I always had the Mindspace for Art. After working in advertising for almost 20 years as Visualiser, Art Director and Creative Head, the passion for painting always pushed me to do something of my own. To create a space where I would be free to experiment and give my ideas shape. Thus, I started DesignVriksh back in 2010, my own studio where I had the freedom to express myself.

I have always given lot of importance to observation. I believe that in Visual Art, it is very important to see things around us and to study them. Studying Forms, Shapes, Light, Mood etc., can be of great help in our creative expressions. Observing our surroundings can teach us so many things and make us compassionate about it. My love and curiosity to experiment inspired me to work with different mediums. I do Pen Sketches, Watercolour, Acrylic and Oil. I love to work with clay too. I don’t like to restrict myself, rather love to explore all possibilities.

I started teaching and wanted to give my students a space where they can be free to express and experiment. I see kids these days go through a tiring routine from early morning to night, 24x7, which actually makes me worried and sad. If kids don’t enjoy their childhood, we can never expect them to grow into responsible adults. I want to give my students that space where they can be kids, where they can relax and express their thoughts without the fear of failure. I want them to be creative, naughty and happy, whatever they wish to be!

After exploring the mind space and then the physical space, we now move into the digital space, through which I want to reach out and share my art and work with the world. So welcome to Art by Biswajit Das, a space where you can find everything related to my work.

www.artbybiswajitdas.com

Looking for someone?

A co passenger, who used to travel with you in the morning or used to be there in the evening train with you, may be you will never see him again. Yes he was not that lucky on that ominous day. He was shot dead the other day, on 26th of November. Today I may remember the fight I had with him for a seat or may be he pushed me. All those thought comes back. The day I lost my cool, may be it was his fault, but I also lost my cool. It was a small issue, but today my eyes are wet. I realized that his presence is negligible for me or others but I miss him. Yes, we started as enemies without any cause, but slowly became friends. We started by a simple smile, maybe remembering the day when we fought for the first time. But that was past, very recently we started talking. We used to talk on variety of subjects, Cricket, Politics, Share, Films, Society and so on. I never asked him his name, neither did he? We even used to share the seat half way our journey. Today when I think of him, my eyes get wet. I am confused.Mind seems confused, a time comes when our thought process stops, hope comes to a halt, but we still look for an answer. What is his family doing may be he was the only bread earner for them? His parents, wife, kids and his friends, how are they coping with the loss? Just don't understand why innocent people had to die and leave their loved ones missing them for ever. So many people from our forces gave their lives for us. Some of them were the brave officers from the department. They were just doing their duty. What is happening around us and why is all this happening!!! Logically the sentence should end with a question mark, but again logic doesn't hold now. Why did they pay for someone else's misdoing!? Yes we all want peace, want to live in a perfect society where no one will live in fear. We all want it. We all want to see our loved ones at the end of the day. Yes, we all want it. Why do people take revenge by killing innocent people, those who did nothing to them? Who created these situation, why is there so much of hatred. We all love someone or some cause, but do we need to kill for that? There is no end to the list, and it is growing day by day. The hatred is also growing with it. Now we are saying that politicians created the situations and we are paying for it. But then why did we follow those politicians when they tried to divide us. How can some force divide us on the basis of religion, caste and the place we are from? Are we still going to follow the people who try to divide us, or we are going to create a new society.When will we create a society where everyone lives with out fear, where everyone returns back home to his or her loved ones, where people will have compassion for everyone? It will be so nice when guns, bombs and other weapons of mass destruction will never be produced. We will be producing more food, clothes, houses, jobs. Everyone will smile and be happy. Birds won't fly in despair by the sound of a gun fire.Is it that difficult to want a society like that? But then man kind is supposed to do difficult things. Aren't we?Lets give it a honest try.

This is written by Siddarth Dutta, my nephew. I am proud to be his Bishibabai.

I write on this blog, my feelings, my observation, my experience and it truely reflects me. Today I am posting an essay, written by my Nephew and I am proud to be his mama.

