The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
I believe I can fly
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A young boy joins his friends as they dive into the Arabian Sea for a swim near Badhwar Park in Colaba.
S(tr)ingalong with Coldplay?
(From left) Satyajit Padhye with Bandya; Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. File pic
After two memorable performances at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, British rock band Coldplay is taking a breather today before concluding their Mumbai tour tomorrow. It might be a good time to catch up with some interesting fan videos surfacing online, we say. How about ventriloquist Satyajit Padhye’s rendition of the band’s 2014 chartbuster Sky Full of Stars? “The buzz around the band is unlike anything I have ever seen before. My puppet Bandya is all in on the Coldplay fever as well,” shared Padhye, adding, “Singing with a puppet is extremely difficult. To add to that, the song is in a higher key than what I am used to. Hitting those notes as a ventriloquist was a challenge. You could say that Coldplay left me with cold feet! I listened to the song for nearly five hours on a loop before even attempting to sing it.”
Hardcore fans of the band might recognise a deeper connection — American puppeteer Jim Henson’s puppets are a regular feature at the band’s live performances. “I learnt of the band’s affinity towards puppets recently. It’s truly a small world,” Padhye told us. While the ventriloquist plans to catch the concert tomorrow, he hints that something bigger might be in the works. We suggest attendees keep an eye out for Padhye and his puppets. You might just find them on the other side of the audience.
Switch off sessions
A moment from a previous gathering
Tired of the obsession around doom scrolling and the newly infamous ‘brain rot’, trainer Elvira Castelino organised a unique digital-detox session in Bandra last weekend. “I founded the community with the hope of building a group of people who support peace, joy and play. My intention was to bring people together to be present in a space without the use of phones. It is much needed in a city like Mumbai that is congested, always on-the-move. I hope to make this a regular practice, and shape these sessions to the needs of Mumbaikars,” she said.
Story and the stage
Utkarsh Patel
For Utkarsh Patel, co-founder, The Mythology Project, the past few weeks have been an interesting one. The initiative has been collaborating with students of the Drama School of Mumbai to work on characters, archetypes and idioms from the famed mythologies of the world. “It is a programme we developed to help students of the drama school go beyond the text of plays to understand how these archetypes have always existed in storytelling across the world. Whether those are demons, heroes or villains, they help shine a light on facets of human nature — key to any performance art,” he shared.
In Rohith’s memory
Members at the exhibition in Kalina
Student activist group Collective Mumbai remembered late Dalit activist Rohith Vemula with a timely tribute on his death anniversary (January 17). An exhibition of artworks outside Mumbai University’s Kalina campus invited students and passers-by to stop and learn about the ongoing fight against caste-based discrimination and oppression. “Most of the students knew about Rohith and his struggle, but the ones who didn’t, engaged in discussions through the artworks. For us, that’s a sliver of hope,” said group member Huma Namal.
When Amitav Ghosh logged in
Amitav Ghosh leaves a (right) note in the visitor’s log at the Society
While he was in town for a talk, author Amitav Ghosh made time to head down to The Asiatic Society of Mumbai. “We had nominated him alongside Shashi Tharoor to be as honorary fellows of the society on our Foundation Day in November 2024. Since he was bestowed the fellowship in absentia, he dropped by for a visit when he was in town,” shared Vispi Balaporia, president of the Society. In addition to meeting the committee, and trustee Cyrus Guzder, Ghosh also took time to leave a thoughtful note in the visitor’s log. “It is a prestigious book that was first signed by former President Rajendra Prasad. But he was kind, and took some time to think and write his words down. He had little time, but was curious and asked us much about our archives and digitised collection. As a reader, I could not help but carry one of his books to get it signed,” recalled Balaporia.
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