How this Mumbai artist community is keeping the street art tradition alive in Kala Ghoda

Different artworks in shades of blue, red, green and yellow adorn the makeshift display boards of the footpath between Rampart Row and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya gate. A cool winter breeze makes these artworks on paper flutter to create a kaleidoscope of artworks that manage to hold this writer's gaze and that of every young and old passerby around him. Rakesh Sinha and Shailesh Kamble sit side-by-side on old metal chairs immersed in sketching portraits of orders they have received. They are only two of approximately 17 artists who have been making that footpath their street studio every day for the last 20-odd years. The street makes every Mumbaikar stop and admire the artworks that are a mix of sceneries, portraits of common people as well as celebrities, and other kinds of abstract work that are popular today.

Flourishing in Mumbai's art district of Kala Ghoda is this quiet footpath that houses artists who travel from different parts of Mumbai including Panvel and Mumbra daily to create unique artworks. They find joy in not only drawing for themselves but for Mumbai's art enthusiasts and tourists who throng the neighbourhood daily to visit the art galleries, museums and other tourist spots that leave them in awe because of the colonial architecture or the bright hues. Along the way, they get treated to these artworks that are on display. It helps slow down time for them as they pause and marvel at the sketches and colours that help them beat the monotony and mundaneness of the Mumbai's fast-paced life. The colours and sketches leave a noisy child in awe and allows the parents to briefly forget the challenges of parenthood. It also prompts lovers to get a quick portrait of themselves, and best friends to forge their friendship in charcoal, acrylic or oil paints for keepsakes.

Finding a community
Being one of many, Kamble came to Mumbai from Vidarbha to give a test for the job as a cartoonist over 22 years ago. Soon enough, he landed the job at a production house but within no time, the 46-year-old says, there were payment issues and that made him quit before things turned worse. Being an artist at heart, the Mumbaikar, who now lives in Panvel, he joined the street artists sitting in Kala Ghoda along the footpath, when he was being a tourist like many others. "After I left my job, since I used to be free, used to roam around and came across this street. At the time only two-three artists were sitting here. So, I used to watch how they used to do their work and how long they used to sit here. Soon enough, I started sitting with them." It did not take long for him to start earning a good income and that is what prompted the Vidarbha local to make his street studio there.

Interestingly, it was a year after Sinha came to the very street. Together, they have seen the number of different types of artists grow and thrive while encouraging each other in the smallest way possible. "Those artists who aren't able to get a job can come here and do their art and put it on display and that is how we support them," adds 44-year-old Sinha.

Earning a living from art
Coming to the city in the early 2000s from Bihar to earn a living, Sinha wanted to pursue art here. While he started by working in films as an artist, just like Kamble, even he was mesmerised by the artists sitting around the art plaza, which was mushrooming to become bigger and better. He explains, "I used to sit there for some time, then go back to my village to take care of my ailing father who suffered from diabetes, and then come back to the city again. I wasn't regular here till 2007, when I decided to pursue it seriously as my career."

Over the years, these artists have seen a shift in more people opting for portraits. However, they also have another customer base. He adds, "People come to us looking to get paintings of sceneries to put up in their house or offices. There are also some hoteliers who come here to take paintings to put it up on their hotel walls. Even interior designers come and pick up lots of scenery paintings."

On the other hand, Kamble shares, "Earlier, when the mobile phones weren't there, we used to get a lot more orders for portraits and sceneries but that has now reduced." However, with the changing times, today, he says portraits work much more as people come and sit in front of them to get sketched - these range from young college students to families and even old people. Kamble, "I like making portraits there are different kinds like oil portraits, which are very realistic. It is really nice to capture the expressions of small children as it changes all the time while we are drawing."

Unlike the bigger and well-known artists, these artists price their artwork at reasonable prices, which is also why many people are able to get access to them. While they start as low as Rs 100, they go all the way up to Rs 1,500 depending on the kind of artworks the customer needs. When Kamble initially started out over two decades ago, he used to sell his paintings for Rs 100 for a live sketch and drawing from a photo was anywhere between Rs 200 - 300. Today, it has changed for the better for the artist who spends almost 12 hours sketching and painting from 10:30 am to 10 pm. He shares, "I approximately earn Rs 1000 a day and other days it is Rs 10,000 too but that depends. So, I approximately earn Rs 40,000 a month."

As always there are good days and bad days, which mean that weekdays are usually slow as people are all busy working. It is only during major events in the area like the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival that they get to earn more than usual. Sinha adds, "The day there are customers, I earn around Rs 1,000 - Rs 1,500 otherwise that is also a little difficult. Usually, we get more people on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, when people come sight-seeing. Since it is art and not food, it is based on the person, and we don't force people to make them. Some just look at the art, enjoy and go past."

The city-artist who lives in Panvel also sheds light on the reality of people investing in art. While most people buy the Rs 100 or Rs 150 sketches, it often gets difficult for passersby to afford Rs 500 and more, and that is often a challenge. However, there is one thing that keeps him going. "I get happy that people love my art. What more does an artist need than people like his artworks," he adds.

Catering to art lovers and tourists
Along the same street, this love for art is also what keeps Imran Razzak Teli going. The Mumbaikar who joined the group of street artists 23 years ago going is among the veterans on the street now and has established himself to earn fairly enough for a living like Kamble and Sinha. Teli has come a long way since his father brought him from Gujarat to Mumbai about 35 years ago. He shares, "I came to this street and became a street artist after my friend Sanjay, who is one of the artists on the street, brought me here. This was after I completed my studies, and I have been here since then for over two decades."

While portraits and sceneries are still in demand like Kamble and Sinha highlight, the 42-year-old has also noticed another interesting trend. "These days abstract artworks are more popular than anything else," he says, continuing, "I personally love charcoal because you are able to see the fine details of art in it. On the other hand, colour portraits look the same and one may not be able to see the talent of the artist who is able to capture the finer details." Interestingly, Teli begs to differ with Sinha and Kamble, who say the digital age has slightly affected the sale of art.

He explains, "I feel the more things progress and develop, the more people are aware about things around them. Like they want to renovate their home every year and for that, they want new paintings. Beyond that, this street art career has also helped us run our homes, our children's education and our lives, if we didn't earn well, how would it be possible?" asks Teli, who says he also sits during the monsoon season.

This can be attributed to locals but also foreigners, who the Mumbra-based artist says, have a deep appreciation for art. "Since it is a tourist area, there are a lot of foreigners who come, and they give us a lot of respect. Some of these foreigners are such that even if we say Rs 500 for the artwork, they give us Rs 600. It makes us happy that they value us. There are other locals from Chowpatty and even Haji Ali, who also openly buy our artworks."

Teli's words are a testament to how Mumbaikars, even in their busy lives of college and work lives, take a moment to appreciate art and invest in it. It was reinforced as this writer saw two college-going girls take a seat to get a portrait done from Kamble. As they fixed their hair and makeup by looking into their phone camera, the artist sitting cross-legged gets ready with his tools to immortalise yet another friendship in Mumbai, while Sinha gets back to working on his colourful painting that will definitely sell some time soon.