Village belle from North Karnataka

Watercolour on paper

11"x 14”

Rs. 7,500

What inspired me

While working with village women trainees training for the post of village panchayat heads, ‘Adyaksha’ I was amazed at the enthusiasm, energy and effort they put into their learning.
Unschooled in the formal sense, coming from the hinterlands of Karnataka, their single minded intent was to reach their goal. Most of them had never entered the threshold of a school and were unfamiliar with any other language but the vernacular and its dialect.
They wore ‘Kachhai’ saris and had the sari ends covering their heads.
Shy and demure and tongue tied, during the course of their training, they learnt to express, take notes, and eventually take to the dais, hold the mike and address the gathering.
They learnt to put forward with clarity the agenda for their village.
It was an astonishing change they underwent. Their honesty of purpose was striking.
I wanted to sketch them as a keepsake. And here it is.