December’s social activity spilled over into January. Fresh visitors from colder climes meant a get together. A wedding reception was next in line and an art show brought in the rear.

I have a tonne of friends and varied interests. However, my social activities are largely restricted to grocery shopping. They also include mundane chores.

However, three back-to-back events over the last three days literally had me falling flat on my face on my way back from the Art show last evening. It had nothing to do with the hectic activities. It was due to the poor street lighting and uneven road surfaces in Mumbai. Save a few roads which are safe to use, Mumbai’s streets are fraught with danger.

If you don’t fall into a pot hole or trip on uneven paver blocks, you are bound to be knocked over by speeding delivery boys driving on the wrong side of the road or buses and humongous trucks masquerading as automobiles pummeling into you as they try to get ahead in traffic that is jammed.

But I digress.

Starting mid-week, I had a delightful time catching up with college friends meet-up at a private dinner. Small and cozy, with good food and good company, time literally flew. We walked home happy and content.

This feeling of bliss carried over to Thursday where I met up with another group of school friends at a wedding reception. Held on the beautifully decorated lawns of a club, it was an honour to be part of a joyous celebration. Wedding receptions these days are few and far between as many of my friends’ children are reluctant to tie the knot. So this was another social evening that I cherished. Once again, old friends, good food, golden oldies playing in the background, cool breezes and pleasant conversation made this an enjoyable evening.

A Social Event with a difference

But last evening was the first time ever that we were invited to the opening of an art show. I was particularly keen on seeing how this played out having finished ‘Anita de Monte has the last laugh’ last month.

It was the first time the artist Dr. Dnyanesh Lad was exhibiting though he has already been painting for over a decade.

We started out from home at 4:45 pm because the GPS told us that it would take an hour. And the time taken to reach our destination would increase as the evening progressed. All was well till we hit the traffic at Mahim from where it became a slow crawl to Floor One.

The gallery was quite difficult to spot because there was no indication at all that it was in the corner building at the start of NS Road No 6. Additionally, it was marked as Juhu on the invite. But the driver insisted on calling it Santa Cruz and Hubby Dear insisted on calling it Khar. However, we managed to find the gallery.

The small trickle of people schlepping it from South Bombay to North soon became an avalanche. And within an hour, the champagne flutes gave way to plastic disposables. The trays of sandwiches soon vanished.
The Gallerist had totally underestimated the response of the South Bombaywallahs who are known for their reluctance to go beyond a few kilometres from their comfort zone.

The eclectic crowd included individuals with replaced knees and childhood friends. After the initial “oohs” and “aahs,” it became a regular cocktail party.
This did not detract from the stunning artworks on display. Dnyanesh Lad’s works, in particular, completely stole the show.

The hard work of twelve months definitely paid off. Colour was used brilliantly. Movement added a dynamic element. This altered the normal gloomy and dark urban scape of narrow gulleys and hungry people. The drab and desperate streets of Mumbai could very well represent the squalor that lurks pan-India.

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. In the artist’s eye, the mundane is transformed into a magical reality. This transformation is reflected in the wet roads of the gulley. This recurrent theme of people waiting on the sidelines is captured in charcoal and pen and ink works. Each medium brings out different aspects of gulley life.
The works in acrylic jump out at you with their bright, vibrant colors. The charcoal with its nude man conveys despair. Meanwhile, the pen and inks strangely bring a sense of calm in the otherwise frenetic urban scape.

This first public show had a good response with a couple of paintings snapped up before the evening was over.
Clearly, colour and form have found a new voice in the art of Dnyanesh Lad.

Even though I fell flat on my face as we went towards the car, I was lucky. My sari didn’t tear, and my watch didn’t crack. My teeth didn’t fall. My knees weren’t grazed, and my shoulders didn’t dislocate.

It was not exactly the way I’d have liked to round off a spell of delightful social evenings.

Ciao