a y e a r o f conversations a b o u t a r t a n d h e a l t h dekha undekha

PB 1 Concept and Installation Artist The Dekha Undekha Team Nandita Kumar

Textile Artists Administration Cover Photo In the last year, women and men Afreen Priya Agrawal Neville Sukhia from our communities have Zeenat Shibani Bagchi witnessed a unique medium of Mridula Kshitija Kanbur Text Sumaiya Benita Fernando expressing their health concerns and Parveen Turq Documentation spreading health literacy. They have Susie Vickery Benita Fernando Design used art, conversed about health and Saba Chaitanya Modak translated those discussions into Rohini Advisory Board photography, pottery and textiles. Mehzabeen Sheikh David Osrin © 2012 SNEHA Mahananda Wasundhara Joshi (Society for Nutrition, This was a unique exhibition and Monisha Ahmed Education and Health Action) as we now reminisce about this Ceramic Artists R. Sriram 3rd Floor, Urban Health Centre, year’s venture, we hope that similar Ashwin Solanki Jyoti Karmakar Lalwani 60 Feet Rd, Dharavi, Mumbai –400017 exhibitions can be woven into each of Daksha Nitesh Waghela www.snehamumbai.org our health programs. Rashi Jain Supported by dekhaundekha.wordpress.com Parvati Harjichitroda Aparna Patil SNEHA is an organization that Lakshmi Solanki Bhaskar Kakad All rights reserved. No part of this Neha Kudchadkar Nayreen Daruwalla publication may be reproduced, stored or believes in empowering women to transmitted, in any form or in any means; Mamta Solanki Sharmila Kher be catalysts of change in their own electronic, mechanical, photocopying, Anjani Khanna Archana Bagra recording or otherwise, without the prior right and that women’s health is The SNEHA family permission of the publishers. essential to building viable families Photographers Dekha Undekha: A Year of and communities in urban slums. Rupesh Sable Conversations about Art and Health Asmabi Qasim Through these vibrant articulations, Sudharak Olwe we see a bright future for advocacy Sunita Anthony D’Souza on health. Komal Zarina Khan We believe that Dekha Undekha is a Rohit Pachrane persuasive tool for SNEHA’s health programmes and we hope to use this to intervene in the health issues of many other communities. The exhibition is refreshed every time a discussion is conducted on its art pieces. We dream of even a mobile exhibition that will touch new people, new generations and new venues, in India and abroad.

Hidden within these artistic pieces are not answers but deeper questions about our health and well-being. As the exhibition in Dharavi showed us, wherever Ghar Pe travels, it leaves a trail of awakening.

Dr Armida Fernandez Founder, SNEHA

2 1 Foreword Textile Artists

The idea of Dekha Undekha (Seen enough to live in robust buildings not usually enter an urban slum, Unseen) was a natural progression with good services. Poverty is no and people who would not usually of SNEHA’s work over the last barrier to an interest in art. expect to engage with gallery art. decade. A non-government organ- ization dedicated to improving the Dekha Undekha involved three Ghari/Ghar pe/At Home ran from The youngest of the tailors is Afreen. As a 24 year old mother, Zeenat took At 35, Mridula is a deceptively quiet health and wellbeing of women disciplines: photography, ceram- late February to early March 2012, She loves learning new patterns and up tailoring to pass her time at home. mother. She is fascinated by tailoring stitches. She also loves listening to and their families from Mumbai’s ics, and textile art. In a series of occupying a floor of Dharavi’s Shree She uses her skills to design and stitch and loves making quilts. She loves music and would have liked to make a her daughter’s clothes. She is an excel- watching television and drinking hot disadvantaged majority, SNEHA workshops held over a year, the Ganesh Vidya Mandir Primary career out of it like Shreya Goshal. lent cook of South Indian cuisine. cups of masala chai. collaborates with individuals, participants worked together with School. The reception was over- communities and health systems a multimedia artist to create a whelmingly enthusiastic and more to develop and test new models for collaborative installation. Each than 3000 people came to the exhi- collective intervention. team met regularly and included bition. The media and local people contemporary gallery artists and – residents, the police, schools – got Funded by The Wellcome Trust, artisans. In a series of workshops behind the project in an unprece- Dekha Undekha had four general held over a year, the participants dented show of support and enthusi- aims. First, to foster conversations worked together to create a col- asm for the artworks, each of which 17 year old Sumaiya is a stylish girl Parveen Turq has beautiful heavy Susie Vickery is a textile artist and about urban health between artists, laborative installation. In order was named after a Bollywood movie. who loves designing gowns. She also eyes, is the mother of two children theatrical costumier. She also works health scientists, people living in to push the process and stimulate Students from local schools attended knows a whole lot of beauty tips and and is 32 years of age. She loves doing with handicraft groups in China, challenging conditions in Dharavi decision-making, there was a clear workshops associated with the exhi- becoming a beautician is one of her crotchet and fabric painting. And, of Nepal, India and Gaza, designing and and Santacruz, and the general pub- mandate to produce an exhibition. bition, and visitors were encouraged favourite dreams. course, she loves eating sweets. developing new products. Her new lic. Second, to encourage artistic As the project unfolded, conver- to respond with artworks of their body of work is embroidered, ani- mated ethnography on the working creation in a forum in which pro- sations crystallized around the own. Many – including this resident conditions of garment workers. Susie fessionals and amateurs developed idea of a home. Ghari/Ghar pe/ of AKG Nagar - left comments in the loves cycling and embroidery and has ideas together and communicated At Home was to be an installation visitors’ book: “I am from Dharavi. found the Dekha Undekha project with urban health experts and the greater than the sum of its parts. All that you have shown here is my great fun and very inspiring. public. Third, to democratize the Conceived as a home without walls, life. I continue to suffer violence. I sharing of information on urban it was a museum of health concerns hope that things get better. I hope Beneath her burkha, Saba is a petite Rohini studied tailoring before health. And fourth, to publicly made from everyday furniture many people see it.” girl with a spark. She loves working with marriage and is the proud wife of acknowledge the huge contribution and durables. There were many cotton fabric, velvet and sequins. She has a man who works for the Mumbai of people who live in challenging conversations about where it should David Osrin studied at SNDT University, Mumbai. police. She dislikes household chores conditions to India’s economic and be mounted. At a certain point, She is proud to design her own clothes! and is a dedicated mother. cultural life. however, it became clear that, if the project was really about conver- India is urbanizing rapidly and sations, if it was to take risks, the urban health is becoming a major most ambitious and challenging concern. More than half of Mum- course would be to mount a large, bai’s people live in zopadpattis, professional exhibition in Dharavi. bastis, chawls, or informal settle- This was logistically formidable ments, vibrant localities described and - perhaps more importantly - it Mehzabeen Sheikh is a 23 old Mahananda works as a tailoring by the loaded word slum. People was the purest test of the project’s B.Com. graduate from L.S. Raheja teacher at the school that she studied who live in challenging conditions vision of its potential audience: College, Mumbai. She is passionate in. Her job is the perfect combination build and service the city and are as people who would not usually go about tailoring and is very skilled of the things dear to her – teaching engaged in the project of urban mo- to an exhibition, people who would at embroidery. One of her favourite and tailoring. She loves travelling and dernity as people who are fortunate pastimes is glass painting. meeting her relatives.

2 3 Ceramic Artists Photographers

Ashwin Solanki held jobs as a recov- Daksha Nitesh Waghela is a 24 Rashi Jain has been nominated for Like every other 22 year old, Rupesh Asmabi Qasim does not intend to Sudharak Olwe has exhibited work on ery agent at banks and was even involved year old mother who works as a house art awards, exhibited nationwide and Sable is a young man of varied interests. marry any time soon. At 31, she is a great various social issues in India, Bangladesh, in diamond cutting at Surat. At 25, he cleaner. Ceramic art is a new-found participated in international shows, While he hopes to become a cost account- fan of Hrithik Roshan. She works in an Sweden, Portugal and the United States. has returned to his ancestral craft and love apart from which she has enrolled festivals, workshops and art camps. She ant soon, he is a regular performer at export line cutting unit in Dharavi. She In 1999-2000 he was the recipient of the believes that pottery has instilled in him herself in a tailoring class. She loves to co-founded and organises The Studio plays that are staged at various mandals once looked with envy at the many for- National Foundation Media Fellowship. In independence and ownership of his busi- cook dosas, idlis and non-vegetarian Potter’s Market at the Kala Ghoda Arts during Ganesh Chaturthi. His most cher- eigners who came to Dharavi with their 2004, he published his first book, Spirited ness. Though he mainly earns his living by food. Visitors should consider them- Festival, Mumbai. She has documented ished performance is that of a drunkard professional cameras and is now glad that Souls: Winning Women of Mumbai (Samay making pots for a dairy manufacturer, he selves lucky as here is one woman who various traditional potter communities husband. Photography, he feels, is the she too clicks away. Books). He currently heads the Photography also creates other ceramic items, like flower loves to throw a party! and has made an experimental film on best way to capture a fleeting moment. Promotion Trust (PPT), a registered public pots, lamps, and gadkas. the potters of Northeast India. charitable trust based in Mumbai.

Parvati Harjichitroda is a lady of A bride in the Solanki household, Neha Kudchadkar is a potter who All of 25 years of age, Sunita Anthony Komal works as a seamstress at a resolve. She lived in Diu before she mar- Lakshmi is Ashwin’s sister-in-law and trained at The Golden Bridge, Pondicher- D’ Souza is the mother of three children. women’s undergarments production unit. Concept and ried and came to Kumbharwada. Parvati Daskha’s sister. Her involvement with ry and is a trained Kathak dancer. She She is part of SNEHA as a social worker She was absorbed into the photography turned to pottery as a means of liveli- clay started only after her marriage. She has exhibited solo and been a part of a against domestic violence and crimes group out of sheer recognition for her Installation hood when her husband was rendered readies clay for the Solanki household number of group shows across India. Re- against children. She dreams of establishing hard work which SNEHA did not wish to disabled due to paralysis. As the mother and paints lamps for sale. She loves go- cently, she was in London on the Charles an orphanage one day. She proudly states part with. She was slow to love photogra- Artist of five children, she is famed as one of ing for movies but can do so only if she Wallace Scholarship as an apprentice to that though she is not literate, photography phy but realised it has helped her become the first women who took to the wheel to gets time off from her daily chores. artists Regina Heinz and Julian Stair. allows her to express herself. a more confident person. make pots.

Nandita Kumar has explored a range of artforms, such as animation, painting, printmaking, 16 mm film, photography, dance and theatre. Her Mamta Solanki is Ashwin’s younger Anjani Khanna believes that you Zarina Khan has never been to school Rohit Pachrane has been interested in works have been showcased at festivals sister and worked as a primary school should make clay while the sun shines. A and is a petite woman of 28. She works photography for the past one year. He is a and exhibitions, including Los Angeles teacher at Kalakila Municipal School at former policy analyst and science editor for SNEHA as a social worker against junior college Arts student. He absolutely County Museum, the New Zealand Sion, Mumbai. She teaches English and at the Centre for Science and Environ- domestic violence. She goes with the loves the practice of photography and has International Film Festival, Film she loves poetry, especially rhyming ment and Down to Earth magazine in belief that the camera is a tool of power already had an exhibition of his photos on Anthology Archive NY, the Indian Art words. She never fancied clay earlier, but Delhi, she is now a full-time potter. She in any person’s hands as it is useful for Dharavi at Ganesh Vidya Mandir. Among Summit and the Rome International the sessions at Dekha Undekha project has had residencies in China, USA and documentation and dissemination of his other interests are cricket, hiphop and Film Festival. have motivated her to play with this me- Hungary. She initiated the successful evidence. She says that she would love to kathak. dium and indulge in something new. Studio Potters Market model in India. be a fashion photographer someday!

4 5 4 SNEHA, Shastrinagar

08 SUMMER 10 Questions 12 A Journey Begins 14 Starting to Click 16 Where do people go if they are sick? 20 Constructing Perspectives, Deconstructing Cameras 22 A Name 24 A Ceramic Connection 26 Play with Clay 28 Stepping Out

30 MONSOON 32 A start with Needles and Threads 33 Snapshots of a Rainy Day

Ganesh Vidya Mandir 38 Home Thoughts 7 40 Kidding Around 42 Fabricating the Self 45 A Thread to Follow 48 Storytelling 50 Home Investigations

2 Community Centre 54 WINTER 1 Urban Health Centre 56 House Hunting 58 Lessons in Abstraction 5 Ashwin’s House 60 An Afternoon with the Furniture 62 The Dream Slippers 66 Superstitions 3 Hanif’s Studio 68 From Art to Thought 72 The Emoticon Cupboard 74 Stressing the Importance of De-stressing 78 From Earth to Earth 80 Glazing Over 82 Viewing Windows

84 SPRING 86 A Countdown Begins 87 Talk about Televisions 88 The Saga of the Stove 90 A Shot at Kala Ghoda 6 92 The Birth of an Artist 94 Moving In 98 A Naming Ceremony Kala Ghoda 100 House Warming 106 Children, At Home 108 Mentor Speak 112 Afterword: Inside Out Outside In 6 7 Summer

In summer, things were put to test. We asked lots of questions and had lots of ideas. The questions and ideas were set under the sun like clay pots. Some cracked and some survived. Some stayed, some left. In summer, we identified.

