Creative entrepreneur Shormistha Mukherjee and design practitioner Himanshu Rohilla stay bound by everything, from the grave to the joyful
Shormistha Mukherjee and Himanshu Rohilla at the Kochi Biennale, 2017
Shormistha Mukherjee, 51, Writer, city chronicler, entrepreneur
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Himanshu Rohilla, 40, Designer, photographer, musician
Shormistha Mukherjee has authored the non-fiction book, Cancer, You Picked the Wrong Girl. Documenting the visual and cultural landscape of Bandra with
@HousesOfBandra on Instagram, she additionally publishes a free newsletter on Substack, called Memory Keepers of Bandra, recording oral histories of the senior generation in this neighbourhood. A history graduate, she works in advertising and is co-founder of the digital agency Flying Cursor. She loves human interest stories, reading newspapers from the 1800s and walking every by-lane she can find.
Himanshu Rohilla is a design practitioner working at the intersection of design, technology and innovation. He holds a Master’s degree in Interaction Design from Malmo University, a Master of Arts in Music and Creative Economy from Kingston University and a Bachelor of Engineering from Mumbai University. With multiple careers as a software engineer, live music photographer and designer, he was involved with the underground rock music scene, playing in bands in Bombay and Pune before moving to Sweden.
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Shormistha Mukherjee: It was on a heritage walk in Byculla in 2013 that we met. I went alone, especially interested as it was a Jane Jacobs walk. She was an American-Canadian journalist, sociologist and urban planner, whose ideas I love. Himanshu mentioned that he was a photographer, just finding his feet in the field.
Himanshu Rohilla: I was invited to photograph that walk and was introduced to Shormistha by its organiser. It was easy to be with her. People adopted me because I seemed reserved. I don’t talk less anymore. She engaged. I felt I had as many and more words to say. She understood the beginning of my photography career. I was speaking with her unsure of what I’d like to be doing. Yet, all I received was encouragement to try, and appreciation.
With Anuja Chauhan on interviewing her
SM: When I co-hosted a Jane Jacobs walk in Bandra, I invited Himanshu. Sitting in the St Andrews Church compound, we chatted. He mentioned just having finished cancer treatment. The Byculla walk was his first post-recovery. It moved me that someone so young had gotten back on his feet after a hard time. Cancer, and a TB bout right after, gave Himanshu a quite different perspective on life. He was fun, but equally calm and wise. I asked many questions, he patiently replied. It turned out to be a very important conversation in my life.
HR: A curious listener, Shormistha’s responses conveyed none of the “Poor boy” or “That must be painful”. She was never scared by detail and didn’t feel sorry. That was refreshing.
Trekking in Uttarakhand, 2016; (right) Himanshu (holding Shormistha’s book) with his wife Mai and Shormistha with husband Anirban
SM: Being creative people and explorers, talk turned to photography and design projects we wanted to do. In 2017, I had this idea of a series of multimedia interviews with some interesting people. My company, Flying Cursor, has an offshoot called Juicy Burger, to do projects we love. We called it Spool and Himanshu got on board as an editor.
A mad monsoon trek in 2016 in Uttarakhand cemented our friendship. When you struggle with something, in this case your breath, your knees, your mind, the rain, the uphill loneliness, you’ve shared an affirming experience which always remains with you. That trek played a crucial role in my cancer journey. It was clarifying to know I have the ability to go into myself, find peace with chaos happening around.
HR: That was to Kalap and beyond in Uttarakhand. Then we visited Kochi together. Our rapport resulted from a mix of relating to photography, good conversations, mutual love for the city and music, steadily growing to trips with her husband Anirban that bound us together. The life-changing experience of cancer five years into being friends brought us even closer.
Photograph by Himanshu at the 2013 Jane Jacobs walk in Byculla
SM: When I got diagnosed in 2018, it suddenly made sense why the universe had placed Himanshu in my life. Knowing someone who survived cancer recently was a strong morale booster. Hearing the news, he was measured, practical. Checking on me every other day, he guided and gave tough advice. He told me to stop moping and list things to be grateful for whenever I crashed terribly. If anyone else says count your blessings, you want to tell them to %$#@ off. From someone having gone through it, you actually pay attention. Before chemo he’d say, “Taste is going to disappear from your life. Enjoy eating everything you can, pizza and Coke included.” I craved mutton biryani on starting my treatment cycle.
HR: And I wanted guacamole. We’re big foodies. I miss snacking in Sweden. The first night I came to sanitised, silent Sweden in 2017, I could hear my heart beat. Too much of a switch from crowded, smelly Bombay offering the most delicious food at any corner. Now, when I visit family, the city seems crazy noisy. We are ever excited for new adventures. Shormistha is a chill boss lady, while being responsible for the business. She is curator of the cool. We became friends in a short period of time. There’s also a bit of connect with both our dads from the defence forces. Common value systems.
SM: That would definitely be a shortcut getting to know somebody. Growing up in a defence services home immediately puts in place certain basics. Of being polite, proper, punctual. Besides the constant moving around helping one adapt, the defence background shaped my concept of friendship in an elastic way. Accepting that people shift. They come. They go. If Himanshu is in India, or if we simply remember something, we reach out and talk. There is nothing awkward, there are no gaps.
HR: We exchange of a lot of random chatter and general gossip about the world. I love gossip. Look at it as stories about the human condition. Yay to gossip!
SM: Gossip is healing. We didn’t meet early in life. This is not that typical school or college relationship. But yes, the city did make us friends.
HR: Absolutely. It is, after all, a great love-hate for the city.
Author-publisher Meher Marfatia writes monthly on city friendships. You can reach her at [email protected]/www.meher marfatia.com
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