Known as Mumbai’s art district, the neighbourhood of Kala Ghoda is buzzing with art exhibitions on display every other week, but just on the larger periphery, there is a lot more happening. Situated just outside Churchgate railway station, housed in the Eros building is architect and lighting designer Arjun Rathi’s first gallery, Glass and Lighting Gallery. The studio, he says, also happens to be India’s first known gallery of its kind, and an extension of his Rural Modern Glass Studio in Govandi.

Starting the studio four years ago, Rathi has been synonymous with lighting design and glass art for over a decade now, and the gallery comes at a time when not only world glass artists but also Indians know about the craft and are experimenting with it. If they haven’t till now, this is going to be a start, as it is open to all to not only see but with the hope to get inspired and fall in love with the art form

Imagine walking into the door to be greeted by a familiar and colourful ‘nimbu mirchi’ installation or a royal blue Lord Ganesha and an intricately designed black Queen Cobra – all blown glass art. It is only the start because an expertly crafted dagger and skull may be fascinating, but an entire array of India’s wildlife only makes you more curious – as you are greeted by a small-sized gharial (crocodile), tortoise, tiger head, and not only an ornate elephant’s head but also a life-like replica of its white ivory tusk – made out of glass. In colours of orange, red and yellow, the chandeliers adorn not only the ceilings but also side stands. Interestingly, the birth of it all started with large candy chandelier that look so real, you would think it is edible as it imitates the white candies with black lines on them – our favourite childhood treats

Rathi, who is a city-based architect, has come a long way from the time he saw his first project get cancelled in the middle of construction in 2012, leaving him without work. He explains, “A friend’s birthday was coming up, and I said, ‘I’ll gift you a lamp’. I made a lamp out of a recycled Ambassador (car) headlight.” He has never looked back since then. Over the next few years, even as he got orders and tried to do custom lighting on the side, while doing architecture full time, the latter seemed to be more of a struggle, but lighting was enjoyable with immediate result. “Suddenly, we started making 100-feet chandeliers for world towers. I was able to apply the architecture practice to lighting, which nobody was doing in India at the time.” It didn’t take long for his passion to convert into a full-time activity – now he doesn’t feel like he is working one day in his life

Lighting has its own challenges, says Rathi, especially when it comes to the industrial production capability, as he had to usually work within the limitations of producing his pieces of industrial lighting. Trying to find light at the end of the tunnel, he started working with studios all around the world to import glass and even started the Govandi studio. He shares, “When the lockdown hit, I thought I’d do a pop, fun collection inspired from Indian food because all interiors were getting sober and dull, but when I designed the candy collection, I realised nobody in India could make it.”

Rathi spoke to every other glass artist and manufacturing setup, but nobody could make it, however, a Czech artist agreed. Unfortunately, the lockdown hit, and Rathi says it became frightfully expensive to import the glass. Realising the difficulty of the whole process, he just decided to start his own glass studio in the city after the first lockdown. “I initially started it to do lighting and its components, and it quickly evolved into glass art.” It was this that led to all the top glass artists around the world find a reason to make a pitstop in India. They not only came but also inspired, trained and helped upskill his team.

The time was ripe to scale up, especially a bigger office space from the one in Krishna Chambers in Churchgate, and after looking around, Rathi passed by Eros one day, and asked his agent if there was a possibility of getting a space in the iconic art deco building. It didn’t come easy but when it did, starting the gallery there felt like it was meant to be. “For an architect, it is a dream to set up a studio in the Eros building. I have been studying about it all my life,” shares Rathi with a child-like enthusiasm, who took a year to set it up before it opened a little earlier this year

Instead of considering the art district as competition, Rathi believes it is only going to help him thrive. “I am so happy to be in the centre of the art district because it is accessible to everyone,” he says, adding, “I feel one advantage with the art district is that now uniquely it has a pure glass and lighting gallery in India. Every gallery is selling a painting, tomorrow their selling a sculpture, and later paper art. Is somebody selling only glass? It is not there in India, but it has been one of our oldest professions. It has always been mass produced. So, to change that narrative among people, it needs to have an accessible location.” The gallery will be open to anybody to visit, see, learn and go back. A thought he has carried forward from his Govandi studio, which has been open to everybodyfor visits and workshops. It stands true as Rathi narrates American artists came down and trained his team, and today his peon is a glass artist who makes it in his Chembur neighbourhood, as he hopes the gallery will inspire more people to take up the art form