Sketching At Eight

When did you start sketching and painting? May be when you were around three or four! Yes, but when did you have a website of your sketches? And when did your sketches start trending on social media? Perhaps, for most of us, never.

Here is the story of an eight-year-old whose sketches will floor you! Just hang on. Let us first talk to Naman who lives in USA.

Hi Naman, how did you start sketching and painting?

Because I was always bored, I started sketching. I did do painting for a bit with Udemy. And then I started to not like it and then I started sketching instead.

Which was your first sketch or drawing?

 Oh, I remember. My first drawing was a person with no hands and no feet and it looked really weird.

What do you like to sketch more? Scenery, animals, flowers, faces, cartoon characters or other objects?

I mean I like to sketch people more than landscapes. I like to sketch objects more than flowers or animals. But my fav sketching thing would probably be people. 

Can you share a few of your sketches?

Yes, I can. Here are a few of my sketches.

How do you feel when you finish a sketch or drawing?

Proud! I feel happy. Sad, because it was fun sketching it and now it's over. Frustrated when it looks bad. Sometimes, I feel it needs a little more editing or erasing. I look at my sketches from far away.

Which is your favourite sketch?

The Messi one! I worked on it for like five days, I had to go back and edit it like multiple times. It's my favourite because Messi is my favourite soccer player. It looked the way I wanted it to look. Some of my strokes which I didn't like, actually made the sketch look even better.

How much time did you take to complete the Messi sketch?

I took about five days and worked for about an hour or two each day.

Apart from painting and sketching, you must also be playing some games like soccer, taekwondo etc. What do you like the most?

Apart from sketching you mean, I like TKD (taekwondo) the most because it strengthens my body and my brain. It teaches me things like self control and integrity. It tells me not to give up even if things are very hard and also because Bhaiya (elder brother in Hindi) does it too. So, I can have fun with him.

Which is your most recent sketch?

My most recent sketch was a practice of a haunted house that is made in a 2 point perspective view. I made it at Ichen Art Academy. Not at home. 

At home, my most recent sketch is a Lego Ninjago series. I made some Lego Ninjas.

For Naman anytime is art time! 

Thank you Naman and all the best for your future sketches. Do share your sketches once in a while.

That was a guest story from Naman, the eight-year-old artist.  Naman has his own website, which can be accessed here. Do follow and like his creations. It will encourage the child prodigy. Naman also happens to be our grandson.

Postscript 14th Nov 23: Naman created a card for Armed Forces Veterans and sent it to his grandpa i.e. Ghumakkad. It was an instant hit with so many Veterans in India. See his imaginative design below:

Other Guest Stories

Ghumakkad encourages guest stories on our blog. Some of our previous guest stories are listed below. Just click to browse.

Who says children don't read books?  We generally blame the internet and digital devices for distracting the children from reading books. But this story of three siblings (11,13 and 15) shows that children continue to love books! (2023)

Coyote Gulch- Hiking In A Stream written by then 10-year-old Nikhil, our grandson (2018)

Ironman In The Family - a first hand account of Ironman 70.3 completed by our son Ankush. Read when he says "And my legs died"! How did he revive? (2022)

Fallen But Not Forgotten - Remembering our War heroes by Trixie Asirvatham from Bengaluru. Read about the Armistice Day and its history through a poignant picture story. (2017)

Women Hiking In Water by Akanksha, our daughter. Daring story of a hike in waste deep water by four young mothers all by themselves! (2019)

A Squirrel Comes Home by Rohini Tiwari a Nature lover from Coimbatore. Fascinating account of rescuing a baby squirrel and how it adopts the rescuer's home! (2020)

Winning The Hearts Of People by Abhishek Singh. Interesting story of how Indian Army helps the villagers in far flung borders of Arunachal Pradesh in north-east India. (2018)

Male Showstopper by Koushik Gopinath a wildlife photographer. Get close to the Tigers of Ranthambore with Koushik's lens. Superb photography. (2018)

Maya The Tigress of Tadoba - From Ranthambore Ankush takes you to Tadoba, Maharashtra where Maya the tigress rears her cubs. Feel the glory of the jungle.

Why Kodaikanal? by Ansh (then 14) and Nikhil (then 11) our grandsons. They describe the attractions of Kodaikanal through their pictures and story.

Ladakh: Shades of Heaven on Earth - breathtaking pictures by Abha and Akanksha who visited Ladakh with their families in Aug 2022.

After seeing all these guest stories, hope you are charged up to share your story. Your story can be on any subject as you saw above- from wildlife to travel to pets to hiking to sketching and so on! Do reach out to us on hbindia@gmail.com . We learn from each other as our logo below shows.

