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Theme Based

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Namasthe,

My name is Anvitha Bhat. I am 8 years young. My parents are Anupama and Sathyanarayana Bhat.We live in

Sunnyvale,California. My grand parents live in India. I go to Stocklmeir Elementary School. I am a third grader. I have

been learning art since first grade. I like to draw because it is fun. Title of my art work is "Scenery". Hope you all like

my art.I will have more next time.

Namasthe !

My name is Apoorva Shastri. I am 11 years young. I live in Toronto-Canada. I am in grade-6. & go to Terry Fox School. My parents are Pratibha & Uday Shastri. I am learning art since I was 7 years. I am born in Pune. We

moved to Canada when I was 3 years. My big family of grand parents, uncles/aunties, cousins live in Sirsi-Karnataka-

India. All these years, I drew something by looking at the picture. Now I am trying to do some imaginary drawing

which will bring more creativity in mind. I like drawing people more. Learning doing Portraits of some famous

personalities.I hope you all like my picture of “celebrating Thanksgiving day”.

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Apoorva Shastri's Thankgiving Art

About my art work :

I was just thinking to draw a picture asking my class friends, how did they celebrate their Thanksgiving Day? Each

one celebrated in different way, but one thing in common was “families gathering together for dinner”. I started

imagining a picture of family together having food. Then, I found this picture. I liked the way they are dressed, small

children around the table, colour scheme, decoration of the whole room etc. Everything together looked good to me.

I hope you all like it!!!

Thanksgiving Day

Tradition: It is a harvest festival. Time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. It is a

holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada usually as a gathering of family/friends for dinner

(of turkey). Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth

Thursday of November in the United States.

The date and location of the first Thanksgiving celebration is a topic of modest contention. Though the earliest

attested Thanksgiving celebration was on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida. Traditional

"first Thanksgiving" is venerated as having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation in 1621. The Plymouth

celebration occurred early in the history in one of the original thirteen colonies that became the United States, and

this celebration became an important part of the American myth by the 1800s.

Thanksgiving in my own words:

“Thanks Giving mean expressing gratitude. I am thankful to God for giving me all wonderful things in life. Every

get-together in our house for festivals / poojas with parents, friends & family is always like thanks giving day for

me”.

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Namaste,

I am Preetika Karnik,studying in 6th grade. I live in Bethesda Maryland. My parents are Shobha & Prasad Karnik. I

have a brother, Pratham Karnik,who is studying in12th grade.

This is my short story:

This painting is about a girl named Lulu. When she moved from another city, she had no friends. Lulu went from

house to house but could not find a friend. She was very sad. One day Lulu was playing sadly all alone in front of her

house. A little cat named Lily came and sat on her lap. Lily took her on a small hill and introduced her friends. Mimi

the butterfly and Momo the bird. Then Lulu understood that animals can also be our friends.

Namasthe!

My name is Dishaa Bhat. I am 3 yrs young! My parents are Dinesh and Manisha Bhat.

I have a sister Neha Bhat who is 7 years young. We live in Sterling,Virginia. My grand parents live in India . I go

to Montessori Children's house. I am in preschool. I like to draw because I love to play with colors.

The title of my art work is "FALL." I made this artwork in school. During fall, the leaves turn into beautiful colors

like yellow and orange and fall to the ground.

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Namasthe!

My name is Neha Bhat. I am 7 yrs young! My parents are Dinesh and Manisha Bhat. I have a sister Dishaa Bhat who

is 3 years young. We live in Sterling,Virginia. My grandparents live in India. I go to Nysmith school. I am in Second

grade. I have been learning art since I was 4. I like to draw because it is beautiful.

The title of my art work is "FALL." Fall is beautiful to me. I like the colors and the animals that come out in fall. It is windy in fall. It rains in fall and the

sun hides behind the clouds and sometimes makes beautiful rainbows.Squirrels gather up their acorn and bunnies get

their carrots.Birds migrate. There are pumpkin patches. The leaves fall on the ground and make piles and I can jump in

them.

