Culturecola

“See the city in a whole new light…by not seeing it at all” read the Facebook invite for an event organised by the BMW Guggenheim Lab in Mumbai. And without probing any further into the description of the event, I signed up and landed at Mahim beach in Mumbai the next afternoon. Once there, I was greeted by a bunch of eager folks, people like me, and soon excitement took over anticipation.

Within a few minutes, I was blindfolded. I could hear and sense the sharp sun, the saltiness of the beach and soon a soft voice whispered in my ears, “Hello, I am Dawood”. Dawood was my guide for the blind-guided tour of Mahim beach and parts of Dharavi organized by the lab.

BMW Guggenheim is a mobile laboratory traveling around the world to inspire innovative ideas for urban life with the help of free programs and public participation. After New York and Berlin, the lab is Mumbai in collaboration with the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum.

We walked a few minutes while exchanging details about each other. Dawood was 18 and works at an AC repair shop. Soon our questions become more personal. “Apka bf hai? (Do you have a boyfriend)” he asked. I take a second to answer and say “nahi (no)”. I could sense his disappointment. I was going through the weirdest experience of my life. Blindfolded, talking to a complete stranger, who I had never seen before.

The basic idea of this fun social experiment was to discover how our experience of space changes when we are unable to see, and how then we become more aware of sounds, smells, and sensations, which we tend to overlook. But after the two-hour walk, the group came out learning a lot more than just that.

I, like other women in the group realized that when I was blindfolded I also managed to shut out everyday experiences of the ethereal male gaze and was a lot more at ease. I came out learning that I could trust a complete stranger and found it difficult to let go of him even after our tour had ended.

As funny as this may sound, but I couldn’t talk to Dawood for a few minutes when my blindfold came off. But soon we were back to our chatty selves, before he said goodbye and vanished in the crowd.

Now, I know I may have completely missed the point of this experiment, but I discovered things about myself and was very satisfied with the outcome. In a city that makes a stranger feel like its own and makes its ownfeel alone, I have only one thing to say. Bombay, you surprise me.