The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Kirti Surve Parade
Bridge over troubled water
Onlookers watch from a distance as massive waves lash pillars of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.
From Tibet’s old friends in Mumbai
A moment from a previous celebration in Mumbai
The 14th Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday on July 6 might be his most discussed one, given the announcement of his succession plan. But for the Friends of Tibet (FOT) community here in Mumbai, there will be celebrations as usual to mark World Tibet Day, which coincides with the spiritual leader’s birthday. Kundun (1997), Martin Scorsese’s lesser-known film documenting the leader’s life, will be screened at a Bandra venue. “For the longest time, I thought the Dalai Lama and I wouldn’t see eye to eye. FOT advocates for complete independence of Tibet, whereas he is known for the Middle Way Approach. However, after multiple meetings with him in Kochi, Dharamshala and Mumbai, I’ve come to realise that we always had his support. ‘You must continue the work for Tibet. Not everyone needs to align with my approach,’ he continues to assure us,” shared founder Sethu Das. Among familiar faces discussing the spiritual leader’s life this Sunday will be author Kamlesh Tripathi, and veteran actor Dolly Thakore, a long-time ally. Those keen to learn more, can log on to friendsoftibet.org.
Sethu Das with the Dalai Lama in Kochi. Pics Courtesy/Friends of Tibet
Bag of goodwill
Gurudas Bate; (right) Children and parents join hands in packing bags at an event in 2024. Pic Courtesy/Parijat Mumbai
If the sight of children heading to school in the city has been stirring early-morning nostalgia in you, we might know where you want to be this Sunday. A bag packing session by education accessibility NGO Parijat Mumbai will see Mumbaikars neatly pack notebooks, art books, crayons, pencils and other stationery for a good cause in Parel. “We have identified over 90 schools in rural Maharashtra including Sindhudurg, Chandrapur and Nanded, where students struggle to find the correct learning tools. Every bag that we pack in Mumbai will be sent across to remote villages where it is most needed. Last year, we were able to help nearly 2306 students through this initiative. This time, we’re aiming higher,” shared founding member Gurudas Bate. A lawyer by profession, Bate informed this diarist that each school benefitting from the initiative is required to plant 10 trees in their neighbourhood as a token of reciprocation. Now that’s an offer we could never refuse. To join hands with Bate’s team, log on to teamparijat.org.
Wankhede is her canvas
The artist draws inspiration from the popular North Stand Gang T-shirt. Pic Courtesy/North Stand Gang
Alisha Wagh, an independent city-based artist, recently teamed up with Wankhede Stadium’s North Stand Gang, known for their signature white T-shirts and passionate chants, to create an artwork that would represent the essence of the gang’s spirit over the years. Despite hailing from a family of cricket fans, Wagh didn’t inherit the gene; instead she chose to explore the game through her canvas. “Cricket is India’s first love; so why not start with cricket?’’ she remarked. “We loved the idea, and welcomed it. The artwork will capture the vibe of the Wankhede, the joy of cricket in Mumbai, and its history,’’ shared Sanchit Desai, a member of the group. The artwork, scheduled for an October launch, will be the centre of excitement with the reveal of its process underway on social media. ‘’We want people to keep guessing,” she signed off.
Spidey in the city
Spider-Man travels in a Mumbai local in the video. Pic Courtesy/Aditya Golapkar
Among the many AI videos that have flooded our feeds this week, a short montage of Spider-Man in Mumbai caught our eye. Straight out of every superhero fan’s childhood fantasy, the video features the superhero hitching rides, taking in the view of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, and even getting in a bit of trouble with the cops. “Artificial Intelligence has come a long way in video generation. This was just an experiment to test the skills I have been honing in the past month. I might just turn it into a series,” said the creator of the video Aditya Golapkar. He might as well call it a web-series.
It takes two
A moment from Jhumkewali. Pic Courtesy/Parwana Theatre Group
Mumbai based multidisciplinary collective Parwana Theatre Group is all set to collaborate with Hausofbhaus, a budding queer theatre group for Sam, a two-part theatre showcase later this month. The End by Parwana and Jhumkewali by Hausofbhaus will be performed at a Versova venue. Nikhita Singh, founder, Parwana, tells us, “The plays speak of complex relationships. The End is about three relationships nearing their closure.” Jhumkewali, we learnt, explores queer relationships in the 1970s.
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