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Namaste! My name is Chandan Hegde. My parents are Vani and Gopal Hegde. We live in Fremont, CA. I am studying in 4th

grade at Mission San Jose Elementary School. I have been learning art since 2nd grade. The title of my art work is

“Fall color flowers". I did it on aluminum foil.

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Art & Craft Info

Shobha Karnik.

shobhakarnik@yahoo.com , shobha.karnik@gmail.com

Wilson Lane, Bethesda MD.20817 Ph:1-301-229-8465

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Self taught artist and software engineer/consultant.Interested in Indian traditional paintings.(Tanjore , mughal

miniature ) and folk , tribal arts and oil paintings on Indian epic theme.

Learnt Jaipur style miniature painting from well-known artist of Jaipur Umashankar sharma.

Under taken guidance from National award winner artist Mr. S.M.Vali for oil media.

Participated twice in exhibition called "Chitra Santhe " in Bangalore as self taught artist

Chithrakala parishat the well-known fine art school of Bangalore conduct this exhibition at the end of every year and

award all artists who have l selected to exhibit their art in the prestigious exhibition.

Exhibited one of my "Ragamala Painting" Mevar style miniature painting which is based on thodi raga of well-known raga of Hindustani classical music in World famous Mysore Dasara Art Gallery.

Exhibited paintings in “Kala Mela” and I was main coordinator of “ Sankranthi Celebration “ Display in

Virginia organized by Kaveri Kannada Association of Washington Dc.

Coordinated “Karavali Art Gallery “ in New Jersy During HAA Convention 2009.

Presently working as Art Teacher to teach Indian Art in India School at Thomas Pyle Middle School Bethesda

MD. Recent addition to my interest is “Kavi Art” Mural the vanishing art of coastal Karnataka.

Painting is my passion. I love teaching and give awareness about richness of our Indian traditional art as many people

as possible.

Other interests are:

Writing “Hanigavana/chutuku” short poems in Kannada.

Knitting and Crochet. Traditional embroidery from different states of India.

Paper Bag Making and Designing. Flower Making with paper, foam sheet, clothes etc..

Shobha Karnik provided the following information about KASUTI-Embroidery:

“KASUTI” Embroidery Design from Karnataka : Information Collected By Shobha Karnik

The art of needlecraft is as ancient as the Vedas and women were expected to be adept in 64 arts.

Kasuti being one of them. The needle craft is a tradition in our country. Embroidery in each region depending on the

local traditions and beliefs. Each region of our country has its own unique embroidery tradition. Few of them are:

1. Kantha of Bengal. 2. Kashida of Bihar.3. Embroidery of Gujarat. 4. Chamba rumal of Himachal.

5. Kasuti of Karnataka. 6. Kashida of Kashmir.7. Embroidery of Manipur. 8 Applique craft of Orissa.9. Phulkari of

Punjab. 10. Embroidery of Rajasthan.11. Chikankari of Uttar Pradesh.

12. Metal embroidery.13. Simple embroidery stitches.

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Kasuti ( ) is a traditional form of embroidery practiced in our state Karnataka.

The history of Kasuti dates back to the Chalukya period.The name Kasuti is derived from the words Kai meaning

hand) and Suti (meaning cotton), indicating an activity that is done using cotton and hands. It is also said that the

Lambanis left their traditional home of Rajasthan and settled down in Karnataka

and brought the Kasuti craft along with them. Women of Belgaum, Hubli, Dharwad and Bijapur districts of Karnataka

worked the Kasuti embroidery on a black Ilkal Sari with a red border called Kali Chandrakala with to be given as gift

to the brides in their family and a choli or sari blouse called Kanas from Ilkal was embroidered with Kasuti stitches

for a mother to be. These saris and blouses were worn on special occasions like weddings, and festivals.

Traditional Kasuti motifs are geometric in design .The Kasuti worker does not trace the motifs to set the pattern.

.Each thread in the cloth is counted and patterns are stitched in such way that the designs on both sides of the cloth

look very much alike. Many motifs were mostly imagination of women inspired by temple gopuras, chariots, the

processional elephants, the sacred Tulsi plant, the ritual floor drawings in temples and homes, and borders resembling

fine anklets worn by the women. The temple tanks, the deepa sthambas or lamp towers and the Palanquins in which

the Utsava murtis in the temple were taken out in a procession during festivals were also used as embroidery motifs.

