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Journalism of Courage
While the rest of his compartment is glued to phones, or talking among themselves or hanging out of the train, 18-year-old Anant Torse is preoccupied with sketching. The passengers are his “subjects” and the time is his journey home to Bhandup, six days a week.
Anant, an art student at Dombivali’s Pragiti College of Art and Commerce, has been honing his sketching skills in this manner since last July.
Armed with a writing pad, A4 white sheets and his 2B, 4B and 6B pencils, Anant claims that his vantage point at the gate of the compartment helps him to observe a variety of travellers, ranging from the lowest to the middle strata of society.
Anant, along with his father Vijay, a painter, had moved to Mumbai from Ratnagiri last year for Anant to pursue his artistic inclination.
After attending college between 1-7.30 pm, Anant catches a train from Dombivali to Thane railway station, where he switches to CST-bound train starting from Thane.
As the crowd is thinner in the second train, he checks for a unique subject in the general compartments at platform number 1 and boards the train, usually the 9.21 pm to CST.
“This is my personal time and the best time for me to practice. The journeys have of course helped me establish a connection with the city but also provided a variety of subjects to sketch that is crucial for my art and that I must make use of,” said Anant, who finishes two sketches in his 12-minute journey from thane to Bhandup.
While he observes the others in short peeks, the rest of the compartment often looks back at him with curiosity.
“Those at a distance stare but those near always lean over or look over my shoulder. My sketches are time bound to finish a single sketch in about five to seven minutes. But I’m always requesting for elbow room or for someone to not to breathe down my neck and I end up losing time,” he said.
Anant Torse claims that from his vantage point at the gate of the compartment, he has captured a wide range of emotions.
“Every commuter has emotions, despite how crowded or empty the train is. There have been three recent incidents where people have liked my sketches and have said that they will pay for it. Our negotiations are still underway,” he said.
“I still have not decided what I want to do with my artistic ability but let’s see which opportunity comes my way,” he said.
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