8 9 Questions summer

Who is an artist? What is health? Reflections:

An initial meeting of diverse artists Freedom from worries and pains. • SNEHA invested time in exploring from Dharavi. After a tentative Health is a day well spent with the which communities would pause and awkward stares, the family. I am healthy when I can significantly benefit from the Dekha group breaks into an enthusiastic dance. We don’t think about health Undekha initiative. Before working discussion. An artist is one who unless we are sick. with a community on such a project creates. An artist is one who brings two questions should be considered: to life that which cannot be seen. Wasundhara Joshi, David Osrin What are their skill levels? Are there Maybe an artist creates art just to and Priya Agrawal look at the group particular health issues they would feed his family. that have come to the meeting at like to address? Bustling to express their ideas, this Chota Sion Hospital. This is the group of painters specialises in art first of many encounters in which that is street, commercial and bold. they plan to conduct discussions on Their art hails from the heyday of health and try to link them with an Bollywood before the digital era. art project. Towering posters splayed with colours and painted with passionate The artists are self-aware and heroes and heroines were their spe- insightful about health. They work ciality. They now satisfy themselves in businesses based in Dharavi. And with other commercial work such as they want to further their skills. Art. signboards and billboards. They feel Health. Conversations. This could they are no competition when com- work. pared to established artists. In their search for survival, similar artists of their kind have left the practice.

In sickness, people turn to several locally available options. Here, a signboard of a ‘Bone Doctor’ in Dharavi advertises how he uses ayurvedic means to cure a variety of fractures. Photo by: Rohit Pachrane

10 11 A Journey Begins summer

In Dharavi, an ordinary street A woman asks, “What do we Reflections: corner is transformed into a local have to do to stay healthy?” Priya business conglomerate. Different throws the question back. As they • Many of the participants had craftsmen live and work here, start discussing, Priya knows that a SNEHA connection through and word about an art project this spark will ignite a ripple of the community programmes was swiftly making the rounds. enquiry: among the participants, conducted in the area. The locality Curiosity and a desire for skill between the participants and proved to be a successful target acquisition drew more people to the the organisation, within the as information about the project centre. organisation. spread easily. The same was seen in the textile group at Santacruz, At a meeting, Priya talks to the An attendee thinks aloud, “What where the participants were group about the objectives of the shall we name the exhibition?” also working with SNEHA as art project. It seems like a simple seamstresses. concept. To create dialogues in Swachata Jivan Ki Kala. Art of health and art between segregated a Healthy Life. Art Aaj Kal. Art • The first few meetings showed communities: artists and non- Today. Kala Se Arogya Tak. From that most participants took time artists, health scientists and locals, Art to Health. to gain confidence in the project and its objectives. Their concerns established artists and upcoming “Let’s vote,” Priya suggests. ones, slum dwellers and the more were valid, especially when they affluent classes. All the work done A dialogue begins. asked themselves if time spent on in a year will culminate in an the project was monetarily viable exhibition, perhaps in Dharavi, that compared with time spent on a will showcase the talent, skill and job. When a group of committed conversations that developed in the participants were identified, group. There are just two golden SNEHA paid them a monthly rules. It must be their art. It must stipend based on attendance. be about their health. Though the initial group of painters did not continue with the project, it While the initial group of painters is a group that SNEHA can consider have dwindled, they are eagerly for future work. replaced by women who painted lamps, photography enthusiasts and potters. They see themselves as craftsmen and craftswomen. And they dream of becoming artists. Kalaakars, as they would call themselves.

Dekha Undekha involved people from the communities near SNEHA centres, such as the potters from Kumbharwada, Dharavi. Photo by: Komal

12 13 Starting to Click summer

Since the participants who showed a question at them: “Where do peo- enthusiasm had varied skills, a ple go if they are sick?” The answers triad of core art forms was chosen: range from the practical to the photography, ceramics and textiles. superstitious. Most say they visit a To help them in their areas of inter- doctor, of course. But they also talk est, mentors were selected for each about local religious doctors and medium. holy men called babas who provide alternative forms of healing. Many Rohit Pachrane and Rupesh Sable, diseases are associated with the in- who remained committed over the fluence of evil spirits. Using charms whole project, have come to meet along with painkillers and antibiot- Sudharak Olwe, a photojournal- ics is a normal practice. Numerous ist who had worked with SNEHA home remedies such as turmeric, before and offered to mentor the salt water, ajwain and asafoetida photography group, at the Urban are also used. Health Centre. The two boys look very different from each other. Ro- Invariably, the women in the group hit is a man of mode and styles his steer the course of the conversa- hair in the latest fashion. Rupesh, tion to issues around pregnancy a wide-eyed boy, seems quieter in and maternity. Apart from regular comparison. But both share a com- check-ups, pregnant women are mon passion, an infatuation with told not to eat papayas or meet photography. widows as these might induce an abortion. It is believed that a preg- Having known Sudharak from nant woman can blind a snake by previous ventures, they seem casting her shadow on it, and infect comfortable talking about photog- the foetus with a skin disease. raphy. Their friends, mostly women, have been tempted or persuaded Superstition does not exist at the to join them and are less sure cost of medical knowledge. When a The participants in the photography group are introduced Reflections: ones. As the workshops revealed, it to an assortment of cameras. Sunita (right) observes keenly about discussing photography. One person falls ill, all possible means was a reciprocal learning process. as professionals explain the working of a video camera. • It was important to move quickly can sense their reticence – about are explored until good health is at- from discussion to skill develop- • A conscious effort was made to cameras, photographs or even tained. Different health revelations ment. Though many participants involve women and teenagers in interacting. But they are here, cau- later, Sudharak suggests, “Now let’s were involved in the games and the the process, both being among the tiously dressed and wearing bright go and shoot some of the places discussions, more confidence in the more disempowered sections of jewellery. people go to in search of medicines.” project developed with the intro- most communities. To each woman Rohit and Rupesh can’t wait to start duction of skill-based exercises. participant, the project held a per- Sudharak begins simply. He directs clicking. sonal and individual meaning. To • The decision to bring in mentors some, it was a source of money; to fulfilled one of the major objectives some, a chance to express them- Wow! of Dekha Undekha – to cultivate – All the women from the photography group on seeing the photo of a baby. The boys kept quiet. selves; and for some others, an a dialogue between established opportunity to meet likeminded “ ” artists and non-artists or upcoming people. 14 15 summer

Where do people go if they are sick?

PHOTO BY : Rohit Pachrane

16 17 summer

The photographers used newly acquired techniques to respond

PHOTOS BY : Rohit Pachrane with myriad photos of health in Dharavi, ranging from the clinical to home remedies. In some cases, such as the mobile clinic, the cure came in search of patients.

18 19 Constructing Perspectives...... Deconstructing Cameras summer

Relax. Close your eyes. Bring to your Zarina forms a circle with her fingers Reflections: mind images that will calm you. and puts one fist in front of the other. She holds them to her eye. She looks • Sudharak Olwe, who had been Anuja Gupta and Nirman Chowdhury like a pirate on a mission. She says to associated with SNEHA previously, start off a session with the photogra- herself, “Telephoto lens.” She drops was a mentor with a vision who phy group. They have been specially one hand and, with one fist still held understood the specific challenges invited by Sudharak to introduce over an eye, she says, “wide angle lens.” of the group. He designed a flexible the participants to the basics of 20-day syllabus for the photography photography. On a mission to break down camera group to help them gain an under- technicalities, Mansi, a photographer standing of the subject. Inviting The city is scorched by the summer, and lecturer from Canon India, is but they have gathered at the Urban other photographers, sharing the here at Sudharak’s invitation. She Health Centre – Komal, Sunita and work of award-winning photogra- introduces the group to apertures, the others. Like most students, they phers and encouraging the partici- shutters, lighting, exposure, focus, haven’t done their homework. They pants to freely discuss their impres- white balance and other details. She were to bring photographs that they sions were effective ice breakers. explains that photography need not thought were good from newspapers always be aesthetically appealing or or magazines. Asmabi is the only one technically rich in its content. A pho- who has brought a newspaper cut- tograph is mostly significant because ting. It is not a photograph, though, but a cartoon illustration. the subject or the event in itself is of foremost consequence. Luckily, there are newspapers lying around for them to choose from. The participants are not intimidated. Anuja explains the difference be- They are eager, curious and chatty tween illustrations and photographs. these days. They are even regular Rupesh chooses a high angle view of with homework and have come to people doing yoga and says, “This class ready with an assortment of is how birds see us.” Rohit, always their favourite photos collected over the witty one, shows a photo he took the week. They share them enthusias- with his mobile phone. It shows a tically with Mansi. When she stresses signboard that says ‘Do not spit here’, the dramatic manner in which black covered with the red splatter of paan and white photography draws atten- (betel), a common addiction. tion to the subject, Sunita is quick to observe that photographs with too The photography group’s journeys with their cameras Anuja introduces the possibilities in took them to different locations where they could much colour give her a headache. photography – fashion, documen- experiment with perspective. PHOTO BY : Komal tary, portrait, aerial, underwater and The participants will use digital cam-

sports. After she surveys the history I was initially very scared to hold eras for the project, and Sudharak of photography and the importance a camera, but now I am more confident. feels it is crucial that they are aware of shooting a subject from many - Komal of the generic aspects as well as those angles, they break into groups and of professional cameras. He compares look at copies of World Press Photo “ the knowledge imparted today to Journal. She tells them, “Don’t flip learning the times-36 multiplication through the pages rapidly. See what ” table. “You may not use it regularly, makes each photo beautiful.” but it is good to know”, he smiles.

20 21 A Name summer

Rohit peers carefully at the two photographs that are placed before the group. Both show the same subject: a row of bottles. In one, the bottles in the foreground are in focus. In the other, they are not. The day’s session is on how focus works. Komal knows there is a life lesson in all of this. “Focus is what determines what we achieve in life”, she says. Rohit is thrilled by the twin photos with a difference. The possibilities of photography stare back at him and he muses, “With photography, what we usually miss out is brought to light and what is usually seen becomes unseen. Jo dekha hai, woh undekha ho jata hai.”

The phrase catches on with the participants and the steering group. Perhaps, the participants have discovered a name for the project.

Dekha Undekha. Seen Unseen.

A baby gets enveloped in smoke from frankincense, a common practice believed to help prevent a cold. PHOTO BY: Zarina

22 23 A Ceramic Connection summer

The clay mound that we keep on the wheel resembles a Shiva lingam. I am named after Lord Shiva’s consort and am very proud of it as I feel I was “ meant to be associated with clay all my life. - Parvati

Hanif’s studio is on the first floor in Kumbharwada. Having lost her ” of his house. Rickety ladders lead husband many years ago, Parvati up to the sunlit room filled with Harjichitroda took to the wheel to ceramicware and wheels. It is early make ends meet. She has supported evening and Anjani Khanna, Rashi her five children through school and Jain and Ashifa Sarkar Vasi are marriage in spite of initial scorn waiting. from the community. Her face is marked with tattoos. She is petite, The women they are expecting solitary and resolute. trickle in, climbing the perilous steps with ease in their carefully Ashifa introduces the group to the styled sarees. They have drawn veils objectives of the project. A question over their heads and are waiting to from another time, another space, know more about an art project that resonates here: where do people go their friends have told them about. if they are sick? The women reply Hanif, an established potter, is with candidly that they prefer doctors them. who can cure them quickly, and that they also use a variety of home The women are from a community remedies. of potters – Kumbhars - who have been living and producing earth- Anjani clarifies the difference enware in Dharavi for generations. between ceramic art and ceramic It is a custom that women do not production. Art may or may not make functional clay pieces. They be about monetary value and the are involved in the process before or agenda of the project is not to make Reflections: after production, such as preparing business-based ceramicware. It is the clay or painting pots and lamps. about expression and awareness. • Dekha Undekha drew a number of It is believed that a woman’s touch women from the potters’ commu- can result in brittle ceramicware. The women look on. They are keen nity in Kumbharwada, a significant but hesitant. Ashifa will wait and achievement as this was the first And yet, here they are today. Among see how many resolve to return. time that most of them had had them is a woman with a difference. an opportunity to connect directly She is a woman of substance who with the material, let alone use it as Parvati, one of the few woman potters in Kumbharwada, made small earthen pots called garbis – representative of the womb. At the exhibition, these pots collectively pointed out that a woman menstruates for 20 days out of 100. PHOTO BY : Neville Sukhia does what is essentially a man’s job a channel for expression.

24 25 Play with Clay summer

Rashi watches the women dirty their hands. Her own palms are brown with earth. The partici- pants have been introduced to ceramic basics such as mural, slab and tile. A mound of clay is rationed amongst them. Priya has asked them, “When did you feel the healthiest in your lives?”

