally I am inclined towards flowrers and art ...and now I realise my passion for Temple ambience!!! So the word CHITRALAYA that flowed to me was telling something! Yes!!! Plein air painting!! ChitraSala is for Indoor Art Time ChitraAlaya is for Outdoor Art Time - Temples There would be another name for OutDoor Art Time - Landscape I am silencing my mind, so that the right word flows to me... Today happens to be Bhishma Sudhdha Ekadasi - my father's birthday! Ideal day for me to start something New...because it was my father who was stressing the need for cultivating a Hobby during childhood itself so that it has potential to become a second career alongside the main career. Of course my career path turned out to be very different ... Nevertheless, I am very happy that I could stick to my ture passion of sketching and painting. I am more of a HeARTIST rather than an artist, profficiency wise. My art is more about my souls expression, something simple and spontaneous that brings me Bliss... Today I had planned a visit to KashiBugga Shiva Temple close by and sketch the Sikharam ...but then I remembered our ShrutiLaya songs program we have on all Wednesdays...So I sketched from a picture on Internet. That was actually good. I am not a great artist to really draw something in a public space. But I Love to do it...an art camp ..nope ..SEVERAL ART CAMPS in Beautiful Temple premises... As I sat down for sketching from the comforst of my own space...the idea felt so soulful... After a while, I started remebering the Temple art of my artist friends and I started losing interest in continuing...Then I remebered two things ...MY ArtMate Preeti ji whose slogan is "Comparision is the Thief of Joy"...Secondly, my purpose is not to become proficient or earn a good name as an artist. My purpose is to (a) Inspire (b) Leave an Impression (c) Float a discussion (d) Share some knowledge (e) Raise my Vibration (f) Spend some time away from Gadgets (g) Focus on Possibilities and (f) Of course Not to fall asleep after a sumptous Lunch ...LoL My art time on my childhood bed has been such a sweet commemorative activity on my Father's birthday - Bheeshma Sudhdha Ekadasi!! No wonder my Temple art looked like Ratham, particularly the Ratham in DhaWaLeswaram I happened to watch on TV.