Jasmine, Vinay te Manav di India sair

Suzzane – Jasmine’s cousin is the one who commissioned me to make this trunk. She is going to fill it up with stuff and give it as a parting gift. It’s a keepsake, full of their memories – memories that they created here during a two-year stint in Bangalore. They go back to Canada in a couple of days.
It’s the fastest piece of work that I have done in quite a while- three days of concentrated work.

I asked Suzie to give me a detailed account with descriptions of the people involved as well as their likes and dislikes. And their special memories and milestones while they were here. The top of the trunk shows the major ‘players’ involved.

The front depicts the traffic snarls and the general population on the roads with signage that has special significance for the family. The monkeys shown are special friends that Manav made while watching them play in his balcony.

The back depicts two cows fighting with conversation typical of Vinay, along with two sardars, Bhangra dancers, ‘Ek Onkar’ and a ‘Khanda’. The title “Singh is King” not only reflects the fact that Jasmine is a sardarni, but also that this was the first song that little Manav learned to sing. It is also an off-take on the two ‘singhs- ( horns)’ fighting.

One side depicts the love for butter chicken that a certain family member has ( I am not saying who)… but this love always turns into heartache with a violently upset stomach!! The chicken is shown squawking ‘khao khao’– words continuously expressed by the two nani’s.

The other side depicts the multiple trips that Vinay has made between Canada and India, the computer and finance related business that they are in. As well as the part Facebook plays in keeping their relationship alive and kicking.