The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Star treatment
We are not sure who the celebrity is as this doggie hogs the limelight when Shamita Shetty inaugurates a pet spa in Chembur on Wednesday. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
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Do some straight talking
Have you ever accidentally let slip your friend's sexual orientation in a conversation? Or witnessed someone wielding off jokes and jibes at the cost of which way they swing? A dating app and an safe online space and E-zine for the queer desi based in Mumbai, have come together to create a guide on how people can support their LGBTQ peers.
It covers a range of topics, starting with something as basic as listening to your friend when they come out to you instead of saying 'I knew it'; not disclosing anyone's sexual orientation or gender identity without asking them first, to constantly educating yourself on their issues, and asking them about their journey. It also asks people to speak up when someone tries to ridicule the community or discriminate against a queer individual. A much-needed guide, we say.
Pink is October's favourite colour
Everywhere you look, inclusivity is an active dialogue that is beginning to penetrate seemingly unrelated spaces. But the truth is, in 2019, if you aren't talking about the right things as a business, chances are no one is listening to you. This applies to restaurants, and the F&B space is attempting to spark important conversations and realigning operations to affect social change.
Even if it's in a small way, like an initiative by The Pantry, a healthy café that turns seven this year. To commemorate their anniversary, the folks at the eatery have tied up with The Pink Initiative, an NGO that is working towards creating awareness around the impending issue of breast cancer in India. October being breast cancer month and pink its signatory colour, the restaurant has launched a menu featuring the pinkest of foods.
Elaborating on the project, co-founder Sumit Gambhir told this diarist, "We have always catered to a unique mix of women guests, including a lot of travellers and students. We wanted to do something special for them. But the idea is to not only spread awareness on breast cancer, but to also contribute to those working towards this cause. We will also be contributing a part of the sales throughout this month to the organisation."
The doppelganger effect
What do you do when you spot a celebrity at a public space? You either ask for a selfie (unless it's Milind Soman who makes you do push-ups for one) or you sneakily try to take a picture without being creepy. Well, a bunch of women at the airport went on a different tangent, when they spotted TV actor Simple Kaulat the airport yesterday.
After they asked her if she was an actress, which she confirmed, they asked her if she was actor Gul Panag (extreme right). When she told them she wasn't, they insisted that she was lying, refusing to believe her.
Kaul posted it, calling it an identity crisis, and tagging Panag, who later reposted the story. But this isn't the first time it has happened to Kaul, she admitted. Well, we don't know about Kaul, but we would definitely be honoured if someone told us that we looked like the fit and badass Panag.
The Sting effect
It was one of the biggest musical moments in the city's history. The Police, an English rock band headed by Sting, came down to Mumbai in 1980 to play a concert at Rang Bhavan, a now-defunct venue.
A group of Parsi ladies, of all people, was instrumental in bringing them down for what turned out to be riotous affair. The only person to photograph it, though, was Harsh Javeri, who is displaying some of the pictures — apart from other images of Mumbai — at an ongoing retrospective at the NCPA. Head there to hit rewind mode.
The stage is set
First held in 1983, The Prithvi Festival has become inseparable with the city's cultural fabric. This year, the event opens on November 1 with a performance by Gurudas Maan at Prithvi Theatre. Events will also take place at Girgaum's Royal Opera House and Mahalxmi's G5A.
While theatre directors Makrand Deshpande, Naseeruddin Shah, Piyush Mishra, Danish Husain and Faezeh Jalali will present five premiere productions, sitar maestro Niladri Kumar will perform a concert of morning ragas to commemorate Pandit Kartik Kumar's 83rd birth anniversary. The festival will also feature a western classical acoustic concert by the Symphony Orchestra of India and a dance choreographed by Mayuri Upadhya and Madhuri Upadhya.
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