ಕೆಲವೇ ದಿನಗಳ ಹಿಂದಿನ ನನ್ನ ಬ್ಲಾಗಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಂಬಯಿನ ನೆನಪುಗಳನ್ನು ತಾಜಾ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾ ಆರ್ಟ್ ಪ್ಲಾಜಾದ ಕಮಲಾಕ್ಷ ಶೆಣೈ ಅವರನ್ನು ಭೇಟಿಯಾದ ನೆನಪು ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದೆ. ಮೊನ್ನೆ ಆತ ಪನ್ವೇಲಿನ ಒಂದು ವೃದ್ಧಾಶ್ರಮದಲ್ಲಿ ತೀರಿಕೊಂಡರೆಂಬ ಸುದ್ದಿಯನ್ನು ಜಯಂತ ಕಾಯ್ಕಿಣಿ ಎಸ್ಎಮ್ಎಸ್ ಮಾಡಿದ. ಜಯಂತ ಹಿಂದಿನಬಾರಿ ಮುಂಬೈಗೆ ಹೋಗಿದ್ದಾಗ ಶೆಣೈಕಾಕಾರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ವಿಚಾರಿಸಲು ಜೆಹಂಗೀರ್ ಆರ್ಟ್ ಗ್ಯಾಲರಿಯ ಬಳಿ ತಪಾಸಣೆ ಮಾಡಿದಾಗ ಆತ ವೃದ್ಧಾಶ್ರಮದಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವ ಸುದ್ದಿ ತಿಳಿಯಿತಂತೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಭೇಟಿ ಮಾಡೋಣವೆಂದು ಅಲ್ಲಿಯ ವಿಳಾಸ ಕೇಳಿದರೆ, ಏನಿಲ್ಲ ಪನ್ವೇಲಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ, ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಇಳಿದು ವೃದ್ಧಾಶ್ರಮ ಇರುವುದು ಈಸ್ಟಾ ವೆಸ್ಟಾ ಅಂತ ಕೇಳಿ, ಯಾರಾದರೂ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಆದರೆ ಹೋಗಿಯೂ ಪ್ರಯೋಜನವಿಲ್ಲ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಯಾವುದೂ ನೆನಪಿಲ್ಲ, ನಿಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಗುರ್ತು ಹಿಡಿಯುವುದಿಲ್ಲ ಅಂತ ಹೇಳಿದರಂತೆ.
6 years ago
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3 comments:
dear shreeram,
thanks for the writeup on shenoymam in your latest blog.
he was a saint-santheyolagina santha! we as bachelars in seventies and early eighties were regulars in his kholi .. and he has been a major influence in my personal bonding with my dear city of mumbai.we were around him holding and selling line drawing prints on footpath of jehangeer art gallery when he started plaza movement. warm, bit rigid and khadoos, kamalaaksha was very close to atrist ara.
in fact my story 'dittibottu' in my collection 'bannada kaalu' is my personal tribute to him . and alaas in that story written in 1997 he loses memory and forgets to come back home! look what happened to him now..
in those days he lived in just 250 rs which he used to get from navneet magazine for his illustrations for month.he was a living example of his belief that transperency is beauty.
pl read my dittibottu..for my sake..
when we go next time around jehangeer gallary we will look out for our dear shenoy mam with his shining salt n pepper beard.. who will be busy rolling drawing sheets ..humming his favourite talat song...and ready with that twinkling smile to join us for a chilled bear with boiled chana around the round table of magambo or light of asia..
cheers
jayant
shreeram,
we should meet in mumbai at the earliest mutual convinience and bid a proper bidaai to kamalaksha.
whenever he talked about transperency and beauty i used to teese him by telling- yes evan rajkapoor believes in that and makes his heroines stand under waterfall with transperant clothes! in fact me, sharad soukoor, kumar joshi ..we all drifted away from him after our respective marriages like all lesser mortals of this planet.being a seasoned bachelar he had an understanding sympathetic smile for us, and welcomed us with his typical warm hug whenever we went over to see him sitting in his metalic chair on the plaza footpath. .he visited our homes very rarely.when the chawl in which he lived was dismantled to give room for an aptment , when every other tenent paid some extra amount to have a flat , he could not afford and was allowed to live under the stair case.he was so upright with self dignity we could hardly offer him anything virtually.we dare not evan pay for the irani tea which he relished with us in resturas.
and when i did bhavana he sent me many of his drawings and watercolor works of young plaza artists .. and they brought the fresh look to bhavana.sketch of an turbuned flutist on the editorial page of bhavana yugadi issue was one of his fine pieces.
i will never forget the sparkling shining old kerosine stove which he used , and maintained like his domestic deity.khichdi which he cooked on it was devine..
woh jab yaad aaye.. bahut yaad aaye..
jayant
Dear sir,
Kamalaksha Shenoy remains in our mind for a long time….and more than that he makes us think about this mortal life through your writings. The strangeness of this life….which is simultaneously a struggle and joyful journey….complex and simple….beautiful and wasteful…
He, in a way dedicated himself to the art, and artists. What made him to find his gratitude in it…..we don’t know. But, definitely he had left a lot behind him….in our hearts. We continue to feel having lost him….
Thanks for your write up. Keep writing and make us think…
With warm regards,
Narendra
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