In search of fresh surfaces

Walk towards Ruia Park in Juhu and you can’t help but notice a massive multi-coloured wall to the right, with a cross in front of it. Look beyond the brilliant brushwork and you’ll see yet another cross painted in vivid colours, encompassing the sun and human forms. This is Vora’s piece de resistance. “This was a wall which seemed too bare. And I love painting on new surfaces. So I thought, why not try this?”

A well-known painter, this J J School graduate has to his credit the conceptualisation and artwork of many discotheques in the city. Avalon, Go Bananas, Wig Wam (now Little Italy), J49, Razzberry Rhinocerous, Wave and Papageno are some of the better known ones.

“Basically, I like to experiment. I’ve painted on cars, human bodies, furniture and canvas. Right now, I’m trying out a range of ties and shirts in abstract art forms, tantra, seascapes and snatches of life, as it were,” says Vora.

Which goes a long way in explaining the wall. “Yes, it does. See, everyday, I walk past these places and see these walls caked with mud, spit and paan stains. I think it’s sad. Why can’t people take care of their city. It’s like an extension of home, isn’t it?”

Vora hails from Mandvi, a small town in Kutch. But he has studied in Mumbai. “I used to come here twice a year. I was always fascinated with this city, it’s vitality and vigour. It just seemed to be pulsating with life, and I knew then that this is where I belonged. I knew I had to come back,” he reminisces. Now that he’s got a strong foothold where work is concerned, he has decided to pursue his own pet fantasy.

“It would be lovely to be able to do up places like the Kemps Corner flyover, the Haji Ali Circle, the Lokhandwala Circle area and other places that lend themselves to such creativity,” he says.

So, what’s stopping him?

“Well, I have my hands full, and I can’t neglect those commitments. Then, there’s also the money part. I’m well off, but projects like this one need big money and lots of influence, which I’m afraid I don’t have. "For instance, I would require permission from the BMC to go ahead for the bigger projects. I was fortunate that no one objected to this work. But what about the rest?” he asks.

“Then there’s always the hassle of maintaining the place. So far, no-one has dirtied my only painting, which is probably because there’s a cross in front of it. But if I paint the Lokhandwala Circle, who’s to stop people from messing it up?” Who indeed? But since the spirit is willing and the message is right, it might only be a matter of time till his dream comes true.