Decade-long passion project by city-based engineer documents every BEST bus model since 1926, now showcased at the BEST Museum; the pixel art illustrations are the result of a decade-long effort to showcase a century of BEST buses
Varun Dikshit, with his display of sketches
Finally, every single bus model that has operated on Mumbai's streets over the past 99 years has now been documented through detailed drawings. The work of a Mumbai-based bus enthusiast, who has illustrated every model operated by the BEST Undertaking since its inception in 1926, has now earned a place in the BEST Museum at Anik this year. The pixel art illustrations are the result of a decade-long effort to showcase a century of BEST buses.
“Born on May 15, 1991, in Mahim, Mumbai, and currently working in the IT sector after completing my engineering from Mumbai University, I’ve always been fascinated by the bright red BEST buses. Interestingly, this fascination only deepened after we shifted to Thane in 2002. That change allowed my emotions to flow through my drawings, and it was in that very year I started sketching buses. I still remember those childhood days when I used to travel to Mumbai, more excited about spotting BEST buses than meeting our relatives,” said Varun Dikshit.
Sketches of the latest BEST bus models. Pics/By Special Arrangement
“Due to the change in the bus lifespan policy from 21 to 15 years, we saw many older buses being replaced with shiny new ones over the last four to seven years. This sparked my excitement and led me to do a BEST bus photoshoot in 2006 using my first digital camera, which I had specially purchased for this purpose. I also meticulously noted down bus numbers and models in a handwritten diary, which later helped me create more accurate drawings,” he said.
“Time flew as I grew up, and in 2014, I started making digital paintings using Microsoft Paint. To continue the joy of hand-painting, I would design and print just the outlines, and later paint the rest of the bus by hand to satisfy my creative urge,” he explained.
A model of Mumbai's 26 bus depots; (right) types of lights and bulbs that were used on Mumbai’s streets over the decade
“In 2015, when I visited the BEST Museum for the first time, I got in touch with Yatin Pimpale sir, who greatly helped me in getting the dimensions of the most recent and classic models used by BEST at the time. That same year, I also gifted the museum one of my hand-painted bus sheets,” he added.
“Later in 2022, we formed a social networking group of enthusiasts with similar interests, and this collaboration helped me refine my drawings with greater accuracy.”
“His drawings cover the entire fleet of passenger buses from the past 99 years. We’ve also provided reference pictures for many of the buses he has drawn, so viewers get proper context. Rare archival photos have been sourced from movies, public records, and various collections,” said BEST Museum curator Yatin Pimpale.
A model of Mumbai's 26 bus depots was created by the civil department during the BEST Golden Jubilee celebrations, which has now been restored after 28 years. A “street light tree” showcasing different types of lights and bulbs that were used on Mumbai's streets over the decades. The museum’s entrance and staircase walls have been adorned with new graffiti bearing BEST public service messages.
1926
Year of inception of the BEST bus
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