An Aesthete - A triangle love story

Chapter 24

Veda

If Darshana is capable of guessing that my paintings are inspired from my real life events, she can guess that this collection is about her.

My debut collection Vallinam was a dedication to my mother. It was inspired from the stories she has told me since my childhood and a few were recreation of her paintings that my father destroyed on the children's day night. And, The Midnight Artist collection is about my family. It was an attempt to connect back with Hridhay by conveying to him that it's not only him who is suffering.

But it seems like the collection connected Darshana with me.

Likewise, this collection was dedicated to her. After completing the collection and getting my mother's approval, I wanted to exhibit it to convey to Darshana that I know her and am willing to meet her. With this collection I wanted to express that I want to idolise her forever.

I wanted to name the collection behind her and to find out her name, I asked my mother and Girish to implement a digital visitors registry by stating lame reasons. They installed a touchscreen system through which the visitors can feed in their name, time of entry and exit. When Girish confronted her and I turned on the microphone remotely after witnessing a heated conversation between them, he didn't use her name, so I didn't know her name. But through the registry data in the cloud and timings from CCTV footage of her entering, I found her name.

I finished two paintings of her from her late night walk on the beachside and watching my paintings in the gallery. But before I could start with the third painting, I drew the portrait of my mother as she was glowing with happiness after a very long time. But her death in the following week took away my art from me. When I tried to start with the third painting of the collection, my hands started to shiver with an unknown fear.

How I wanted to convey that I have known her and cared for her but how it happened!

Maybe the collection is destined to be completed with her presence in my close proximity.

I covered the paintings and walked out of the store room when Girish walked in searching for me. "Enna nee etho paintings ah shift panitu iruka nu Selvam Anna sonaru?" He tried to peek inside the room but I pushed him out and locked the door behind me. (Selvam Anna said that you have been shifting a couple of paintings, what are they?)

"They are just drafts." I tried to walk past him but he blocked my way. "Is that the surprise collection you have been working on before Valli ma's death?"

Call it perks or snags of having a best friend, they always guess you correctly.

"Aama, aana Darshana paaka vendam nu thaan." I said half trust and he didn't press for more. (Yes, but I don't want Darshana to see it.)

I looked around the house which is normally lit unlike last evening. I climbed up the stairs and entered the studio room with Girish following me. The room was dimly lit with only the corner and middle LEDs turned on. The canvas stand had a light fixed on the top of it with the help of which Darshana could see the colours and draw on it.

"Thambi, neenga sonna mathiri ellam arrange paniten." Selvam anna looks at the colour bottles, hesitantly. (Thambi, I have arranged the room as per your instructions.)

"Dei, ithu Valli amma senja natural colours oda kadasi batch da. Itha vecha Darshana ku kathukoda pora?" Girish looked at me with panic in her eyes. (This is the last batch of natural colours that Valli amma made. Are you going to teach Darshana with this?)

I shook my head in denial and they both sighed with relief. "It's just to show the various kinds. She must be knowing but still for basics."

One of the reasons for my paintings to be sold at high prices is that they are eco-friendly. My mother has always preferred using natural colours made of garden and kitchen wastes and flowers. The batch placed on the table is the last batch which she has made. After her death, I saved it in memory of her. Even though I know the method of making them, I'm not good at it like her or Hridhay. So, I used the market-sold acrylic paints made of artificial colouring dyes to try drawing and threw them away in frustration when I couldn't draw.