Introduction of vaccine for Corona virus has ignited new hopes and aspirations in people across the globe. Worldwide people are ravaged and mauled by the corona virus. Kudos to the medical fraternity involved in treating these patients and in vaccine development. Development of vaccine calls for a celebratory welcome for the year 2021. A take on the same.
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Click here to visit the library of my next twenty five cartoons
" My favourite thing is to go where I've never been"
Any discussion about Rome is incomplete without talking about its Piazzas.
Rome is home to a number of lively squares or piazzas as they call them. There is almost a piaza at every corner but a few piazzas are definitely a cut above others in terms of architecture, aesthetics and atmosphere. The best piazzas are
[1] Piazza Navona : It is Baroque square on the remains of what once was a stadium. It is considered one of the most beautiful squares, having three fountains, one of which is considered to be Bernini's greates work - La Fontana Dei Fuimi. Alongside there is an Egyptian obelisk. The piazza is quite long in comparison to other squares. A church is located at the edge of the centre of the square. Various artists can be seen sitting in the middle making quick sketches of tourists at a nominal cost.
[2] Piazza del Campidoglio :
This piazza is on top of a hill, approached by a grandiose staircase. Designed by Michelangelo the geometric shaped piazza is dominated by a replica of a bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, now found inside the museum. On each side of the statue are the Capitoline museums. Head to the rear of piazza for a panoramic view of the Roman forum and Colosseum.
It is usually known as Castel Sant'Angelo. It is a towering cylindrical building, that was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building was later used by popes as a fortress and castle and is now a museum.
Rome, the eternal city has a large number of squares, some of them quite famous. A city square in Italian is called a Piazza. When our native punjabi is questioned about his favourite piazza, his reply is classical witty. A take on the same. I will be covering the famous piazzas of Rome in my next travel blog. Keep reading.
Indian cricket fans were devastated when their heroes fell like a pack of cards in the Adelaide test against Australia. The meagre score of 36 evoked many an emotions in the fans. A take on the same.
In a major setback to Mamta Banerjee, her right hand man Suvendu Adhikari has left Trinamool Congress and joined BJP. In the context of upcoming West Bengal elections, this is a major cause of worry for Mamta Banerjee and big boost to the resurgent BJP.
Ever since I started cartooning I have been trying to cover different topics of varying tastes to make a commentary in a subtle but funny way. I may or may not have succeeded in my endeavour. This is for all of you to judge but at least my effort has been genuine. God willing and time permitting, I will continue to explore new ideas with their witty execution.
Significantly, in this period I have graduated from black and white to colored cartoons.
This one is my first Color Cartoon.
Following is a collection of my last twenty five cartoon creations in chronological order:
It has been recently found that the height of Mt. Everest has increased and it now measures 8848.86 m, an increase of 86 cm when compared with the previous recorded height of 8848 m. In an analogy the medical course is also increasing in length with introductions of mandatory rural postings in some states and additional years required in preparation for entrance to the MBBS, Post Graduate courses and for super specialization. A take on the same.
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"COLLECT MOMENTS NOT THINGS"
Rome is virtually an open air museum when you take into consideration the number of sculptures on display in the open, in public places. Two of the such famous public places are the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.
It is a fountain in the Trevi district in Rome. Designed by Nicola Salvi, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous in the world. During the Baroque era, competitions had become popular to design buildings and fountains. In the contest for this fountain, Nicola Salvi initially lost to Alessandro Galilei from Florence, but due to an outcry over a Florentine having won, Salvi was awarded the commission and work started in 1732. Salvi is credited with hiding behinded a sculpted vase the unsightly sign of a nearby barber. The site is the revival of one of the ancient aqueducts of Rome. The illumination by fllod lights at night time gives it a stunning look,
Like many wish wells all over the world, coins are purportedly meant to be thrown by the right hand over left shoulder. One of the story says that if you do this, you are likely to revisit Rome. An estimated 3000 Euros are thrown into the fountain each day.At its centre is the statue of (Neptune) Oceanus, who stands atop a chariot pulled by sea horses and is accompanied by tritons.
