Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Atul Kamble

Ek, do, ek

A ceremonial command parade at INS Shikra marked the change of command to Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan

Star struck by Sonny

Sonny Rollins. Pic courtesy/Wikimedia Commons

Although jazz legend Sonny Rollins' passing on May 25 left many jazz enthusiasts distraught, he will continue to be remembered by people like author and jazz aficionado Sunil Sampat who found himself in the musician's company in 1978 during Jazz Yatra.

Sunil Sampat. Pic courtesy/Facebook

"When we met him for Jazz Yatra, he was a humble soul. Quiet, unassuming." he recollected. "I remember hearing about him first when someone told us about an American musician who would spend time in Powai, meditating. We did not know that it was Sonny Rollins. Imagine our surprise at it," Sampat revealed to us.

The power of paani

Animals drink water from the community bowls. Pics courtesy/SnoutClout

Let's face it, the heat is unbearable, and a bottle or, in this case, a bowl of water can make all the difference on a scorching Mumbai afternoon. That simple idea lies at the heart of Paani For Praani, a hydration initiative by Chembur-based NGO SnoutClout, which helps ensure stray animals and birds have access to clean drinking water across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane.

Sidhant Rao

Sidhant Rao, founder of SnoutClout, told this diarist, "We place cement bowls and PVC water units across the city, aiming to create a sustainable network of hydration points maintained with the help of local feeders, residents and volunteers." According to the NGO, over 450 water stations have already been installed.

Taken by the typography

Street lettering on Chapel Road

There is no end to Mumbai's charms. No wonder this Pune-based designer was smitten by its typography that led her to document it on her Instagram (@unseen1nbox).

Signage outside a Bandra store

Nineteen-year-old Shravanee Kirtane's recent Mumbai visit was marked by observations of the typography found in Bandra.

"Every nook and corner of Mumbai carries its own story, personality, and rhythm, and this identity echoes through the typography that surrounds it." she reflected.

Kirtane's observation at Bandra terminus. Pics courtesy/Shravanee Kirtane

One can tell that she put on her design-goggles for this one as she explained how typography shapes identity, "Nothing feels more powerful than creating the right typography for a place or a brand because type does not simply represent; it offers a voice."

Twelve years of sisterhood

Women reclaim public spaces as they read books in a park at Versova. Pic courtesy/Why Loiter

While Neha Singh and Devina Kapoor's Why Loiter campaign completed 12 years yesterday, we weren't sure if congratulations were in order. The long run of the movement that aims to end patriarchy in public spaces says something about the city's readiness to change, we think. "Few things have changed, while a lot remains the same," Singh told us. Women themselves have grown aware of their rights, are more unabashed, and have shed the ‘damsel in distress' tag that society pushes on them, she revealed.

Neha Singh

The community has grown, opening doors for queer individuals who identify as women. However "outside the group, things are changing at a snail's pace. We still face flak from security guards and authorities for something as simple as congregating in a garden and painting together," she added. An anniversary is an anniversary, after all, and the sisterhood marked it with a special hangout in Aarey Forest; right in the lap of Mother Nature.