An often overlooked segment of the society we've built for ourselves is that of the elderly, more specifically elderly women. These women, who were once a relevant part of the everyday workings of society, who have lived, experienced and seen cities change over decades, find themselves marginalised and isolated towards the end of their lives.
This series of watercolour paintings tracks the life of one such ordinary but imaginary grandmother, who continues to live a full life, has hopes and dreams, fears and longings, much like the rest of us. The same grandma is seen in each frame, sometimes reminiscing, sometimes becoming a little girl swinging on a tyre, and at other times longing for those she has lost. Over the years she has reflected on her own life as well as the happenings around her and that is mirrored in a fantastical whimsical array of the colourful worlds that she finds herself in, all trying to say that her life is far from irrelevant.
Done in 2016 as a part of a gender based umbrella project called 'A Place for Her,' under a sub-branch called 'Meri Kahani' within Hyderabad Urban Lab, which looked at the lives of ordinary elderly women in cities across India. These paintings were then used to make a calendar for the year 2017.
14 water colour & block print paintings | Urban research | Hyderabad Urban Lab | 2016 | Hand-drawn
© Hyderabad Urban Lab, Neha Vaddadi