Traditional Kasuti has four types of stitches- Ganti, Muragi, Neygi and Menthe.

Kasuti motifs are simple geometrical designs; many are inspired by flowers and animals which bring more

interest in kids. They can use these motifs in their drawing and painting skills in their different styles. It is easy

for us to keep the kids in touch with our tradition by teaching them to draw and by explaining to them the

meaning of motifs like processional elephants, resembling temple gopuras, chariots etc.

Demo of all 4 types of stitches..

Muragi: Zig-zag lines.( the Palanquins in which the Utsava murtis in the temple were taken out in a procession

during festivals)

.Ganti: Straight lines.(Look at the base line of each design)

. Neygi:Sstyle has a woven look. Does not look the same on both sides of the fabric.

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. Menthe: Style is our regular cross-stitch and they look like Menthe seeds(fenugreek seeds).

.Combination of all type of stitches: (processional elephants)

Poems/Stories

I am Dr.Kusum Bhat. I specialize in behavioral medicine.I work for the county hospital psychiatric emergency as well as work with my husband in our own clinic. I have been writing in

kannada ever since I was in elementary school. I have published poetry, short stories and articles off and on.

I have many mentors and supporters who encouaged me to write and I am greatful for them. I am ready to

publish my first poetry book soon. My other interests are photography and acrylic painting. Photography is

my passion. I recently started pencil drawing and my Guru for that is my daughter Joy.

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Namaste!

My name is Ankita Bhat.My parents are Sudharshan and Vidya Bhat.We live in San Jose ,California.I have a older brother, Akshat Bhat, who is studying in 7th grade. I am in fourth grade at Glider Elementary.My

hobbies are writing, drawing, reading,dancing ,and singing. This is my poem. Hope you will like it!

Fall colors

Red, Orange,Brown leaves float off the tree

Like a feather a bird dropped,

Colors everywhere make the scene look dashing.

Birds hum their pleasant song

While the leaves drop one by one.

123 Whoosh,Koosh,Kaboosh,

The November wind blows lightly but fiercely

Scatters the leaves far and wide.

But this pleasant scene, beautiful and bright,

Will not stay for long because

The winter chill will come later, but not too later.

----Ankita Bhat

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Namaste,

My Name is Shreya Hegde. My parents are Pallavi and Mohan Hegde.I am 9 years old and I am in 4th grade

at Mission Valley Elementary school. I have a yonger sister, Yashika. She is just one year old!. I wrote a story

about"My Trip to Alaska". I hope, you will enjoy reading my story.

I will have more next time!

My Alaska Trip By: Shreya Hegde

Juneau Alaska

When I was 8 I went on a cruise to Alaska. The ship was called “Statendum” from Holland America. We

left to Alaska from Vancouver British Canada. The first stop in Alaska was to the capital, Juneau Alaska. My cousin

and I sat in the helicopter. The helicopter was about to take us to a mountain to see Mendenhall glacier. I still

wondered why it snowed in summer. Soon, the helicopter started to fly. The pilot gave us headphones to cover our

ears with. He showed us how to talk to people using the headphones. My cousin and I kept talking to each other.

Suddenly, the helicopter got bumpy. My cousin named Aishu looked through the window. Then she shouted through

the headphone, “We are landing!” I pressed my nose against the window. Sure enough, we were landing. “Hold on

tight.” My mom told me through the headphone. Aishu and I grasped each other. The helicopter stopped with a jerk. We landed on the glacier, the pilot said. Boy, was it cold! Aishu shivered. “Hello!” said a man coming out of a tent.

The man told us he was going to guide us through the glacier. “Don’t step on cracks.” He warned. “Why can’t we

step on cracks?” a lady asked. “Your leg will get stuck. There are crevices, which are very deep”, the man said. We

followed him. He showed us a small hill full of cracks and water gushing through them. The water was very blue.

Then, we crossed a wide and deep crack. “You can drink from it.” The man said. I tried getting water in my glove.