PERSONAL ESSAY How it is that one can be influenced by somebody so much, despite the fact that they barely get to see or speak with each other? Is it possible to have someone across the world, someone you don’t see on a daily basis, be your source of inspiration? Yes, it most certainly is possible. My grandfather, Birendra Nath Das is easily one of my greatest influences in life. He has a demeanor that shows off his determination, integrity, and persistence in his every action. I can never get past the fact that at the age he is now, he is still charismatic and omniscient as ever. He has gone through many hardships in his life, and though that may be a very cliché statement, it has much more ground than normal because of the fact that my grandfather was born and brought up in the toughest times of India’s early independence. Though I do not get to see him often, I still feel that he has had the greatest impact on my life, and me as a person. My grandfather’s childhood was not one filled with easy successes or support. He struggled hard to achieve what he wanted, and he had to do it without much parental support. From childhood till today, I have always been showered with support from my family, especially my parents. Every task I partake in, my parents urge me to put in my best effort and they are always behind me. They support any decision I make and guide me when they feel that the decision is not in my best interest. My grandfather did not have that luxury. When he was growing up, despite the fact that he was a good student and wanted to become a doctor, his family thought that it would be better for him as well as the family if he joined the family business. He wanted to pursue a higher education, as I do now, so he could become a very successful man in the future; one who would be able to support his family with ease with a college education. Though his intentions were honorable and justified, his parents did not support their son’s decision to “abandon” the family to pursue his dream. He loved his family and did what they wanted him to do at a tender age of fourteen. However, that did not deter him from his goal. Though he had to stop going to school and could not pursue an education to become a doctor, with the support he got from his friends, along with his unyielding determination, he was able to keep learning from them and eventually he established a very successful business. This aspect of my grandfather’s life really influenced the way I look at life. I realized that if my grandfather, with no support from his family, could be such a success story, I can do wonders and maybe live my grandfather’s dream of becoming a doctor by doing what my grandfather did, hard work, being persistent, and being determined. I keep that in mind whatever I do in life. There was one time in my junior year, when I was participating in an USTA tennis tournament. It was the semi-finals, and I was facing the number two seed. Being an unranked player in that specific tournament, I knew that my odds of winning were not in my favor. However, before I realized it, I was the unlikely winner of the first set, 6-4. With that safely under my belt and a new surge of confidence, I started giving everything that I had. Unfortunately, the fact that my opponent was a more experienced and technically skilled player finally kicked in, and he was up in the second set, 5-1. He just needed another game to take the set. He would not win the match though, as he needed another set to put me away, but I knew that I would be too stressed and pressurized to play well in the third set. During the water break I just closed my eyes and my grandfather’s face flashed in front of me. At that moment, I remembered how, even in the face of hardship, he triumphed. Suddenly my new goal wasn’t “play not to lose,” but “play to win.” I fought back with everything I had. I hit careful shots, power shots, and even was able to throw in a couple of fancy shots. In the end, I had the number two seed frustrated beyond belief. After an extra 45 minutes, I was able to prevail. I mounted on my comeback, and I won the second set at 7-5. I would not have been able to achieve what I did that day if I hadn’t remembered my grandfather, and his never-ending determination in life. Everyone has their own personal and moral values. My grandfather has always valued honesty, integrity and trust. By profession my grandfather is a jeweler. In his profession, it is very easy to manipulate consumers by charging them too much for inferior quality products, as it is very difficult to make out any difference between good and bad quality jewelry unless a person has some knowledge about precious metals, gems and stones. It is very common amongst jewelers to make quick money by exploiting their customers who put their trust in the jewelers’ hands. My grandfather’s business was not like those other businesses. Though he was aware