Exhibiting my new whimsical works, and watercolours from my travels at the Plantation House, Hyderabad. April 12th to the 17th.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Half moon, half crazy
Half moon, Half crazy.
Show at the Plantation House, Hyderabad.
12th April 2014.
watercolour and acrylic on paper. 30"x22".
Monday, March 24, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Friday, March 07, 2014
Deep South
I have just returned from a magical trip delving into family roots deep in the south of India. My grandparents from my mother's side came from Tuticorin, and my father's side from Manapad. This journey has been rich in family history and I'm only beginning the compile and catalogue my drawings and photographs. This is the sketchbook that I kept during my trip there.
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I arrived in Tuticorin by the Pearl City Express and walked to South Emperor street where I am staying at a travellers home for the Bharatha community. The sisters at the convent here have been very sweet and fed me appams and coconut milk for breakfast.
I sauntered out on this lazy Sunday morning wandering through quaint narrow lanes of the old part of Tuticorin, to find out more of my family history. The Parava (Bharatha) community that I come from were originally pearl divers and ancient navigators. We were converted en masse between 1534-37 A.D. by the Portuguese after they offered to help from Muslim invaders.
St. Francis Xavier arrived here in 1542 and instilled the faith. That is the origin of my surname Miranda.
I visited the 2 main churches here, the Periya kovil- Our Lady of Snows church, which has quite the history from the 16th century and Chinna kovil- The Sacred Hearts Cathedral. Strangely the Periya (big) church is smaller than the Chinna (small) church and I'll have to find out why it has been named this way.
I met Bono Roche, a relative and classmate of Mama's (My mom studied in Tuticorin till class 3), and I'll be heading there in the evening to delve more into my family history. It's a sleepy seafaring town and the mid day heat kept me from venturing out further.
Deep roots in the deep south. I'm on the seashore by the lighthouses in Tuticorin. Aqua marine waters, shallow for miles with sail boats passing by. The beach is strewn with all sorts of shells, oysters......mother of pearl. It finally dawns on me that this was the pearl city and I come from a family or commnity of Pearl Divers from ancient times. I'm blown away by these Turquoise waters and white sands and the peace and quiet of far away waves, and far from the ugliness of what the town has become. I'm here, I'm alive and I'm home.
24th Feb 2014.
I have come to trace the history of my family, from my mother's side, the Corera's of Tuticorin and from my father's side, the Mirandas of Manapad.
I'm definitely a Miranda from Manapad. There's an aesthetic sensibility to this village that really appeals to me.
Oh! And the food here. Rita and Kingsley Gomez have been feeding me with Appams and chicken curry, maasi sambol, idiappams, fried sardines, fish curry and rice, crabs, the works. It's all so delicious. The coconut rice, beetroot, buttermilk.....
Manapad
25th February 2014
This little seaside village is the home of my ancestors and right now I sit at the very entrance of the cave where St. Francis Xavier lived for 2 years since he arrived in Manapad in the year 1542 A.D. I can feel the pulsating energy of this place with the roaring sea in front of me and a steady calm, an ocean of salt and the mystifying sweet fresh water from a well in the cave hardly 10 feet away from the water's edge. It is this sweet water that I paint with and it is here that the Mirandas of Manapad were Christened.
Geneology of my forefathers leading up to Me.
Sousa Bastiano da Miranda . 1700 A.D.
Sousa Pedro da Miranda b.1725 A.D.
Soosai Sebastian Miranda b. 1750 (55?) A.D.
Simon Cruz Miranda b.?
Soosai Marian Viagulam Miranda b. 1810
Soosai Manuel Miranda b. 1842
Gnana Selvam Miranda b. 1892
John Britto Miranda b. 1934
Prashant Gerard Miranda b 1975
Thanks to Selvraj Miranda's book "Mirandas of Manapad" which he gave me whilst in Tuticorin.
This Morning
Meditated and watched the sun rise by the cave.
Walked along the seashore on the other side of the lighthouse.
A quick dip in the sea.
Drew water from the well for a fresh bath.
Watched the fishermen drawing in their nets - Fresh catch of the day.
Appams and maasi sambol with meatball curry for breakfast.
Met Jerome Miranda to look at his old photographs and discuss family history
and it's only 10 am!
This space is undoubtedly special. I've come to watch the sun rise behind the clouds from beyond the sea. Fishing boats return from their catch and the lighthouse still guides them home. I'm here to pay home (homage) to great Light that brings me here, divine happenstance and to our ancestors who keep teaching me and guide me along the way. Thank You for all of this.
26.02.2014
Manapad
Dipped my brush in the intermingling of the 3 oceans, or 2 seas and one ocean, all the same water that connects us all.
This is what remains of my grand parents - J. L. Corera and Annie Corera's house in Tuticorin.
Thursday, March 06, 2014
Wednesday, March 05, 2014
Tuesday, March 04, 2014
Cape Comorin or Kanyakumari
This is the southern most point in India, where the waters of the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian sea meet. I did a watercolour with the intermingling of these waters.
Manapad
Manapad is a charming little fishing village in Tamil Nadu where my father's parents come from. It's a quaint place with the most stunning turn of the century architecture. The Mirandas from Manapad come from here and I managed to trace my geneology to 1700 A. D.
Tuticorin
I'm just back from an incredible journey to the deep south of India. This is a watercolour of what was my grandparent's house 'Jeyagiri' in Tuticorin. Joseph Louis Corera and Annie Corera lived here with their family (including my mom!) from 1938 to 1953 before they moved to Bangalore.
Monday, March 03, 2014
Watercolour workshop in Bangalore
Just finished a watercolour workshop for children this past weekend with Lightroom Bookstore and Little Latitude in Bangalore.
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