I have seen several cities in India. Each city has a cultural center where innovation and creative zeal is nurtured, and where one gets to meet the best of the artists while strolling on the busy streets. If I have to choose one such place in Mumbai it will be the Fort area in Colaba.
The place is a must go for art lovers. There are many places which one can visit viz. Jehangir Art Gallery, National Gallery of Modern Art, Chatrapati Shivaji Maharak Vastu Sangrahalaya. But the real fun is in exploring the streets and meeting the artists who make a living here.
Me and three of my friends decided to explore the area. We saw the Jehangir Art Gallery and came out. We moved in the right direction around the circle and could not prevent us from stopping at a place where some art works were hung. Those were beautiful sketches made of charcoal. There were portraits, one of an old man, another of a woman, and another was of a couple, probably newly married. We looked around the corner to see who the artist was. We saw an old man sitting in a chair, in his hand there was a piece of paper, on which he was sketching the portrait of an old man. We wondered whether to disturb him or not. All four of us communicated through eye contact and then decided mutually to go forward and talk to the old guy.
Shashikant took the initiative, as we approached the artist, he asked "Sir, can we talk for few minutes". The old man looked upwards, he had a charcoal pencil in his hands, he was neatly dressed, wearing a kurta and pyjama, he had a beard and looked around the age of 55 years. He bent his head upwards towards us and looked towards us. He stood up, kept the piece of sketch on the his chair, loading it with a piece of paperweight so that it can blow due to heavy wind.
He replied " Sir what can I do for you".
Shashikant told him that we were exploring the area and were really impressed by his sketches. He inquired about the charges for getting a sketch made. He replied that he charges Rs 1500 per sketch and it takes him around one day to complete a sketch.
Shashikant was going to get married at the end of this year. He wanted to make a sketch of his fiancee. He had tried his own hand at this and presented herself with a sketch which he had made himself. This had impressed her but Shashi was himself not satisfied. Despite his best efforts, the sketch scantly resembled his fiancee, he had to write her name at the bottom of the page to remove any doubts whom he had sketched.
I asked the artist "What is your name sir ?" "Rajput sir, that's how people know me".
"Since when are you sketching these sir ?" "Since 1990 Sir, I have been sketching here in the streets of Colaba "
Shashi showed him a photograph of his fiance which he had in his smartphone. He asked if he could make a sketch out of this. Rajput replied asked for a printed photograph and he assured that he would complete the sketch by tomorrow evening.
There was another artist who sitting idle. We approached him to ask if he too makes sketches. His name was Imran Khan. He replied that he makes sketched of live people and it would take around 30 minutes only and it would cost Rs 200/-. Parmod looked interested after listening to this. He wanted his sketch to be made. Imran directed Parmod to sit in the chair and assisted him to sit in a photographic pose.
Imran had a unique style of painting, atleast the four of us had seen it for the first time. He would paint with his fingers using charcoal dust kept in an old wooden box. Certainly it was easier to control one's fingers than a pencil. Lots of onlookers crowded the place as Imran proceeded with the sketch.Within 25 minutes, the sketch was ready. It was made perfectly and it did not need a name to be appended at the bottom.
We met several artists on the streets of Colaba. Each of them amazed us. We met one artist who would make beautiful paintings on Leafs and had converted them into a sort of Greeting cards. I purchased two cards one with a message of "Best Friends" and the other with a message of "I Love You". I had someone in mind while buying both the cards. Aditya bought one with an "I Love You" message for his wife and Parmod bought 6 of cards with varying messages, most of them were peace messages with painting of Buddha encrypted. We promised to come here again tomorrow. We could not disappoint Shashi.
The place is a must go for art lovers. There are many places which one can visit viz. Jehangir Art Gallery, National Gallery of Modern Art, Chatrapati Shivaji Maharak Vastu Sangrahalaya. But the real fun is in exploring the streets and meeting the artists who make a living here.
Me and three of my friends decided to explore the area. We saw the Jehangir Art Gallery and came out. We moved in the right direction around the circle and could not prevent us from stopping at a place where some art works were hung. Those were beautiful sketches made of charcoal. There were portraits, one of an old man, another of a woman, and another was of a couple, probably newly married. We looked around the corner to see who the artist was. We saw an old man sitting in a chair, in his hand there was a piece of paper, on which he was sketching the portrait of an old man. We wondered whether to disturb him or not. All four of us communicated through eye contact and then decided mutually to go forward and talk to the old guy.
Shashikant took the initiative, as we approached the artist, he asked "Sir, can we talk for few minutes". The old man looked upwards, he had a charcoal pencil in his hands, he was neatly dressed, wearing a kurta and pyjama, he had a beard and looked around the age of 55 years. He bent his head upwards towards us and looked towards us. He stood up, kept the piece of sketch on the his chair, loading it with a piece of paperweight so that it can blow due to heavy wind.
He replied " Sir what can I do for you".
Shashikant told him that we were exploring the area and were really impressed by his sketches. He inquired about the charges for getting a sketch made. He replied that he charges Rs 1500 per sketch and it takes him around one day to complete a sketch.
Shashikant was going to get married at the end of this year. He wanted to make a sketch of his fiancee. He had tried his own hand at this and presented herself with a sketch which he had made himself. This had impressed her but Shashi was himself not satisfied. Despite his best efforts, the sketch scantly resembled his fiancee, he had to write her name at the bottom of the page to remove any doubts whom he had sketched.
I asked the artist "What is your name sir ?" "Rajput sir, that's how people know me".
"Since when are you sketching these sir ?" "Since 1990 Sir, I have been sketching here in the streets of Colaba "
Shashi showed him a photograph of his fiance which he had in his smartphone. He asked if he could make a sketch out of this. Rajput replied asked for a printed photograph and he assured that he would complete the sketch by tomorrow evening.
There was another artist who sitting idle. We approached him to ask if he too makes sketches. His name was Imran Khan. He replied that he makes sketched of live people and it would take around 30 minutes only and it would cost Rs 200/-. Parmod looked interested after listening to this. He wanted his sketch to be made. Imran directed Parmod to sit in the chair and assisted him to sit in a photographic pose.
Imran had a unique style of painting, atleast the four of us had seen it for the first time. He would paint with his fingers using charcoal dust kept in an old wooden box. Certainly it was easier to control one's fingers than a pencil. Lots of onlookers crowded the place as Imran proceeded with the sketch.Within 25 minutes, the sketch was ready. It was made perfectly and it did not need a name to be appended at the bottom.
We met several artists on the streets of Colaba. Each of them amazed us. We met one artist who would make beautiful paintings on Leafs and had converted them into a sort of Greeting cards. I purchased two cards one with a message of "Best Friends" and the other with a message of "I Love You". I had someone in mind while buying both the cards. Aditya bought one with an "I Love You" message for his wife and Parmod bought 6 of cards with varying messages, most of them were peace messages with painting of Buddha encrypted. We promised to come here again tomorrow. We could not disappoint Shashi.
