Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Currency ban 101If you thought you knew all about the recent currency notes development in the country give this quick quiz a go Will the 2000 note have a tracking chip as widely claimed A Yes B No C Maybe D Some of them may Stuck Awarathon a gaming app launched a short campaign yesterday to keep its users abreast of the ban Aptly called Chhutta Nahi Hai the quiz has several multiplechoice questions to be answered which users can then have for ready reference later Still wondering about the tracking chip question The answer is B NoThe coin age with Sandeep GoyalThe governmentrsquos demonetisation move may have us counting our coins But while we struggle with this lesser change Sandeep Goyal the chairman of Mogae Media is counting just 12 coins mdash worth 12 lakh This collection of ceramic coins is a replica of the original metallic coins dating back to the Mughals Chalukya Kumaragupta and Khilji empiresSandeep GoyalThese coins are the creations of pottery artist Dipalee Daroz who picked 12 of the most aesthetically appealing coins after a thorough numismatic research of rulers and dynasties of ancient India The coins depict gods local legends and portraits of emperor KumaraguptaThe Mughal era coins bear symbols of the zodiac signs while those from the Sikh dynasty carry floral angular patterns Goyal an ardent collector of all things artistic certainly has himself a unique treasure and in the coming days he intends to distribute these coins to friends and clientsSun sand scriptAs if you needed a reason to want to head to Goa the sunshine state is now all set to host a new multidisciplinary arts festival Titled the Serendipity Arts Festival it will be held from December 16 to 23 and will present a series of interesting workshops to help initiate art lovers into a world of technique and creativityMahesh DattaniTheatre personalities Mahesh Dattani and Lillete Dubey will conduct one such initiative called the Script Lab a residency workshop that will be held during the first four days of the festival with an aim to introduce playwriting tap talent assist with character development provide constructive feedback and also to help writers turn a critical eye on their own worksDattani the first playwright in English to be awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award will share his expertise on all aspects of storytelling during the programme while Dubey is one of the fourteen curators of the festivalAnd one for the little shutterbugPicSneha KharabeFormer actress and talk show host Pooja Bedi at the launch of a magazinersquos issue in Prabhadevi yesterdayGreek loveGoarsquos favourite Greek taverna Thalassa launched in Khar with much fanfare and platebreaking a couple of nights ago This diarist dropped by to learn that Mariketty Grana in pic refused to host a stuffy sitdown dinner on opening night and instead chose to throw a fun party which we believe is reflective of her cheery personalityWhile the eatery is oddly located ie away from the sea unlike the Goa space the Greek islandinspired interiors trick you into imagining that yoursquore no longer in Mumbai We also heard that Grana zeroed in on this spacious spot after scouring the city for three whole years Herersquos a woman who knows exactly what she wantsArt has no barriersThe Thane jail or even the Jail Talao next to is not on peoplersquos list of places to visit But the MAKA showroom adjoining the prison might soon make the cut The Maharashtra Karagriha brand has been developed by the statersquos prison department for products made by jail inmates from across Maharashtra And what started as a small outlet is now a fullfledged showroomAn aircraft model at the showroom PicAyan RoyFrom handstitched shirts dress material to cakes chaklis and chiwdas there is quite a range The highlight of the shop however is handmade wooden products mdash from key holders to dining sets The goods are made of teakwood and since itrsquos the government that procures the wood from forests ldquothey are genuine products and not fake like outsiderdquo Sanjay Tiwatane who mans the showroom says with prideThere was a wooden bullock cart that this diaristrsquos heart was set on but a constable quickly bought it as a gift for his wife With quality and pricing on point these products are being lapped up by judges police officers and local citizens