Lamps 5

Café Mondegar, Colaba, Mumbai. Probably goes back 60 years.

CST (erstwhile Victoria Terminus) Station, Mumbai. Probably goes back 100 years.

Horniman Circle, Fort, Mumbai. Probably goes back 100 years.

Lamps (close-ups) 5

Lamp over exhibits, ICIA Gallery, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai.

(Looking straight up & into) Chandelier in Metro Cinema, Mumbai.

CFL lamp, somewhere in Mumbai.

Lamps 4

Coffee Quake café in Navi Mumbai.

Liberty Cinema auditorium ceiling, Mumbai.

Haagen-Dazs parlour, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai, Mumbai.

Lamps 3

Lamp above dining table in a friend’s home in Kolkata.

Table lamp at a friend’s home in Kolkata.

Lamp at gate of Liberty cinema in Mumbai.

Breaking the chains of stigma

On 10 October 2013, in recognition of World Mental Health Day, an exhibition of ‘outsider art’ was inaugurated in Mumbai. It was called ‘Breaking the Chains of Stigma’ and was presented by Museum Dr Guislain, from Gent (or Ghent) in Belgium, sponsored by Janssen Research & Development, USA, and in collaboration with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), at the Institute of Contemporary Indian Art in Kala Ghoda, south Mumbai.

Intro to ‘breaking the chains of stigma’

Here’s a link to my post on the event: http://socialmantra.net/2013/10/11/breaking-the-chains-of-stigma/

Here’s a selection of ‘outsider art’ from the exhibition:

Artist: Francis Marshall

Artist: Gerard van Lankveld

Artist: Jacques Trovic

Artist: Jean-Michel Wuilbeaux

Artist: Johan Tahon

Artist: Marco Raugei

Artist: Sylvain Cisijns

Artist: Tim Brown

Various artists

Durga Puja 2013, Hiranandani Gardens, Mumbai

Hindu Goddess Durga is worshipped in several parts of India – particularly by Bengalis (the people of West Bengal state). Goddess Durga is the wife of Lord Shiva (the Destroyer) and represents ‘shakti’ or feminine strength. Durga Puja (a festival) is the worship and celebration of Goddess Durga’s victory over the ‘asura’ (demon) who was creating havoc over the human world.

The ‘asura’ (shape-shifter demon) comes disguised as a buffalo (‘mahisha’) and is also called ‘mahishasura’. However, there’s no escape for him. Goddess Durga and her fierce and loyal mascot, the lion, finds him and destroys him to save the world.

During Durga Puja, which is celebrated typically in the Autumn season, Goddess Durga is accompanied by her two daughters Lakshmi and Saraswati, and her two sons Kartik and Ganesha.

Here are photos of idols of Goddess Durga, her destruction of the ‘asura’, and her four children – as displayed at the Durga Puja festival in Hiranandani Gardens, Powai, Mumbai: