Naina.co Online Brand Building, Photography and Art by Naina Redhu “Afeem”, 2020. Custom-painted brooch.

GIFTS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE EVERYTHING

I made a new friend and I love him very much. He’s awesome. I’ve been wanting to get him a gift for a while. The thing is, he has everything. And I’ve been running circles in my head, trying to think of something to give him that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg but is still exclusive enough that no one else in the world has it.

I did think of painting him a brooch initially – when we weren’t close friends. But painting a bespoke brooch requires intimate knowledge of the person. Who are they? What do they like? What does their life look like? Etc.

GETTING TO KNOW SOMEONE

Then, in January, I got to spend some very little alone-time with him and got to know him better. I spent another 3-4 months thinking about our conversations and all the things he told me. And finally, one day, after literally making notes about the ideas and concepts swimming around in my head, I got it.

CUSTOM PAINTING THEM A BROOCH

The concept itself is a bit abstract, and the painting is even more abstract. I was and still am going through a phase of painting Impressionist Brooches, and Monet and Van Gogh are replete with Poppy Fields. The brooch is called “Afeem”. “Afeem” means “opium”. Opium is derived from the Poppy flower. That sounds like a very literal explanation but the inspiration has so many layers to it that that explanation was reserved for the note I wrote to Siddharth along with the brooch. There are several etymological roots of the word and historical association with Opium that fit rather well with who Siddharth is.

GETTING A PHOTOGRAPH OF THEM WEARING SAID BROOCH

I visited him again in July and finally got photographs of him wearing the brooch. Ugh. I love it that he wore it on a white kurta. He wore it several times and most times we were too busy having conversations that I always forgot to get a photograph.

TECHNICALITIES

The brooch is painted with acrylics on a 2.5 inch diameter wood base. It has a magnet clasp at the back – so as not to destroy the silks that Siddharth wears. The brooch was also accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, which is a feature with all my paintings. In case Siddharth did not like the visual appeal of the piece, he could gift it forward with provenance. ( I firmly believe that once I have gifted something to someone else, it is not mine and they are welcome to do with it as they please. )