Pride

Pride
Nisha Jamwal

A Vivan Sunderam painting chosen by Shireen Gandhy of Chemould Art Gallery for Dolly Thakore in a way portrays her life very aptly. It is a landscape depicting cold duskiness giving way to strong light. When Alyque Padamsee left her several years ago, he also took with him all the art they had collected together.

Slowly and tenaciously, Dolly has rebuilt her life and collection. "Like a picture book, each painting is a vignette of my life with a story to tell, that takes me back in time." Like the R K Laxman crow looking over his back, lost in thought. This pen and ink sketch was a replacement for an aggressive crow that Dolly had chosen much to her son Quasar's consternation.

He was uncomfortable with the contentiousness of the crow and wanted a more reflective piece. A swap under Laxman's guidance was made. A black & white water color by Shakti Maira, done six years ago a solitary branch from his `Japan' phase is in sharp contrast to the vibrant M F Husain rendition of Mother Teresa. A dramatic BPrabha curtain depicting Dolly at dawn with a dove in her hand, sits amongst other artists like Anjolie Ela Menon, Shekhar Roy, Mickey Patel, Theodore Misquita and Sudhir Patwardhan.

An interesting accent in the melange of Indian art, hanging on the walls, is Dolly's 20-year-old collection of photographs. Portraits from her theatre performances and still shots of various shows in black & white are hung together in the corridor, leading to the crowded living room. The cloth poster for Quasar's first play with the cast and credits painted on it acts as a curtain separating the living area from the bedrooms accentuating the theatre atmosphere.

Period furniture and old brass figurines of gods and quaint tribal "saraytas" or supari knives are interesting asides in her collection. Her son Quasar, budding playwright and director, is a strong influence in her life and his favourite paintings are hung beside hers. Like snapshots of their lives, their art collection continues to mirror their milestones.