No luck. Finally, I took off my glove and touched the water. The water was freezing! My dad gave me some water

with his bare hands. It was fun. We climbed back into the helicopter. I said bye to the glacier.

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Skagway Alaska

The next day, the ship stopped at Skagway, Alaska. Aishu, Aishu’s mom, Aishu’s dad, my dad, my mom, and I went

on a train trip to the summit of White Pass. Our guide informed us that this Narrow Gauge train route was built in

1898, when people came to look for gold in Klondike Mountains. We saw waterfalls and many mountains and lakes,

as the train climbed through numerous curves. I took pictures with my throw- away- camera till the memory card ran

out. My parents bought me a pair of binoculars. I spotted a goat through them. After the train ride, Aishu and I

climbed the rocks outside. We jumped off the rocks and looked around. Our parents had disappeared! I looked

towards our left. The ship called Princess Cruises was docked. “Hello.” Said a man near the Princess Cruises. “Do

you know where Holland America is docked?” Aishu asked. Before the man could answer, Aishu’s mom came

running to us. We where relived.

On the Ship!

Next day we sailed through Glacier Bay National Park. A park ranger came on our ship and informed us that this is

the only National Park, which has no roads leading to it. The park consists of Glaciers falling in to the sea. Our ship

stopped in front of Marjorie Glacier. We could see ice falling directly in to the sea and icebergs floating in the sea.

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The park ranger told us this is a favorite spot to look for humpback whales. We looked around. Aishu said she

spotted a whale spout.

Ketchikan, Alaska

Next morning, we went on a boat ride in Ketchikan, Alaska to visit Misty Fjords National Monument. This area is

called “Yosemite of the North”, as it has similar granite mountains. It has many waterfalls formed by glaciers, which

have receded. Water falls directly in to the sea. Ketchikan is also called Salmon capital of the world. It rains for 8

months here with the record being 202 inches one year.

The last day

On Thursday, nothing exiting happened. On Friday, my parents told us to wait at the café. We wondered why.

Suddenly, the chef came out of the kitchen holding a cake! “Happy Birthday to youuu!” they sang. Aishu started

clapping. I clapped with her. My birthday was on June 28, 2000, which was the next day. Aishu’s birthday was on

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May 27, 2000. The chef’s put the cake on the table. Aishu and I had a feast! “Dolphins!!!!” someone from the corner

called out, “I see dolphins and ohhhh! Whales!” My parents, Aishu’s parents, Aishu and I ran out to deck. There

were a pack of dolphins swimming near our boat with baby orcas! An orca is a type of killer whale. My dad laughed.

“They came one day before your real birthday!” my dad exclaimed. “The dolphins and orca’s want to wish you

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Aishu’s dad said. “That’s soooo cool!” Aishu said. I looked at the sea. It was the BEST DAY

OF MY LIFE!

Community Album/Links

Usha Kuloor's "Thanksgiving Chitra Katha"

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Namasthe!

We are a family of 4, Gopal, Usha, Anoop and Aashika. We live in North Wales, PA, and USA. Gopal is from

Kuntar, near Mulleria, Sullia, S/O Smt.Lakshmi and late Sri. Rama Bhat. Usha is from Uppinangadi, Puttur D/O Sri. Keshava Bhat Kuppetti and Smt.Savithri. Gopal has 4 older brothers and one older sister, Usha also

has 4 older brothers and one younger sister. Anoop (9) and Aashika (4) are our kids. We would like to convey

the theme of Thanksgiving in the form of ChitraKatha based on the HAA East Coast Deepavali Celebration in

our house on November 1st, 2009. The Title of the story is “Thanksgiving ChitraKatha”. The main attraction of

the event was, kids and adults sparkling the “NakshatraKaddi”. We are thankful for our beautiful heritage and

the celebrations we all enjoy together! We are thankful for our wonderful parents and their ancestors who

bathed us in the cultural traditions and knowledge and let the JnanaGanga flow from generations to

generations! It is in our hands to keep this JnanaGanga flowing through our next generations. Click on the link

to view our web album. Hope you like it!

http://picasaweb.google.com/AASHIKAANOOP/DiwaliCelebration20091101#

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