08 August,2026 07:16 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
A man repairs a traffic signal at Mohammed Ali Road.
After the success of her debut novel, The Bandit Queens, Indian-American author Parini Shroff is back with a new book, titled Some People (HarperCollins), which is set for an August 18 launch. The novel explores intergenerational trauma, family, forgiveness and the emotional baggage carried across generations.
The story follows Malti Patel, who is recovering after a violent assault and is advised by her doctor to have someone stay with her for a week. The only person available is Nathan, her daughter Kavya's estranged husband. As the two spend time together, they are forced to confront their shared past. Through this story, Shroff explores probing plots within family. "This novel is a painfully humorous exploration of two unlikely heroes," Shroff shared.
It takes a lot to shape rock into a graceful form. Mumbai's art community had its moment of epiphany on August 1 when the Progressive Sculptor's Association came into being.
"We are a non-profit organisation, and aimed specifically at supporting sculptors. Over the years, we have all faced the struggle of keeping our passion for the art form going. Sculpting is a tactile process of creation that requires infrastructure, a studio, material, investment, and time. Not everyone has the privilege and freedom to create at leisure. So, during an exhibition of Sir JJ School of Art alumni at the Jehangir Art Gallery in July, we decided to come together. We also hope to encourage new ideas in the art," shared member Santosh Shetty.
August is rolling in with speed, and Gallery Maxima is keeping up. The latest gallery on the city's art circuit is preparing for its second exhibition that opens on August 13.
Mehak Garg will make her Mumbai debut with a solo exhibition, In the Quiet Between, that unfolds within domestic interiors. The series of large-scale oil paintings explore the spaces between people, where atmosphere and psychological distance define the worlds within. The exhibition will also showcase the breadth of her oeuvre that ranges from miniscule intimate works that measure five inches to monumental canvases expanding up to 16 feet. A key feature of Garg's style is her treatment of air which acquires a palpable presence. In Mumbai, that bit feels very real.
You don't always have to read stories. Illustrator Sefi George created a wordless story for the Chiku Piku magazine that tells the story of earth's âhair' - grass. "I was walking in a neighbourhood garden when I spotted a bird flying around with grass in her clutches. That sparked the story," George said.