As hoped and expected, the women have re- turned. They are thinking about something new, but they haven’t yet made up their minds. They have brought their children. Rashi has not laid down any rigid guidelines apart from a broad framework. The participants are to use clay murals to illustrate their healthiest moments. Rashi says, “These women have never worked with clay in such an intimate manner before. I think it is important that they simply experi- ment with the material initially. It also gives me an understanding of how much they already know about it.”

The women play with clay, as do their children. There is much laughter, teasing and talk in the community centre. A woman shows her mural depicting a pregnant woman watering a sacred tulsi plant. A couple have made tiles emphasiz- ing the importance of clean water. The children have made faces that burst into smiles and laughs. In the next session, they will be intro- I put my stories into clay. duced to some more foundational techniques such as pinching and coiling and they will be - Daksha assisted in making pots. “ Rashi senses the possibilities. Some of them are ” clearly fascinated and they will stay on.

Reflections:

•Rashi Jain made sure that the partici- pants spent enough time experimenting with the clay to be sure that they would not be intimidated by new techniques and processes. What resulted was an Mamta, Neha, Laksmi and Daksha (from left to right) discuss eagerness to use the material. possibilities in ceramic art while curious women from the neighbourhood - although not part of the project - are drawn to watch. PHOTO BY : Benita Fernando

26 27 summer

While the bone setter plastered a fracture, Rohit documented the entire procedure as part of his photography routine. Stepping Out Following a previous discussion on photos of people and events near surroundings. Many of the women In true photojournalistic style, Reflections: health and places, and having un- their homes. Second, Sudharak felt photographers learned along the way the photographers capture their • Every participant could not get the derstood the basics of photography, that the photos should represent to be nonchalant about the sarcastic environment. They return with full benefit of using a camera individu- the participants undertake their first their community and their lives. remarks made by their peers and photos of mischievous boys getting ally. In future sessions, each partici- expedition in the streets of Dharavi. neighbours. fractures plastered, babies being The participants have a challenge, pant could receive a camera that she It is humid, common at the end of massaged, children playing cricket can keep beyond the course of the especially the women. Asma is Outdoor photography requires a summer, and the women partici- and unhygienic but colourful piles of project. Rohit’s mother, during the awkward and does not wait to finish clever mix of patience and swift- pants are scared of handling their garbage. The participants, especially course of the project, was motivated to digital cameras. What if they break taking a photograph. Her initial ness. The participants need to start the women, are exhilarated, if only save money to buy a digital camera for them? Where do you put a roll of film shots are blurry as she is a shy making contacts and understand mildly nervous by the newness of it her talented son. in a digital camera? What if they ex- photographer. Nirman Chowdhury how to approach a subject. Sudharak all. For many of them, they are going • Work with the photography group haust the film? But they are quick to later observed that the women says, “If you ask a stranger to let you to start speaking through pictures. highlighted how logistic constraints learn the workings of digital cameras reacted very differently from the photograph his pregnant wife, he men. There was a diffidence to be won’t let you. In photojournalism, can actually turn into creative chal- and fear turns into fascination. lenges. Since the group was faced with broken through, especially since they it is important to get to know the inflexible working hours and familial Sudharak decided that photo- faced criticism from the community. people who are not in the limelight. With a camera in hand, I explored responsibilities, the focus was more graphing Dharavi would serve two While locals were used to seeing They will have the inside informa- on documenting life in the neighbour- purposes. First, it would save time, female tourists, especially from tion which will make a good story.” so much beyond the home. hood instead of far-flung places in particularly for people like Komal abroad, taking photos of Dharavi, Inspired, the participants show their Mumbai. This only added to the theme who were working or who had fami- it was rare to see women from their friendlier side to their subjects and - Komal of the project and the exhibition. lies to take care of. They could take own community take photos of the get chatty with them. “

28 ” 29 Monsoon

In the monsoon, things were refreshed. Some worked indoors, some worked outdoors. Some embraced the rains, while others braved the rains. : Rohit Pachrane : Rohit There was, however, a common thirst.

In the monsoon, we played. CREDI T PH OTO

30 31 Snapshots of a Rainy Day

It is early morning and a rain- drenched sun shines reluctantly. The photography participants observe people’s morning rituals. A young mother is bravely handling her newborn, an old couple are preparing breakfast and a priest is getting ready for prayer. Over hot cups of chai, they share their recent monsoon photography experiences.

Mumbai monsoons are known to create havoc. The pho- tographers braved the rains to reveal how people cope. PHOTO BY: Rohit Pachrane

Mehzabeen (centre) translates for Mahanada (left) what Susie (right) has just said about the new stitches. Translators and the enthusiasm of the seamstresses overcame communication gaps in the process. PHOTO BY: Rudra Joshi A Start with Needles and Threads

In the Marble Room at the SNEHA today is to mix patterns with stitches Reflections: office in Shastrinagar, Santacruz, and the results are an interesting Saba watches as Susie Vickery palette of colour. • Susie had planned a number of demonstrates new stitches. Saba is practice sessions, which worked well young, having recently finished junior Afreen, who is 15 and the youngest because once the participants got an college, but she is a skilled seamstress in the group, believes that she will understanding of techniques they and designs her own clothes. She acquire new skills along the way. Like were able to use them more freely to practises the stitches she has just others in the group, she comes from design and create their own pieces. a family in which education for girls been shown and is eager to learn • Although the participants knew that more. and working women (unless they are giving tuitions) are frowned upon. they would be involved in the creation With 10 textile enthusiasts coming to- She says that, while she may not of textile artefacts, they were only gether, the third group of the project make a business out of her skills, she vaguely aware of the project being It is nice to sit together and make has been initiated. To begin with, would love to learn more. about health. It was only after further something for the project. Susie has planned a series of warm- exercises and sessions that a fuller up sessions in which the participants understanding of the necessity for – Mahananda will learn basic stitches, appliqué and health literacy developed. “ stuffing. The specific objective for ” 32 33 As an exercise in composition and abstract thinking, the group took photographs on concepts such as ‘line’ and ‘love’. There are those like Asma and Zarina who, afraid to step out into the rains lest their cameras get wet, have nothing to show for the week. Komal has been among the few who stuck to the objectives of the exercise. Her lines stretch along railway tracks, tall buildings, erect palm trees, and the Taj hotel. But amidst it all, she has

proved a keen observer of the world monsoon around her. Be it the rubbish heap in a society in Jogeshwari, which has a resident snake, or a fine piece of embroidered cloth; all her colour compositions are backed with an anecdote or a story. With an eye for detail and colour, she comes across as a promising photographer. “What’s the use, this will not fetch me any income,” she says, “I wonder who will give me a job with this as I am not educated. I could probably shoot wedding pictures for those here who cannot afford expensive photoshoots.” Her extensive photo feature on Vrageshwari temple in Vasai tells a different story: two lovers fighting, a wedding on the premises, the auspicious tree, her 80-year-old grand-aunt. There is much more than wedding photo- graphs that Komal can do, if given a chance.

While railway tracks were inevitable subjects of photos that represented ‘lines’, some photographers saw unusual possibilities in local Dharavi businesses, such as the weavers. PHOTO BY: Sunita D’Souza

34 35 It is the day of my victory! “ – Sunita, after her wedding ceremony ” Sunita is at her bustling best. She Reflections: wakes up sleepy neighbours hop- • The photography group set a ing to take photos of them. She is precedent from which other groups monsoon a happy woman these days. She could take ideas. It really helped has recently been legally married women such as Sunita to use the in church to her husband of 10 truth associated with photojour- years. She was only 14 when she nalism as a powerful tool against got pregnant and upon her parents domestic violence. Zarina and Asma, pleading she was married in court who have never been to school, to her boyfriend - now husband – were able to communicate through Anthony (they registered her as 18 their photos. in desperation). Her in-laws were never in favour of the marriage. Later, when the floods of 26th July 2005 destroyed all her legal papers, she was left with no proof of her wedding, giving them a further chance to harass her. The church wedding, however, will change all that and Sunita is happy. “We are now man and wife in the eyes of God and society,” she says. She too has a series of pictures to show. She proudly gives details of her assign- ment. A Hindu wedding in progress, the bride, her clothes, her mehendi, the groom, and a few pictures of her own church ceremony.

These are their interpretations of love.

The avid photographer gets the bride! This photo, along with those of other brides and grooms, lined a series of canisters representing marriage for the exhibition. PHOTO BY : Neville Sukhia

36 37 Home Thoughts Reflections:

• The project team finally settled on the On a rainy afternoon, they make their way idea of a home space for the final instal- one-by-one to a cafe. There is an agenda. The lation. It was a sound decision as many mentor artists and SNEHA team are here to of the participants were able to connect discuss the progress of the project so far and with the idea easily, as did audiences from Dharavi and other parts of the city. It was the path ahead. a universal image and therefore easily Everyone is positive that the project will have accessible. an impact on artistic development and health • Installations might develop more organi- literacy. However, given the three different cally if the participants could continue the artistic approaches, the question remains of project for another year. Having already monsoon how the varied creative interpretations will had training and seen what an exhibition come together. could be, it would be interesting to see how they devise other art events. Nandita Kumar pitches an idea that will bring together the art forms and make sure that the 3 groups are following a similar line of thought. She suggests that the final installation be like a house, and that indi- vidual artworks can be seen as parts of it. Furniture can be used as frameworks around which the artists can build their interpreta- tions of health. A house, and by extension a home, will also be a familiar space for the participants. Many primary health concerns are conceivable in this setting. A domestic enquiry into health and the self would be a feasible approach for participants who are just being initiated into art.

Much more has to be considered, however. Where will the exhibition be? Maybe in Dhar- avi, but maybe in a bus, Nandita suggests.

Anjani has a different approach to share with the group. She suggests that, instead of choosing a readymade format to work with, perhaps every group of participants should be given free rein to develop their interpreta- tions and decide as they progress how they want to exhibit their art. She believes this would be a more organic and empowering approach.

There is a spirited discussion over gradually emptying plates of food. Representing a familiar space would help the participants think conceptually from a safe base. Captured here is a typical household scene in Dharavi. PHOTO BY: Sunita D’Souza

38 39 Kidding Around Children naturally make interesting photography subjects, especially when someone not much older than them is photographing them. PHOTO BY: Rupesh Sable The photography group has gath- Most of the photos emphasize the ered at the Marble Room at San- vulnerability of children in an adult tacruz for a session to be conducted world. Many of them are seen living by Ashifa Sarkar Vasi. It is Sunday and playing in unhygienic condi- and the usual hustle and bustle at tions that emphasise the need for the SNEHA centre is absent. Over sanitation. They are carefree and warm vada pavs and chai, the innocent and, as one of the par- participants pass around a selection ticipants put it, “In a child we see a from the many photos they have second God.”

taken of children in their locality. monsoon Reflections: Ashifa encourages them to tell the story behind each of the selected • The session ended with the photos. Asmabi chooses to talk participants making a collage about a burkha-clad woman hold- of expressions they saw on the ing her child proudly in her arms. children’s faces in the photographs. The daughter uncannily resembles The activity had mixed results as her mother. Asmabi says that the some of them found abstractions mother lost her first child: this child such as these a challenge. However, is dearer than life. the thematic selection of photos created interesting starting points Why did you take these pictures of for discussion about the community. kids? More focused sessions such as this for the photography group should A moment of introspection is fol- be planned for the next project. lowed by a range of answers. As adults we wish we could be like children. Some children in the photos have taken on the roles of adults. Some children look sick and malnourished. Pointing out one of his photos, Rupesh says, “This girl here is playing in mucky water but doesn’t seem to mind the dirt all around. She is very happy.”

What do you wish for the children you know?

The answers are varied but con- sistently emphasize their concern. There is a desire to see children they have photographed study well, become independent and not have a care in the world.

