<h2>Mousing around the lake</h2>
<p>A crow sits atop a mouse-shaped sculpture as a warm ochre hue from the sun creates a contrast in the sky at Powai Lake.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Poetry for the soul</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/apr/Omkar-Bhatkar_e.jpg" alt="Pic courtesy/ Kimaya Gonbare" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Pic courtesy/Kimaya Gonbare</em></strong></p>
<p>Omkar Bhatkar&rsquo;s (below) interest in theatre, literature and poetry led him to find inspiration in the poems of the Spanish saint, St John of the Cross for his latest production scheduled to be staged later this month. &ldquo;Many years ago, I first read Dark Night of the Soul and it resonated within me with a force I had rarely experienced. The brilliance of depicting the profound union of the divine and the human spirit through the metaphor of night, rather than day, struck me as phenomenal,&rdquo; the theatremaker revealed to this diarist. Conceptualised as a solo performance with a Sufi essence, Bhatkar has also planned to back the story with a musical score. &ldquo;Over time, Sufism has become the very lens through which I perceive and interpret all mystical poetry. The intimate nature of a solo presentation also allows for a greater sense of vulnerability and a deeper connection with the audience,&rdquo; he shared.</p>
<h2>Marathi tunes on a global stage</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/apr/Marathi-tunes_e.jpg" alt="(From left) Shreyas Sagvekar and Manish Shetye in a still  from the music video of Taambdi Chaamdi. Pic courtesy/Spinning Records on Youtube" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>(From left) Shreyas Sagvekar and Manish Shetye in a still &nbsp;from the music video of Taambdi Chaamdi. Pic courtesy/Spinning Records on Youtube</em></strong></p>
<p>Remember how everyone was crooning to the addictive beats of DJ Krunal Ghorpade (below) aka Kratex, and Shreyas Sagvekar&rsquo;s viral track, Taambdi Chaamdi a few months ago. The viral sensation has now crossed international waters to debut as the first ever Marathi song to be performed at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Florida. &ldquo;It is an absolutely insane feeling for us. We never imagined that a Marathi song would be played at such a big festival. This has opened up avenues for artistes to take Marathi music much further and is a big win for the fans of the genre too,&rdquo; Ghorpade shared with us.</p>
<h2>Echoes of artistic resistance</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/apr/Somnath_e.jpg" alt="Somnath Waghmare and Yashwant Kamble" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Somnath Waghmare and Yashwant Kamble</em></strong></p>
<p>In an attempt to celebrate the state&rsquo;s Dalit artists and their work, filmmaker and researcher Somnath Waghmare&rsquo;s newest project will document the life and work of Yashwant Kamble (also known as Yashwant Painter), an Ambedkarite painter, writer and activist from Kolhapur.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/apr/Ambedkar_e.jpg" alt="A dated painting of Dr BR Ambedkar and a portrait of Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur by Yashwant Kamble. Pics courtesy/Somnath Waghmare" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A dated painting of Dr BR Ambedkar and a portrait of Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur by Yashwant Kamble. Pics courtesy/Somnath Waghmare</em></strong></p>
<p>&ldquo;I met him [Yashwant] when I was working on a Dalit songs documentation project four years ago. He has dedicated more than 50 years of his life to establish Ambedkarite aesthetics in public culture. We plan to make a short documentary film on him, and a feature-length documentary later as well,&rdquo; Waghmare revealed to us.</p>
<h2>Just what the doctor ordered</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/apr/Dentists_e.jpg" alt="A view of the mini public library at the clinic (right) a mutli-lingual collection of books. Pics courtesy/Dr Ram Chavan" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A view of the mini public library at the clinic (right) a mutli-lingual collection of books. Pics courtesy/Dr Ram Chavan</em></strong></p>
<p>Dentists&rsquo; waiting rooms ought to get some credit for building a reading habit in the city, if you ask us. When this diarist spotted a free library outside Dr Smruti Ratnaparkhi&rsquo;s Dental Clinic in Juhu Galli, it cemented that thought further. Nestled at the entrance of the clinic, the mini free public library is supported by the Gurukrupa Heart Foundation. It stocks titles on history, fiction, and self-help. &ldquo;Waiting rooms usually have a magazine rack with a few quick reads that patients skim through. We wanted to encourage them to go one step further and pick up a book. The senior citizens, especially, who walk past the clinic, show great interest in the idea,&rdquo; shared administrator Dr Ram Chavhan. While we couldn&rsquo;t squeeze in the time to sit down for a read, we&rsquo;re glad residents of this neighbourhood will look forward to their dentist&rsquo;s visits, for a change.</p><p><script type="text/javascript">atOptions={'key':'d0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7','format':'iframe','height':90,'width':728,'params':{}};</script></p><p>
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