Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Some Kolkata souvenirs come from shops. A US traveller found his in a cup of coffee and a hand-drawn caricature. During a visit to a local tea shop, he met artist Shyama Prasad Dey and left with a cartoon version of himself.
Markus, the traveller, shared a video of his visit to the shop run by Dey, an artist who has been running the establishment for around 30 years. What began as a casual stop soon became a chance for Markus to see Dey’s artwork up close and have a caricature drawn for himself.
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As Markus looked around, he was fascinated by the drawings displayed inside the shop. He pointed to portraits of Indian personalities and asked Dey about them. One of the sketches was of former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly.
Markus then noticed photographs of Dey appearing on the Bengali television show Dadagiri, hosted by Ganguly. He reacted with surprise at discovering that the artist whose work he had come to admire had also appeared on television.
The conversation then turned to Markus himself. Dey complimented him on his face before getting to work on his caricature. Markus watched the sketch take shape, joking that his hair sticking out from under his hat already made him look like a cartoon character.
Once the drawing was finished, Markus was taken aback when Dey told him that a coffee and the caricature together cost just Rs 80.
Watch the video here:
He marvelled at getting a personalised drawing along with his coffee for less than a dollar.
For Dey, however, the moment seemed far less extraordinary. His shop has been part of his life for 30 years, with cups of coffee and hand-drawn caricatures bringing together locals, artists and curious visitors.
As he raised his coffee towards the camera, Markus summed up the experience with a cheerful “Cheers”, holding up the caricature that had brought him so much delight.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
