The Opium of Time, the intriguing title of Sunhil Sippy’s brilliant new book of photographs of Mumbai, sets the tone for what unfolds over its 200 or so lavishly printed pages. The title is part of GermanBritish author W G Sebald’s quote (On every new thing there lies already the shadow of annihilation. There is no antidote to the opium of time), from his book The Rings of Saturn, about the inevitability of annihilation that looms over everything in life. The smell of decay and the feeling of imminent gentrification pervades through large parts of the book. Though Sippy says he came upon the title only recently, a majority of the pictures, either by design or by the accident of curation, are a visual manifestation of Sebald’s gloomy prediction.
The book is a powerful monochromatic album that documents people and ways of life in the city, much of which we know will vanish sooner or later as gentrification marches on — the crowded chawls, the local trains, the barbershops, the wrestling akharas, the slums, the government office still without computers, the mathadis, the single screen theatres, the fairgrounds, the fisherwomen and the fisherman’s villages, the shipbreakers, the salt pan workers, the photographers at Gateway of India, the shoeshine boy, the ageing bettors at the racecourse, the ageing Parsis by the window. Even the intermittent pictures of the city landscapes have a haunting quality about them. The skyscrapers are always at a distance, while the foreground is filled with the detritus of urbanisation, the pylons, industrial chimneys, sagging electricity cables, boat pieces, sea garbage, construction cranes, excavators, etc.
Esta historia es de la edición May 2022 de Man's World.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición May 2022 de Man's World.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Is Wearing Make-Up Normal For A Man?
The male beauty industry is expanding, however what do men in beauty need to do to destigmatise it?
Achieving Your Fitness Goals
Rohit Kamble
VIJAY VARMA
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE RED HERRING
How Football Is Finding Its Voice
As the Indian Super League celebrates its tenth anniversary, we understand how the fandom in Indian football has become more vocal and organised, with some clubs also seeing the rise of Ultras groups
Through The Looking Glass
Where does the AR tech in India stand today? We try to find out after spending a few weeks with the Rokid AR Joy
Zaeden Your New 5-am friend
The singer-songwriter who is a popular name in the independent music scene, has recently dropped his highly-anticipated EP 5 am. The dance pop delves into the poignant theme of long-distance relationships, is a charming piece that is already climbing the charts
THE MACALLAN M 2023 LAUNCHES IN INDIA, REDEFINING LUXURY IN SPIRITS
With limited 10 handpicked bottles gracing the shores of India, The Macallan M 2023 stands as the pinnacle of exclusivity
American artist Grant Garmezy's magic of glassblowing
From fire to form, he takes us through one of the most exciting, adrenaline-pumping crafts out there
Haute Couture On Four-Wheels
It takes a village to build the world's (allegedly) most expensive.
Riding India's Electric Two-Wheeler Wave
India's electric two-wheeler market is booming with over 640,000 units sold by December 2023, despite consumer apprehensions and the call for better infrastructure