Indian summer is a state of mind!
Summer in India is getting hotter every year. However, nothing takes away from the fact that the Indian summer is what defines our collective memory. Every grown adult in India will fondly cherish the unique food, sights, and scenes that define the Indian summer. Nobody remembers the heat anyways!
“Hot weather opens the skull of a city, exposing its white brain, and its heart of nerves, which sizzle like the wires inside a lightbulb. And there exudes a sour extra-human smell that makes the very stone seem flesh-alive, webbed and pulsing.” –Truman Capote.
While we cannot match Truman Capote in his rather imaginative description of summer, we have lined up 11 amazing artwork showcased on Dribbble and Behance to give you a glimpse of the essence of Indian summer. We encourage you to click on the images to find out more about the artists and their work.
1. Gathering under a Peepal tree
Villiage life in India revolves around gathering places like the temple or the peepal tree. On a warm summer day, the peepal tree provides a cool, shady place for the villagers to gossip or conduct the village council meetings. The artwork here was created for a consumer brand yet it captures the contemporary Indian village where modern influences are creeping in. If you notice carefully, you will see a smattering of Peepal leaves on the top of the image.
2. Dusk brings relief to a village
Villages across India look forward to summer and it is around this time that they would have harvested their crops and are flush with money. However, no amount of romantic notions we harbor of summer in Indian villages take away from the fact that men and women have to perform back-breaking work in the hot sun. This artwork is a clever amalgamation of images into one awesome picture! Click on the image to learn about the technique used by the artist (digital composting) to create this masterpiece.
3. Every Indian summer is synonymous with vacations
No Indian summer is without the obligatory trip to the hill station or a visit to the grandparent’s house. Nowadays, more and more families or visiting fancy resorts or exotic foreign locations as well. The idea of a summer trip is probably more romantic than the trip itself. The artwork shows a rather colourful couple with cool motifs and travel gear we will die for! This work was inspired by the Pattachitra style painting from Odisha. Pattachitra is considered to be a 1000-year-old art form and usually depicts colourful deities on a canvas. Click on the image to read more about the artist and his work.
4. Oranges and Indian summer are made for each other
While no Indian summer is complete without the mangoes, oranges definitely occupy a prime place during summers in India. India is one of the largest producers of orange and the country houses over 1500 varieties of this fruit! When you go out to the market or get down from a bus, you will definitely find at least one street cart selling oranges. That’s not all, no Indian summer is complete with the ubiquitous orange squash! If you are visiting your friend or family member on a hot summer day, brace yourself for the cold, sugary, orange squash.
5. Summer circus spectacle!
Life in India was less complicated before the smartphones, televisions, and Internet hijacked our lives. In most towns and villages, the circus was a prime attraction in summer. How do you know you had the circus in town? They usually have a powerful spotlight beam illuminating the night sky and they also had mobile ad vans inviting everyone to attend the show. This artwork is a beautiful, cliched, and funny representation of what you might not actually see.
6. Indian summer and the Indian family
The best memories from childhood are summers and spending time with the grandparents during summer holidays. As joint-families are waning, grandparents look forward to meeting their grandkids and children love to be pampered. With no school or classes to attend to (if you ignore the zealous parents who are hell bent on keeping children busy with summer classes or summer camps), the bond between the children and their grandparents takes root with every summer vacation.
7. Summer travel and food – the dynamic duo!
Romantic train journeys during summer are complete only when you taste the local cuisine and food items from the hard to ignore hawkers at every railway station across the length and breadth of the country. This amazing artwork chronicles the food items that you will come across when you travel from Mumbai to Madgaon. Click no the image to learn more about the artwork.
8. No Indian summer is complete without the gola cart!
If there is one thing that is not good for you, but you enjoy it anyways, it’s the colourful shaved ice sold by street vendors. Indian summer is not complete without stopping to enjoy the obligatory roadside sin! This artist has created a jaw-dropping illustration of the “gola cart” that will bring back moments of pure bliss you might have enjoyed smack in the middle of a scorching Indian summer. Click on the image to learn more.
9. The sweet sugarcane juice stall
A far healthier alternative to the gola cart is the sugarcane juice. You will notice that this cart has a motor to drive the presser. But this was not the case in the past. The juicer was powered by the vendor or his family members! The giant wheels had a handle and the juice was literally hand pressed.
10. The tender coconut seller on the beach
Moving on to a healthier option to deal with the Indian summer, check out the amazing artwork of a vendor selling coconuts. You will find them even now going around the town on a hot summer day. Their sturdy cycles seem to defy physics to lug around three dozen heavy coconuts with the sickle neatly slotted into the handlebar. Click on the image to find out more about the artist.
11. Indian summer is IPL time!
Last but not the least, Indian summers and cricket are brothers in arms. What do children do during summer holidays? They play cricket! With IPL dominating the summer season in India, cricket will probably rank among the top entertainment options available for Indians in the summer. This artwork shows Dhoni wielding his bat nonchalantly. Just look closely at the background as well.
