Normally I’d absolutely veer away from any kind of eavesdropping but in the tightly packed company-quarters where I am currently working from, to not eavesdrop, one has to wear earphones all the time. 

The backyards of these Soviet fashioned residential areas have overgrown their initial utilitarian planning, skinny hedges or wire meshes demarcating boundaries. Many houses including mine have small gardens although in the case of my neighbors, who seem to have the green-thumb-gene running in their family, the garden has graduated to a mini-farm. They also have a three year-old boy who after his online classes, comes out to bask in the winter sun. 

One such day, I didn’t have my earphones on and heard something that he said while taking a stock of the plants. “ We should plant some trees that give us chips as well. Then we could have vegetables  aaand chips too!”

Shortly after this he must have run inside and pitched this idea to his superiors. I don’t blame him; convincing investors for your ambitious start-up is a tough job indeed. 

The pandemic has been a constant longing and desire for company and warmth. Much of that has also got to do with the sudden absence of like-aged, like-passionate people around but that’s a whole another topic.

These pages (from one of my ‘18 sketchbooks), sketched during late night conversations over tea at NID AP, at the faculty guest-house drawing room. 

An essential punctuation to a hectic work day, where we’d all indulge in our personal projects or even just talk over a few cups of the forever in-stock Tetley green or Taj. We’d talk, laugh and I’d keep scribbling into my sketchbook, sometimes note down funny quips. 

Also be my guest if you try to read into what’s written but much of it is nonsense… or is it?