HYDERABAD: The book, ‘Via Pen & Ink’ by Viswaprasad Raju is going to leave you with a serious case of wanderlust. As you flip the pages and see the sketches that the artist made during his travels in South Africa, UK, Switzerland, Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius, Thailand, UAE, Sri Lanka and India, you will also appreciate the artist’s perspective of looking at new places. However, it will take some time getting used to the pen sketches. At the first glance, they are a bit untidy and uneven.
The buildings are sloppy, and the human figures have rough edges. They will seem to be first drafts that the sketcher still has to improve upon. But slowly, you get used to the imperfections, and see the sketches in totality, as vignettes and scenes of the country he was in. You appreciate his versions of the Colonial House in Sri Lanka or the Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai. As a foodie, I especially liked the sketches of the food items, which provide a glimpse into the culinary culture of that country. If you are a travel enthusiast, the book will let you explore countries in an organic way, providing an alternative to the multi-filtered, airbrushed snapshots on Instagram.
Price: `790
Publisher: Notion Press