"Artist" Uddhav Thackeray

The only perspective we have of Uddhav Thackray is of the tiger`s son. The son who has given a huge responsibility of taking the Sena forward. I firmly believe that people have great expectations from him and lately I have lowered my expectations politically and him being a photographer. 

So lowering expectations, I went to see the famous Jehangir Art Gallery. Upon entering I got the sense of the usual Sena hullabaloo for security check, the entourage and "sahebanche bhakt" people standing at the porch of the gallery.

The left side of the exhibition starts with portraits of Zakir Hussain. Artist Uddhav captures Zakir Hussain`s drowsy eyes in its true sense. Brilliant photographs of  the AngkorWat Monks and the Temple. The Ankorwat temple known for its grandeur as the largest religious monument in the world. However,Artist Uddhav captures smaller parts of it and focuses on its details. His true skill of photography can be seen in black and white silhouettes for Keralite Warriors.

There are also pictures of CST and BMC Headquarters Mumbai. Some of the effects given to the photos are brilliant and are never seen before. Do not miss the plaque, where it explains the effect given to them.  My favorite part of the exhibition was the portraits of Ratan Tata. The one which he stands in front of the naval battery is the best portrait of all.

What I missed at the exhibition was the Aerial Photography he had done for a book. He should have saved some for this exhibition.

To end with, He is often ridiculed by his cousin Raj and other opponents for his hobby and have always advised him to take up photography instead of politics. Today I must say agree with them and say he is truly brilliant at what he is doing. The best part of it the exhibition is all the proceeds would go to Farmer`s Rehabilitation. Good (PR) Move.

Encounter with Balasaheb Thackray

Today, being a two year death anniversary of Balasaheb Thackrey. I planned to write something about him. 

As a kid, I grew up in the lane of Shiv Sena Bhavan, which is located in Dadar central Mumbai. So the Shiv Sena and its politics are always talk of dining table.
It was 1996. So here I was a kid 11 year old, playing cricket in on a boring Sunday afternoon.

Someone said " Balasaheb yetat". 

I being a very naive kid, expecting a superstar and having heard his name on TV and Newspapers.Me and two friends walked down the lane. A white Ambassador came through with a man less than 5.5 in height and much slimmer than what I was in 96. He was barely seen through the window. (Tinted black glass were not banned yet). But the moment he got down people approached him as if he was a superstar Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan. 

Even in that rush, he looked at me and my friends through his sharp but drowsy eyes and smiled. He walked towards us & put his hand on my head and smiled.  He smiled with a fatherly Aashirwad face. That memory of that gesture remained with me for years and years.

Years later, when his security was tightened and people were not allowed him. His face would be seen either on television or the Dussehra rally. I boosted a lot about this encounter with that great man.

2012, he breathed his last and that is the only memory I have of him.