Snapshots from Kala Ghoda Festival 2015

Mumbai's nine days of high energy revelry and cultural festivities that reminds one of a carnival, The Kala Ghoda Festival got over! Each year, I regale in its hangover for few days but unfortunately, this time, I could not pay as many visits as I would have ideally loved to, due to time constraints. 

I have done enough talking about KGAF in my last post. So, presenting here is a glimpse of some of the art installations and artefacts I clicked during my two visits to KGAF amidst all the chaos around! 

 

A peep into Kala Ghoda Festival 2015

One of the most popular events that define the core character of beautiful city of Mumbai, through its various hues, The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, is back! I have been able to pay visit only once so far to this community celebration of arts, culture, crafts and life in general at one of the most beautiful and historic precincts of Mumbai, The Kala Ghoda Art District. 

Like it happens every year, the art installations have drawn people and are deeply engaging for the viewers, even for the people who would not ordinarily cross the threshold of a gallery. A work of art can have certain influence and yet connect to its viewer regardless of its social, political or cultural conditioning. What ultimately matters is the object of art itself, that is, the physical or intellectual expression of the artist’s vision and intent, and how it relates to the viewer who engages with it. Remember that quote, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” ?When a piece of art is installed in a public place then it has to be interactive as a visual and also intellectual, wherein the spectator has an opportunity to take away something every time he/she encounters the piece. Or else, it will be considered as a just another statue at a cross road! 

I find quality of visitors at KGAF an interesting mix and not necessarily only art loving folks. Albeit, I was shocked to find many people abusing art installations by climbing/sitting on them or holding some part of the installations and getting too close for sake of getting a good shot! When reminded, that they were not supposed to cross the line drawn around the art installations, many people were found shockingly rude and I was told to "mind my own business". I cringed to see so many beautiful art installations broken due to mishandling of visitors. 

For art to meet its purpose, it should reach out to every person on the street and not be restricted to only elites. In India, unfortunately, we fail to understand that sense of responsibility expected from viewers to respect art and the artists. Most of the times, in my observation, people don't even bother to read about the work of art at display to understand its nuances or interact with the artists present at KGAF. They are more interested to get that "perfect shot" even if that means shoving and pushing others! I hope the KGFA organizers take a serious note of this and address these issues from next year. Art is an important part of our core identity. It is our moral obligation as viewers to respect our heritage and culture.

Each year, the KGAF, packs immensely creative activities for all the age groups; be it music, dance, visual arts, literature, theatre, food, films, pottery, photography, street art, heritage walks or  a number of workshops on several topics. No matter how hard one tries, it is difficult to participate in all activities as so much happens there every single day! This quintessentially Mumbai cultural event provides space for everybody; the elites, the kitschy, the eccentrics, the commoners and the unconventional ones...all feel absolutely welcome and at home here as there is something for everyone and therein lies its appeal!

I intend to catch a much detailed glimpse of KGAF in next few days. Do look out for some more photographs and stories here!

Colours of innocence!

Have you ever wondered when our thoughts turn to children, in whose eyes we see our ideals still shining, our dreams still glowing, our hopes still bright, we become bit sentimental. Well, I am no different! Only a sentimentalist would ever regard childhood as a time of untroubled innocence. 

But do our children really have that untroubled innocence anymore? Surprisingly, this question came to my mind while I paid visit to an interesting exhibition of handicrafts and was met with a very pleasant surprise! I saw absolutely amazing toys made with Terracotta, wood, crystal that took me back to the innocent, simple games I used to enjoy as child with my friends and siblings! 

Wooden toys made by artists from Karnataka

Today, there is more trouble for children and less time for innocence compared to recent generations. It is not so much that kids have changed, but that the world has changed around them. And how fast! 

Everywhere you look, children today are being forced to grow up faster. Every time I see a tiny toddler (who should ideally be frolicking around and playing with friends/ playmates) engrossed with a game on a cell phone or laptop my heart cringes! To an unprecedented extent, we are witnessing the ravishment of the tender, the sensitive, the delicate, by the savage and brutal forces in modern society.

  

Terracotta toys made by national award winning artists from Kutch, Gujarat

Children are growing up so fast that  they are virtually bypassing childhood as we (if you are in your thirties/forties, you would know what I am talking about here) knew it. They are smart, proud, fiercely independent, strong-willed and sophisticated. They are a generation that has been raised to doubt and challenge authority, to accept little at face value - to enter the mature world long before they are mature themselves! Their lives contain things beyond comprehension a few decades ago, with entire planet and beyond accessible through a single click of a button!

Tiny, crystal birds made by a National award winning Delhi artist 

Of course, it is great boon to have technology that has enriched our life and made it much easier, convenient and fun but at the same time sometimes it feels our children are robbed of their innocence in the process. It has alienated children from the real world that influences their social skills to great extent.  

Wooden yo-yo made by artist from Karnataka

Any Indian, who has been brought up in smaller city would know the joy of playing games like " gilli danda", "lagori","chor police","kho kho" "kabbadi". The thrill of climbing trees and searching for the fruits specially the ones that were tasted by the birds is beyond words! The excitement of catching butterflies, ladybirds or tadpoles and after the maddening chase was over, releasing them gently and sleeping on the grass bed and feeling proud of one's valiant efforts, was almost an everyday overwhelming ritual. The most beautiful part of these adventures was that there was always a whole gang of children to play with.