that he could make tons of money by taking advantage of the ignorance and trust of his customers, his integrity and moral values prevented him from doing so. He wanted to earn an honest living. His aim was not to earn quick money but to earn goodwill. He felt that cheating his customers for his own personal betterment would not help his mental state; he knew that he would forever be living in guilt if he had done so. The thing I respect about my grandfather is that his honesty and truthfulness was not just limited to his job; throughout his life, and even today, my grandfather still retains that mindset. He still practices that integrity, in every aspect of his life. I hope I can live up to the expectation that my grandfather has on me when it comes to honesty and integrity. I try very hard to walk on his path and have realized in my short journey of life that it is not an easy task to be truthful and honest in all spheres of life. Very recently, I was on the verge of losing a friendship with one of my close friends, whom I had known for ten years, because I chose to stand up to her and tell her that she was wrong in accusing another friend of doing something that he didn’t do. All my friends were surprised at my stand and told me not to bother because they felt that it was not worth to lose a friendship so strong over something negligible, but at the time I felt that someone had to make her realize the mistake that she was making. I felt that I had lost one of my best friends after the confrontation, but I was wrong. She apologized and thanked me for being a real friend who helped her do the right thing by accepting her mistake. Five years ago, my family went through a very frightening period of time. I was visiting my grandparents in India along with my parents. One day I woke up in the morning and was shocked to hear that my grandfather had a massive stroke and was admitted to the hospital and was supposed to have a triple bypass surgery. The fact that my grandfather, my invincible grandfather, was lying helpless in the hospital was impossible to accept. Being at the age that he was, I was scared for his life. But I was shocked to see his mental strength. Never once did his fortitude waver during that long illness. Though he was in pain, my grandfather never lost focus of what he needed to do to recover; he stayed strong throughout the ordeal, for himself, and for his family. This show of courage, not bravado, shot up my respect for my grandfather. Upon his recovery from his surgery, which left his leg heavily scarred and weak, he was not able to walk without some sort of support. Because of that, he would not really have much choice but to lay in bed for most of the day; that never stopped him from trying to recover faster, though. Every day, my grandfather would try to walk around the house, slowly, but surely. If he felt any pain while walking, he would not show it; he would just keep going until he reached his destination, and back again. My grandfather taught me another reality of life. One should not let hardships in life push you down. Only tackling the problem head-on, with ongoing persistence, will help you recover and go beyond. After witnessing my grandfather’s painful experience, I looked within myself and wondered if I had the mental toughness to experience something as intense as he did without any complains and had the determination to beat the odds. Sure enough, God gave me a chance to figure that out. I was in my freshman year in high school. During spring break, halfway through my tennis season, I was playing basketball at my house with a bunch of friends. We were all having a good time, when all of a sudden, I twisted my ankle. I was in immense pain. I was rushed to the emergency room and the doctor told me that I had a severe sprain and that the ligament was badly torn. I was told that I wouldn’t be able to play tennis for the next five to six months. I was devastated. Being one of the top players in my school team, I worried for my team. But then, I remembered my grandfather, and how he dealt with his surgery. I told myself that even though I could not play, I will not let the sprain get the best of me. Even with my large foot cast, I was never absent from the tennis practices and matches. Though I couldn’t play any games, I would stand on the side, and practice my serves, to the best of my ability, and helped my other teammates with their game. I was persistent in my actions, and I would not let an injury slow me down. Because of this, my coaches used me as an example; the player who could not play, but would practice consistently as if he could. My grandfather, though he lives so far away, has significantly affected me. His undying integrity, determination, and persistence, which helped him live a successful life, has influenced me to live my life in a similar fashion and that is how I want to see myself when I reach his age.

