What you need to know before you read this write up: The Makgadikgadi Pan is a large salt pan in the middle of the dry savanna of north-eastern Botswana, it is one of the largest salt flats in the world
“Packed my bags and off to Botswana,” read the tweet of Juan Jean-Marc. I knew he was quite excited about this project. The entire team of “Globetrotters” the popular TV series on ABC networks flew down to the Makgadikgadi pan for a photo shoot and to film their next episode on flamingos.
I too was supposed to be on to that entourage but I was busy giving final touch to the voice over for my character Woomee in this 3D flick by Wattenberg. Now that I am done, I quickly plan to catch up with my script and trip to Botswana. I loaded my bags with my painting kit and got along my Mac to brief up on the quite an usual place to shoot – Makgadikgadi Pan .
0400 hrs and off goes the hooter, and slowly moves the lens cap of my eyes. I am out on my tent and what I see is this painting lying fresh and out on display - the dawn. The pale white salt, the orange yellow sky, some snow in the sky and the Makgadikgadi flamingos pass by. Poetry in a cinemagraph.
On my way to the pans, I heard awful lot of stories about how the pan pans it beauty, and how nature is always out on her duty. I was told the pan has unfriendly conditions to support human living, although I had a different rational to this unfriendliness. God has his own ways of retaining some places virgin to himself to enjoy HIS work and the rest open to mankind to take pride in their dirt.
I met Juan and he introduced me to Cheryl Shepard our audio technician. I was amazed to know how Cheryl tapped the sound of the early mornings in Makgadikgadi pan. My instant feedback was, Cheryl this will make a good album. After a day's work and chat with fellow artists, we packed up for the day.
I couldn't wait to return to my tent, get my canvas and colors to paint the scenic beauty of the pan on to it. But the lurking gloomy clouds soon soaked the sun, put up the pale moon and came down slowly with rains as a result I had to defer my attempt of photocopying the picturesque pan on to my canvas.
November rain now and again gets me that pain and I don't know whom to blame. I guess some painting doesn’t need to be redone, or re-mastered, and I left that thought there and moved on.
I am not good with diaries, for dairies have pages, and the option to turn them and hurt you again or rarely make you smile. I have this wall of memories where I hang every cherished memory in to a still frame. I managed to get this picture from Martin Holmes, whom I befriended with on the shoot. the picture of flamingos against the backdrop of the mesmerizing Makgaikgadi pan. The caption of the picture went like this “I don't need to die to go to heaven so better come up with interesting options.”
