Lockdown helped French artist fine-tune Kannada speaking skill

MANGALURU: The lockdown due to the pandemic has forced French artist Baptiste Mariotte, 26, to extend his stay at Mundaje village, about five kilometers from Charmadi in Belthangady taluk. He was introduced to this village by Michel, a veteran artist from France, who used to visit this village regularly since 1986.
An alumnus from the Florence Academy of Art and a teacher at an art school in Spain, he arrived in India in October, on a one-year tourist visa.His original plan was to return home by March-end. The pandemic has forced him to extend his stay and he is now trying to finalise his return plans. He hopes to be back home this month. He used the lockdown period to fine-tune his Kannada speaking skills.
Baptiste who spoke to TOI in Kannada said, “Before landing in India for the first time in 2017, I learnt a bit of Hindi through books, assuming that most Indians speak Hindi. On reaching this village, I realised that it is not Hindi, but Kannada I need to learn. My neighbour Ajith Bhide was quick to help me out and he taught me Kannada initially. However, this lockdown came as a boon to fine-tune my Kannada speaking skills. Initially, when I heard about the lockdown, I was worried and my concern was only about returning home. I realised that there are so many good people around. Sachin Bhide arranged food for me as I was reluctant to step out. I did not want locals to feel insecure about spotting a foreigner. Sachin even shopped for me all that I needed. From Sachin and Dhanush Rajendra, who learns to play the drums from me, I learnt to speak Kannada,” he said.
On the art front, he specialises in classical art mainly portraits and landscapes. “He loves the environment around and goes on treks to the Western Ghats, regularly. Now he is more confident of staying in the village, despite the frequent power cuts. He is enjoying the monsoon,” said Sachin Bhide, agriculturist and member of Sahyadri Sanchaya.
Baptiste loves Indian food and whenever he craves for non-veg food, he steps out to the City. Other than Kananda, English, he knows Italian, Spanish and French and can speak a bit of Hindi, Tulu, Spanish, German, Hindi, and Tulu. Hailing from a family of musicians, he teaches drums to the local kids.