Paintings and artwork on the wall inspire these writers and illustrators

Sanjana Kapur (27) Assistant Editor, Amar Chitra Katha

A cursory look at the Bangalore office of Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) — a house nestled in the heart of a bustling residential lane in Indiranagar — will probably not impress you much. But behind the ordinary door is a world of mythology, colour and fiction. Sanjana Kapur, who has been working for five years at ACK, says:

“A purple dragon adorns the wall of the home converted into an office. Stained glass paintings double up as storage shelves near the reception area, and depict excerpts from the Mahabharata.

“Every wall has a painting relevant to the work we do, and it makes the place come alive. Each team — editorial, art and digital, has put in some creative element into the walls. The art team works in a room whose walls have a scene from Kurukshetra. A vibrant painting of Arjuna riding with Krishna in a ratha spreads from end to end.

“Another highlight of the office is a huge wall, a divider between a conference area and a passage to the kitchen, featuring artwork by one of our own designers. There is a bookshelf on one side and the other side has a gorgeous yellow painting of a woman. This breaks the monotony of the passage and provides continuity of colour. Our work is often converted into posters and pin ups which we liberally use on pinboards and walls.

“The terrace is a favourite hangout where we take chatais and spread them on the floor. Here, we write stories on our notepads. We also take breaks in the balcony. Music is an important part of this office — there are two speakers, one on each floor. We play Hindi, regional or English music. Sometimes, our editor deliberately turns off the music so she can concentrate while writing.”

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Columns> Work / by Sindhuja Balaji, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / December 01st, 2013