The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Ashish Raje
Gridlocked!
Motorcyclists and scooters cross the yellow box grids near Shiv Sena Bhavan at Gadkari Chowk in Dadar
A perfect day to cycle
A moment from the group’s previous bike ride. Pic Courtesy/Instagram
It’s a pretty good time to cycle in Mumbai, as the air quality has partially improved due to early monsoon. Taking advantage of this and to celebrate World Cycling Day (June 3), Mira Bhayandar Cycling Association (MBCA) organised a special cycling programme on Sunday where they cycled to Dongri fort from Mira, Bhayandar, Malad, and Borivli. Edward Pinheiro, a member of MBCA, shared with us, “Uttan was an ideal location for cycling this time of the year, given the scenic views it offers. The goal was to provide Mumbai’s cyclists the opportunity to begin the cycling year with a lighthearted meeting in an open space with fresh, clean air. There were more than 150 cyclists from all across Mumbai.”
New harmonies in Colaba
(From left) A photograph of a traditional mass at Afghan Church. File Pic; (right) A previous candlelight concert. Pic Courtesy/Instagram
If a visit to the 19th Century architectural marvel of the Afghan Church in Colaba has been on your checklist, this bit of news will be music to your ears. The Church will open its doors for a first-of-its-kind candlelit instrumental concert dedicated to the hits of rock band Queen and pop icons ABBA and Coldplay this Friday. Organised by Candlelight Concerts, the performance will mark the Church’s embrace of contemporary performances. “We’re always looking for unique and inspiring venues that can elevate the experience. Historic churches offer a remarkable atmosphere, full of character and cultural significance, which aligns perfectly with our goal of making classical and contemporary music more accessible through unforgettable settings. In this case, the Church was very open to the idea. Once we shared our vision for the concert and how respectful we are with the spaces, they welcomed the concept,” revealed Kriti Bhargava, the organisation’s senior project manager in India. Listeners will be in for an auditory treat as well, we learnt. “The architecture and natural acoustics will create an intimate and immersive environment and the soaring ceilings, ornate details, and candlelit setting will amplify the emotional power of the music,” Bhargava told this diarist.
Tuned to impress
Pradipto Sengupta performs on a mandolin. Pic Courtesy/Pradipto Sengupta
A string of events, or should we say, an event of strings, introduced Mumbaikars to the musical gems hidden in their favourite Bollywood tracks last weekend. Veteran mandolinist Pradipto Sengupta brought out his collection of world instruments for a special showcase in Andheri. On the line-up were the Turkish bouzouki, Middle Eastern rabab, and Bolivian charango. “The rabab has been a mainstay in Hindi cinema. Songs like Yaari Hai Imaan from the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Zanjeer [1973], or the more recent Tere Haath Mein from Fanaa [2006] all feature riffs played on the instrument,” Sengupta shared, adding, “People are often surprised by how common these exotic-looking instruments are. It sparks a new interest for world instruments in them.” After concluding the show with a traditional Turkish tune on the bouzouki, the musician is now planning a performance with his mandolin orchestra in the July.
Transformation as Pascal
Medha Srivastava before (left) and after the transformation (right)
Looking for a new challenge, cosplayer Medha Srivastava has moved from characters in comics to real-life actors. Her latest cosplay as Pedro Pascal in the series, Last of Us, caught this diarist by surprise. “I like to transform into characters. As I have explored my skills further, it has enabled me to study faces better. I often do a lot of face study, my own and theirs, to understand the features,” Srivastava shared. Over the course of almost five hours, she used her make-up to create the closest likeness to the actor. “It comes down to contouring. Pedro has a slightly squarish face, while mine is triangular. This requires careful contouring to shape the appearance. It is similar to creating an illusion,” she revealed.
Meet the Elsewhereans
Jeet Thayil
The last time Jeet Thayil was in Mumbai, it was April. The author-poet was on stage jamming to verses from his book, I’ll Have It Here. The collection was his first since the Sahitya Akademi Award-winning work, These Errors are Correct (2008). It was quite the session, and could have possibly sparked something creative given that he is back with another fiction title, The Elsewhereans. The book will be released later this month and delves into meditation, loss and the fragile question of identity. “The Elsewhereans came to me of its own accord, falling into my lap in its entirety, arising out of material that carried its own mandate, ancestral material that had built up over the decades. I’m happy to see it out in the world at last,” he told this diarist.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