A nearby ice cream parlor selling Gelato ice cream was indeed a memorable treat for our taste buds.
The spanish Steps are a set of Baroque style 138steps climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinita dei Monti, dominated by the church of the same name at the top. The steps were designed by a relatively unknown architect Francesco de Sanctis following a competition. The steps were built between 1723-1726 to celebrate the peace treaty between France and Spain. The name derives from the presence of Spanish embassy nearby at the bottom of steps. At the bottom of steps is a fountain in the shape of a sinking ship. According to a legend the pope had the fountain installed after he was impressed by a boat brought here by a flood in the river Tiber. The spansih Steps' unique design and elegance made it a popular place for artists, painters and poets. To the right of the lower steps is the house where English poet John Keats lived and died in 1821. The steps were made famous by Gregory Peck and Audrie Hepburn in the 1953 film " The Roman Holiday". The tradition of Spanish Steps as a meeting place has lived on ever since.
Cartoon depicting the attitude towards medicine, showing a decline in the thinking of the powers that be, specially in relation to the education and training in modern medicine. The practitioners of modern medicine are not in consonance with the recent official decisions. A take on the same.
" THE WORLD IS A BOOK AND THOSE WHO DO NOT TRAVEL, READ ONLY ONE PAGE"
" Rome the eternal city" and "Rome was not built in day' are the two of the most common cliches to describe Rome and not without any reason.Visiting Rome was one of my cherished dreams and luckily for us, almost the whole of Rome was painted afresh and the historical buildings cleared of black soot which develops over period of decades or centuries.
Rome is named after Romulus and Remus, the twin sons of Mars, who were abandoned on the flooding Tiber river and deposited by the receding waters at the foot of the Palatine hill. They were suckled by a she-wolf and reared by a shepherd. When grown up there was a feud between the two and Romulus killed Remus to become the ruler. The bronze statue of the ferocious wolf suckling the twins is stationed at the Capitoline Museums.
The attractions in Rome are vast and it is almost impossible to do justice to the city in one visit. However, with four days at our disposal, we tried to have a go at as many attractions as were possible.
Without an iota of doubt, the symbol of Rome is the ancient amphitheatre right in the middle of the city. In fact most of the ancient Roman attractions are pretty close by, which makes it easy to cover them without wasting much time in travel. The colosseum, also known as Flavian amphitheatre, is an oval structure, built of travertine limestone and brick faced concrete. It was the largest amphitheatre of the time, with a capacity of 50000-80000 spectators.
The colosseum was the scene of thousands of hand-to-hand combats between gladiators, of contests between men and animals and mock naval engagements.
It was built under flavian emperors, hence also called Flavian amphitheatre. Building started by Emperor Vespasian in 70-72 CE and was officially dedicated by Emperor Titus is 80 CE. Over a period of time, it was used as a church and fortress. It was damaged with lightening and earthquakes and even more severely by vandalism and pollution. Later preservation works have helped make it Rome's major tourist attraction.
Nearby is the Roman Forum, a rectangular forum, originally a marketplace, surrounded by ruins of several important government buildings at the center of ancient Rome. Another notable monument nearby is the arch of Constantine.
Pantheon :
The other historical and unique landmark of Rome is the Pantheon. It is a former Roman temple and now a catholic church. It is one of the best preserved ancient Roman buildings. It is a circular building of concrete faced with brick, with a huge concrete dome rising from the walls. Almost two thousand years after it was built, this dome is still the world's largest unreinforced dome. It measures 142 feet in diameter. The peculiar feature of this dome is a central opening called oculus opening into the sky.When the Pantheon was originally built, oculus was the only source of light inside. The opening also results in rain getting inside, but a gentle floor slope and well hidden holes drain the water. It has a front porch of Corinthian columns supporting a gabled roof. Beneath the porch are huge bronze double doors. Its building started in 27BC and completed later with a changed design between 118-128AD.
"YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE IN YOU" Corona Pandemic produced a window of opportunity for me to experiment something differ...