Facts about F1

This will help to know the sport better. Aerodynamics: The study of airflow over and around an object and an intrinsic part of Formula One car design. Apex: The middle point of the inside line around a corner at which drivers aim their cars. Appeal: An action that a team takes on its drivers' behalf if it feels that they have been unfairly penalised by the race officials. Ballast: Weights fixed around the car to maximise its balance and bring it up to the minimum weight limit. Bargeboard: The piece of bodywork mounted vertically between the front wheels and the start of the sidepods to help smooth theairflow around the sides of the car. Blistering: The consequence of a tyre, or part of a tyre, overheating. Excess heat can cause rubber to soften and break awayin chunks from the body of the tyre. Blistering can be caused by the selection of an inappropriate tyre compound(for example, one that is too soft for circuit conditions), too high tyre pressure, or an improperly set up car. Bodywork: The carbon fibre sections fitted onto the monocoque before the cars leave the pits, such as the engine cover,the cockpit top and the nosecone. Bottoming: When a car's chassis hits the track surface as it runs through a sharp compression and reaches the bottom of itssuspension travel. Brake balance: A switch in the cockpit to alter the split of the car's braking power between the front and the rear wheels accordingto a driver's wishes. Chassis: The main part of a racing car to which the engine and suspension are attached Chicane: A tight sequence of corners in alternate directions. Usually inserted into a circuit to slow the cars, often just beforewhat had been a high-speed corner. Clean air: Air that isn't turbulent, and thus offers optimum aerodynamic conditions, as experienced by a car at the head of the field. Cockpit: The section of the chassis in which the driver sits. Compound: Tread compound is the part of any tyre in contact with the road and therefore one of the major factors in decidingtyre performance. The ideal compound is one with maximum grip but which still maintains durability and heatresistance. A typical Formula One race compound will have more than ten ingredients such as rubbers, polymers,sulphur, carbon black, oil and other curatives. Each of these includes a vast number of derivatives any of whichcan be used to a greater or lesser degree. Very small changes to the mix can change compound performance. Diffuser: The rear section of the car's floor or undertray where the air flowing under the car exits. The design of the diffuser is crucial as it controls the speed at which the air exits. The faster its exit, the lower the air pressure beneath the car, and hence the more downforce the car generates. Downforce: The aerodynamic force that is applied in a downwards direction as a car travels forwards. This is harnessed to improve a car's traction and its handling through corners. Drag: The aerodynamic resistance experienced as a car travels forwards Drive-through penalty: One of two penalties that can be handed out at the discretion of the Stewards whilst the race is still running. Drivers must enter the pit lane, drive through it complying with the speed limit, and re-join the race without stopping. Flat spot: The term given to the area of a tyre that is worn heavily on one spot after a moment of extreme braking or in the course of a spin. This ruins its handling, often causing severe vibration, and may force a driver to pit for a replacement set of tyres. Formation lap: The lap before the start of the race when the cars are driven round from the grid to form up on the grid again for the start of the race. G-force: A physical force equivalent to one unit of gravity that is multiplied during rapid changes of direction or velocity. Drivers experience severe G-forces as they corner, accelerate and brake. Gravel trap: A bed of gravel on the outside of corners designed with the aim of bringing cars that fall off the circuit to a halt. Grip: The amount of traction a car has at any given point, affecting how easy it is for the driver to keep control through corners. Installation lap: A lap done on arrival at a circuit, testing functions such as throttle, brakes and steering before heading back to the pits without crossing the finish line. Intermediate tyre: A tyre that has more grooves and a more treaded pattern than the dry weather tyre, but fewer than a full wet-weather tyre, and is used in mixed conditions. Jump start: When a driver moves off his grid position before the five red lights have been switched off to signal the start. Sensors detect premature movement and a jump start earns a driver a penalty. Left-foot braking: A style of braking made popular in the 1990s following the arrival of hand clutches so that drivers could keep their right foot on the throttle and dedicate their left to braking. Lollipop: The sign on a stick held in front of the car during a pit stop to inform the driver to apply the brakes and then to engage first gear prior to the car being lowered from its jacks. Marshal: A course official who oversees the safe running of the race. Marshals have several roles to fill, including observing the spectators to ensure they do not endanger themselves or the competitors, acting as fire wardens, helping to remove stranded cars/drivers from the track and using waving flags to signal the condition of the