Before we left for India, one of my dad's cousins sent me a note about a distant relative who lives here in Mumbai. Last week, I called the number I had, and left what might have been the most garbled message in history saying that I was a distant relative and giving my dad's cousin's name, my grandma's name, my great-grandma's name, my name...I'm sure it was all very confusing. I was hoping she would call, and she did! We talked briefly and she invited us to meet at her shop over the weekend.
On Saturday, we threaded our way downtown, over the Sea Link Bridge, past the sea, and alongside the train with men and women leaning out the open doors of their respective cars. As we got closer to her shop, the buildings seemed to get grander and although many were rundown, they were still amazing to see. The arches and domes, the columns and stonework - we were wide-eyed as we took it all in.
We found her shop, Contemporary Arts and Crafts of India (http://cac.co.in/), on DN Road near the Chatrapati Shivaji train station. We wandered through, running our fingers over intricately woven and embroidered scarves/dupattas, marveling at the craftsmanship of solid wood bowls, and admiring the even stitching in hand-sewn quilts.
We didn't look long, because in a few minutes, we were sent up a cast-iron spiral staircase to the second floor. Down a short hallway, we found Vina at her desk. We hugged - there is something about family, even distant family, that feels comfortable enough to hug even when you've never laid eyes upon each other before. Vina's bright blue eyes welcomed us, and almost immediately, we were poring over an extensive chart to see where we connected in the family tree. Vina has spent years compiling family records, and we quickly found my family in her rather large book. We discovered that our common thread is her great-great-great grandfather who is my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. Suffice it to say, we are quite distant cousins, but it's still nice to have family in Bombay!
(Since I didn't take photos, I borrowed this pic from a Times of India post - http://photogallery.indiatimes.com/events/mumbai/cac-completes-50-years/articleshow/17425644.cms. For my family, or anyone else that's interested in learning more, I'll paste a few links with stories and articles about Vina and Piloo at the end of the post.)
Vina has stories to tell, and she shared a few while we talked. She and her late husband, Piloo Mody, met at Berkeley in California when they were both studying architecture, and she moved to India in the 1950s. I asked how Berkeley was when she was a student, and she smiled saying it was great - there were only three women studying architecture along with of all these men! At the time, she explained, due to the war, most of her classmates, in addition to being male, were from overseas. We both loved hearing her stories of the India she first knew, with the old bungalows and newer buildings; the small town feel of Bombay compared to the bustle and crowds of today. I hope we have much more time to listen, but we may only be able to visit once more before she goes back to the U.S. for the summer. As we've heard several times, Mumbai is going to get really hot very soon.
Vina opened the store over 50 years ago, and traveled to meet artisans from around India (more about this in a link below). She said that she is still working with the sons and grandsons of some of her original artisans and craftsmen! After chatting for a long while, we came back down the tightly wound spiral staircase, and as we browsed, she shared a snippet about the makers of each thing we looked at - textiles, wood and ceramic pieces, wall hangings, furniture, antiques. What a collection!
Meetings called Vina back to work, so we set off to explore with plans for a dinner together after her upcoming trip to Madras, and before she flies out for the season. I feel lucky that we arrived before she had already gone, and Spencer and I are both looking forward to hearing more of her stories next time we meet.
Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piloo_Mody
http://photogallery.indiatimes.com/events/mumbai/cac-completes-50-years/articleshow/17425644.cms
http://www.pressreader.com/india/the-times-of-india-mumbai-edition/20160124/281874412421026/TextView
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19690504&id=CP9jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9-YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2990,1594218&hl=en
http://theinsidetrack.in/spotlight/a-revival-of-art
http://cac.co.in/pages/about-us
http://cac.co.in/
On Saturday, we threaded our way downtown, over the Sea Link Bridge, past the sea, and alongside the train with men and women leaning out the open doors of their respective cars. As we got closer to her shop, the buildings seemed to get grander and although many were rundown, they were still amazing to see. The arches and domes, the columns and stonework - we were wide-eyed as we took it all in.
 |
(L-R) Feroza Mody, Karan Grover and Vina Mody during CAC's 50th anniversary event, held in Mumbai on November 29, 2012. (Pic: Viral Bhayani) |
We didn't look long, because in a few minutes, we were sent up a cast-iron spiral staircase to the second floor. Down a short hallway, we found Vina at her desk. We hugged - there is something about family, even distant family, that feels comfortable enough to hug even when you've never laid eyes upon each other before. Vina's bright blue eyes welcomed us, and almost immediately, we were poring over an extensive chart to see where we connected in the family tree. Vina has spent years compiling family records, and we quickly found my family in her rather large book. We discovered that our common thread is her great-great-great grandfather who is my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. Suffice it to say, we are quite distant cousins, but it's still nice to have family in Bombay!
(Since I didn't take photos, I borrowed this pic from a Times of India post - http://photogallery.indiatimes.com/events/mumbai/cac-completes-50-years/articleshow/17425644.cms. For my family, or anyone else that's interested in learning more, I'll paste a few links with stories and articles about Vina and Piloo at the end of the post.)
Vina has stories to tell, and she shared a few while we talked. She and her late husband, Piloo Mody, met at Berkeley in California when they were both studying architecture, and she moved to India in the 1950s. I asked how Berkeley was when she was a student, and she smiled saying it was great - there were only three women studying architecture along with of all these men! At the time, she explained, due to the war, most of her classmates, in addition to being male, were from overseas. We both loved hearing her stories of the India she first knew, with the old bungalows and newer buildings; the small town feel of Bombay compared to the bustle and crowds of today. I hope we have much more time to listen, but we may only be able to visit once more before she goes back to the U.S. for the summer. As we've heard several times, Mumbai is going to get really hot very soon.
 |
| The cross streets near CAC |
Vina opened the store over 50 years ago, and traveled to meet artisans from around India (more about this in a link below). She said that she is still working with the sons and grandsons of some of her original artisans and craftsmen! After chatting for a long while, we came back down the tightly wound spiral staircase, and as we browsed, she shared a snippet about the makers of each thing we looked at - textiles, wood and ceramic pieces, wall hangings, furniture, antiques. What a collection!
Meetings called Vina back to work, so we set off to explore with plans for a dinner together after her upcoming trip to Madras, and before she flies out for the season. I feel lucky that we arrived before she had already gone, and Spencer and I are both looking forward to hearing more of her stories next time we meet.
Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piloo_Mody
http://photogallery.indiatimes.com/events/mumbai/cac-completes-50-years/articleshow/17425644.cms
http://www.pressreader.com/india/the-times-of-india-mumbai-edition/20160124/281874412421026/TextView
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19690504&id=CP9jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9-YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2990,1594218&hl=en
http://theinsidetrack.in/spotlight/a-revival-of-art
http://cac.co.in/pages/about-us
http://cac.co.in/
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