Photos: (From left): Naslen K. Gafoor, Girish AD, Girish's wife Chippy Viswan and Mamitha Baiju; Director Girish AD
By Shevlin Sebastian
By Shevlin Sebastian
Communications consultant and heritage enthusiast Mudar Patherya got eight pavements in the Lake Market area in Kolkata painted and transformed the neighbourhood
By Shevlin Sebastian
A few weeks ago, as Mudar Patherya woke up one morning at his home in Kolkata and stared at the ceiling, an idea popped into his head: why not paint pavements?
For the past two years, the communications consultant and heritage enthusiast, along with two friends, Ratnabali Ghosh, a retired teacher at the Ballygunge Shiksha Sadan and Prasanta Sain, a professional artist had got alpanas — traditional motifs, patterns and symbols — painted anonymously in random houses, five-star hotels, and pavements in different parts of the city.
“The idea of painting became embedded in my mind,” says Mudar.
Mudar then came up with an idea of doing a ‘Walk of Fame’, similar to the Hollywood version. “Initially, the plan was to put the names at the centre of the pavements,” says Mudar. “But people told me that if somebody walks over a name like Rabindranath Tagore, it will create a huge controversy.”
So Mudar decided to put the names on the side of the pavement, near the buildings. The names included, apart from Tagore, contemporary musicians like Suchitra Mitra, Debabrata Biswas, Shreya Ghoshal, Shyamal Mitra, Anjan Dutt, Rupam Islam, Susmit Bose, and Usha Uthup.
As for the pavement design, Mudar says, “It is like a mosaic. Very fluid. But it looks visually elegant. We wanted to create a sense of wonder.”
Mudar also got the hand pumps painted in a distinctive yellow. And the Calcutta Electric Supply and the MTNL transformer boxes were painted in the same colours of the pavements. “These two structures stood out,” says Mudar. “Some people told me that this is magically possible, not just in Kolkata but in urban India, as well.”
Mudar had to get permission from Manisha Bose-Shaw (Trinamool Congress), the municipal councillor of ward 87.
When Manisha listened to what Mudar had to say, she smiled. “No one has tried anything like this before,” she says. “I also had a teeny bit of apprehension. Would it work? But in the end, I extended my support to Mudar.”
Two things worked in Mudar’s favour. Manisha had already heard about Mudar.
“We are Facebook friends,” she says. “So, through his posts, I could see the work he had done in various places. I realised he was an out-of-the-box thinker.”
Around eight pavements on Dr Sarat Banerjee Road, and Maharaja Nandakumar Road, in the Lake Market area, have been painted.
After the work was complete, Manisha says, there was a sense of wonder among the residents. “People had never seen a painted pavement before,” she says. “They felt it was beautiful and crazy at the same time.”
Manisha organised a music festival, with the support of local cafes like Art Cafe, Spoonful, Bakeandstean, Narumeg and Eva Brew, to celebrate the event.
The cafe owners were ecstatic. The owner of Eva Brew Siddhant Singhania said, “Yes, it has made a big difference to the sales.”
Asked whether he had got any sponsors for this, Mudar said there were eleven. And one of the sponsors was Miraj Shah, the Vice Chairman of the Bhawanipur Education Society College. “I have been sponsoring Mudar’s projects for the past eight years,” says Miraj. “The aim is to beautify the city. Mudar is our spearhead for this.”
Asked why he chose this particular area, Mudar says, “This neighbourhood was gradually developing a cafe culture. So I hope that with these colourful pavements, more cafes and boutiques will come up. Residents who may think of selling their Art Deco two or three-storey houses to builders might think twice, since now, they would get a decent income from rents. The character of the neighbourhood will be protected. Essentially, this was a heritage preservation exercise.”
Some of the other initiatives of Mudar include cleaning up the Santragachi Jheel (lake). He set up an NGO called Kolkata Gives, which mobilised nearly Rs 100 million in cash and kind during the pandemic. He cleaned up the Rabindra Sarobar, a lake/garden/park in South Kolkata, replanted 149 trees, set up water sprinklers, opened an open-air gallery and organised a ‘Live in Lakes’ musical event. Mudar also did the clean-up of Vivekananda Park and Lily Pool.
Asked why he is one of the few educated Indians to have a social sensibility, Mudar says that the middle class has an inside-outside paradox. “That means, they spend lakhs, even crores of rupees to ensure that the inside of their homes look beautiful,” says Mudar. “But if you ask these people to give a Rs 100 donation to clean up the pavements, they will say no.”
So who should we blame for this mindset?
Mudar says the education, social and family structures are playing their roles. “The middle class has a me, my and mine attitude,” he says. “You have to redefine me and mine. You should have a personal and financial ownership of the city. Your definition of home has to change. It should include the city. You should not blame anybody for civic woes. Solve it yourself. You live in the city and the city should live inside you. Only then will society be transformed.”
(Published in The Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)
When I awoke
on a recent morning, I saw an image of me standing on a sidewalk and staring at
a movie hall on the opposite side.
I expanded
on the image later in the day.
This was
what I wrote:
I am standing on
a pavement. Opposite me, there is a huge billboard which is advertising a film.