40 41 monsoon

Suspended from asbestos sheets, the red portraits of the women beckoned many a visitor. They were commended for being ‘honest’ pieces of art. PHOTO BY: Neville Sukhia

Fabricating the Self The idea of even embroidering a face was unheard of! – Sumaiya Much later, the fabric portraits will be What is inside your body? has not only shown variations in face Many of the younger girls have are more telling than she expected. their own bodies. The portraits are encased in perspex and suspended in structure, lips and dress, but also in embroidered“ babies and the older She thinks that women often unfor- not classical and there is almost an a blue-green room. For now, all that The answer to this question is intri- what is found inside her body. Most women have designed foodstuffs. The tunately pay most attention to their element of caricature.” As adults, a the women know is that it is challeng- cate, even in its conception. The wom- have interpreted the inside of the women look at Mehzabeen’s portrait bodies only during pregnancy and certain resistance is noticeable in the ing to express themselves through en have taken photos of each other: body to mean the stomach, and have and are fascinated by a pink baby in post delivery. way in which they approach a creative these red portraits in thread. arms, legs and faces. They have then shown dishes they love to eat or a the belly. It is satiny and adorable. act, and Susie hopes that this exercise collaged them to make blueprints that baby in the abdominal area. Scientific Mehzabeen explains that it is based The exercise has helped the has helped them to free up a little. are recreated in fabric. The results inaccuracies make for very creative on a photograph of an actual baby participants to look at representing (mostly red, and some yellow fabric) approaches, and each baby and dish whom she chooses to call ‘Pinky’. figures in a different way while are visually stunning. Every woman looks unique and beautiful. Priya is thrilled by the results, which simultaneously understanding

42 43 A Thread to Follow

A small mound of multicoloured cloth lies in the centre of the hall. Eight women sitting around it draw out their needles and thread. Like oracles gathered around a bonfire, they are going to use their tailor- ing skills to create cushions that Reflections: resemble body parts which affect them the most. The creations on the monsoon • The participants agreed unani- next pages are some of the results mously that making the portraits of this exercise in recognising ill was one of their favourite activities. health and are a talented play of The process consisted of a series fabric, colour, stitch, appliqué and of steps and was simultaneously dimension. These are the stories of a process of self-discovery. Susie eight women with eight different Vickery thought that this was one kinds of pain. of the activities that were planned thoroughly. The participants were naturally drawn to the complexity of the challenge.

• The discussions about the por- traits were fruitful and brought to light many basic issues. The group realised that most women pay attention to their bodies during pregnancy, and that women adopt self-sacrificing roles.

• The involvement of so many wom- en across the groups meant that health issues focused on women’s health. While some art pieces could Rohini, who hails from Maharashtra, holds up her portrait not be labelled as gender-specific, and jokes that it looks like a Goan woman wearing a maxi dress. PHOTO BY: Benita Fernando some definitely were. Most men in the group were in their late teens or early twenties and, though one of them was getting married, did not seem to identify with the issues that were specific to women. Addressing specific physical and mental health issues for male participants is a further challenge. On most days, heaps of fabric were piled up in the Marble Room and there was spirited competition for coveted lengths of cloth. PHOTO BY: Benita Fernando

44 45 PHOTOS BY: Benita Fernando monsoon

The mother with six The daughter with The woman with a The girl with sweaty The fiancée with a The girl with balloon The woman with two The woman with the scars restricted hearing tattered spine palms sparkling neck tonsils pains weak legs

Three caesareans. One She is a bright-eyed girl There are two sides to this The girl with sweaty When you see her at work, In the group is a young In her purse are photos of This thin slender woman appendicitis. One mis- with fashionably pierced piece – before, a healthy palms recalls the school- you know she is an artist girl of seventeen who has the two individuals whom disappears into her pur- carriage. And like the ears. Forever on her golden spine and later, a days when she couldn’t with extraordinary talent. not faced the health is- she dotes on most – her dah everyday at the end perfect metrical ending cellphone, texting away broken uneven spine. Her write in her notebook. At the age of twenty-one sues that the older women son and daughter. She of class. She is a master to a poem, one last family or talking animatedly, she spine suffered a lot during Like a cursed woman, and all set to be married have. Her problem, unlike is a concerned mother. of deception. Calcium de- planning scar. An ironic is the typical teenager – the delivery of her chil- anything she touched this October, she is the the severity of broken Must provide them good ficiency and cartilage is- little floral cushion with always distracted by com- dren and postpartum care became damp. Writing an fiancée with finesse. She spines and scarred uter- education. Must make sues cause her a menacing cuts gaping through pink munication. But close her has been minimal. Her exam was difficult. Hold- holds up her creation and uses, is her tonsils. She them learn English. Must pain in her legs, especially alludes to her abdominal right ear and only a feeble smiling eyes, meticulous ing hands with a friend jokes, “Mera gala chamak depicted tonsillitis in her work herself. Must save up when she is menstruat- area. Her scars are tragic world enters her left. A stitching and talkative was uneasy. Why, stitch- raha hai.” My neck is design through jagged for their college education. ing. The pain is depicted and her scars run deep. In cross against the pink nature belie her constant ing this piece without get- sparkling. Liar. This is lines to show the itching Must get back in time to in heavy red stitches. But her early thirties, she can- checks shows the restrict- back problems ting it damp was a task! another way of euphemis- and burning sensations. be with them. Her work don’t let the weak-legged not hold her urine for long ed access that she has to The hand-shaped cushion tically talking about her There is a valuable lesson is an expression in blue. woman fool you. Notice and needs to release very a world of sound. With is like a magnet that picks thyroid problem which to be learnt: the best way Blue brocade. Blue plait. the bright red nailcolour? often. The other women her dreams of becoming up junk. has led to a very vulner- to deal with most troubles Multicoloured pains. tease her; they make a fashion designer, she able throat. Inflammation is to stick your tongue She has been suffering sounds like water gushing is optimistic that with and soreness of the throat out at them. And that is regular headaches that from a tap every time she medical care things will are medical issues she has exactly what her work pull one side of her head. runs to relieve herself. be better. dealt with over the years represents! The experience of the pain and which are better now is significantly different through medical attention from the way her neck (don’t miss the button-pill hurts. Two different aches sewn onto the tongue). have been communicated through two different pat- terns of stitches.

46 47 Storytelling

Reflections: Whether in Santacruz or the Com- details and assuming pseudonyms munity Centre in Dharavi, a story if necessary. Parveen has the most • Susie designed this exercise in 3 is being shared. It could be Asma fun with pseudonyms, her favourite sessions to encourage discussion telling you about how she lost her being Farheen. among the participants and initiate an awareness of personal health. parents at a very young age and The women were first encouraged how she plans to marry late in life. to talk about and draw on paper It could be Ashwin’s family taking a part of their body that they felt pride in the local belief that water the most comfortable with. Most from their house will cure people of monsoon loved their eyes, some loved their an infected dog bite. Or it could be Reflections: lips, none spoke about their breasts. Zeenat telling you how her mother The discussion was then directed who couldn’t hear or speak brought • The idea of using a blog and social towards the body parts that affected her and her 8 siblings up. media platforms to communicate them most, and these were also about the project was an important represented on paper. The session Every hand that clicks, stitches or means of documentation. Ac- required the women to be separated moulds has a story to share, either tive documentation is crucial for into two groups – one with married women and the other with unmar- through talk or through the work. projects such as these in which ried girls. The married women had While they wait to display their the process is as important as the significantly more problems than artworks, Priya thinks the project end itself. The project showed that the unmarried ones. would benefit from blogposts that a full-time journalist and logistic share the latest developments in it support staff would be beneficial. • The exercise wound up with a dis- and in the lives of the individuals cussion in which the women intro- who are part of it. With the help of • At a meeting of the advisory duced their work and offered each Ara Johannes, a blog and a Face- board, more suggestions for public other constructive criticism. This relations came up. The strategies follow-up critique session provided book page are created. Nandita ranged from the simple to the the necessary dialogue between the also takes the initiative to create women who otherwise settle in easy a Facebook page named “SNEHA collaborative. However, a lot of pub- dichotomies – married/unmarried, Artist Artist” for the benefit of the licity was already being achieved Hindu/Muslim, educated/unedu- Exercises in making cushions resulted in a bed that participants to encourage virtual through the Facebook page, which cated. narrated the saga of a woman’s sleep. Conceptualised rendered other social media portals by Mridula, this bed shows how a woman’s life comes full discussions on art. circle from birth to death. PHOTO BY: Susie Vickery less necessary. Many journalists • Exercises such as these were an showed an interest in the project amalgamation of Dekha Undekha’s When the participants are told about and the individuals involved, and focal areas – training in design and the blog and the Facebook page, the health awareness. The introduction more internet savvy among them additional publicity was gained of new skills was complemented by are quick to find out more. Mehza- through news stories. the creative expression of ill health. been, Saba, Rupesh and Ashwin are • The importance of publicity can among them and they keep their be stressed only insofar as drawing respective groups updated with in public interest and support. As developments online. When the was shown towards the end of the participants see notes being taken, project, recognition of the partici- they are curious to know where they pants’ creativity was best achieved are going to be published and they through their singular artworks. become more comfortable sharing

48 49 Home Investigations

A report on the joint workshop held on 12th September 2011

As children, they take care of their ‘blind’, drew her partner’s home. dolls. As girls, they help their moth- The exercise was repeated with ers. As wives, they do the same thing the roles reversed. Detail, colour all over again. Whether it is playing and precision were required. The with a kitchen set as a child or resulting drawings were rudimenta- planning the day’s meal as a mother, ry but revelatory. The participants

gender socialisation serves to instill had depicted spatial differences, monsoon in a woman the idea that the best perspectives, various household space for her is the home. A home items and what certain corners and has thus come to mean unease, re- areas meant to them. striction of freedom and limitation of one’s dreams. For a man, a home From the many homes that were means a feminine space that can be transferred onto paper, Nandita emasculating. Much of the human chose common elements. As an experience is lived out and can be exercise in abstraction, the partic- understood within the borders of a ipants were asked to choose two of home space. Home is confinement, the domestic items and relate to but home can also be release. them emotionally, represent them in any way they liked on paper, and Dekha Undekha’s first joint work- tell a story from their lives revolv- shop was a determined effort to get ing around them. From household the participants to discuss their re- objects ranging from clocks to mice, lationship with and their experience Saba from the textile group chose of their homes and domestic items. a rolling pin. A rolling pin, she The groups under the initiative explained, is an object of love when – textiles, photography and ceramics a mother chooses to make rotis – met at the SNEHA centre in for her child. But the rolling pin is Santacruz. The workshop was also a weapon when a mother hits conceptualized and facilitated by her child with it. A common thread

Nandita Kumar. She along with through the narratives was a view The childlike drawings on the whiteboard by Nandita Kumar were of common objects found in the houses mapped by Susie Vickery aimed at conduct- of objects as being double-edged the participants. These eventually became stories which lead to the creation of the art objects placed in the installation. PHOTO BY: Benita Fernando. ing exercises that would connect swords. A household utensil that personal narratives with objects in was a source of comfort could in the house. other circumstances be a symbol of children are. They do not let their creatively. Glitzy fashion maga- hands, head or stomach. The room biggest challenge that lay in store discord. creativity flow and have to be given zines were strewn on the floor and was filled with excited talk and the for Dekha Undekha was to find a After preliminaries over breakfast, a framework within which they can a cupboard on wheels was rolled sound of scissors snipping away at common arena in which the creative the workshop started with an exer- While some participants were tackle abstract ideas. into the room. The exercise was the magazines. In half an hour, a output of the three groups could cise in which the participants split very innovative in the exercise, to visualize the cupboard as the human shelf was brought to life. mesh coherently. Anjani Khanna, After a day’s hard thought, Nandita into pairs. One member described many faced teething problems. As human body. The participants split who mentored the ceramic group, decided to give the participants The day ended with the facilitators in detail her home and family Nandita observed, adults are not as into groups based on which body said that it was important to impart a break by letting them unwind discussing the road ahead. The members, while the other, who was flexible with their imagination as part they wanted to work on – legs, skills to the artisans that could be

50 51 I liked meeting the other participants.

It was like I had known them for ages. Reflections: – Rohini • Getting together all the partici- “ pants for a joint workshop was a ” challenge given the logistic issues and inflexibilities at their workplac- es, but ultimately it was a rewarding meeting. The participants got to know each other and they also had an opportunity to think about work- monsoon ing with other disciplines.

• Although the mentors and the pioneering committee discussed aspects of the final exhibition, the views of the participants should have been elicited as well at this workshop as it was a rare opportu- nity when participants from all the groups were present together.

The ceramics group share life around their residences in Kumbharwada onto tiles. One tile depicts drunken behaviour in the neighbourhood – it is literally raining beer bottles. PHOTO BY: Neville Sukhia

sustained long after the project domestic conditions of their lives. ended. The facilitators felt that it It was a chance to meet the was important to programme more members of the other groups whom concrete exercises for the partici- they had only heard of. Everyone pants and to ask leading questions had braved a rainy day, knowing that would elicit more involvement. that it was almost time for the monsoon to end. Although not all the participants were clued in on the necessity of the workshop, everybody had fun doing what they did. The participants

Every participant had a story to share at the joint workshop. Here Zeenat from the textile group does a show and tell of a diagram of her house. PHOTO BY: Susie Vickery showed startling insight into the

52 53 Winter winter

In winter, things waited in anticipation.

Behind the scenes, we shared thoughts and worked hard. There was celebration. And revelry.

