Of Walls that Speak and Shout

15th August 2008: Wake up, attend mass & flag hoisting ceremony, watch prize distribution kaaryakram for the little Marathi paathshaala affiliated with our church, go home, laze around, eat chicken curry, sleep, wake up, go beaching, come home, eat, sleep.

The BMC crew pose with our motley crew

15th August 2009: Wake up at the crack of dawn, chow down a ginormous breakfast with Aditya while hustling him for graphic novels, catch up on conversations with Rehab, head to The Wall Project at Mahim, spend an entire day painting crazy-whacked graffiti on the walls running parallel to the station, have a smash time painting them with crazy-whacked people, experience culinary nirvana with fun company, come home bone-tired, eat, crash out senseless on the bed.

But oh, I had fun. On Independence Day too!

I have never ever participated in anything quite like The Wall Project. Not on Independence Day, not ever. Come to think of it, I had never heard of the BMC participating in something like The Wall Project either, EVER.

In Front of my Wall. Top L-R: Jai, me, Aditya, Shirley. Bottom L-R: Idea Smith, Shawn

During those two paint-streaked, madly exciting days I saw and viciously thanked my stars for things like:

1. India and Bombay in particular,  is cool enough to think about community efforts like these and actively encourage them.

2. I experienced the BMC, children from the neighboring shanties, social workers, activists, hard-core artists, vandals and hit-and-run drivers up close, most of them in their element. Some of these folks turned out to be realities that really bite. The things I saw and the people I experienced meeting and observed that day boggled me.

Social awareness on display

3. I can haz fun too. Sometimes trudging all the way to that end of town from this end is more than worth it.

4. I am finally getting myself to experience whatever Bombay is throwing my way by way of culture. My last few months in this Burning City are months I am going to experience to their utmost and so far, they are turning out to be utterly fantastic!

5. Best part? I got to go berserk with people like Idea Smith, Rehab, Aditya, Jai, Wanderblah, Shawn, Jhayu, Aniceto, Moksh, Alpana and some more fun people whose names I can’t remember but really loved meeting!

 

Purple Feathers, Darling Nuns, Shopaholics & New Beginnings

Last Friday had me sleeping a bit late due to extreme excitement over my first shopping excursion for the wedding.

Something Special in Bandra is a DIY bride’s dream & maybe the groomsmen & the men from my bridal party’s nightmare. I shall reveal nothing more than two words – purple feathers.

Mom and I wrapped up with Something Special and I don’t know what compelled me, but I was pulled towards my school or more specifically the nuns who were so much a part of my childhood. I was unable to meet my old principal but as I was nervously jotting down a note to her, I met the terror of my boarding school days.

Said terror was the resident nurse and the choir mistress. If you were sick, you were huffed at for falling sick. If you were not sick, you were huffed at for causing general inconvenience. If you had a good voice, you had to attend interminable singing practices. If you couldn’t croak well, you were banished to the spare voices section.

Us girls would find ourselves in quite a pickle when in the presence of the terror.

So imagine my surprise when said terror gives me the biggest bear hug in mankind’s history and greets me like I’ve come home. It made me quite sappy to tell the truth.

Easter dresses beckoned me though and so I had to leave the good nuns for the nonce with promises to return soon for more reminiscing. Luck had it that I found the perfect dress in the first shop itself. I am so darn pleased with it, that I am planning on wearing it on the day my Second Banns are read in church.

The next day continued in very much the same vein. After a lot of waiting and coaxing I got to watch Confessions of a Shopaholic with three absolutely, divinely, stylish girls.

From frame one onwards, I was captivated. I forgot all about my cheese popcorn. I forgot about everything except a theatre full of beautiful women who let go of the world for an hour or two, the purple galoshes , coats, dresses, heels and purple everything, three women who loved to shop and always have a better-than-good time and Sophie Kinsella’s magical, funny story.

The adrenaline was gushing and I was incredibly high on a fabulous weekend spent with family, friends and cousins. So I ended the night with a thorough soaking in Temptations at Bandra and spread some Britney Spears ‘love’. On a side note, they really ought to chuck them old CDs out from the jukebox!

 

Aside and apart from everything else, this has been a fitting last week to an old year and an old life.

Sukaala to the new year! Gudi Padva abhinandan.

Graffiti & Slumming Around Chapel Road, Bandra

After I finished checking out tailor number two on Chimbai Road in Bandra, Rosalyn & I went to meet my darling cousin Joel at his lovely house on Carmel Church road.

It’s always good to have a man’s point of view when you are planning a wedding and from all my friends and family I can think of no better male mind to trust than Joel’s. Few men can compare with him in terms of interest when it comes to wedding planning. He did not disappoint me.

Regardless of a bad cold and temperature, he hauled himself to Barista to down icky ginger-lemon tea (while Roslyn and I downed Almond Creme and Cold Mayan Chocolate Coffee!!) and offer his logical insights on my wedding along with art samples belonging to who could possibly be the craziest thermocol artist in Mumbai. [Pictures on this artist’s artwork shall be put up shortly.] Now where do you get guys like that!

After we left him at his place, we went skipping along to Something Special, the wackiest art & craft shop in Bombay. These works of art are what we came across on our way there. These were clicked on Chapel Road- the street connecting Mount Carmel Church with Hill Road in Bandra, Mumbai.

I like the cheeky devil face that’s hiding the quaint little tailoring shop (below). The tree motifs look great, don’t you think?

 

This one reminded me of a typical susegaad (laid back) Catlic (local slang for a Bombay catholic) baabaa (young boy, as how the aunties fondly call them).

 

Space age street punk art anyone?

 

Roslyn wondered why I was clicking a common classroom doodle, but I liked the psychedelic glow these flowers had.

 

I had to click a cool Bombay catholic girl in front of some cool Bandra street art and who better then my own darling girl Rosalyn?!

 

Happy Women’s Day to all my favorite girls & all the women who visit this blog!!

Shonette, Roslyn, Valerie, Beena, Lisa, Rajasri, Aqshata, Tanya, Roxanne, Shirlyn, Juliet, Nupur, Karina, Priya (tai), Roshelle, Sharon, Fiona, Reema, Lynette, Grestina, Tina and everyone else whom I cannot list without staying awake this entire night, thank you for everything, for being you, for taking the time to know me, for taking time out for me and most importantly,
Thank you for being YOU!