Bombay or Mumbai known as financial capital of the India. Due to Spirit of Bombay, city is also known for so many different stuffs.
Mumbai is known for decade old businesses like Dabbawala, joyful festival of Ganpati, street food, local trains etc. This is city is better known as city of dreams.
Here, I listed few of specialty of Mumbai or True Spirit of Bombay made and presented in form stainless steel sculpture by very talent artist Mr. Valay Shende. His work has been exhibited widely in Indian and other countries including China, Canada, Abu Dhabi, Korea, America, Switzerland, France and Germany.
Valay feels an artist owes a responsibility to the society and firmly believes an ideal world ca re-created.
1. Transit (Travel to Mumbai with dreams)
Everyday, thousands of Indians travel from the country’s hinterland to it’s big cities in pursuit of better life. Yet for most of those who make this journey, the dream ends on a construction site in Mumbai, Bengaluru or New Delhi.
These Migrants labourers live in makeshift shanties while constructing castles for the country’s growing rich. Using them as haunting metaphor, Shende articulated the larger history of our construction boom that consumes millions of workers in its pursuit of ever taller mega structures.
When I first time travelled to Mumbai, it was nothing but Spirit of Bombay and lot of dreams.
Medium: Stainless steel Discs.
Size: 13H x 11W x 22L (feet)
Year: 2010-11
2. Virar Fast (Mumbai Busiest Local Train)
Mumbai is often referred to as the ‘melting pot’ of India, where people travel together regardless of job and social status. The Mumbai local trains are well-recognised facet of the city’s identity, where thousands of people travel in space meant for hundreds. If you know true spirit of Mumbai, then only you will able to travel on this jam packed local train.
In Shende’s work, indentities collapse into special circles and understandings that can only be understood by the people who experienced travelling by Mumbai local train during peak hours.
Medium: Stainless steel Discs.
Size: 84H x 73.5L x 36W (inch)
Year: 2019
3. The Mumbai Dabbawalas
The Mumbai Dabbawalas has been a recurrent motif in the artist’s work. Made up numerous working clock faces, with a lunch box shaped as the stomach organ in hand.
Shende’s Dabbawalas represents the importance of precision and punctuality of India’s “Tiffin Carriers” to ensure the satiation of hunger. Mumbai Dabbawalas not only spirit of Bombay, they well recognised supply chain case model and Guinness book record holder.
Medium: Copper Coated Stainless Steel Discs.
Size: 73H x 29W x 17L (inch)
Year: 2019
4. Buffalo
The buffalo serves many practical purpose in India’s largely agricultural society. It provides milk and leather goods. Shende compares the buffalo and the common man in order to pay homage to this simple but essential animal.
The sculpture consists of welded stainless steel metal discs together, an allusion to the fact that we all share common experiences and atoms, even with a buffalo. The shiny reflective surfaces are quite literally a mirror to society.
Medium: special coated stained steel discs
Size: 95L x 33W x 54H (inches)
Year: 2019
I am sure you are excited after reading this article and looking photographs, and I am sure you will be ten times more existed by visiting and experience by yourself the true Spirit of Bombay.
Read more about Mumbai and Place to visit in Maharashtra or Place Near Mumbai like Malshej Ghat.
Disclaimer: All photographes are taken by me during my visit to Palladium Mall, Mumbai. All art works are owned by their respective owners.