In winter, we prepared. by: Benita Fernando Photo

54 55 House Hunting

A merciless November sun can con- Nandita looks at the hall with a dis- vince you that winters in Mumbai cerning eye. The lights in the room are a local myth. Bhaskar, Susie flicker to reveal wooden rafters on and Nandita walked down Dharavi the ceiling, benches and desks big streets saturated with the smell enough for children, slim pillars, of vegetables, trucks the size of a curious corners and windows. There house and people passionately bar- are two doors with ruined flights gaining in a muddle of languages. of steps leading to them. A dusty aroma swirls around the room. Bhaskar is a tall, quiet gentleman who has a calm knowledge about Reflections: the place and knows its mechanisms thoroughly. He guides the others • The project team realised that the through the teeming streets to an wedding season could pose a threat open space. He points to Sri Ganesh to renting space in Dharavi. The Vidya Mandir, a primary school, the administration was foresighted hall of which will be used as the enough to begin negotiations for space for the exhibition. It is a non- room rental as early as November. descript building, almost decrepit • Quick decision-making on the part from the outside. He says that the of the administrators made sure room serves as a community hall for that focus shifted from acquiring a school events as well as weddings. A bus to resourcefully using a space in bell hangs on the ground floor, ring- Dharavi, thus making a statement winter ing classes to a close. about the purpose of the exhibi- The school hall has been finalised as tion. An installation in a bus is an a suitable space for the exhibition, innovative strategy that could be after exploring many options. Nan- considered for a future round of dita had suggested hosting the ex- the exhibition. The venues could hibition in a bus – a familiar space range from slums to promenades. that could be put to innovative use. It could be accompanied by a radio A bus could literally travel to places show that would target low-income in Mumbai and tempt a crowd in. groups. Galleries in South Mumbai had been other options. But this school hall in Dharavi seemed to have everyone’s approval. An art opening in such a venue would be an uncom- The community hall belonging to Ganesh Vidya Mandir mon happening. It would reach is located near the SNEHA office in Dharavi and is well local communities directly and draw known to the locals. The first floor housed the exhibition At Home. PHOTO BY: Susie Vickery art enthusiasts from other parts of the city to get acquainted with an area as intimidating as Dharavi.

56 57 Lessons in Abstraction

It is a return to their nursery years Reflections: and their children would be im- pressed. At two in the afternoon, the • This session was a follow-up to the women of the textile group are col- September joint workshop and the ouring checks and cutting coloured observation that the participants paper. needed more support for abstract thinking. It was well-planned The activity is part of a session on and helped gauge the aptitude abstraction and thinking out of the of the participants for abstract box. The session comprises two conceptualisation. Organising similar exercises. In the first, the women sessions periodically would provide fill in a sixteen-checked square with the participants with continuous colours that they think best represent creative training and development. the festivities of Diwali. They are also advised to organize the composition. Mahananda’s square The participants select the choicest shows the colours ar- colours and most are able to fulfill ranged in the pattern of the task. The bland checks have a Rangoli. The things she exploded into brilliant patterns and loves best are flowers and colours representing fire crackers, tailoring. sweets, and also pollution.

Kshitija Kanbur, who is conducting the session, hopes that the exercise Afreen’s checks are an will sensitize the tailor-women to col- arrangement of colours

our. She says, “This exercise is based that represent lamps, fire- winter on theories of colour and really tests crackers, red sarees and the creative faculty. The participants sweets. She loves to sing, have been bound by certain restric- hence the microphone. tions such as sixteen squares and a theme within which they are free to innovate.” Bound by instruction, released by imagination. Sumaiya has chosen double shades of colours The second exercise asks the partici- to show the luminous pants to interrogate that old question layers of a flame. And called love. Using limited material, her true love is a hair the women cut out shapes and stick straightener! Parveen has left some them onto paper to communicate checks blank to show how what love means to them. Most of clean the air is before Di- them are not very successful at this wali and how it blackens exercise as they make direct repre- due to air pollution. She sentations of things they love such as has also chosen a patch of roses and children. lavender to show how she finds solace in the sea.

PHOTOS BY: Benita Fernando

58 59 An Afternoon with the Furniture

Most of the women arrive for the Reflections: afternoon sessions dressed in black burkhas. Once they enter the shelter • Nandita Kumar said, “Making sure of the room, they shed their robes the participants view the furniture and glisten in their colourful dresses. now is crucial.” At the stage when It isn’t very often that people ask us You would think they are timid, but the furniture pieces were introduced, what we think, let alone take us seriously. you would be mistaken. Jokes, in- the participants had consolidated nuendo, repartee and questions fill their skills and had a fundamental - Parveen the room. And with equal zest, they idea about the conceptualisation “ veil their heads reverently when of their art pieces from the joint afternoon prayers are called. workshop. Introducing the furni- ” ture earlier would have been too On one such afternoon, the women overwhelming. of the textile group are presented with the furniture they will work •The furniture provided a controlled with. They approach it with a blend method of creative output. After the of love and contempt. It looks warm-up sessions which allowed familiar, perhaps a little too familiar. skill development and practice in A rickety TV shelf. A pair of window abstractions, it was a framework on frames. Doors that are old, broken which the participants could imag- and dirty. Along with them, strange ine and design. utensils lie in the room. Rustic • The textile group had more op- sieves. Massive ladles. A kettle. A portunity to work with the furniture winter dishrack that is almost Saba’s height. by virtue of the pieces being in the The pieces of second-hand furniture Santacruz centre. Though the other have been thoughtfully sourced by participants had furniture pieces Nandita from the streets of Chor assigned to them, they did not get Bazaar (thieves’ market), and the as much time to think about them. utensils from Dadar market. Nan- When groups are at work in differ- dita says that buying second-hand ent centres more efforts at mobility furniture is not only economical, but need to be made. will also make the exhibition look more like a home. Having belonged to families, there are stickers and pictures posted on the furniture. The items come with memories Sourcing the furniture took the steering team to many included. parts of the city. Bargaining skills were put to the test on the Mumbai streets. PHOTO BY: Benita Fernando Priya tells the women, “Imagine these pieces of furniture to be you. To be your body. Then what would you say about yourself?”

60 61 The Dream Slippers

It isn’t hard to guess why Ashwin has chosen to highlight these aspects of his life. A clay shoe shaped like a Why dreams on shoes? houseboat with a couple cruising on it. Daksha thinks for a moment and An elaborate kitchen scene on a slipper. responds thoughtfully, “If you could These are vignettes of an obvious dream do anything, what shoes would you for a man whose wedding is set for two wear? You start your journey by months from now. wearing your shoes. These slippers There is much mirth in the little are symbolic.” A moment later, she space between heaps of baked pots chuckles and continues cheekily , and mounds of wet clay in Ashwin’s “Every man should wear a woman’s house. Ashwin the potter and his shoes and every woman should family are moulding their dreams wear a man’s!” into clay slippers, an idea initiated by With passing exercises, Neha Nandita Kumar. They have just been observes that, as the shoes got introduced to more complex shapes bigger, there was more scope for ex- that require them to build their shoes perimentation and expression. The to a certain height. The shoes range canvas expanded, in clay and in the from the macho to the fashionable. mind. The group will make 50 shoes Daksha’s dreams are sculpted into which will hopefully survive glazing shoes that look like they have come and firing. straight off a Paris runway.

Neha Kudchadkar, one of the men- tors, says that their initial attempts winter at fashioning slippers from clay were more unsophisticated in shape and tableau-like. But that did not mean that their dreams and the manner in which they took shape in clay were simplistic. Mamta, who taught at a primary school at the Reflections: time, made a school campus on • The dream slippers showcased her slipper. Ashwin displayed his a range of attitudes to life, health ingenuity with an ordinary dream in and aspirations. Some pieces, as which copper wires held kites flying tableaux, were vivid representations in the air. Parvati dreamt of feeding of life in Kumbharwada and showed pigeons and Hansa dreamt of going potters at work. on a pilgrimage. • Since the artists produced a large number of slippers there was a risk of repetition. Rashi, one of the men- tors, was convinced by the output and said that the slippers were a simple exercise that allowed the Daksha, hesitant at first, emerged as an enthusiastic ceramicist with an addiction for clay roses. PHOTO BY: Benita Fernando participants to gain confidence with clay by using it freely.

62 63 winter

Mamta (opposite page) glazes a shoe that was challenging to construct as opposed to initial attempts by the group at making clay slippers which were more tableau like (above). PHOTO BY: Benita Fernando

We thought we were putting our dreams into our slippers but what we have made is based on reality. These are our stories. “ - Mamta

: Rashi Jain ” B Y PH OTO

64 65 Superstitions

All it takes is for Priya to say super- believe that the supernatural world of voodoo such as a lime bloodied stitions to trigger an outpouring of exists alongside the natural world. with kumkum and stuck with pins are stories. common findings designed to bring Much superstition is, of course, at- you the worst kind of bad luck. If you In the textile group, Rohini and tached to the menstrual cycle. The find one you are advised to hit it with Parveen have similar tales to tell. potters of Kumbharwada believe that a slipper to neutralise its effect. Rohini comes from Dhapoli on the if a menstruating woman touches clay Konkan coast. She recounts the time the earthenware it becomes will break The wondrous conversation ends only when her son cried regularly every day easily. Mehzabeen, a seamstress, says because it is time to return to worldly from 11.30 p.m. to 12.30 a.m. Doctors that tying a black thread around your chores. failed to explain the problem, and she toe can delay your periods. was told by locals that it was probably Reflections: a water deity that was troubling and A couple of people even recount ren- • From the project’s initiation, Priya teasing her son as her house was near dezvous with seductive spirits. Rohit, had suggested that specific words the beach. An offering of flowers and the photography enthusiast from such as purity, water and supersti- haldi kumkum was made to appease Dharavi, swears he saw a woman with tion be used for discussion, instead of the water goddess, signalling an end long hair, green bangles and a white in-depth health topics. These words to her son’s crying spells. Parveen’s saree outside his house. This Mo- were unintimidating starting points year-old daughter was also crying hini, a succubus of sorts, is popularly for conversations across groups. every night. A religious doctor divined believed to put men into a trance and lure them to their death. Zeenat, from that the spirit of a girl from the house • The participants revealed many of the textile group, remembers how her opposite who had died had taken a the local superstitions that are preva- father, a fisherman, was returning liking to her daughter and was teasing lent in their lives. While some have from the sea when he saw a beauti- her and playing with her every night. a scientific or religious basis, many fully dressed woman. He wanted to The child was given some holy water beliefs did not. Many knew the falla- speak with her but didn’t. In a restau- and a taveez was tied around her cies of superstitions, but continued to winter rant later, he recounted the meeting hand. Within days she was sleeping follow them. The facilitators made the and was reassured that he had been soundly. participants re-visit their superstitious wise not to talk to her. The lucky man approaches where health was con- Both these women had first ap- thanked his stars that day. cerned. To make this more effective, proached local doctors in the area who doctors and health experts could be could not diagnose the cause. Super- Zarina of the photography group brought in to discuss scientific medi- stitions filled the gaps in the scientific speaks of the black magic that is cal alternatives. approach. Most of the participants prevalent in much of Dharavi. Objects

Installing an artwork is as important as creating it. Parveen (right) experiments with the display possibilities of body parts illustrating superstitions and home remedies. In the end, the symbolism of the home remedies was reinforced by putting them in bottles (below). PHOTO BY: Neville Sukhia : Benita Fernando B Y PH OTO

66 67 From Art to Thought

A curious thing can sometimes hap- pen to an artist. She usually thinks about a subject and designs accord- ingly, but sometimes she will follow an instinct, choose to begin with a design and see what develops. The microbe sieves are what happened when Rohini and Mridula played Mridula recommends that small with fabric. stitches and small patterns work very well, as well as a colour palette. Drawing inspiration from embroi- While making the rhinovirus that dery on window meshes, Rohini causes the common cold, Rohini holds up a big rustic sieve on which takes pains to make sure that every she has mounted coloured pom- cell is individually sewn onto the poms. The others marvel at the in- sieves. But she fears that they look genious manner in which a domes- too beautiful to convey a lesson in tic appliance is transformed into a health. canvas for art. Susie says instantly, “That looks a lot like a virus.” To test the art piece, she catches hold of Anjali, supplier of endless Over the next few days, Rohini tea and biscuits from the pantry, and Mridula are shown images of and asks her what the sieves repre- hazardous microbes – amoebae, sent. With three guesses available, bacteria, plasmodia and viruses. Anjali says firmly, “Worms. Flowers. Reflections: The duo translate each of the im- Biscuits.” A bemused Rohini ex- ages into fabric and the result is an plains to her the significance of the • Since the sieves evolved quickly, winter assortment of brown sieves splayed piece. Despite the wrong answers, there were time constraints on with vibrant microbes. Rohini is not defeated; she enjoys discussion. Sessions could have the idea that the sieves could have been spent after the activity to such varied interpretations. She is make the participants more aware also glad that she knows a thing or of microbes, preventive measures two about microbes now – some- and symptoms associated with their thing she missed out on at school. diseases. Since Rohini and Mridula collected the information about microbes alongside their creative output, they could have led the discussions themselves.

