Ismail Merchant chowk in Mumbai

 

'Sahar' Ismail P. Merchant Chowk, Mumbai. Picture taken by Danish Khan in 2018 

On first glance any Mumbai resident with some knowledge of films would assume this chowk to be named after the legendary filmmaker Ismail Merchant. Merchant, a Memon born in Bombay, collaborated with James Ivory under the banner of Merchant Ivory Productions. Together with writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala they made iconic films like A Room with a view, Maurice and Heat and Dust. Ismail Merchant died in 2005 in London and was buried in Mumbai. He was indeed a Bombay boy; a student of St Xavier's, in love with Bollywood, and one who used his genetic business skills to make Hollywood productions on shoestring budgets. As I quickly removed my phone to capture this image, I was impressed that the city had honoured the memory of a worthy son.

But there were some inconsistencies. The pen above the slab, and the inclusion of 'Sahar' before the name did not go with what I had read and heard of Ismail Merchant. I asked around and it was clear that this chowk was not named after the filmmaker Ismail Merchant. So who was this Ismail P. Merchant? I tried to ascertain but was unsuccessful. Senior Urdu journalist Saeed Hameed told me that Ismail P. Merchant possibly owned a petrol pump nearby. I asked around but there were no clues. 

Few months ago after devouring my quota of archives at British Library, King's Cross, I hopped into the neighbouring Institute of Ismaili Studies to meet Hussain Jasani. Jasani heads the South Asian Studies Unit there and has spent his formative years in Mumbai. Somewhow our conversation veered towards Ismail Merchant and I threw him, what I thought would be, a googly about the chowk in Nagpada, Mumbai. To my surprise, Jasani showed some newspaper clippings from his collection which featured Ismail P. Merchant.  

It emerged that Ismail P. Merchant was a Gujarati writer and poet who used 'Sahar' as his takhallus. In Gujarati papers he was described as Shayar Shri Ismail Panju 'Sahar' Saheb. Ismail P. Merchant had a mercantile background and a passion for collecting shoes. Jasani informed me that Panju's family has hundreds, if not thousands, of pairs of shoes. He was also a columnist and fairly active in Gujarati literary circles. Since I hardly have any knowledge about Gujarati writers and poets, I thought this should end at that.

From the collection of Hussain Jasani

From the collection of Hussain Jasani

However, to my amazement I recently came across pictures of art installations at Ismail P. Merchant Chowk. I reached out to a senior editor in Mumbai who shared few news reports about the installations. One news report by Pallavi Smart in the Indian Express in February 2023 informs: "It is a man-shaped metal sculpture showing him shooting with a movie camera resting on a tripod in front of him; reflecting the dreamy Bollywood glamour of this city. But a closer look at this peculiar art installation will show that there are multiple sculptures inside the primary sculpture depicting life and times of Mumbai in all its elements."

The installation is the brainchild of artist Zohair Diwan who seems to have a done a nice job. There are multiple sculptures within the sculpture of a man shooting with a movie camera. It seeks to celebrate the famous resilience of the city and its various landmarks and institutions. From the hindi film industry to dabbawalas, and from BEST to local trains. The legs of the statue show various iconic buildings such as the Bombay Stock Exchange and the Gateway of India among others. All this is laudatory especially in a city which has tremendous scope for street arts to break the monotony of high-rises and lack of green spaces.

The moot question is whether some other chowk could have better served the purpose? Did it occur to the authorities that having such an installation at the Ismail P. Merchant chowk could cause confusion? The picture on the left above is the art installation, but the one on the right is in the shape of a clapperboard suggesting that the personality was associated with films. Surely someone needs some lesson in history!