Trayodashi
36" x 48" Acrylic on Canvas
Set in Mumbai; a city in the state of Maharashtra, India, this work shows the division created by a sector of train tracks dividing the locality of Sion, a reputed neighborhood locally known as “the end of the city” and Dharavi, a suburb in Mumbai and the largest slum in the world, endangered by gentrification. Dharavi houses approximately 1 million people, while having an area of just over 2 square kilometers.
Vismay has grown up visiting his relatives that live in Sion right beside this division and directly overlooking the entirety of Dharavi. The picture above showcases the train tracks between Dharavi and Sion and the view of Dharavi from the terrace of the apartment where Vismay's relatives live. As seen, the division is no more than 100 feet, dividing such opposite landscapes.
From a young age while visiting India, Vismay was always fascinated by the cows that roamed the streets, unbothered by their overwhelming surroundings and so deeply rooted in Indian culture. However, while visiting at the age of 15, he noticed that these cows, while so vital to our culture, were neglected and starving, merely seen as pests by upper class locals, and a mode of tokenization by the poor who lived or roamed in modern and westernized societies like Sion. On the other hand, he witnessed quite the opposite during a tour through Dharavi, seeing a healthy cow with painted blue horns, and bells, being fed and given water by a local in Dharavi’s congested atmosphere. This difference in culture and opposite respects for tradition between two districts so close together forced his eyes open to so many more such juxtapositions across Mumbai and India.
Westernization and the Day of Shiva
In this painting, The 1313 on the front of the local train is symbolic of the opposite beliefs of the West and of India. While 13 is unlucky in Western countries, it is a lucky number in India, representing the day of Shiva . While this is true in India, many residential and corporate buildings in India do not include a 13th floor, contrary to Indian belief. While this is a small aspect of the matter, it is a part of a large influential move of westernization through India.
Laxmi
Situated in the foreground of the painting is a cow representing the cow that Vismay Sanghavi saw during his tour, deciding to have it represent the Goddess Laxmi standing in the slum. On the other side of the tracks are the cows that roam the streets of westernized districts like Sion, motivated by Laxmi to cross the tracks while the train stands still.
