The Leaf & the Letting Go

Cubist instincts dissolved in Delhi’s heat, and replaced by bodhi leaf rubbings and the word NAMASTE inked like a heartbeat. The real leaf glued to the page? A surrender. India whispered: "जहाँ जाओ, वहाँ का रंग चढ़ो" (Wherever you go, adopt its hues). My art listened.

The Mala as a Map

The watercolor mala blooms in ochre and saffron, each bead a tiny sun. My host pressed it into my palm like a compass. Abstract geometry felt too rigid here, so I painted petals soft as chai steam, notes scrawled beside them: "They greet strangers like returning kin."

Portrait of Laxme

His face emerged in washes of burnt sienna, my brushstrokes looser, freer. No cubist fractures could capture such grace. Only the naturalistic curve of a shared roti depict the texture of trust.

The Art of Being Held

Three artworks, one lesson: Hospitality is the first pigment. India taught me to paint with the world, not just about it. The watercolors? It is just proof, that when welcomed, even strangers leave handprints on the heart.

Sayings of Selflessness

• "The guest is God." — Indian (Atithi Devo Bhava)

• "A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds." — Persian

• "Even a mat can be shared." — Filipino

• "If you have rice, share the hull; if you have yarn, share the thread." — Burmese

My Final Invitation: Next journey? Pack paints. Let the land rewrite your art, and your soul. 🌿🎨