Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Whispering sweet nothingsA woman embraces a pet dog who seems to be quite content with the TLC at ChowpattyNext halt DelhiA visitor at the Colaba gallery PIC COURTESYGALLERY XXL ON INSTAGRAMThe new kids on Mumbairsquos art block are set to head northwards The Colababased Gallery XXL will move out of the city to new pastures in Delhi come September ldquoHaving spent a year and a half in Mumbai we wanted to widen our audience with a focus on sociopolitical art in the context of urban programmingrdquo shared curator Sarah Malik The curator further revealed ldquoWe do wish to have a presence in other parts of India including Mumbai and Goa mdash the late Hanif Qureshirsquos own studio To that end we will be collaborating with artists and other host design studios and galleriesrdquoRegal welcome for Hitchcock in MumbaiRegal CinemaIn conversation with this diarist earlier this month Film Heritage Foundation founder Shivendra Singh Dungarpur had hinted at a return of classic films to Regal Cinema The Foundation has now officially announced regular screenings of filmmaking icons like Alfred Hitchcock John Ford and Akira Kurosawa starting next monthShivendra Singh Dungarpur PICS COURTESYWIKIMEDIA COMMONS right Alfred HitchcockldquoOur emphasis is on classic films for cinephiles and we will be starting with a series on Alfred Hitchcock These screenings will be unlike others since they will be restored prints that are archived and often rare to experience on the large screenrdquo Dungarpur had told this diarist In times where box office numbers are hailed supreme we were glad to hear that the screenings will be free to view on a firstcomefirstserved basis For updates on the schedule log on to filmheritagefoundationMore room for colourful experimentsShilton Dmello with a revamped globe installation at the laboratory PIC COURTESYSHILTON DMELLOThe walls of school laboratories can tend to be uninspiring But what if there was an opportunity to add a splash of colour Artist Shilton Dmello saw that opportunity at Dominic Savio Vidyalaya Ghatkopar and turned the walls of the laboratory into vibrant ones He reveals how this idea took shape ldquoLab supervisor Roshan Drsquosilva reached out to me with the idea I wanted to contribute with something exciting We gave the ceiling an outer spacethemed look with stars and planets We also added lights to give it a special touchrdquo He added ldquoFr Savio DrsquoSouza manager of the school gave the nod for the project while engineering consultant and executor Jonathan Dias helped with the technical and mechanical designrdquoAn act of violinsYoung musicians and right Mika Nishimura welcome students with a violin performance PICS COURTESYMIKA NISHIMURAChildren at the Muktangan Education Trust in Worli walked into their classroom to a peppy background score last Saturday Playing violins at the gate were 18 students of the Sound of Soul music school led by Japanese violinist Mika Nishimura ldquoWe wanted to mark World Music Day in style Our young musicians come from schools and colleges spread across Mumbai They were glad to join the initiativerdquo Nishimura told us As for the unusual sight of students dancing and grooving into their classrooms cofounder Inaya Merchant revealed ldquoIt wasnrsquot just the children who had a field day the parents and passersby all joined in A woman from across the building even stepped out to cheer us on with a loud and spirited lsquoGood jobrsquordquoWriggle with meChildren at a nature camp right an earthworm PICS COURTESYROOTS NATURE CLUBIf the mention of earthworms is already giving you the heebiejeebies you definitely need an intervention by the Roots Nature Club this weekend On July 28 the club will host an lsquoearthworm partyrsquo for parents and children in Bandra to familiarise them with the friendly worms ldquoTherersquos only so much you can learn from books and educational videos I highly recommend Mumbaikars roll their sleeves up and get their hands dirty to meet the cityrsquos unsung helpers this monsoonrdquo shared founder Pooja Lalwani To register and for more details on the location log on to rootsnatureclub on Instagram