I want to hang all these sieves together in my house. They remind me of chandeliers. – Mridula Mridula painstakingly sews red blood cells and malaria parasites onto a sieve. She was amazed to know the things microbes can do. “ ” PHOTO BY: Benita Fernando 68 69 Shigella - dysentery (top left) and malaria (bottom left and right). winter

Hepatitis A (top left), rhinovirus – the common cold (bottom left) and typhoid (right). PHOTOS BY: Neville Sukhia

70 71 At the exhibition, visitors lingered in front of the emoticon The Emoticon Cupboard cupboard. A woman from Dharavi said, “I lock my emotions up just like this cupboard.” PHOTO BY : Neville Sukhia

When the women see a plain beige cupboard in which are neatly stacked Though it looks very formidable, an array of fabric emoticons, it is nothing less than a revelation. It is these fabric emoticons can be easily stark yet versatile in its implications. made at home. I plan to make my Conceptualised by Mehzabeen, the daughter such colourful balls. emoticon cupboard is a work of art “ that engages in playfulness, contem- – Zeenat porary symbolism and simple logic. When she was asked to imagine the furniture representing herself, she instantly thought of the cupboard as ” her body. She looked into herself and the numerous emotions that rushed Susie feels that the appeal of the through her daily. emoticon cupboard lies in the power of repetition. A very popular idea Mehzabeen is quick to notice that, from digital media is replicated in as symbols, emoticons are stronger textiles and the cumulative effect is expressions than verbal articulations. what draws the viewer in. At another Before executing the work, she and level, the emoticon cupboard could Zeenat had a thorough understand- also be representative of families ing of the possibilities in designing living together, their emotions and the fabric emoticons. They were feelings congested and pushed to Reflections: introduced to blueprints for mak- extremes. ing three-dimensional spheres and • The emoticon cupboard was one of winter spent time practising on shapes such The women look at the cupboard the most prominent artistic expres- as cubes and icosahedrons. A chart and are startled by its simplicity. A sions of health, especially since it of colours corresponding to each conversation follows in which they examined emotional wellbeing – an emotion was made. Zeenat says that point out the emoticon that best ex- issue that is mostly unattended to. All she had an exciting time learning that presses them or which they instantly the participants responded sincerely different shapes for the eyes can com- like. While most identify with more to the piece. municate different feelings. obvious ones such as smiling, crying • Priya suggested that more exercises or loving, there are those such as Ma- could be conducted based on emo- hananda who identify with a sleepy tions that embarrass women. Further emoticon. Subtleties in emotion, such sessions on managing stressful as “I cry but I do not weep” are also emotions and talks by counsellors are expressed. options that could be examined.

• The emoticon cupboard also highlighted a significant aspect of the collaboration between artists. As Mehzabeen was exploring design op- tions, Susie provided her with sample blueprints for making spheres. Mehzabeen, while drawing techni- cal guidance, ultimately assimilated them into her design vision.

72 73 Stressing the Importance of De-stressing

Every girl will have a story about her Many of the participants come from doll. She will comb her hair, might families that are conservative in even stitch a dress for her or tell her their approach to women’s educa- bedtime stories. A doll is a toy, a tion and the woman’s role in the companion and a child. A doll is also family. Most of the girls have been a girl’s twin, a reflection of herself. compelled to drop out of school or And a doll is not restricted to child- do not have the option of earning hood. an income. Nevertheless, it seems that most of them are not ready to The women of the textile group deal with stressful situations in the have acquired dolls with a differ- family and do not want to upset the ence. Each has a colourful doll to status quo. gently express the stress she faces in her life. Dear is a doll to a woman; Every woman’s stress gives birth to a dearer still is the doll she designs doll. One afternoon, the women are and makes for herself. in the final stages of perfecting their dolls – perhaps plaiting the hair On enquiry, it seems that most of or adjusting the pleats of a saree. the participants are not aware of Mehzabeen’s doll is a beautiful pink, mental health, let alone making it a with jewellery and a pile of books on priority. A conversation on the ne- her head to indicate her concerns. cessity of mental health leads them Many of the married women’s dolls to talk about the major stressors in have little dolls strung around their winter their lives. necks to show how their children The group splits broadly into two weigh them down. Afreen’s doll – married and unmarried. For mar- stands out. The limbs are bound ried women such as Parveen and together and it has a blindfold that Mridula, children and finances are reads Parivar ka Pyar – the Love of major concerns. When some of them the Family. In contrast, Saba’s doll remember that as youngsters they worries about hair loss. led stress free lives, their opinions The dolls are a culmination of a are countered by the complaints of series of exercises in embroidery, In the Marble Room at the SNEHA centre in Santacruz, the younger women like Sumaiya and stitches, appliqué and stuffing. In textile group discuss the stressors in their lives. From their Mehzabeen. Mehzabeen explains troubles, they created the unique dolls. the women’s hands, the dolls are not I like coming here because I feel PHOTO BY : Benita Fernando how her parents are forcing her to silent. get married when she herself wants lighter after sharing all my worries. to continue her studies. Sumaiya, - Rohini a strong believer in family values, “ says that even if she wanted to do something she wouldn’t want to hurt ” her family members by rebelling against them.

74 75 Body-Talk: A collage of photos taken of the textile participants featured as part of another exercise. PHOTO BY : Susie Vickery

Reflections:

• The dolls were an engagement in thinking abstractly and a challenge to

represent something as intangible as winter mental health. An elaborate process of ideation preceded the making, and Mahananda said that it was so chal- lenging that it was the most interest- ing piece she had worked on.

• The sessions were associated with a sense of catharsis as the participants were able to discuss the issues they faced in life. Discussing the ceramics group, Rashi Jain said that engag- ing in art was something outside participants’ regular routine and gave them a creative outlet in their stressful lives.

• Recognition of stressful factors should be accompanied by steps to resolve them. As part of discussions

about mental health, counsellors and Constricting the stress dolls in glass boxes reinforced the theme. PHOTOS BY: Neville Sukhia other experts could be brought in to periodically help the participants with the issues they face.

76 77 From Earth to Earth

For Daksha, the current designs are a major progression from the repetitive roses that earlier adorned almost every piece she made. She agrees that it was a challenge to think differently and to train her mind to explore newer approaches. The pots are an explosion of new ideas that are bolder and vary in expression.

The ceramic artists bring their own styles into the forms of the pots. The auspicious pots become progres- sively more audacious and more deconstructed. Set to dry on the loft, the pieces are evocative contain- ers for the endless cycle of life and death. Good health in the garbis, A garbi designed by Mamta communicates what is absolutely essential to her – a face and the five senses. loss and repair in the gadkas. PHOTO BY : Neville Sukhia Reflections:

In a potter’s art there is a sacred of fruits and vegetables and a moth- • The garbis and gadkas cumula- genesis and a meaningful ending. er and child. She will later make tively made a complex statement

When Ashwin swiftly removes pot a row of dancers around another about aspects of health. Anjani winter after pot from the wheel, there are garbi to show dancing as a symbol Khanna said that it was logical to those that are used for a celebra- of good health. use a form that the community was tion and those that solemnly mark familiar with, rather than introduc- a funeral ritual. Ashwin has made Rashi wonders if, instead of using ing new designs for pots. For the garbis, commonly used as a holy only the outer surface of the form, ceramics group, this was re-looking centrepiece during the dance festivi- can they explore the inner cavities at familiar designs and purposes ties of Navratri. Colourful revellers and deconstruct the shapes? There from different perspectives. dance around a decorated garbi, a is a pause for understanding and symbol of fertility and the power of they break to meet another day. It was very difficult the Devi. The gadkas that he has Ashwin seems accepting of the fact to think differently. made are bigger and are used to that a gadka he so carefully shaped pour water during funerals. The brain just is being cut by Daksha with a safety In this ritual of life on a potter’s pin. Daksha does it meticulously “ wouldn’t work. wheel, Anjani sees a message. as she removes little chunks of the semi-wet pot. She carves motifs – Daksha What parts of your body are pre- for her eyes into the surface of the cious to you? What remedies do you gadka. She loves her eyes, which get use when you are ill? stung regularly by smoke from the ” kilns. Another garbi contains an as- Ashwin’s family answer the queries sortment of clay hands to show the through clay. On a garbi, Daksha body part that helps her to earn her Ashwin’s house is converted into an artist’s studio as he fashions pots on which Mamta and Daksha carve depictions of good and ill health. plants bouquets of flowers, bunches living as a cleaner. PHOTO BY: Rashi Jain

78 79 Glazing Over

Back in the studio on the first floor of Almost at the end of their association, Reflections: Hanif’s house, where one of the earli- looking back, Anjani says that an ex- est meetings of the ceramics group change of knowledge took place over • The ceramic participants did not took place, Ashwin and his sister the last few months. The participants use traditional kilns, which damage Mamta are helping Rashi to unpack learnt a few basic techniques from the fragile artistic pieces and do not reach the requisite temperature for glazing. the ceramic pieces they have made. mentors. Ashwin, for example, now The group made sure that they used An electric kiln stands beside them. knows the importance of setting a a healthier smoke-free electric kiln to newspaper below fresh ceramic pieces The pieces are unlike their former fire the pieces. to avoid breakage. Anjani herself is brown and grey avatars. They are glossy, smooth and colourfully glazed. taking back some traditional tech- • It was remarkable to see how quickly Rashi and Anjani sense a problem. niques used by the community. the ceramics participants learnt glazing The glazing is not even, some pieces techniques. Anjani noted that through At the end of the day, the glazed ce- have cracked and many more are yet this simple procedure they would be ramic pieces are stacked in the electric to be glazed. They set about damage able to initiate new forms that are more kiln. Like children awaiting a freshly control while Ashwin and Mamta resilient and waterproof. She suspected, baked cake, Ashwin and Mamta can glaze the remainder of the pieces. It however, that the community would not seems to come naturally to them; they hardly wait to see. Next season, when be able to sustain techniques such as have an innate understanding of the the pieces are displayed in the exhibi- glazing as they are expensive and require medium. tion, everyone will marvel at them. special kilns. A better idea would be to They are little poems of colour, each train them in terracotta, which they can with a biography in it. use beyond the timeframe of the project.

I did not know the practice of glazing winter before.I really liked it! I plan to learn more about it and see how I can use it on the pots I make. “ - Ashwin ”

Working seriously with clay did not mean that the ceramicists did not have their share of fun, as was evident with Ashwin’s new lips. PHOTO BY : Benita Fernando Anjani (left) and Ashwin (centre) ready the glazed ceramic pieces to be stacked gently into an electric kiln. PHOTO BY: Rashi Jain

80 81 Viewing Windows

Parveen and Rohini have created a pair of windows with embroi- dered creatures on them. Parveen’s window has a mesh with colourful butterflies which contrast with the swirl of mosquitoes and flies on Rohini’s window. For these two textile artists, making the windows was a journey through blueprints Reflections: and practice sessions. • Pieces such as the windows and The idea for the windows was born the dish-rack were entirely new out of the joint workshop, in which approaches to the use of photos for Parveen said that she has to keep the photography group. Most of winter the windows closed at home all the them were thrilled that documen- time to keep the mosquitoes from tary photos could be used in such swarming in. Together, the win- artistic ways. dows are emblematic of binaries such as dreams and reality, good • Collaborations between the three and evil. media groups developed over the course of the project and resulted Photographers Rohit, Asma, Komal in pieces such as this and the family and Sunita join the textile group for bed. They signalled openness to the next few weeks to work on the discussion, innovation and compro- The windows embodied a binary opposition, as did many windows. Susie Vickery suggests mise. other art pieces in the exhibition. Every visitor had her that they could use their photo- own perception of what the windows could mean. PHOTO BY: Neville Sukhia graphs to make curtains.

Joint commitment to an artwork means a blending of creative approaches rather than a face-off. Slowly, they use the content, texture and colour of the photographs to produce an allegorical piece that they are happy with.

82 83 Spring

In spring, things unfurled and blossomed. A room was washed with turquoise paint. Art pieces in myriad colours sprung from the ceiling and floor. Perspectives grew, perspectives were refreshed. In spring, we arrived.