Thanks for browsing.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta and Akanksha Bhargava/ Secunderabad and California/ 15th Oct 2023

#Gueststory #sketching #painting #eightyearoldartist #creativity #imagination #takewondo #grandchildren #children #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #2pointperspective #namanbhargava

Grandpas need no Gym

Grandparents don't need to go to a Gym. Their grandchildren give them enough exercise. Ghumakkad experienced this fact recently when Naman, his two year old grandson came visiting from California USA. One week of non-stop action. Naman modified the yoga asanas योग  आसन  in his own way. See the pictures.

Here is a 30-second video of Naman somersaulting!

You may browse an earlier post of a grandpa-grandson hike here. You sure don't need any exercise when your grandchildren are around. Whatever be their age.

As someone had said "Grandchildren are the hands by which we take hold of heaven". Mere presence of grandchildren is heavenly. Last picture in this story says it all.

Am sure all grandparents would have related the story with their own grandchildren. And all others, pray that God grants you the precious gift of a grandchild soon!

Credit for the pictures go to both Neeta and Akanksha. Thanks to them, Ghumakkad got into the frame and not behind the lens!

Thanks for browsing,

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 14th April 2017

Thrill of grandparenting

Gifted Grandparents

The greatest gift that you can ever get is to become a grandparent. Ask any grandparent and he/she will vouch for it.

By God’s grace, Neeta and I became grandparents again this year in California. Courtesy Akanksha (Ashi) and Ankur, we had the delight of welcoming Naman, our grandson, into this world. As Charles Dickens said, “Every baby born into the world is a finer one than the last”. We couldn't have agreed more. 

Ashi chose a very innovative way of announcing the arrival of the baby. See what she wrote.


Here is Naman as a baby in arms.

Here is a selfie which Ashi took with Naman.

Of course, bringing up babies is no easy task. Ask any young Mom 

or a granny who is helping the baby and the mom, and you will hear a chorus! Like what Mark Twain said, “A baby is an inestimable blessing and bother”! 

Few more pictures of Naman as he grew up to be a month old! 

He seems to be reciting the alphabet "O"!

 All the grandparents-- Dada, Dadi and Nani-- celebrated Naman's 

first 'monthly birthday' by cutting a cake!

And Naman when he entered his second month in this world, he was in the lap of his great grandmother!

Naman enjoying Nani's lap.

The scene now shifts to India. 

As we said, we were blessed earlier in 2013 with our only granddaughter in Chennai. Named Anuva, she is the real heart throb of the family. Here are some pictures of Anuva as a baby.

How she looked in the first hour of her life!

She is going to be two in May this year. Full of action, she capitalises on all the attention she gets. Let her pictures do the talking all the way from a baby to an energetic toddler!

With her favourite bunny.

And, when she learnt to lift her head. All excited!

With Kruger, her best friend whom she copies! 

Portrait with mumma...

Anuva is forever in love with outdoors! See her enjoying the stroll with Ansh bhaiya.

Her first steps, wobbly but confident under the watchful eyes of Appa!

Anuva the flier!

And mind you, she doesn't like rough surfaces. Even tufts of a green lawn bother her-- see the way she has folded the toes in our lawn!

 Tying the first Rakhi to Ansh Bhaiya.

And now, I too get invited to parties!

Like all children of this hi-tech age, Anuva too is fond of the cell phone. I gave her my old-gen 'unsmart' phone. And she didn't take long to figure it out! Reaction? See the the combo picture. 

Dadu had to pacify her and make peace.

  13th May 2014-- time for her first birthday bash. Venue RSI Secunderabad.

We all went to Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Jan 2015. Few more action shots of Anuva.
Appa's baby.

Hug from Ansh bhaiya.

Anuva the poser.

Anuva the acrobat.

Anuva the climber. Site: Moyar river and dam, Karnataka.

Anuva the gymnast.

"Family photograph? Please do not disturb me, I am busy!"

This is what Ansh did nine years ago. Anuva has repeated it-- removing Dadi's bindi. And putting it on! 

We learn from our children and if we are fortunate, from our grand  

children as well! 
Like Naman has taught us 'Demand your rights (food for the baby)' and 'How to sleep well'!
Whereas Anuva's lessons to us have been-- how to concentrate and remain focussed--- anywhere and everywhere!

We close here with that classic quotation from William Wordsworth who said, “Child is the father of the man”!

You are welcome to share your experiences as a parent or 

grandparent.

May God bless all the children in the world as the world belongs to them!

Thanks for browsing,

-          Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 3rd March 2015