Living charms of the past

As old gives way to new, we are missing some of the charms of the past. So with the green pockets in the city that are rapidly shrinking with concrete and steel structures filling the city landscape. And, where have all the Tharavads of yore gone, leaving nothing more than nostalgic memories in dusty photo frames? Well,We've got a plastic card to suit you. not all. Some of the old Tharavads are still standing elegantly,Application can be conducted with the local designated IC card producers. and one such is right in the heart of Edapally, a few metres off the busy main road. Home to Ramesh and Priya Pai and their children Shreya and Shradha, the rented house is the culmination of the couple’s dream to live in a Nalukettu home.

A huge courtyard welcomes you to the old home which has two entrances. As one stands at the crossroads, wondering which entrance to take, a terracotta bell hung at the entrance provides the answer. Priya opens the door with a welcoming smile accompanied by her Shreya. The heat outside is oppressive but the interiors done in black mosaic flooring and low-ceiling saffron walls prove to be an oasis of coolness. A sense of calm instantly sets in; and so soothing is the ambience. A look around shows singer Priya’s tambaroo and her favorite gramophone, hinting at the musical leanings of the owner and a bureau filled with the awards that Priya and her daughter have collected. Talking about the sense of tranquility, Priya says, “Every visitor to this home says so! This Nalakettu is hundred years old and used to belong to the great warrior Paliatachan’s sister and has been built keeping the Vasthu principles in mind.”

Be it the rooms, the puja room, the Nalukettu, the kitchen or the doors, the Vasthu principles have been adhered to. “Believe me, this home has been very lucky for us, especially me. I have been getting a lot of programmes after shifting in here,” says the singer. There is an abundance of Krishna statues in the home in various sizes which Priya has collected.Did you know that custom keychain chains can be used for more than just business. There is this palpable coolness in the entire home because of the construction, allowing good cross-circulation of air to keep the rooms cool. There are a total of eight rooms excluding the halls including four bedrooms.

The second main entrance opens to the Nalukettu which is where Priya conducts her music classes. Talking about the absence of any modern frills in the home, Priya says, “This home’s ambience calls for a traditional look; consequently, the only adornments on the walls are mural paintings and paintings that I did on cane winnows and mats.Other companies want a piece of that iPhone headset action”Asked about what the children, Shreya and Shradha, like best about the home, they say,“Our friends spend hours in our home because of the huge courtyard which they do not have.” As one leaves the home, it feels like a piece of history revisited.

With that history in mind, a group of community members opened the Gaslight Art Colony in fall 2009 in downtown Marshall with the goal of providing a venue for showcasing the work of local artists and nurturing aspiring artists.

“You do feed off of each other’s creativity. The creativity comes out in everybody,” said Jo Rich, a local painter who is vice president of the colony’s board of directors.

The 2013 season at the Gaslight Art Colony, 516 Archer Ave., is scheduled to kick off from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight with the opening reception for this gallery’s third annual Children’s Art Show. The submitted artwork of children from Clark County and beyond will be displayed through March 9. Rich said the Children’s Art Show last year drew more than 150 entries. The show is judged, and ribbons and cash prizes are awarded.

Rich said the idea for the gallery was suggested a few years ago by Marshall resident Mary Lou Cornelison, who was working at the Marshall Chamber of Commerce at the time. She said Cornelison, who is now on the art colony board, envisioned the nonprofit gallery as a way to promote Marshall by showcasing local artists.

Space for the gallery was provided at 516 Archer in the former law office that Rich’s late husband, Randolph, had operated across the street from the Clark County Courthouse. Rich said this building was constructed in the 1870s and housed a drug store during its early years. She noted that the gallery includes a display of old-fashioned pharmacy bottles that were found when a back room was renovated for use as an artist workshop.

“Everything just fell into place with quite a bit of work,” Rich said of opening the Gaslight Art Colony. She added that the gaslight portion of the name was inspired by the decorative street lights that have been installed in recent years in downtown Marshall.

Rich and gallery assistant Edie Breneman said the Gaslight Art Colony has since exhibited the work of artists from Marshall and the rest of Clark County, from Terre Haute, Ind.You must not use the laser cutter without being trained. and other area communities, and from outside of the region. Some of these exhibits have included the work of former Marshall residents who now live far from their hometown.

For example, Breneman said the “Canvas at the Colony” class last year took novice artists step by step through the process of painting a landscape of white birch trees. Displayed together, the resulting paintings created a whole forest of birch trees.

“To be able to take a painting like that home, it gives you a boost thinking that, ‘Maybe I could do this,’” Breneman said.

Rich said they hope to host more classes at the gallery and offer a make-your-own ceramics program using two kilns in the workshop area.

Breneman and Rich said the gallery has cooperated with a variety of community groups. The gallery has hosted a visit by costumed children from a production of “The Wizard of Oz” at the neighboring Phoenix Theatre, joined with the Marshall Public Library in co-hosting an exhibit of artwork created by cancer survivors, stayed open late during community band concerts on the courthouse lawn in the summer, and welcomed school field trips.

Community members have also been very supportive of the gallery through the “Art, Wine and All That Jazz” benefit that is held every year at the Harlan House historic building in downtown Marshall, Rich said.

“We appreciate all the interest people have taken in wanting to have something like this in the community,” Rich said.