15 October,2026 09:28 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Satej Shinde
Construction workers toil beneath a crescent moon at a building site in Borivli.
Fashion shoots have come a long way, but some looks never went out of style. Author and columnist Shobhaa De looked back at the nostalgia of Khatau's Terkosa ad campaigns, which captured two distinct takes on Gujarati festive dressing. One celebrated rural Gujarat through the traditional ghagra choli odhna, while the other offered a contemporary interpretation. Recalling the shoot, De shared with this diarist, "Shoots back then were charmingly basic. All we needed was an idea, a concept, a studio and a photographer. No stylists or vanity vans!" She enjoyed the shoot and identified with its mood board. While festive fashion continued to evolve, she believed its cultural context and spirit of celebration remained timeless.
In 2024, at the opening of Nature Morte's Mumbai space in Colaba, Peter Nagy had reminded this diarist, "Mumbai feels a lot like New York." The gallerist from that city's buzzing East Village had been in India long enough to recognise its pulse. That insight faded with his passing in New Delhi on Tuesday.
"Peter Nagy leaves behind a profound and enduring legacy that has fundamentally shaped the course of contemporary art in India, and its place in the international art world. His contribution is immeasurable, but for us at Nature Morte, his legacy is also deeply personal," the gallery shared. For artists Madhvi Subrahmanian and Vineet Kacker, his co-curators on the Indian Ceramics Triennale, he remained, "a brilliant artist, unapologetic, and a mammoth figure in Indian art."
The Jury Awards shortlist for the 20th edition of the Crossword Book Awards were recently announced, spotlighting 25 books across five categories: Fiction, Non-fiction, Translations, Children's Books, and Business & Management. The list acts as a representative springboard, showcasing the best literary talent in the country. Some of the titles in the shortlist include Absolute Jafar by Sarnath Banerjee (Fiction), Railsong by Rahul Bhattacharya (Fiction), Scamlands by Snigdha Poonam (Non-Fiction), The Dig by Sowmiya Ashok (Non-Fiction), On the Banks of the Pampa by Volga, translated from Telugu by Purnima Tammireddy (Translations), Giants by Huthuka Sumi, illustrated by Canato Jimo (Children's Books), The Big Book of Wild Poop by Shweta Taneja, illustrated by Sunaina Coelho (Children's Books) and Tatyasaheb by Tejaswini Apte-Rahm (Business & Management). Nidhi Gupta, director of Crossword Bookstores shared, "Our juries selected titles that not only elevated the conversation around Indian literature but also demonstrated why these stories matter now." The awards are scheduled for early December.
What's in a name? Apparently lots, especially if the name is Phalke. So, Andheri resident Anand Shirali (below) was startled to see a misspelt signboard when he was recently commuting in Andheri. As his cab slowed down to take the right at the Western Express Highway (WEH) Shirali was shocked to spot a blue signboard giving directions to Film City, where Dada Saheb Phalke was spelt as âFalke'. Shirali stated this is not a flippant halke-fulke Falke matter. After all, world cinema recognises Dada Saheb Phalke for his contribution to the movie world so there is not what's in a name, but lots in a name. Lights, camera, action, correction needed, please.
