The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Steps to a happy ending
A photography crew records a couple in a warm embrace during a photoshoot outside the Asiatic Society of Mumbai, Horniman Circle.
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Feature perfect
Raveesh Jaiswal: (right) A moment from the short film Domestic Help (2023)
After the international success of his short film Domestic Help last year, Raveesh Jaiswal, founder and director of the Bombay Theatre Company, announced that he was moving on to his next big project. “I am working on my first-ever feature film,” Jaiswal told us. While the film enthusiast said that it is too soon to talk about the concept, he mentioned that he has secured an investor and the movie will soon move into the pre-production phase. “I like my work to travel, just like Shekhar Kapur, Mira Nair and Satyajit Ray. This one, too, will hit the international platforms before perhaps a theatrical and OTT release,” he shared.
Break new ground
Ramesh Yadav performs at the World Breaking Classic in 2023
Mumbai’s b-boy artiste Ramesh Yadav AKA b-boy Tornado took Delhi by storm last week at the Bharat Jam all-India b-boy competition. “Competing against the best in the game was a surreal experience,” he shared. The Mankhurd resident, who represented India at the Asian Breaking Championship 2023 in Hangzhou informed this diarist that he has also partnered with World Breaking Classic, an international b-boy competition, to set up a qualifying round in Mumbai for the first time next month. “The nearly 10,000 strong community here doesn’t have a platform to compete at. The news of the qualifiers has set the community abuzz, and I hope it gives the best talents the exposure they deserve,” he added.
Varun draws from poetry
An artwork from the book depicts a fictional cloud-making contraption
As the Internet relentlessly pushes creative minds to move to shorter forms of content, writer and director Varun Grover says “No, thanks.” Grover’s latest book Hari Patang Pe Hara Patanga features a single poem spanning across the 50-page illustrated read. “I have always wanted to write long poems that unfold like a story,” Grover shared with this diarist over a call, adding that the book took him only three days to write. The new book features surrealistic ideas and fictional characters that speak of emotions like hope, resilience and growth through metaphors like clouds and trees. What brings the book to life, according to the writer, are the illustrations by German-based illustrator of Indian origin, Allen Shaw. “When Shaw showed me some rough sketches, I was immediately on board. Within two months, he illustrated the entirety of it just the way I had envisioned it.” Grover noted, adding that one particular illustration portraying a fictional apparatus that generates clouds, a metaphor for hope, is his personal favourite. “The artwork blends steampunk, sci-fi and Indian styles perfectly,” he concluded.
Varun Grover
Sweet meet with macarons
Stephane Doutrelant (centre) and Pooja Dhingra (right) at the workshop
Chef Pooja Dhingra of Le 15 Patisserie is now a certified macaron maestro. For Dhingra, who is celebrating 14 years of the first outlet in the city, the ultimate nod of approval came from Stéphane Doutrelant, director, Alliance Française de Bombay (AF) at a workshop held in the city last week. “We are deeply inspired by Paris and all things French, and so, we wanted to use this occasion to collaborate with AF,” Dhingra shared. Giving us a sneak peek into the workshop, she revealed, “The workshop was one-hour-long, and I taught participants the basics of macaron making. I also guided them in making a ganache filling that they used to fill their own macarons with,” adding that she was pleasantly surprised by how creative the participants got with garnishing the creations. “The response was extremely warm, and I’m glad that Doutrelant and his team relished our macarons,” she told this diarist.
Mangrove watch across Mumbai
A mangrove forest in Gorai, Borivali. File pic
Saving our mangroves got a much-needed alarm system. Mangrove Suraksha, an app launched by the Mangrove Foundation will simplify the process of notifying authorities of potential encroachments. “Queries and grievances by locals will now be automatically filtered and sent to the concerned department; they will visit the spot and file a report that can be viewed on the app,” a Maharashtra Forest Department official revealed.
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