The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce.
Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
I've got you covered
This mother adopts a unique option to ensure her little one is protected while they are shifted from their home in Pattharwadi to a BMC-run school on Wednesday as a safety measure in the wake of Cyclone Nisarga. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
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Stormy news
Dark clouds gather over the seafront in Bandra on Wednesday
When news of Cyclone Nisarga surfaced, there were reports saying it would be the first such cyclone in the city in over 100 years. But Anita Garware, key player in the city's heritage movement, reminded us that this isn't true. She told this diarist about a cyclone in Mumbai on November 22, 1948, which reportedly resulted in the loss of 12 human lives.
Garware recalled, "There was no TV or IMD to tell you in advance about it. There were no slums either back then, so you didn't have roofs flying off. But if the same thing had to happen today, I don't know how many shanties on the seafront would have survived."
Roll with the times
People with varying degrees of culinary prowess have entered the kitchen like never before during the lockdown. It's been a time when we have rediscovered the joys of cooking, and a social media campaign that some of the country's best-known chefs have started seeks to highlight that fact. It's called #BelanHaiNa, and features Ranveer Brar, Vineet Gill, Saransh Goila and Sanjeev Kapoor, among others. But why specifically the belan?
This diarist posed that question to Brar (in pic), who said, "The idea was to have the belan as a sort of symbol since it's available in every Indian kitchen. We wanted to remind people that the skills they have acquired in the kitchen during the lockdown will stay with them beyond this period. It's not just about the happiness of cooking, but also about acquiring a useful life skill." Touché to that.
Playing in a different field
Pic/Getty Images
Former New Zealand cricketer Grant Elliott believes the future of sport in the post-COVID-19 era will see an effective collaboration with technology. New Zealand has not been too badly hit by the pandemic, with a little over 1,000 confirmed cases and 22 deaths. However, strict social distancing rules are being enforced nevertheless. "Here in NZ, the authorities are talking about only 100 people in a stadium at one time. If we can get the audience, keeping in mind the official social distancing norms, that's fine for the game," said Elliott, 41, during a webinar titled Schools & the importance of sports & physical education in Covid-19 times, initiated by The Sports Gurukul's Jay Shah.
Elliott felt Virtual Reality (VR) can enhance the experience for fans. "Sport without fans is odd but we need to accept this situation and look beyond it. Using the help of technology is critical here. VR is an amazing tool where fans can get a virtual seat inside the actual seating arrangement of a stadium where they can enjoy the same experience as being at the actual venue. This, I feel, is the future of sport," added Elliott.
Belling the cat for a musical win
Rickraj Nath is a guitarist from Kolkata who came to Mumbai in May last year. Earlier this week, he was adjudged the winner of an online guitar competition organised by the folks behind Mumbai Guitar Day. The event's organisers had laid emphasis on originals from participants. But Nath chose a composition inspired by a tune from the Tom and Jerry animation series, adding elements of jazz, fusion, metal and prog-rock to make it his own.
"I was listening to a German band, Panzerballet, and they were really interesting in the way they transformed famous melodies," he told this diarist, adding that he took the Tom and Jerry tune for his entry on a musical journey with a beginning, middle and end.
Past forward
The India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) has started Throwback Thursdays, a series of live conversations and screenings with the organisation's grantees.
"Every second Thursday, IFA grantees will share their projects. It's a way of reaching out to people and document these artists' works. Also, those who want to apply for our grants get an idea of what projects we support," said Menaka Rodriguez from the foundation. Head to @IndiaIFA on Facebook to watch the sessions.
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