Displayed in many shops around the tourist areas of Udaipur are tiny little eye-catching paintings of war elephants, camels in the desert, horses in full military dress, royal festivals and religious scenes. The paintings are small, no more than 10 cm tall, and they are incredibly detailed. My eyes are not what they used to be but when I squinted, I could see the individual strands of hair and fur on the animals’ bodies.
We had had enough of palaces and forts for the time being and we were eager to do something different. During my research, I came across a few shops that not only sold miniature paintings, but offered classes. All of the kids love drawing and painting so I knew this would be something they, especially AY and EY, would love to do.
I made arrangements with Jeetu over Whatsapp to have a miniature painting class at Pacific Art. The six of us plus Lynn and Dana squeezed into one tuktuk and arrived at the address that Jeetu had given me. Jeetu was sitting in front of the shop painting on a low table and his brother, Naresh, greeted us and welcomed us into the shop. All of the wall space in the shop was covered from floor to ceiling with miniature art.
Naresh wanted us to know that they were not all painted by the two brothers, but by a cooperative of 26 families. These families used to work for a “businessman” who owned a showroom, earning just a tiny fraction of the price that the paintings were sold for. Naresh and several other master artisans got together and decided to cut out the middleman. They opened their own showroom and art studio so they could sell their art directly to tourists. Ofcourse this challenged the way that things had been done for years and angered the middlemen. They were prevented by the establishment from renting a shop in more touristic areas so they had to settle for a shop in a Muslim neighborhood. While we were in the showroom, we could hear the call to prayer from the local mosque just a short distance away.
Naresh was serious and intense when he spoke about his business and about his art. He was under a lot of pressure to make sure there was income coming in for the 26 families who depended on him.
Compared to Naresh, Jeetu was much more approachable and friendly. He would be our instructor for the morning. He was a good listener and had a thoughtful, kind manner. We walked to a small studio across the road from the showroom that was bathed in sunlight and we took a seat on floor cushions with low tables. Jeetu started the class by showing us the paints and type of brush used in Rajasthani miniature painting. The colors are made of all natural materials such as minerals and plants. The brushes are different from typical paint brushes. They are made of squirrel hair and curve at the tip because the brush becomes finer and finer, gradually reducing in thickness to just one hair at the tip.
None of us had ever used a brush like this before and Jeetu taught us some basic techniques like drawing lines, curves and a few shapes using the brush. It was tricky to get the hang of and I’m not sure I ever did. AY and RY seemed to take to it quickly.
Next, Jeetu quickly sketched out a peacock and asked us to do the same. The most difficult part was getting the curve of the neck right. After the sketching, we applied color in blocks according to Jeetu’s instructions. Once the bird was filled with vibrant colors, Jeetu taught us with utmost patience how to paint in all of the fine details that had to be included on the wing, tail, head and legs. The final and most difficult step was painting a black outline around the peacock body. Any small mistake would be obvious.
I noticed that Jeetu wears a lot of silver rings on his fingers. I asked him if they have any special meaning or purpose. He explained that he wears the rings to help give his fingers support. He said that without the rings, especially the ones on his thumbs, his fingers wouldn’t have the endurance to paint for so many hours each day.
By the end of the session, we had spent about three hours in Jeetu’s studio. Apart from a masala tea delivery from a neighborhood vendor, we had worked straight through. There were some hairy moments when DY got frustrated with all of the fine detail work and threatened to stop altogether but in the end, he pushed through.
I admired all of our miniature paintings together. Although we had the same subject and same teacher, each of our paintings came out different and with totally unique features. Jeetu praised AY for being the most diligent student and drawing the most beautiful peacock. RY’s peacock turned out to be facing a different direction than the others. RY and DY added Greek helmets to their peacocks. EY’s peacock was entirely her own work and pretty good for a 5-year old.
After we all finished drawing, we went back to Naresh’s showroom where he showed us a real miniature painting of a peacock. We used a magnifying glass to see all of the details. The level of detail is simply unreal. In fact, when artists like Jeetu and Naresh paint, they often use a magnifying glass to help them see their own brush strokes. After trying our own hand at painting in the Rajasthani miniature painting style, we couldn’t resist buying a real one to bring home.
That night, I contacted Jeetu again because AY and EY wanted to go back for another lesson. This time, they wanted to paint a tiger or an elephant. Jeetu was glad to welcome us back again, but he said an elephant would be too difficult for us. Fair enough, so, we settled on a tiger.
A couple days later, we showed up at Pacific Art again. Instead of the studio, we had the lesson in Naresh’s show room. Since it was just the three of us, it was more relaxing and we had plenty of time to chat. I don’t know if Jeetu ever loses his patience or becomes annoyed. I asked him a lot of questions about his life and in between teaching us how to paint a miniature tiger, he answered every one of my questions with sincere and thoughtful answers. During our lesson, Naresh’s young son called Jeetu. We felt like part of the family smiling and waving to him over FaceTime.
By the end of the session, we had produced three respectable miniature paintings of tigers. The time had passed too quickly and before I was ready, we had to say goodbye to Jeetu. That night, I wrote a heartfelt review for Pacific Art on Trip Advisor. Throughout our travels, I have learned that writing reviews is the best way that we can show our gratitude to these incredible business owners and support their business by helping to attract new customers. It’s easy for us to spend a few minutes writing a review and it means the world to them. After I wrote my review, I read through every review they had received over the years. Each one was as genuine and positive as ours.
Meeting Naresh and Jeetu, hearing about their story and dreams and spending a few hours learning their craft was an experience we won’t soon forget. It is the storyline that always attracts me – normal people working hard, with kindness and integrity, to make their dream come true. I wish every success for these two brothers who truly deserve it.
