Anecdotes and Realizations

 A few years ago I couldn't deal with criticism at all. Perhaps because I always put so much effort into everything that I felt unappreciated if I was criticised. I would start crying when I misspelt 'sandwich' in the spellling Bee or my Hindi grammar was not up to par. Dealing with criticism has always been a challenge for most people. That is perhaps why it is considered 'ill manners' to tell someone how ugly that colour is or how they should consider avoiding huge necklaces.  Another thing is understanding what criticism is. Yelling at someone from a biased perspective is not criticism. Criticism is giving feedback and pointing out the not-so-great areas from an aware and neutral perspective.  Sinhagad, Jan 2021 Taking criticism I've learned is an art of its own. Worst case situations include taking it personally, snapping back, feeling hurt and giving up on your work. Don't take someone else's view of your work as higher than your own. Take the best ...

 Pallavi offered to take me to view the Art and murals done in suburban Hyderabad - Eidgah. I was tired of being cooped up at home studying so I said yes. I took the polaroid camera A anna gave me on my 11th birthday and Mama's second phone for pictures. All set, we left at 250 pm and reached t around 315. We parked in the compound. The buildings on the left were painted. Pallavi especially liked a pink wall with flowered designs. Another had images of a man stumbling. Through the crack of the buildings we saw a green building with a few birds. The garbage, sewage and general unhygienic environment right in front of the buildings was paradoxical. The walls had symbols of secularism followed by a Do not Pass Urine sign which had been adorned with the same. Niveditha Aunty and Vidhur were a little while away so we went down the lane. Pallavi told me that an organisation call St+rt had collaborated with Asian Paints and several artists to bring contemporary art to the common man ...