Twenty- five Seven

The Sassoon Dog and the Dock Art Project

November 12, 2017

Dogs peeing on the road are a common sight. So I wasn’t in the least surprised to see a larger than life wire installation of the Sassoon Dog lifting up his leg and peeing on the wall. That sure brought a smile to my face. The only one actually in a show that frankly left me bemused and disappointed.

Growing up, Sassoon Dock was an important part of my life. I passed it twice a day on my way to and from school . Even though it wasn’t a long stretch of road , I would hold my breath for a good two minutes as the bus rattled past .

Sassoon Dock was one of places where fishing boats brought their catch and the area around was full of little process houses where the catch was cleaned , processed and despatched to different parts of the world.

Of late there have been attempts at gentrifying the place and rumours of rejuvenating the dock to create a vibrant waterfront like the Piers of San Francisco!

So when Daughter No.1 alerted me about the Sasoon Dock Art show all the way from New Jersey, I had to check it out for myself. Since it was a Sunday Hubby Dear and I set out pretty late in the morning . Actually it was noon when we reached Sasoon Dock.

The sun was high up in the sky and the smell of fish was still very strong. It still looked very much like a fishing dock, filled with fishy activity. And when the signage to the show suddenly stopped, I wondered if we had come to the right place.

Across from the art show venue was a small shrine under the banyan tree.

Having no idea where the Valet was going to park the car, we parked a little while away right next to a open air barber shop. At least here we were sure of finding it when we returned.

We were tagged before we entered, having given our names to the organisers at the desk.

We entered a large hall with a warm light filtering through the high ceilinged room that had patches of ochre visible through the interesting installation of words of Hanif Kureshi evoking smells and sights superimposed on a fishing net ?

But by this time I had lost sight of Hubby Dear who was looking for his own favourite pee spot and entered the next hall which looked surprisingly like Mumbai’s messy buildings with washing hanging in your face

I walked through this messy installation and came into a courtyard

That continued the theme that was so aptly captured by another peeing dog . This time it was a life sized Sassoon Dog who lifted his leg up to the words :

To piss| to make a mess of :

“It’s all around us

That which we learn to un-see”

#TheSasoonDog

I was more bewildered by the next room which had bottles and stuff hanging in my face .

This was truly an Art for All event and the place was full of people one would never see at an art show . No perfumed ladies or fashionable gents but literally ordinary, everyday people who were as fascinated by the art as I was . Sadly, by this time I was completely disoriented and was more worried about losing Hubby Dear than appreciating the art .

I made my way through the hanging bottles only to find myself confronting a mirror! The other visitors who were equally startled, laughed in embarrassment and I retraced my steps to the entrance way.

Once outside, much like Alice, I found an arrow on the floor directing me to yet another room that said it was the last fisherman in Bombay

Again in a room shrouded in darkness , I couldn’t understand what to make of the installations beautiful as they were. This art show was way too cerebral for me and went completely over my head. May be an art tour is essential to truly appreciate this show.

The photograph room was interesting but with so much empty wall space that I felt there were exhibits still to be put up . Were they?

All in all, this was extremely disappointing showing . It is billed as 30 International artists for 50 days and promises to have Singapore Weekend (17-19 November )and a French Weekend ( 25-26 November) with curated art tours, films and workshops.

There are music concerts scheduled and a Koli festival from mid December. Find out more about it here.

Perhaps it will be a fun event after all

But for me, this was a rather damp squib.
The Wish Tree #ThursdayTreeLove

November 9, 2017

It is almost a year to the day that I saw this wonderful wishing tree in the UC Davis Campus in California. I had gone to visit a nephew who is doing his undergraduate program there. UC Davis is a famous agricultural college and obviously has beautiful trees in the Arboretum which actually looks like a painting.

But the most beautiful tree I saw was this wishing tree.

This was a tradition started by Yoko Ono, the widow of the celebrated Beatle John Lennon.

Every now and then a student/staffer takes down the wishes to make place for new ones.

Isn’t that a lovely tradition?

Linking up with Parul’s initiative #ThursdayTreeLove-27where bloggers are invited to share their photos of trees every second and fourth Thursday in the month.
A bland cup of coffee – Unlikely Tails: Book Review

November 8, 2017

When I was asked by Blogadda if I wanted to review “Unlikely Tails” by Mani Padma, I jumped at the chance because I am lagging behind miserably in my Goodreads Challenge. Imagine I can’t even muster up 12 books when I’d promised myself just two books a month? That’s nothing short of shameful.

So I grabbed the chance to read this book and was quite surprised when I received a thin envelope containing a signed copy by the author.

Actually, I was thrilled that it was so slim. I would be able to finish it in one night itself! It would be a quick if not easy read. Besides , I love reading Indian authors whose books I can generally relate to with ease.

And the cover with its intriguing shaggy tail had me wondering if it was a book of doggy stories. I love doggy stories. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. The word tails was a pun and actually signified a twist in the tale. For indeed, each of these tales has an unexpected ending.

The Book :

Dr. Mani Padma, the author of the book has written this small anthology of short stories. Drawing on her experiences, Mani Padma tells stories that have a completely unpredictable end. The stories themselves are quite straightforward with very believable characters. I personally feel that doctors like lawyers have a ring side view of humanity with their constant interaction with people particularly those with problems. And problems as we all know appeal to humanity.

However, despite the particularly spirited and endearing heroines , there is something missing in the book.

Though the stories all deal with human relationships that are flawed, there is a strong leaning towards unrequited love and an undercurrent of mockery of all things traditional ( the arranged marriage for example). So while the endings may be unexpected, the situations are pretty trite. And the situations that are unusual are downright bizarre like the stories “Dead-End” , “Broken Heart” and”In Pursuit of Fame”.

I really enjoyed “Pammi’s Escort Service” and “Dull-Iance”, though this last story could have been written in more refined language. But then perhaps the heroine did have a brusque manner bordering on rudeness.

One thing is for sure, Mani Padma does manage to hook your attention . And the best part is that the stories are so short that you can finish off the book in half an hour or so. Surprisingly, I did so too!

Honest opinion

To tell you the truth, the book seemed more a collection of blog posts that have been published as a book. I also feel that part of the reason this book doesn’t scintillate is the sloppy editing. A case in point : On page 55, the author writes

“He felt fresh the next morning. He put on some freshly washed clothes……” Surely the editor could have helped with a better choice of words?

On the other hand, the pedestrian writing and simple words make this book easy to understand.

[bctt tweet=”Perhaps that’s why this book will appeal to readers like me who don’t have the luxury of time to read. ” username=”via unishta”]

You can buy this book at book stores near you or online via Amazon

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!