The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
PIC/NIMESH DAVE
The Maximum City lives through its citizens
(From left) BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, MLA Manoj Jamsutkar, Minister of Information Technology and Cultural Affairs Ashish Shelar, Smiti Kanodia, and Tasneem Zakaria Mehta reveal the festival’s Devanagari logo. Pics/Kirti Surve Parade
Zohran Mamdani’s call for a city of the people seemed to echo at the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum on October 6. Cabinet Minister of Information Technology and Cultural Affairs, Ashish Shelar, and BMC Commissioner Dr Bhushan Gagrani joined Museum director Tasneem Zakaria Mehta on a buzzing opening day of the Art Deco Alive! Ocean Drive to Marine Drive: Mapping a Century of Deco, Miami Beach–Mumbai (1925–2025) festival.
Atul Kumar (centre) guides Shelar and Gagrani on a walkthrough of the exhibits featuring Art Deco hotels and apartment complexes that changed Mumbai’s culture
With the names on the dais, the conversation soon veered on the need to protect the city’s rare heritage. Noting that the work to ‘preserve the soul of the city is a participatory exercise for [all of us]’, Dr Gagrani said, “The government and corporations are facilitators — providing an ecosystem, logistics, infrastructure. But there needs to a catalyst on the ground, whether that is the museum, an initiative or people.”
A miniature replica of Eros Cinema
That seemed to resonate among the panelists, as both Shelar and Mehta highlighted how the current ecosystem needs to come up with new ideas that rethink our image as a modern city. Expanding on a similar theme, Art Deco Alive! founder Smiti Kanodia added, “We have lived, walked, and experienced these spaces. Sharing our stories will raise awareness about this rare history.” Perhaps Mumbai needs to step up.
In the waters with a national champ
Surfers at a previous session in Virar. PIC COURTESY/Keval Patel; Mumbai surf club
It’s not every day that we ask you to bring your surf boards out. Siddhi Vanmali (right), National Champion in Stand-Up Paddle Boarding (SUP), will conduct a workshop at Mumbai Surf Club in Virar, on November 9. This diarist was filled in on the details by Preeti Rawat, co-founder of the club.
“The lesson is open to beginners of all ages, and those who’ve tried SUP before. The focus is on the technical aspects, to correct participants’ stances on the board to prepare them for national-level competitions,” Rawat shared. Those keen to hit the waves can log on to @mumbaisurfclub.
Meet the maestro
Tyeb Mehta, Untitled, 1973, Oil on canvas, 68.50 x 58.50 inch, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art collection. PIC COURTESY/Tyeb Mehta Foundation
In a delightful bit of news for art collectors and connoisseurs, this diarist has learnt that celebrated artist Tyeb Mehta’s (below) iconic paintings will have an extended stay in the city this month. Initially planned to be exhibited at the Art Mumbai art fair from November 13 to 16, Mehta’s signature works will now be on display at Saffronart Gallery in Prabhadevi from November 18 to 30, before heading to Delhi.
Presented by Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) with Tyeb Mehta Foundation and Saffronart Foundation, the exhibition titled Tyeb Mehta - Bearing Weight (with the lightness of being) will also commemorate the artist’s birth centenary. “This exhibition is an attempt to reimagine the trajectories of Mehta’s practice and his legacy,” said Roobina Karode, director and chief curator, KNMA.
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