84 85 A Countdown Begins Talk about Televisions

At an early session of the textile group, expose the truth about television I want to hear that men now stay at home Mridula said that one of her favourite content. ‘Easy Cook’ becomes ‘Greasy pastimes was watching television with Cook’; a chunk of urban buildings and take care of children while women go and a hot cup of tea when her children is overwritten with greenery and work. If the people at home get to know about were not at home. It is an activity that sunshine; policemen are captioned, this, they are surely going to scold me! gives her a feeling very like happiness. in thread: ‘Some are good, some are “ Many of the women in the textile bad’; an advertisement for a toilet – Parveen group confess that the television cleaning solution carries the words plays a significant role in their daily ‘Flush It Out’. The one that catches lives. Children’s arguments, meals everyone’s fancy is a cheeky statement Over cups of tea and laughter, the ” and personal space fit around it. It is a embroidered over a TV presenter project team mean business. They vivacious member of the family. – ‘Recent survey shows that more % are here to discuss the basic require- of mens get nasbandi’, an insistence ments and finer details of the exhibi- Nayreen Daruwalla, who works on An artwork about television has to be on vasectomy as a much needed but tion that has been planned over the preventing violence against women included in the exhibition and they set much resisted means of birth control. last few months. Beside them, the and children, suggests the involve- to work. Photographers Asma and Su- carpenter and his young clan with ment of the sanginis, community nita have taken photos of televisions The rewriting and redrawing in thread kohled eyes are readying the furni- outreach workers trained and sup- Reflections: and television content such as news, indicate the necessity to stress positive ture. They will later head to Dharavi soap operas and advertisements. news. ported by SNEHA. The sanginis will • SNEHA was considering inviting to paint the exhibition space. be oriented on each of the artworks a media celebrity to inaugurate the The TV was an interactive installation and visitors could Nandita leads a discussion based on Reflections: and health issues so that they can turn the canvas to reveal photographs overdrawn or Susie and Nandita, after much exhibition. However, as enough overwritten with thread. PHOTOS BY : Neville Sukhia the photographs. The women can speculation, have decided on a colour help conduct guided tours of the publicity had already been achieved, hardly wait to start talking about • Discussions about television are for the room. The colours they con- exhibition. the idea was not pursued particularly it. Looking at familiar dramatised always fruitful as it is a familiar and sidered spanned a range commonly hard. There was also a concern that images of couples from Hindi soap easily accessible medium of commu- Among those with jobs assigned are nication. The women always offered painted on Dharavi houses: lotus a modest number of people involved the focus on the art and health issues operas, they respond by saying that pink, lilac and blue. They settle for a would be lost in media coverage if love can be equated with stress, self- insightful opinions and the discussion with publicity and the production of highlighted the connection between colour that is gender-neutral and has celebrities were chief guests. negation and madness. collaterals. Some easy publicity was negative visual content and the a soothing tone. Its ordinariness in gained when the event was uninten- They all have a good laugh at the pic- impact it has on mental health. The Dharavi will evoke a familiar feeling • SNEHA administrators were very tionally listed on regional cinema ture of an obese chef, a stark reminder discussion was well structured and of home. careful to follow-up newspapers and websites because a popular Tamil websites for listings early on. of the need for a healthy diet. Parveen, facilitated. actress shares her name with SNEHA. a self-confessed gossip lover, says that Local schools and colleges, especially • Involving the SNEHA sanginis was celebrity gossip should be less promi- in the Sion and Dharavi area, will an effective strategy. The sanginis nent on local news channels. She be invited. The collaterals for the are women from neighbourhood complains, “We find either gossip or a exhibition will be in three languages – communities close to the exhibition lot of negative news on television.” English, Marathi and Hindi – to cater venue. They ably and enthusiastically spring for a mixed audience. communicated information about Based on the discussion, the women the exhibition with local visitors set out to revise the content of TV. A And, of course, as the countdown and schoolchildren. They were also 17-foot long canvas is printed with begins, every artist knows there is effective crowd managers, a definite the series of photographs taken by little time left. concern for an exhibition visited by Asma and Sunita. Using embroidery, groups of schoolchildren. the women display what they would rather view on television and

86 87 On days when my husband and I her marriage, a barometer of well- fade into darkness as smiles fade into are happy, I make dinner. On days being. The stove burns on days when tears. The Saga of the Stove when my husband beats me and my her marriage is peaceful and grows Asma and Sunita stay until the children, I don’t cook. cold on days when she faces violence. evening. Their enthusiasm knows no bounds these days, especially as Su- These were Sunita’s words at the This afternoon, Sunita has brought nita says she will bring her husband joint workshop conducted during her daughter along. She and Asma to the exhibition. This stove is the story of my life. the monsoon. Usually unabashed are enthusiastically at work on an Though circumstances at home are not very and fierce, she spoke of the nature of unsteady two-burner stove under Reflections: domestic violence in her home. Her the astute mentorship of Nandita. different from how they used to be, husband, not a drinker, is known Asma’s half of the stove is black while • The stove was an artwork that in the neighbourhood to abuse his Sunita’s is multicoloured. A story demonstrated how versatile Asma today“ I am able to deal with them better. and Sunita were. They embraced the - Sunita wife and sometimes their children. is being recorded on the domestic Counselling sessions and threats appliance. With the use of a variety opportunity to work with materials have minimised the extent of abuse, of bindis and threads, the old stove alien to the practice of photography and ” but it continues. transforms into a narrative that showed the depth of their creativity. shows the degradation of a marriage For Sunita, the stove is a symbol of due to domestic violence. Colours spring

The stove of domestic violence uses a variety of materials to make a stunning and stark statement on the degrada- tion of a marriage. PHOTO BY : Neville Sukhia

88 89 A Shot at Kala Ghoda

Rampart Row in Colaba, Mumbai, Photographs have the power of transforms into a cultural hub every revealing the truth in a passing mo- February. The Kala Ghoda Arts ment. Abhijeet, who is here with his Festival is named after the famous family, says that the photographs colonial statue of King Edward VII show the indifference of the people on a black horse. It is a celebration living in Dharavi. “Their indiffer- of creativity, colour and opinion. ence is different from ours. They live in abject conditions but do not seem This year, the photography group to mind it all. For example, this boy have a chance to share their work is playing cricket right in the middle with the world at the Kala Ghoda of a dump yard,” he says, pointing Festival from 4th to 12th February to one of the photos. While Abijeet 2012. Things are hectic – selecting seems moved, his five-year-old the photos, printing, mounting and daughter begs to differ. readying the exhibition stall. After a mad rush, Sunita and Asma find The possibility of indifferent voyeur- themselves representing their team ism always threatens such an exhibi- and strolling down the unusually tion, but for Sunita and Asma it crowded lanes of Colaba. does not seem to matter. What they notice at the Kala Ghoda Festival is The exhibition is the result of men- that people connect with the events tor-photojournalist Sudharak Olwe’s in the photos. Sunita says that view- workshops with the photography ers love the mother and child photos. team. The photographs chosen for Asma feels that when people see the the exhibition are a slice of Dharavi photos of children playing they are life. The joys and travails of the reminded of their childhood days. monsoon, children playing, mothers Both feel that, even at the risk of vo- and populous homes are powerful Abhijeet, a visitor at the Kala Ghoda Festival, and his yeurism, it is important to highlight daughter ponder over snapshots of Dharavi life taken by stories of humanity living in harsh the conditions in which people live the photography group. PHOTO BY: Benita Fernando conditions. in Dharavi. Change is required.

It is quite a thrill to see the many For these two women the exhibition followers of the festival admire the is a real eye-opener. Asma says that Reflections: photos. Asma and Sunita ask on- she was offered the compliment that, • The exhibition at the Kala Ghoda lookers for their reactions. For most “There is a lot of energy in your pho- Festival motivated the photogra- people visiting the festival, Dharavi tos.” And when you see passersby I have never been to Colaba before.

phy participants, especially Asma spring is a place they pass on the way to take photos of your photos, there is and Sunita, who went there more To go there and to even win a prize work. Stopping to observe the condi- really no need for a greater compli- than once to represent their group. tions of life there in detail is not ment. was a great experience! something they have done much. Exhibitions such as this, or even on a smaller scale, could maintain “ – Asma on winning a prize for her photograph of one of the motivation if organised at intervals installations at the Kala Ghoda Festival 2012 through the course of a project. ”

90 91 The Birth of an Artist

I think Bubbly should definitely take forward her desire to become a textile artist. She is young and she is very talented. - Mridula Drawing on the activities of the “ ceramics group, the textile group is inspired to weave their dreams into slippers as well. An assortment ” of slippers is presented and each woman chooses a pair she likes. But not before they tell each other what their dreams are.

Most of them, being seamstresses, In the meantime, Mehzabeen has hope to establish themselves been making a fabric globe to in practice. Many slippers are show her globetrotting aspirations. decorated with dresses and tailor- She is a commerce graduate and ing tools. Others have particular her hands are still fresh with the aspirations – to learn how to use mehendi of her engagement. In computers or to plant a garden. the course of the past few months, Mehzabeen, who is called Bubbly Rohini wants a house by the by the others, has become a mentor seaside. She asks for opinions on figure in the textile group. Even how to design her slipper. She has women who are older than her thought of a design possibility, but seek her opinion and advice. She is unsure. Mehzabeen suggests an believes quietly in her potential alternative and Rohini, after listen- and creativity, and this shows in ing carefully, dismisses it: “But the numerous artworks bearing her this is your idea, not mine.” She mark. continues making a house on her slippers. The birth of an artist finally occurs Reflections: when she breaks away from the teacher’s words and is able to make • Making the dream slippers was her own creative decisions. She a success story for the project as

may be inspired. She may seek the artists were finally confident spring opinions. But in the end she listens about their own creativity. The case to her imagination. of Mehzabeen showed that, given the right opportunities and resources, a regular seamstress can mature into an artist.

Mridula makes a fascinating use of tailoring supplies to express her dream on a slipper. PHOTO BY: Neville Sukhia

92 93 Moving In

There are men on ladders, men on their haunches and men sweating it out. Like an orchestra conductor, Nandita Kumar gives directions to the artisans to make the space more exhibition-friendly. The room is bathed in a beautiful blue-green, a colour reminiscent of tender spring. Nandita has installed ob- jects to give the room the feel of a home in Dharavi: plumbing, water With the other members of the tanks, a ladder and a roller-shutter. photography group, Komal and Za- All the furniture and objects in the rina stick photographs on the set of space are second-hand and some canisters that will come to contain are locally sourced from junkyards the varied experiences of a marriage. in Dharavi. The three different They will later decorate the photo- art forms will be amalgamated by graphs with colourful bindis symbol- Nandita as she meets the demands ic of marriage. Meanwhile, Asma of visualizing the exhibtion. readies a basket on which she will sew the rotis that contain stories of The textile group arrive with domestic violence. They are seriously parcels too big to fit in taxis. They at work and full of anticipation. Each are here to add finishing touches artwork has explanatory tags in three to their art pieces. They have come languages. Some have pendants well prepared, each with a tailoring inviting visitors to touch them. kit of odds and ends they might need. Rohini adds a few flies to her Ashwin and his family of cerami- window, while Mridula helps Susie cists are here with Rashi, Anjani weave photo bandages into the bed. and Neha to open cardboard boxes The women love the sight of the brimming with slippers, pots and blue-green room and are curious to tiles. Slowly, they remove each know what the installation will look piece and set it carefully on the blue-green floor. In minutes there like in the end. Setting up the exhibition was a race against time. Nandita, is a flood of colour and everybody Asma and Priya (left to right) measure a vinyl print to be Reflections: challenge of coherence, the views used for an installation. PHOTO BY: Benita Fernando is stunned by the collective beauty of individual artists or collectives of the ceramic pieces. Glazed all • Work in the exhibition space in on how they would like their art to spring over, they look very different from the last few days happened swiftly. be installed might have been lost. how they looked initially. The par- With the active co-operation of all This is something that needs to be ticipants are visibly proud. the workers, the team were able to considered in the next phase. achieve their targets.

• While having an installation artist bring together the three distinct media was a strong solution to the

94 95 spring

The textile group add finishing touches to their pieces at the exhibition venue. Artists with experience in practices of installation ready the room for the exhibition. PHOTOS BY: Benita Fernando

96 97 A Naming Ceremony

Ghar Pe/Ghari/At Home: an idea Reflections: in three languages. • The participants were comfortable The name for the exhibition selecting names from the titles of suggested by David meets with Bollywood movies. This source of everyone’s approval. It is crisp and knowledge is one that they were evocative. The artists realise that very familiar with and were not the individual pieces should also be intimidated to explore. The register named and there is much debate. of names came entirely from the participants and it was enjoyable to It all starts with a kettle and a set realise how aptly they had named of tea glasses that signify the harm each piece. caused by drinking tea with too much milk and sugar. Someone • The textile group named most of says, “Let’s call this Cheeni Kum. the pieces. Because of logistics, the Less Sugar.” Cheeni Kum is the other participants could not name name of a popular Bollywood movie. their art work. In future, every art- ist should have the opportunity to At this, everyone is inspired to give name her piece. their pieces Bollywood names. They recall all their favourite movies, go back to the days of black and white films and even search online for movies they remember but whose names they have forgotten.

The emoticon cupboard is called Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. Sometimes Happiness Sometimes Sorrow. A door is christened Amar Akbar Anthony, a Hindi movie that is synonymous with communal harmony, much like the theme of the door. The sieves with microbes become Athithi Tum Kab Jayoge. Guest, When Will You Leave?

They laugh. Who would have spring thought Bollywood movies would come in so handy?