track to drivers. Monocoque: The single-piece tub in which the cockpit is located, with the engine fixed behind it and the front suspension on either side at the front. Oversteer: When a car's rear end doesn't want to go around a corner and tries to overtake the front end as the driver turns in towards the apex. This often requires opposite-lock to correct, whereby the driver turns the front wheels into the skid. Paddles: Levers on either side of the back of a steering wheel with which a driver changes up and down the gearbox. Paddock: An enclosed area behind the pits in which the teams keep their transporters and motor homes. There is no admission to the public. Parc ferme: A fenced-off area into which cars are driven after qualifying and the race, where no team members are allowed to touch them except under the strict supervision of race stewards. Pit board: A board held out on the pit wall to inform a driver of his race position, the time interval to the car ahead or the one behind, plus the number of laps of the race remaining. Pit wall: Where the team owner, managers and engineers spend the race, usually under an awning to keep sun and rain off their monitors. Pits: An area of track separated from the start/finish straight by a wall, where the cars are brought for new tyres and fuel during the race, or for set-up changes in practice, each stopping at their respective pit garages. Plank: A hard wooden strip (also known as a skid block) that is fitted front-to-back down the middle of the underside of all cars to check that they are not being run too close to the track surface, something that is apparent if the wood is excessively worn. Pole position: The first place on the starting grid, as awarded to the driver who recorded the fastest lap time in qualifying. Practice: The periods on Friday and Saturday mornings at a Grand Prix meeting when the drivers are out on the track working on the set-up of their cars in preparation for qualifying and the race. Protest: An action lodged by a team when it considers that another team or competitor has transgressed the rules. Qualifying: The knock-out session on Saturday in which the drivers compete to set the best time they can in order to determine the starting grid for the race. Reconnaissance lap: A lap completed when drivers leave the pits to assemble on the grid for the start. If a driver decides to do several, they must divert through the pit lane as the grid will be crowded with team personnel. Retirement: When a car has to drop out of the race because of an accident or mechanical failure. Ride height: The height between the track's surface and the floor of the car. Safety Car: The course vehicle that is called from the pits to run in front of the leading car in the race in the event of a problem that requires the cars to be slowed. Scrutineering: The technical checking of cars by the officials to ensure that none are outside the regulations. Shakedown: A brief test when a team is trying a different car part for the first time before going back out to drive at 100% to set a fast time. Sidepod: The part of the car that flanks the sides of the monocoque alongside the driver and runs back to the rear wing, housing the radiators. Slipstreaming: A driving tactic when a driver is able to catch the car ahead and duck in behind its rear wing to benefit from a reduction in drag over its body and hopefully be able to achieve a superior maximum speed to slingshot past before the next corner. Spare car: Each team brings an extra car to races, or sometimes two, in case of damage to the cars they intended to race. Also called a T-car. 'Splash and dash': A pit stop in the closing laps of the race when a driver calls in for just a few litres of fuel to be sure of making it to the finish. Steward: One of three high-ranking officials at each Grand Prix appointed to make decisions. Stop-go penalty: A penalty given that involves the driver calling at his pit and stopping for 10 seconds - with no refuelling or tyre-changing allowed. Tear-off strips: See-through plastic strips that drivers fit to their helmet's visor before the start of the race and then remove as they become dirty. Telemetry: A system that beams data related to the engine and chassis to computers in the pit garage so that engineers can monitor that car's behaviour. Traction: The degree to which a car is able to transfer its power onto the track surface for forward progress. Traction control: A computerised system that detects if either of a car's driven (rear) wheels is losing traction - ie spinning - and transfers more drive to the wheel with more traction, thus using its more power efficiently. Turbulence: The result of the disruption of airflow caused by an interruption to its passage, such as when it hits a rear wing and its horizontal flow is spoiled. Tyre compound: The type of rubber mix used in the construction of a tyre, ranging from soft through medium to hard, with each offering a different performance and wear characteristic. Tyre warmer: An electric blanket that is wrapped around the tyres before they are fitted to the car so that they will start closer to their optimum operating temperature. Understeer: Where the front end of the car doesn't want to turn into a corner and slides wide as the driver tries to turn in towards the apex. Undertray: A separate floor to the car that is bolted onto the underside of the monocoque.

