Mumbai's historic Sassoon Docks gets a makeover

A long line of warehouses lie in a state of disrepair in one corner of Sassoon Docks next to where the fishermen anchor their boats after the mornings catch They were used to store sundry goods like cotton and hemp around 1910 with the Koli community later taking over to clean the piles of fish that constitute their bread and butter Today however most of them are filled with nothing but the seawashed sands of time They tower over the other structures around them as an insignia to an industrial past that made the city what it is in modern timesA birdseye view of the area where the Dock Jam will be heldBut one of them the one closest to the sea at the western end has been given a new lease of life Start India Foundation an organisation that champions the cause of street art has turned the precincts of this warehouse into a temporary hub of contemporary culture till December 30 You enter the imposing threestorey space to find some form of art installation or the other at every turn That apart the venue will host an assortment of workshops along with a hiphop event slated for SundayA fisherman outside a transformed warehouse PicDatta KumbharThe hope though is to persist with this makeover for a longer period of time It is nothing but a hope at present says Giulia Ambrogi the organisations 33yearold cofounder adding The venue was initially supposed to be returned to the fishing community But now the state government and MbPT Mumbai Port Trust seem keen to create a cultural hub thereA crew that is part of SlumGods which is organising The Dock Jam PicVineet NairThis means then that after the promising start and eventual fadeout of Richardson and Crudass in Byculla Mumbai might just get another industrial warehouse where the citys cultural cognoscenti can host events The final word on this of course lies with the authorities But if they do give the goahead the programming at the venue would have to be carefully curated Ambrogi saysIf we get the place for a longer period of time we will open it up to all the major colleges of Mumbai and NGOs who are working in fields aligned to ours We will also host workshops and other forms of art like music and dance performances It is an infinite pool that can be exploited to make it a larger cultural space But again this is just a hope we have which the chairman and trustees of MbPT which has jurisdiction over the place also shared at the opening since they were happy about how things have shaped up she saysThe MbPTs nod of approval apart other entities connected with the event including the fishing community says Ambrogi are also seeing the turnaround of the defunct warehouse in a favourable light We contacted Vineet Nair aka Poetik Justis of SlumGods a hiphop collective that is organising the rap cypher and bboy battle slated for Sunday and he says The Dock Jam as the event is called is unique because it is the first time such an event will be held at Sassoon Docks since its inception hundreds of years ago it means a lot for the people who will be performing thereAmbrogi adds Everyone knows about Sassoon Docks but very few have actually stepped in there So we wanted to unlock it When we were first shown around the place it was literally a pile of trash The warehouses were half broken down and it was really dirty But we felt the energy and the strong character of the place So we restructured it with the help of fisherwomen because we wanted to work with the communityThe most important point she makes however is about how places that once helped shape the urban fabric of a city are discarded from its memory as the decades roll by Industrial spaces are really charming because they have a history with massive structures and a roughness of spirit But there are so many of these places that we are neglecting and that is something we all have to think about she saysOn Every Thursday to Sunday 12 pm to 10 pm Log on to startindiaorg