No huge placards or notices announce the existence of this dainty little gallery tucked away on Dr Annie Besant Road, Worli. But that doesn't make any difference to the crowd that throngs this place. For, Something Different has just that touch of a unique, unusual aura to it. More of a one-stop shop for art-lovers, this place is a treasure-trove of a variety of arts and artefacts.You can go overboard and treat yourself to those much-coveted traditional gemstone paintings and 3-D rock paintings or some minakari embellished brass, copper and white-metal furniture, without causing any great imbalance to your bankroll. "The purpose behind opening the gallery," says proprietor Niranjan Mehta, "was to revive some of our traditional art forms and provide a platform to Indian artisans." Mehta grew up watching skilled artisans struggle to make ends meet, even as their hands worked magic in Rajasthan, his home state.Soon the numbers started dwindling even as the younger lot moved to different trades. The onlyway out, Mehta realised, was to ensure that they received a regular income. So four years ago, Mehta adopted a group of 40 artisans providing them with raw material and a monthly income.Besides helping them, it has brought some rare and unusual work of art within the reach of the common man. Gemstone paintings are hand-crafted with real and semi-precious gems like the amethyst, calcedony, cornelian agate, red jasper and yellow agate. The themes range from classical Mughal works to contemporary images of animals and birds. Minakari table lamps, jewellery boxes and even marble plates, tables and Roman seats are sold for a song here.And now, something aimed at the Indian market has gone international by reaching out to people through its site indosan.com. Something Different is tapping gradually growing international customers even as it promotes Indian art. Niranjan Mehta's dream project has turned out to be a dream store for art lovers. Something Different, 17 Damodar Niwas, 32/34 C.P.Tank, OppositeCarnival Restaurant, Worli, Mumbai-18. E-mail: something.different@indosan.com.