Each of the pieces was named after a Bollywood movie. PHOTOS BY: Neville Sukhia

98 99 House Warming

On the narrow lane off 90 Feet Road in Dharavi, a truck can block the view ahead. A curious crowd has gathered under a yellow shamiana this Saturday This exhibition is sure to bring evening. There are local women and children dressed in their shiny best. about change in the neighbourhood. There are outlanders from beyond – Zarina Dharavi in their ethnic kurtas and cool tees. Passers-by wonder what all “ the commotion is about. As fleeting ” glances deepen into interest and the crowd spills into the street, it looks like this is going to be an exhilarating evening. The exhibition has almost 250 visitors Ghar Pe/Ghari/At Home is finally this evening. Among those bursting ready for an audience. Every piece with excitement is Akku Behn, a mid- evokes a particular aspect of health dle-aged sweeper from the neighbour- and is the culmination of almost a hood. For Akku Behn, who has never year’s efforts in creativity, conversa- been to an art exhibition before, the tions and skill building. Mosquitoes pieces made by the participants lead embroidered on windows, photo- her to say that it is great that women graphs spread on utensils and dreams are doing something different and it is moulded into ceramic slippers are just important that women do more such some of the examples of household things in their lives. In the bustling Reflections: items that were afflicted by a healthy crowd, a little boy wants a fabric globe • The efficient administration of the dose of art. off Mehzabeen’s dream slipper to play with. There is the sound of many air- exhibition set-up and run have to be The inaugural event is preceded by a kisses being blown in the noisy room. emphasized. Thanks to methodical frenzy of photos taken by and of the planning by the SNEHA team, the Dekha Undekha crew. They would The artists who have just been felici- inaugural event was a smooth affair. have continued into the night had tated are exuberant as they see people Details had been attended to. From it not been for the gentle interven- paying close attention to their pieces. arranging security to staging a street tion of Jaya Nuty, who is hosting the This is yet another moment when a play, SNEHA had made sure that the spring programme. At the opening, Shanti craftswoman metamorphoses into event would appeal to and involve Pantvaidya traces the journey of every an artist, and they have a terrific time local people. woman, the SNEHA youth group explaining their art to curious visitors. • The inaugural evening fulfilled an performs a spirited Marathi street play As the street lights glow, the crowd objective as it brought two disparate on safe sexual practices and those who trickles out. But it is evident that groups together – affluent art enthu- put together the exhibition, through everyone who came here is touched by siasts and Dharavi locals who had not art or administration, are felicitated. a bit of blue-green this evening. seen an art exhibition before. PHOTO BY: Neville Sukhia

100 101 spring

Cheeni Kum, with its little glassfuls of messages on the benefits and problems of drinking tea, was a revelation to many Many women and children from Dharavi who visited At Home wished to be included in future programs. Women discuss (Top). Curious visitors gather around the portraits made by the textile group (Above). the domestic violence stove (Top) while the boys admire the sieves with microbes (Above). PHOTOS BY: Neville Sukhia PHOTOS BY: Neville Sukhia

102 103 A photo-wall of local people, mounted on a corrugated iron wall to echo the surroundings (Top). Women scrutinise the bed that narrates the saga of sleep (Left).

Chapatis decorated with stories about domestic violence (Bottom left). Detail of fabric ornaments bearing religious symbols on Amar Akbar Anthony, the doors that welcomed all to the exhibition (Right). spring A dishrack displaying plates to which images of hygiene and sanitation have been bonded (Bottom right). PHOTOS BY: Neville Sukhia PHOTOS BY: Neville Sukhia

104 105 Children, At Home As the school bell rings in the after- Parveen, who conducted some tours noon, students from the neighbour- of the exhibition for the children, ing Ganesh Vidya Mandir school run says that she had the most enjoyable into the exhibition hall. These days time interacting with them. “When I the blue-green hall has become an told the children about the exhibits, extension of their sandy playground. they were very eager to share their They come in little flocks and are experiences.” She recalls a boy who guided through the exhibition. was told about the health benefits of black tea, and said, “At home, if Their clothes are dusty and they are Mummy and Papa don’t have tea, an assorted group of primary school then breakfast does not get made.” students. Some are only 6 years old Another looked at Mirch Masala, the and some are in the fifth standard. exhibit of varied foodstuffs, and said, They are curious about every art- “Though we know eating fried foods work and ignore the ‘Do Not Touch’ is unhealthy, my mother just gives signs, as keen audiences are bound me money to buy oily fried things to do. Seeing their enthusiasm, the from the shop.” school arranges an official visit for them one afternoon. Abhishek, who Among the audiences who connected studies in the fourth standard, keeps the most with the exhibition, the Reflections: hovering around the emoticon cup- children stood out. Their approach • SNEHA strategically invited a board and is half in love with it. He was not one of criticism but of number of local schools to the exhi- thinks he needs one at home. identification. Each child had her bition. Children usually are a keen favourite installation and took home They are familiar with microbes, audience and they disseminated the a new story and a new lesson. In a knowledge they had acquired. Local sanitation and the necessity for a hall reminiscent of a playground, the healthy diet. A girl in the second audiences were in fact mobilized story was colourful and the moral inadvertently by them. standard has returned with her was open to interpretation. father, Manoj, who works as a peon • Interactive exercises allowed the at a city college. He smilingly reveals students opportunities to connect that his daughter persuaded him to better with the exhibition. come and see “this beautiful exhibi- tion” she had been to. Exercises are • About 1500 students came to the conducted with the school students exhibition. Practical demonstrations in which they record their dreams on sanitation, garbage disposal, wa- on paper slippers and their emotions ter purification and related interven- and comments on the exhibition on tions that could be carried out at the

sheets of paper that are stuck on a domestic level are a further initiative spring wall. The wall fills slowly in the be- for consideration. ginning, but becomes a site of desires in English, Hindi and Marathi.

For the schoolchildren, the exhibition was an extension of their classes and their playground. Dare they eat lunch here? PHOTO BY : Neville Sukhia

106 107 Mentor Speak: Nandita Kumar

an informal intimate space where women gathered to exchange stories and this particular space gradually metamorphosed into alternative networks of kinship and solidarity beyond the family. These networks generated local civic activism around questions of health, sanitation, and empowerment. Each artist was assisted in actualizing their concept from their workshop.

The year-long story-telling sessions culminated in the exhibition Ghar Pe/Ghari/At Home. The installation came in stages. The idea of the house was becoming a reality and what propelled the vision was when the team selected household objects of SNEHA invited me to be an art- significance to the community such ist-curator, help build a web between as a charpoi (bed), television cabinet, three different activities - photogra- gas stove, etc. For instance the stove phy, textiles and clay – and install and a number of kitchen elements the resulting art objects in a cohesive stood as a symbol of domestic exhibition. The questions I started violence. The physical presence of asking myself were: How to get the these domestic objects made it easier participants to think conceptually? for these women participating in the Where can they communicate their workshop to actualize and mature ideas with the skills learnt in the their concepts further. The team workshops? How to effectively create found an exhibition hall in Dharavi, an installation that can be easily a rundown classroom rented from a approached by Dharavi residents local high school that was renovated who may have never visited an art and painted turquoise. What I am re- gallery? Humans connect with ally proud of is that all the furniture common experiences. The common and objects used were second-hand thread that I felt could connect all and recycled. The household objects spring spheres was home and its objects. were curated in a way that made The year-long collaboration, which I them look as though they were began with mapping the participants’ floating loosely to abstract the space. own houses and storytelling sessions The walls of the exhibition room based on common household objects, had objects and images commonly Every participant wished for some relief revolved around personal experi- seen on Dharavi streets such as a from the clockwork nature of their lives. shutter, ladders, asbestos and tin Early drawings of their homes by participants were blue- ences of the domestic. We created prints for visualizing the final look of the exhibition.

108 109 roofs, plumbing, etc. It was almost as This project had a language that was easily accessible if everything had been turned inside out or outside in. and communicative; it was an aesthetic and experiential The participants spoke to children, space, which possessed an innocent but mature concepts inspectors, artists, industrialists, “and a team that was full of passion and belief in their vision government officials and various oth- ers about their thoughts and vision of Dharavi. The confidence I saw in some women who had never stepped outside their homes was enthralling. ” These women who had entered shy and unconfident were bubbling with a newfound energy of their inner strength.

This project had a language that was easily accessible and communicative; it was an aesthetic and experiential space, which possessed an innocent but mature concepts and a team that was full of passion and belief in their vision. spring

Nandita Kumar, Susie Vickery and the participants discuss the finer points of conceptualizing their many art objects made from second hand furniture. PHOTO BY: Benita Fernando

110 111 Afterword : Inside Out , Outside In

Following the whole process over a they worked through the process. Who does what year taught us five big things. The first was that it was fantastic. The On the other hand, some people The fourth thing we learned was changes we saw in all the artists, suggested that the established artists that Dekha Undekha would have their joy in realising their ideas – would set the agenda and the emerg- benefited from more discussion of taking risks that they might not have ing artists would end up working people’s responsibilities. The project imagined before - and communicat- on someone else’s ideas. This is a was big, complicated and enjoyable, ing them to others, the brilliance of tricky balance to strike. If you don’t and many people went well beyond the artworks, and the enthusiastic provide enough structure, people the call of duty. Some of them were response from the people of Dharavi find it hard to understand what they not clearly members of the Dekha and all the exhibition visitors, tell us are supposed to be thinking about Undekha team: the openness of the that Dekha Undekha was a resound- or doing. And if you don’t provide ex- process and the ease with which it ing success. In any project, though, amples, they find it hard to come up fitted into SNEHA’s culture meant some things go well and some go less with ideas. It’s all about precedent. that anyone could be as involved as well. they liked. At the same time, though, Painting on the same canvas it was often hard to know where the Too clear or too muddy Three groups of artists worked in buck stopped. What were the respon- sibilities of the artists? Who would The biggest challenge could be parallel in three types of medium along with a multimedia and instal- go through a list of media contacts described as the tension between and phone them all? Who would fluidity and structure. To begin lation artist. Because we wanted to keep our plans open, and because we design invitations and posters? Who with, we kept our plans loose. We would collect all the photographs knew that Dekha Undekha would wanted the artists to feel free to work in their own ways, it was sometimes of the process and make sure they lead to an exhibition. We didn’t were accessible? To what extent were know where the exhibition would hard to bring them together. Some of this was down to practicalities. the colleagues who negotiated with be (it was originally going to be people in Dharavi and stewarded held at an international conference They met in three different places and worked at different paces. But the exhibition members of the team? on urban health that never hap- Whose project was Dekha Undekha? pened), whether it would contain some of it was down to the openness one artwork or many, whether the of the remit. Would the work of the Growing the family three strands of the project would photography group lead to an exhibi- develop pieces together or separately, tion of framed pictures on the walls The final lesson was in how to start. or how the artworks would speak to of a gallery, or would photographs When you’re beginning a project The children who visited At Home left behind their dreams and their responses. A wall of colourful wishes remained even after the exhibition had moved. PHOTOS BY: Priya Agrawal urban health. At times we seemed to be used in a less traditional way as like Dekha Undekha, you get a lot be ignoring advice. For example, a pieces of a collaborative artwork? of advice. Some of it is ideological: number of people suggested that we Who would decide? Would a curator opinions on how the project should spring should clarify the health messages accept or reject artworks, or change or should not engage with people in that Dekha Undekha would deliver. them to fit a personal vision? What areas like Dharavi, the place of art We didn’t want to do this as our idea sort of structured process would give in difficult lives, what other projects was that creativity around health us answers to these questions that have done before. Some of it is aspi- issues would develop in the artists as reflected everyone’s views? rational: get famous artists involved,

112 113 arrange media coverage through art project. What should we do? major TV channels or branding and communications companies, ask First, we must carry on working celebrities to endorse the work. What with the people who enjoyed Dekha we have learned is that you should Undekha and made superb art. think about the work and how best Second, we must invite the people to do it. For example, we spent who were excited by Ghar Pe/Ghari/ quite a lot of time contacting named At Home and want to get involved. individuals, when it might have been Some of them will want to learn better to ask for help from less estab- about art, some of them will want lished people, perhaps through art to learn about health, and some of schools and young creatives. In the them will want to spin the process end, all the people involved in Dekha off into community action. Third, we Undekha came to us through friends must build on the work as a source of and their friends. We had no trouble pride for Dharavi and other commu- getting media interest and no trouble nities in difficult circumstances. hosting a packed-out exhibition be- Over the next two years, we want cause the project was exciting and we our artists to learn more and to had existing connections with people lead the induction of new artists, in the community. through a series of visits to exhibi- What Dekha Undekha did next tions, workshops on contemporary art, urban walks and discussions. We have been quite self-critical We want to explore different media, about the challenges that developed including puppetry and filmmaking, along the way. Probably too critical and the use of recycled materials. We at times, because some of them arose want to punctuate the process with from the fluidity – muddiness of events - performances, small shows Dekha Undekha. Things are different – so that energy is maintained and now. There’s nothing like having people have clear targets and things achieved something wonderful, and, to celebrate. We want to explore the just as importantly, we have a prece- potential of different sites for art, dent. When we talk about contempo- perhaps transforming alleys with rary art that engages people with ur- site-specific installations. We want ban health on a deep level, displayed to get more young artists involved so at an exhibition of real quality, it has that we have critical mass and can

happened. People can visualise what cope with people working part-time. spring the Dekha Undekha process leads to, how mixed-media artworks might This is our muddy vision: a Dharavi look, what discussing an exhibition Biennale. A cultural event for art and with visitors is like. And they are health that brings the inside out and excited: Ghar Pe/Ghari/At Home the outside in. generated a long list of local people David Osrin who want to get involved in the next

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