Journey of a dabba

Prakash Sonawane showcases a new set of paintings and installations,from his Dabbawala series,at Jehangir Art Gallery

The dabbawalas of Mumbai have been a source of inspiration for many a book and painting in the past,as they have been for the paintings of Prakash H Sonawane. The efficiency of these highly professional men fascinates anyone,who stops to observe them as they go about their daily duties of delivering hot lunches to office-goers. “What interested me was that despite the kind of technology we have today,they continue to work manually and so efficiently,” says Sonawane. “The way they work seems almost like an art form to me.”

For his current exhibition,on at Jehangir Art Gallery,Kala Ghoda,till June 22,the Mumbai-based artist has done a new set of paintings and installations on the dabbawalas. In May,last year,he exhibited another set from the same series,but a lot less work had gone into that,he says. “The last set of paintings in this series centred around their journey. This time,I spent a lot more time talking to them and watching them work.”

In fact,some of these paintings were done on the spot as he sat and observed them.