The movie hall is behind it. I stare at the board. People are walking past,
left to right, right to left. Cars are also going past.
A man walks down
the street. He wears a white suit and white shoes. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. He
stops in front of me.
I say, “Who are
you?”
He turns to look
at me. Slight stubble on his upper lip.
“I am the hero
of this film,” he says, pointing at the billboard.
“And your name?”
I ask.
“Chris Jones,”
he replies.
“You came to see
the audience's reaction?” I say.
“Exactly,” he
says. “Do you want to see it?”
“Sure, why not,
if you are buying the ticket?” I say.
Chris grins and
says, “Sure, of course.”
We cross the
street. He buys the tickets at the counter. We enter the foyer and climb the
steps to the first floor.
As we stand
outside the door of the hall, I say, “Is there time for a chat?”
Chris looks at
his watch. Then he nods and says, “About two minutes.”
I ask about his
life.
Chris is
originally from Burbank, California. His father was a chef, his mother a
teacher. They did not discourage him when he said he wanted to be an
actor.
“Just see that
you have a talent for acting,” his father Eddie said.
“And do you?” I
say.
Chris
smiles.
“Not major
league,” he says. “So far, it’s second tier.”
“Very honest,” I
say, as I pat his arm in appreciation and add, “Why have you come into my
dream?”
Chris narrows his
eyes and says, “I didn’t know I am in a dream.”
“Yes, you are,”
I say. “Mine.”
Chris stares at
me.
“I don’t know
why I have come,” he says.
“Maybe you
represent an archetype,” I say.
“What does that
mean?” he says.
“Never mind,” I
say. “Let’s enjoy the movie.”
When Chris sits,
his knees almost hit the head of the person sitting in front of him. ‘Wow, long
legs,’ I think.
We watch
silently. There is not much of a crowd. Or a crowd reaction. People remain
quiet throughout. No claps or standing ovations. Occasionally, Chris looks
around. Then he rubs his hand through his hair in slow motion. I know he is not
feeling good. I see him look once or twice at the ceiling.
When the movie
gets over, we walk out silently.
On the road, he
turns to look at me and said, “So what do you think?”
I know I have to
be diplomatic.
“It’s okay,” I
said.
He knows I have
been polite.
“Let’s have
something,” he said.
We walk into a
cafe.
He orders a café
au lait and cookies. I do the same.
We look at each
other.
“I am sorry,” I
said.
“Yeah, the film
is not doing well,” he said. “They will yank it after the last show on
Thursday.”
I nod.
“Hits and
misses,” he said. “That’s what life is all about. You may have a hit by meeting
the right woman who becomes your wife, but your film can be a flop.”
We laugh
spontaneously.
“Well said,” I
reply.
“Thank you,” he
said, as he takes a sip of his coffee. I also sip from my cup.
I reach out and
shake his hand.
“Look, it’s time
for me to get up,” I said. “I have to bring this dream to an end. Morning
chores await me. Buying milk, reading the newspaper, making breakfast.”
He nods, “Okay,
it was nice to have met you.”
We shake hands.
I open my eyes and get out of bed.
The world on the seabed has been created by God. It is perfect and pristine. But now the excessive plastic in the oceans is doing grave damage. But there are areas which exist in the way God had designed it. When you see such beauty, you have a meditative and religious feeling. The earth was probably as beautiful as the ocean. But then man came and destroyed everything. Now there is climate change and global warming. We are ignoring it. One day, nature will cause a big catastrophe to happen that will wipe out most of the people.
You have been a ladies’ man. But now you have been married for 40 years. What are the tips for a successful marriage?
You should give each other space. And the spouse should have the opportunity to grow to her full potential. You should not curb or monitor your spouse. A wife should be successful in her own right. A good marriage is not competitive. Don’t take her for granted. You must court your wife like you used to before your marriage. Make tea and take it to the bed for her. Of course, she will say, “What’s wrong with you?” Then you reply, “Just chooma.”
Published in The Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi
Captions: George Vadakkeparambil, 73, has acted in 40 dramas. He performed till the age of 65. He stopped because of poor
health
From
her childhood Alphonsa was interested in Chavittu Natakam. When her family
resisted her desire to be an artist, she tried to commit suicide. Moly Kannamali,
a famous Chavittu Natakam artist and film star became Alphonsa’s mentor.
Today, Alphonsa has acted in many dramas. The widowed Alphonsa lives in
her hut all alone. Her children have grown up, got married and moved away
Antony,
a daily wage labourer, plays Raja Antony. Antony was 16 when he performed
for the first time. Today, he is 76. Because he has played the role of a
king many times, he is now called Raja Antony
Silosh, 35, with his family. He learned Chavittu Natakam from his uncle. He has performed more than 50 times. During high tide, at nights, Silosh and his family sit awake on the cot till the water recedes
T.J. Xavier and his wife. In 2018, flood waters entered his house and he lost his costumes and props
Photographer KR Sunil
Documentary photographer KR Sunil’s exhibition focuses on the Chavittu Natakam artists who are battling poverty and climate change