Colourful, tiny, wooden pots made by artist from Karnataka 

How we used to play and study; how we managed to take time out for entertainment; how we spent time with parents and grandparents listening to the stories with wide-eyed wonderment! What I always admired most in those games is simplicity and how they helped exploring one's individuality and understand many facets of life in general with amazing fun and creativity !

Crystal birds made by a Delhi artist

When the summer months arrived, there was a huge treasure trove of indoor games! Playing with simple, ordinary things like  shells, stones or tamarind seeds was ultimate joy! Creating games out of junk was a matter of pride! All these games helped great bonding and imparted great values and life skills without burden of learning them. Many games were designed to teach mathematical skills, develop motor skills, hand eye coordination, concentration, strategy planning, creativity, knowledge and team spirit. The joy of these games was doubled when grand-parents joined the team! Making puppets, assigning names and creating new stories and the characters with help of grand-parents was favourite with boys and girls alike!

Wooden racing cars 

Every time, I visit a store to buy gift for any child, I am overwhelmed by the choices. I wonder, why children are complaining of boredom in spite of the multiple options they have? I am dying to see a hand made doll and listen to her stories from a child's mouth. I am dying to see that sense of wonder on a child's face that I feel is lost long back somewhere! Is there anyway we can get it back? I would give anything just to have one glimpse of it!!! 

"You said it"! R.I.P the most uncommon man!

I don't know about you but one of my very fond memories of younger days is, waiting for the newspaper man every day, sort out The Times Of India from the bundle of newspapers delivered at our home and dart towards a corner before any sibling or parent could reach me and regaling the iconic comic strip "You said it" by R.K. Laxman! 

It was delicious addiction everybody in the house was consumed with and also a reason for many fights amidst the siblings while snatching the newspaper and being first to read the cartoon of the day. Days invariably started with Mr. R.K. Laxman's brilliant humour through his finest character of a "common man"- symbol of India's ordinary citizens, their concerns, joys, sorrows and frustrating helplessness. His "Common man" cut across all the categories and class and with whom everyone could relate so well! The uncanny perception of a common man and his hopes, dreams, aspirations, trials and tribulations, dashed with brilliant sarcasm easily conquered millions of hearts! 

Mr. R.K. Laxman, India's most revered cartoonist/caricaturist passed away yesterday, leaving an indelible mark. His cartoons chronicled India's social life and political history in unique style. Mr. Laxman's genius was in compelling his readers to think through his astute ability to spot the real issues and convey the sentiments effortlessly without making the readers feel the burden of seriousness of the issues addressed in his cartoons. It served as great comic respite for most Indians from blurs of daily life laced with unique challenges of mundane life.

With Mr. R. K. Laxman's sad demise, we have not only lost a silent social reformer but also a great political, social conscious keeper. The great era of healthy, brilliant satire is over. 

R.I.P Mr. R. K. Laxman! You were the most uncommon man India has ever known!  

 

Random images and doze of inspiration

I was in for a very pleasant surprise when my son asked, "Mom, would you go with me to town on Sunday early morning? I need to shoot some street photographs.” I jumped at the offer! It has been quite a while since I went for photography shoots. 

Since my son was preparing for the portfolio, I offered him my camera and announced that I would be shooting only with my cell phone. My plan was to take him to places where a complex human drama unfolds as the backdrop and observe him capture images and see how he "saw" subjects. 

It is amazing to wander lonely streets in unknown cities or unknown streets in my very own city of Mumbai, my muse! A walk down to dense, old part of the city introduces you to innovations and ways of life that takes nothing for granted. These are the places where there is elbow room created from nowhere, that would put the best magicians in the world to shame.

The most fascinating element in this urban sprawl is the nonchalant way people go about their struggle everyday and take chaos around them in their stride! We often admire realistic depiction of life that is romanticized in movies. But when one observes reality with such proximity, it is a different experience all together! There are layers and layers to these "invisible" different worlds, swirling into myriad patterns of juxtaposing and coexisting in this effervescent city that exudes such aura of power and wealth! Oh, I am digressing!

It was so early and dark that while we walked, the feet pounded the pavement, irritating dogs that were asleep. I barely clicked a few pictures through my cell phone as I was more absorbed with interesting sights and sounds, slowly increasing as the morning passed. After few hours of exploring the city, we returned home overwhelmed and deeply humbled with the experience. 

As I started scanning my photographs, some pictures started growing on me and haunting me. I knew, I was drawn to the subjects and something within me had snapped, subtly while capturing those images that morning. 

One of the hawkers sleeping in most unimaginable corners of a few square feet “bed” in shrunk shadows of  who he was. One tiny part of  a vicious cauldron of urban destitution. 

Condition of this man was arresting. In a large, open space he was hiding behind a barricade which was symbolic of his state. One of those people we like to pretend is invisible or whom we treat with servile disdain. While he was bereft of any clothes and evidently suffering with drug abuse or some mental ailment, I could discover his sensitive, vulnerable emotions of piercing agony that had festered and was breeding, making a cosy home within.

The intensity of the gaze of this child who was waiting for his mother to wake up on that cold morning, kept me captivated long after the shoot was over. Those eyes! Those sleepy, keen, eyes reeking mischief and boundless love!

There we were, trying to capture some pictures and in the process were left spellbound by inspiration from every corner. This seemingly shaded world is always willing to impart lessons about life, business and human nature that no "art of living" class or management school could ever teach. 

There are enchanting hues of life on the street; interesting microcosms, exceptional stories of survival and human grit. Not all are as alluring. Some move you deeply, some make you realize value of your blessings and some simply make you bow to human spirit, if you are open to see and learn to respect what a wonderful gift life is despite everything!