...and this is by Sang...the Cutest one.

This is written by my younger sister, Sangeeta. She is a great person, full of energy. Whenever I need advice, I go to both my sisters. I am lucky to have them in my life. Not surprised at all...after all that's what we have seen and learned from our parents ...can't count the innumerable people Dad and Mom have helped in their life time. From simple gestures of buying food and clothes for the rickshaw pullers to getting some poor man's daughter married!!Yes, there are so many such stories about our Mom and Dad, that if I start writing about I can actually fill pages after pages!! And they did all that not to get awarded or to get any kind of appreciation but they did it because that's what they thought was the right thing to do!!And yes, they were definitely right, because, it is them who not just provided the best of everything for us but the most important thing they gave us, in context to today’s world, is good human values!!I have to say though, that Dad has always been my Hero, but Big Bro you too are getting there!!!

Rita, my sister wrote this...

It's all about making someone happy... I didn't do anything great.

We can all do that...

This episode reminds me of another episode that happened a while back. We were visiting India and were enroute to Puri. You had come to drop us off at New Delhi Railway station. We were just about to enter the station when Tuhin saw a balloon wala standing near the entrance with lots of balloons and colorful toys. Though just five at the time, he knew well enough who to go to to get what he wanted. Tuhin was so happy to get not only what he wanted but few more things. Right when you had finished paying the balloon wala, this lady in a tattered and dirty sari holding a small baby in her arms approached you. The baby had no clothes on his body and was so dirty, flies were hovering all aroud him. The lady was begging for money to feed her baby who was too weak to even cry. He had a runny nose and dried up tear marks on his cheeks. The baby had the same look in his eyes when he saw the balloon wala which Tuhin had a few minutes back. Yes, you did give some money to the lady, but what touched my heart the most and made me feel special for being your sister was the fact that you took that bare bodied, "dirty" child from the lady, into your arms and asked him what he wanted from the balloon wala. With a shocked look on his face the baby pointed towards a balloon. When he got something which might have been a fortune for him there was that same sparkle in his eyes that was there in Tuhin's eyes. This time I saw a tear in the corner of your eyes too. Most kind hearted people including myself would have just given some money to the lady and would have moved ahead feeling good about helping a needy but what you did, by taking that baby in your arms showed that you not only have a heart you have a heart of gold.

Tuhin is my Nephew and Rita is my sister.

Small steps…

I just meet Kanchan on street few days back. She is a kid, hardly 10 year old. She approached me, “Uncle, she said”. I bend down to hear her; she had a paper in her hand. She said, could I help girls of her age to meet their study expenses. She said that her parents were very poor and can’t afford the expenses for their studies. What I gave, is not that important, but her intension was. She had a school bag on her back and a heavy one too. I didn’t think anything, but gave her some money, and she made me write the amount and sign the paper. She lives in Navy Nagar, and studies in Guru Nanak School at Colaba. The way she asked for the money, really touched me. But what I really felt bad was that she was looking for people, whom she could approach. I just thought, that can’t we come out with some concrete idea to help these kids. At least, it will not force them to go on street late in the evening and approach unknown people for money. I think if we curb our spending on unnecessary things, we can divert that money for a useful cause. It will be a little fraction of what most of us earn. Small steps taken, leads in accomplishing huge goals.

This is for my 'Ma'.

"Dreams are not the ones that you see when you are asleep; rather they are the one that do not let you sleep until they are achieved" We all dream. Some of us dream when we are asleep, and some of us dream with our eyes open. But there are dreams which do not let us sleep, they keep us awake. They make us restless, at times makes us confused. At times this confusion can be very irritating. But then it helps us to make plans, plans which are so important for our existence. I also dared to dream, in fact so many of them. At every stage of my life there was a dream. I don’t know if it is good, but what ever I am today, it is all because I dared to dream. There were times when I used to think that maybe I am insane. From a Soccer Player, Fighter Pilot, Singer, Tabla Player and God knows what. It is true that dreams changes with the circumstances of ones life. But still one should dream and dream big. I remember a teacher from my Art College, who ones said, ‘khudi ko karo buland itna ki har taqdeer se pehle, Khuda bande se puche, bata tera razaa kya hai’. I am one of the lucky few because there is someone who believes in my dream. It really drives you and gives an impetus to accomplish your dream. I am so lucky because there are so many people who have faith in my dreams. But the person whose name comes first in my mind is my Mom. She has faith in my dreams. She always encourages me. At times I have doubt in what I dream and I am really scared, but, she believes in me so much that I can’t let her down. I have joined the Film Direction Course, I am so excited about it, but am feeling bit apprehensive about it. Don’t know what is going to happen, but she told me that everything will be fine. Now I have the strength and the belief.