A line and wash sketch of Hagia Sophia, a place of worship built as a Christian church at Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in the 6^th century under the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. Subsequently it served as a mosque, a museum and has recently been converted into a Grand Mosque again. You may want to read my blog post on the recent developments….

Sketching tools: Pentel ENERGEL 0.5 mm needle point ball pen and Camlin Water Colour paints.

I have fond memories of such decrepit, derelict houses of north Calcutta. Those houses, some in utter ruin, take me to my childhood….

Sketch of one of those colonial-era buildings that are still striking reminders of a Calcutta that served as the capital of British India…

An old house that leans on an apartment block….

Sketching tools: Rotring Isograph Drawing Ink (Schwarz Black) in Pilot V5 Hi-Tecpoint Roller Ball Pen and Camlin Water Colour paints.

Women plucking tea leaves…

While tea is a popular drink all over the world, few are aware of the exploitation in tea industry. Workers on tea plantations have to contend with abysmally low wages. These workers are mostly tribal people living in West Bengal and Assam. The worst-affected are the families of those who work in tea estates that are being shut down…

Sketching tools: Rotring Isograph Drawing Ink (Schwarz Black) in Pilot V5 Hi-Tecpoint Roller Ball Pen and Camlin Water Colour paints.

…clouds cover the sky and birds frolic on the green lawns of the Maidan in Calcutta. The southwest monsoon has advanced further and under its effect heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in sub-Himalayan West Bengal.

The monsoon rains bring relief from the heat waves and young men have a gala time at the riverfront…

With the onset of monsoon in Bengal, dengue affects thousands of people. Sketch of a water-logged lane in South 24- Parganas…

Sketching tools: Rotring Isograph Drawing Ink (Schwarz Black) in Pilot V5 Hi-Tecpoint Roller Ball Pen and Camlin Water Colour paints.

Sketch of a Jeep, first developed in the 1940s as a ‘light reconnaissance vehicle’ for the United States army. Born in the heat of battle, the Jeep emerged as a hero to thousands of Allied soldiers around the world. The equally heroic civilian Jeep vehicles of the 1940s firmly established the Jeep brand as the undisputed leader in 4×4 technology.

Another line and wash sketch of a jeep…

Sketching tools: Rotring Isograph Drawing Ink (Schwarz Black) in Pilot V5 Hi-Tecpoint Pen and Camlin Water Colour paints.