Friday morning was a bit rough for me. I experienced quite a bit of nausea from working out and possibly taking antibiotics on an empty stomach. I was also likely somewhat dehydrated. Varun suggested that we spend the day checking out museums on foot instead of what he had planned (which involved a one hour boat ride). Fortunately this gave me plenty of time to do damage control and get my stomach in order.
We took the train to Churchgate, the southern most stop on the central Mumbai peninsula. It is one of the more ostensibly British areas from an architectural standpoint. It's an interesting contrast to see these magnificent buildings marked in Sanskrit lettering. We passed by an enormous cricket field on our way to the Museum (or the museum formerly know as Prince... of Wales). This museum houses a large variety of artifacts spanning from early Harappan civilization to around the early 20th century, including regions such as Europe, China, Nepal, India, Tibet, and other Asian countries. You get to see a lot of the overlap and transitions especially as religious influences spread across these areas. Admittedly a lot of the pieces don't capture my imagination too much, but the museum also offers a variety of short term art exhibits.
One gallery featured exclusively black and white drawings from Indian artists. These were a highlight for me. I learned about an artist named M F Husain, who was a member of parliament for six years. In that time he scribbled out some really hasty but incredibly striking sketches of politicians during heated moments in Indian political history. In his foreword, Husain emphasizes that these aren't caricatures. For each depiction he will come up with a sort of symbolic language that is conveyed through the drawing. These symbols seem to represent the attitude to the issue at hand, and then it is infused with a sketch of perhaps the main speaker or perhaps another person involved. Upon first glance you wouldn't ascribe much artistic value to these notepad doodles, but they seem to be more about capturing ideas than any realism. This was appealing to me because it makes drawing seem more accessible. It doesn't have to be so well articulated by the skill of your hand, but of your mind, to communicate something. I'll stick to words for now, but I'm keen on exploring where my mind might wander if I indulge in drawing.
A few museums later we stumble upon another gem. This gallery featured large portraits over multiple canvases, usually spanning over 15 feet in width. The one I want to share was done in ink over an acrylic background. It's titled Serenity by Ompal Sansanwal. You can check it out here: http://www.saffronart.com/fixed/ItemDetails.aspx?iid=38682&a=Ompal%20%20Sansanwal&pt=2&eid=3647
It was so easy to get lost in these massive portraits. I'll share a few more favorites from that installation when I have better internets (or I could forget entirely, but hopefully this will hold me to it).
In lieu of museum overload, we decided to end our day here and return to the hotel. We've been starting out rather early in the morning to beat the heat and humidity, but somehow the days are blowing by so quickly. It feels like I barely have enough time to write down some thoughts before sleep takes over and the next adventure begins. All seem so rife with experience, and I realize it's a shame that I didn't embrace "ordinary" life with the same eagerness. Nothing so familiar seemed worthy of writing about. I hope that I don't let anything feel so ordinary ever again.
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