The packed, dense lanes of Bhiwandi, a town in Thane district, are home to around 6,000 powerlooms. Bhiwandi’s emergence as a manufacturing and warehousing hub is not simply a matter of commerce but the story of a religious minority and its tryst with the radicalisation of society.

To draw attention to that, Mukhtar Kazi, 47, a Mumbra-based artist, made a point to utilise “manchester cotton”, or as the locals call it, “manjarpatta” produced in the city, for all his artworks now on display at Stranger House Gallery. The establishment’s latest group exhibition, People Painting, or Lok Chitra in Colaba, features six artists, and highlights the different realities of various communities in India.