Gopal MS documents the streets of Mumbai on a blog called Mumbai Paused using photographs. You may know him as @mumbaipaused on Instagram or as @sloganmurugan on Twitter.
“I think my hobby is an extension of my love for cities. I especially like observing people, discover patterns that can be noticed when they interact with each other and the space they are in. It also gives me interesting stories that I can share online. I am digital-first and along with photography, the sharing of images online for all to see is also a major factor. My images are all online for people to see,” he says.
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Gopal documents the colour of equality, the blue of Dr. Ambedkar’s iconic suit under the hashtag #dalitblue. This came about “from discoveries while walking around the city,” he says. “Mumbai is divided into ghettos based on caste, class, and religion. Communities express their presence and their existence for various reasons through social, cultural and political messaging and ‘art’. If you look carefully, you will see that groups have chosen a colour to represent themselves – Saffron, Green, Yellow, or Blue. The Dalit movement has roots in Maharashtra too and many of the ideas come from the city and its streets. The imagery can be found in various pockets across Mumbai. People are always creating new messages and art. They are also expressed on the streets and all I had to do was shoot a few images and assign them the colour – blue. The Blue is the same blue that is found in the Indian flag’s Ashoka Chakra.”
Gopal shares a few photographs from his walks in Mumbai, with Silverscreen India, this Dalit History Month.
Dadar in Mumbai is a major hub of Dalit politics.
Caption for the featured image at the top of this page: Rohith Vemula is still remembered on streets like PL Lokhande Marg in Chembur which has organisations that are very active in ongoing Dalit movements.