Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Bridging the gapLabourers work on constructing the sixlane MankoliMothagao bridge on Ulhas creek at Dombivali on FridayAllrsquos well for MollyBack in September in these pages we had written about the then fiveweekold donkey Molly who had been hit by a vehicle and was found abandoned She was rescued by Thanebased NGO Pet Owners and Animal Lovers PAL Foundation but couldnrsquot stand By putting word out on social media and steadily gaining financial contribution from people the NGO managed to raise Rs 70000 for her treatment for two months And we are happy to report that Molly has recovered quicker than expected mdash now she is spotted running and climbing the stairs at the NGOrsquos farmhouse ldquoPeople wanted to help her in every way they could someone even tried to send a physiotherapy machine for her She was hospitalised for two and a half months where the staff did her daily dressing Donkeys put a lot of pressure on their front legs so the change of terrain mdash from indoors at the hospital to the farmhouse now mdash also mattered in her recoveryrdquo cofounder Aditi Nair sharedVirtual reality in JaipurNoam Chomsky PicWikimedia CommonsA frame from the Jaipur Literature Festival JLF would typically include teeming crowds sipping on steaming cups of chai in the wintry sun as the whiff of literal alchemy sweeps across the Diggi Palace grounds This edition February 19 to 21 26 to 28 will be different however as the festival takes on a virtual avatar in the aftermath of the pandemic ldquoItrsquos the first time that we are able to represent all the 21 Indian languages with over 280 writers and speakers representing different perspectives and shades of opinionNamita Gokhale PicFacebookFrom the brilliant professor Priyamvada Natarajan in conversation with the iconic bestselling astrophysicist Carlo Rovelli to the stellar Priyanka Chopra on her inspirational book Unfinished from Noam Chomsky to Shekhar Pathak and Ramchandra Guha Chitra Mudgal S Hareesh Bibek Debroy Robert Macfarlane Maya Jasanoff and Colm Toibin the festival will present a living library of our timesrdquo Namita Gokhale festival director JLF shared with this diarist Gokhale is grateful that some of the worldrsquos finest writers thinkers and speakers will be accessible to audiences across continents ldquoThe pandemic has changed how we understand our world We have curated a virtual programme that looks at our transformative times to understand the future through the lens of the present and the past We share the learnings of some of the most incisive minds through one of our strongest lineups everrdquo she signs off Log on to jaipur literaturefestivalorg to registerLetrsquos listen to some equal musicMadame Gandhi PicFacebookIndoAmerican musician Madame Gandhi had launched a song called Waiting for me last year for which citybased director Misha Ghose had created a hardhitting video The narrative had focused on how young girls need to shape their own futures instead of becoming pawns in a patriarchal society The colour palette for it had consisted of grey and fluorescent green themes and Ghosh shared ldquoThe idea was to show that the girls could eventually lead a subjugated existence grey or one thatrsquos of their own making greenrdquo The song has now been nominated for The Best Music Video Awards at the Oregon Short Film Festival Winter 2021 in the US Herersquos hoping it comes up trumpsSeaze the pastWhile many donrsquot look at Thane as more than another suburb and Revdanda Chaul as another camping sight therersquos much to learn about its maritime history And this evening historian Dr Fleur Drsquosouza will put the spotlight on these two creekside port settlements at a talk with the Maritime Mumbai Museum Society MMMSRevdanda Fort PicWikimedia CommonsDetailing what the online session will cover Drsquosouza told this diarist ldquoThane and Chaulrsquos historic links with a focus on trade shipbuilding and its silk and cotton textile industry the cultural diversity that characterised their populations and altered the architectural landscape and the naval engagements that impacted their histories will be consideredrdquo Head to MMMSrsquo page on Facebook and Instagram for registration details