taxidermy

We are already coming closer to the end of hobby posts and why not include our very own, Desi hobby, of Tanjore/Thanjavur Painting!

So, for T , let’s learn more about Thanjavur Painting.

The Thanjavur painting originated from the temple town rather city of Thanjavur of Tamil Nadu and the name was anglicized as Tanjore. This is one such art , which has originated in India, (Pukka Local!) and is the only art form to use gold foil in the designs.

Tanjore Painting of Ganesha with an Umbrella

Tanjore Paintings mostly comprise of Hindu deities and scenes out of important incidences in Hindu Mythology. Gold foil is generally used to enhance the paintings.

Radha Krishna

As you can see in the above image, precious and semi precious stones are used in Tanjore painting, which makes the paintings a costly affair, for the buyers of art, that is!

Lord Shiva, with his wife Parvathi and sons, Ganesha and Karthikeya

Tanjore paintings are all for extravagance and vibrant colours. Chalk powder is used in the painting, for 3-D effect, which are later covered with gold foil and semi precious stones. The gold foil not only brings a radiance to the painting but also makes it more durable!

Sri Rama Pattabhishekam – 58 x 82 inch

For example the above Tanjore Painting of Sree Rama Pattabhishekam costs nearly Ten Lakh Indian Rupees! A 10 x 8 inch painting may range from Rs.3000 to Rs. 3,00,000! The variation in pricing is mostly due to the usage of gold foil. If 22 or 24 carat gold foil is used, the pricing is high. If the price is less, then you should know the foil is fake! Infact the authentic and duplicates can be differentiated mainly through the gold foil that has been used!

If you are a perfectionist, who likes to make a simple hobby into a business, Tanjore Painting is a good option, since perfection is appreciated in such arts! So what are you waiting for? Get started!

P.S:

The other hobbies starting with a T are Table Tennis, Tattooing, Taxidermy(Preserving animal bodies, by stuffing them and mounting on walls), Tennis, Thrifting, Theater and Topiary(cutting trees and bushes into various shapes).
Tanjore Painting reminds me of Dasavatharam movie and particularly the Mukunda Mukunda song. Why? Because the puppets used in the song look so much like the ones from tanjore paintings! (May be just my wild imagination!)

Did you know Himesh Reshammiya is the music composer for the Dasavatharam movie? Surprising isn’t it? How can the nasal voiced singer with haunting songs, give out such amazing ‘South’ sounding tunes? It remains a wonder till date! I say haunting because, I have seen news about people in Andhra and Hyderabad, where his songs were used by people to stay away from ghosts! (Whatever that means!)

Till the next post, cheerio!

I hope you have read the Hound of Baskervilles, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson? If not, go ahead and read. If you have, you may know what entomology means! The prime suspect and the villain from the Hound of Baskervilles is an entomologist, Jack Stapleton, who collects butterflies in the novel!

Let’s learn more about E for Entomology!

Entomology is the study of insects. It is a branch of the more popular Zoology. (Zoology is not going to be the topic for Z, I have something else planned out.)

Although Entomology is listed as a hobby here, it can be taken up as a serious profession because, entomologists also solve crimes! (Only see the video below if you are not disgusted by insects.)

The most common way to pursue this as a hobby is participating in insect identification.

Mr.Bee and I had visited the American Museum of Natural History, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and walked till my feet were sore on the way back to our hotel. It is one of my best memories of our stay at USA. Even in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., United States there is also an Insect Zoo. Both are worth a visit.

Many might not know, but entomology frames are also sold, for people who like collecting insects, like butterflies. (Don’t roll your eyes. Different people have different interests)

Entomology frame of real butterflies, preserved through taxidermy

In the broader sense, entomology is also related to bee keeping, to study the bees and how they act as pollinators. Now with the near extinction of bees, this has become an important part of entomology studies.

Although looking at insects and studying them for long may not be everyone’s cup of tea, studying insects does help a lot. Have you ever wondered where the scientists get ideas from? Doesn’t a centipede remind you the functioning of a train? Doesn’t a dragon fly show you the similarity between it and the planes during the initial days of aircraft invention?

A fast flying dragon fly inspired Aircraft design

Go ahead and study the insects, if deducing the secrets of nature is your point of interest!

P.S:

The first time I ever saw an entomology frame of butterflies was in a game called Seeker’s Note, where we need to search for some objects before the time runs out. Even simple games teach us new stuff, you just need the eye for observation!
Since this is a post about insects, I didn’t want to gross out the readers who are sensitive. So I have refrained from posting any questionable pics, except for the video, for which I have already given a fair warning! By the way, the opinions and deductions in the post are mine alone.
The other hobbies starting with an E are Elephant Polo, Endurance Racing, Equestrian sports, Embroidery and Engraving.

Till the next post, ciao!

Tag: taxidermy

Tanjore Painting

Entomology

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