Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

A still from the parody videoShape of You in KonkaniJust when you thought you had seen and heard every possible cover and version of Ed Sheerans monster hit Shape of You along comes another This one is in Konkani and if you follow the language its a treat because the lyrics are funny The Matka Anthem by a Goan singer who goes by the name Amit Naik aka Waking Grunt shows three friends seeking funds to play matka a betting game and win big money He needs the money so he can leave his job and spend time gambling In the background his two friends attempt to dance show off their empty wallets puzzle over the matka rules and generally provide enough laughs So even if youre unable to figure the lyrics this video is entertaining enough and had us ROFLPicsShadab KhanWill it be pot luck at the box officeActors Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar manoeuvre their way around commodes at a sanitation awarenesscumfilm promotion meet at a Juhu multiplex yesterdayTwin win for desi designersIndian designers Ujjawal Dubey and Ruchika Sachdeva emerged as the winners of the 201718 International Woolmark Prize Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East regional final Nomadic tribesmen from across India served as Dubeys inspiration The texture of their life the simplicity the night sky and the myriad constellations that we chance upon under a desert sky inspires me he told this diarist As for Sachdeva the costumes of 18thcentury Indian nautch girls served as a museUjjawal Dubey and Ruchika Sachdeva both in black with their winning creationsI am intrigued by opposites or contrasts coexisting because I think something very original comes out of that This paradoxical way of working led me to take inspiration from the 18thcentury costumes of nautch girls who were the dancers of Indian royal courts contrasted by bespoke menswear tailoring she said Well be cheering for these young guns to go all the way and win the finalShalom meets Namaste all over againPrime Minister Narendra Modis recent Israel trip was all about friendship and falafel but it seems the IndoIsrael bhaibhai feelings are in continual mode This evening Shalom will meet Namaste once again at Mumbai Universitys stunning Convocation Hall at FortPM Modi with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel PicAFPAn oration series commemorating 25 years of IndiaIsrael relations as part of the 160th foundation year of the Mumbai University will be held under the aegis of the Indo Israel Friendship Association Sanjay Deshmukh vice chancellor Mumbai University David Akov Consul General of Israel in Mumbai and Dr Subramaniam Swamy Rajya Sabha MP and BJP economist will be speaking at the eventWe are expecting a typical Swamy kind of nopullinganypunches address at the event A spokesperson said that the programme was cementing ties between both nations post Modis visit to Israel During that visit this paper had coined a term called falafel diplomacy Now shalom meets namaste again and we say shalomaste to thatThe ripple effectThe muchloved Kiran Nagarkar has given us countless stories characters and reality checks with his powerful storytelling Yesterday Mumbaikars had a chance to relive one of his most hardhitting and rebellious works Seven Sixes are FortyThree it was originally penned in Marathi as Saat Sakkam Trechalis which was also the Sahitya Akademi Award winners debut novelKiran Nagarkar PicBipin KokateI wrote it four decades ago and it remains topical even today which is why my publishers HarperCollins decided to reintroduce it under their classics imprint Nagarkar shared with this diarist en route to his book reading session at the Max Mueller Bhavan library Humble to a fault he added that he had never imagined that the book would still be read and discussed after all this time