Amid teeming dreamers, they too went to Mumbai to pursue their dreams nearly four years ago. As their city battles one of the greatest terrorist attacks, these four painters from Mumbai say, “The Mumbaikaar spirit will soar once again. Nothing dampens the Mumbai spirit. It is invincible. We in Mumbai have learnt how to fight disasters.”Sudhir Nehare, Vinod Chachera, Shailender Singh and Vinod Chopde came to Ludhiana a couple of days ago to showcase their paintings at an exhibition currently on at Artmosphere. Sudhir says, “Mumbai is like a magnet, no one can resist it. We all belong to Vidharbha but we knew that this is the only city that has the power to turn our dreams into reality.” To this Shailender adds, “As an artist it is very painful to see our city bleeding but then we also know how to fight this fear and terror. We Mumbaikaars stand together as one. This is the spirit of the city. “ “The city is on the terror radar because as it is the economic capital of the country and a great tourist destination. I vividly remember the nights spent at the Gateway of India loitering around with friends and marveling at the Hotel Taj,” adds Vinod Chahera.The cell phones of all the painters have just not topped ringing since morning. “It is either we making a call back home or friends in Mumbai calling us up. We live in Worli which is miles away from where all this happening but then at the end of the day Mumbai is one,” says Sudhir.When asked whether the siege in Mumbai is the failure of the security agencies, Sukhvir Singh, the owner of this art gallery who himself has been born and brought up in Mumbai, adds, “It is not possible to check every nook and corner of Mumbai. Just visualise, when a train halts at Victoria Terminal station it is not a few people alighting from the train, it is a sea of humanity. No ticket checker can ever check each passenger for tickets. Over the years, they have learnt how to spot law-breakers. I am sure the Mumbai police knew that the city was on target but how will the terrorists attack, when and where is a wild guess is.” “Let today pass and tomorrow you will find the VT station choc-a-block once again. Ten people sitting on a train berth where only four can sit. People from Nasik, Pune and Surat will once again make their daily visits to this city to do business and attend jobs. And to top it all lakhs will land in this city each day to pursue their dreams. This is amchi Mumbai,” says Shailender. We salute the spirit of the city — Salaam Mumbai!!
