06 October,2026 08:09 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Satej Shinde
Pets are blessed at St Andrew's College in Bandra by Reverend Fr Nigel Barrett, parish priest, on October 4, the feast day of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals
Nice to be out of the office, isn't it?" was the jovial riposte from Minal Vazirani as this diarist stopped by the media preview of the upcoming ART Mumbai 2026 (November 12 to 15). Over scrumptious cucumber sandwiches and coffee, the founders - Dinesh and Minal Vazirani, and Nakul Dev Chawla (UK-based Conor Macklin was absent) - were gusto about the latest edition.
Founder of Art Mumbai (from left) Dinesh Vazirani, Nakul Dev Chawla and Minal Vazirani at the media preview of Art Mumbai. Pic/Shriram Iyengar
"We wanted to host a fair in Mumbai that allows us to celebrate the vibrancy of the city," shared Minal Vazirani. The edition certainly promises a lot with art walks, speaker sessions, immersive experiences, even a band, a mentalist, and a sculptural installation. "The piece by Veeranganakumari Solanki, titled Material and Memory, will focus on women sculptors reclaiming space," shared Minal.
That's not all. Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla will mark 40 years with a special fashion show on the opening day; Karan Johar will lead a panel, and MadBoy Mink will perform; Mumbai is in for a celebration. For the art world, the showcase will also see three foundations, including the Singapore-based Dabriwala Foundation make an appearance. When this diarist pointed out the diversity on offer, Minal Vazirani said, "Everything leads to something. In Mumbai, interconnectivity is key."
In a crowded city, where can one go to be purely artistic? For Worli-based illustrator Omkar Patil, the answer came with a sea view and a Koli twist. His latest wall art, a vibrant spray-painted mural at Mahim Koliwada, draws from the community's deep-rooted connection with the city and its waters.
"While hunting for the location, I first tried looking for a wall at Sassoon Dock and Worli Koliwada, but there were already so many artworks that it was difficult to find a clean, empty wall. A friend told me about Mahim Koliwada, so I visited and found this sea-facing spot, where the fishermen's activities happen every day. In a way, this is just my way of giving back to the community or the original inhabitants of the city," said Patil.
Unless you're a Mumbaikar who's been living under a rock, chances are you've heard of Tukaram Mundhe, Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration Commissioner, and his no-nonsense raids on the city's F&B establishments.
Now, we hear that Mundhe has made it to Page 1 of The New York Times on October 3 in a detailed news article titled, âIn India, a Food Safety Inspector Is a Rockstar' that covers the crackdown across Mumbai and their well-known establishments, including popular hangouts like Café Mondegar and Olympia Coffee House, where Hollywood royalty, Matt Damon and Tom Holland were spotted sipping tea among others in recent months.
The story also looked at how Mundhe's tough inspections have turned him into something of a local celebrity among Mumbaikars, though we aren't sure if restaurant owners are among them. We'll leave you with Munde's own words: "You should be scared of the law and not me."
A from the performance of Strands of Duty in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Pics courtesy/Shruti Maria Datar
What does the work women do every day look like when translated into movement? For Andheri-based choreographer Shruti Maria Datar, it became Strands of Duty, a new piece she created in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan as the only Indian choreographer selected for the International Young Choreographer Project 2026. Organised by the World Dance Alliance, the three-week programme brings together eight choreographers from across the Asia-Pacific region for an international exchange of ideas and practices.
"It was a three-week engagement where we created a piece with the local Taiwanese dancers. In a way, one can call it an international exchange of choreographers and ideas. The production, Strands of Duty, is an exploration of the invisible labour women perform every day, be it emotional, unpaid, domestic or mental work that often goes unseen, yet is more than enough to sustain homes," said director and choreographer Datar.
