Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Green coverCreepers cloak an abandoned car in WadalaRIP Fr Benny the priestjournalistMonsignor Benedict Aguiar mdash popularly known as Fr Benny mdash who was best known in Mumbairsquos church circles for being the former Editor of the Examiner Catholic Newsweekly for over three decades 19611994 passed away on August 26 He was 95 One of its ablest editors who helmed The Examiner for three decades mdash he left an enduring impression on the magazine and its readers with his fiercely independent style Under his guidance The Examiner became one of the most wellknown and widelyread Catholic periodicals in IndialdquoHis writings reflected an insightful mind on theological matters and ecclesiastical developments in the Church but he was best known for his honest and critical editorials on political developments in India His courage to speak the truth brought consequences at times but Fr Bennyrsquos journalistic integrity was rocksolid In fact his reputation propelled him to the national stage mdash he was President of the ICPA Indian Catholic Press Association 196978rdquo recalls Fr Joshan Rodrigues managing editor The Examiner He had also authored Rajiv Gandhi mdash The Fight of the Scion Indira Gandhi mdash A Political Biography and The Making of Mumbai which focuses on the development of the Catholic community in the metropolisIn his eulogy at the funeral service Advocate Aloysius Aguiar retired Justice of the Bombay High Court and Fr Bennyrsquos younger brother said ldquoFr Benny was a staunch and courageous soldier of Christ and with the power of the pen battled for justice and truth As a priestjournalist he preached the values of conviction and courage through the columns of the ExaminerrdquoDrama for allAagaaz Theatrersquos 50th Drama Jam a virtual interactive drama games series is almost here This Sunday along with the folks at theatre company Third Space Collective theyrsquove organised a new production titled Rat that retells Bertolt Brechtrsquos text Fear and Misery of the Third Reich The session encourages participants to be active throughout the games ldquoOur objective is to get everyone to play and therersquos no age barrdquo shared performer and repertory member Nagina ShaikhKishore da in the houseTherersquos a new Bollywoodinspired mural in the works This onersquos located in Juhursquos SoHo House and is being created by Bandrabased art studio Bollywood Art Project BAP ldquoWhen SoHo House contacted us to create a mural we brainstormed ideas about who we would paint We then learnt that a street near the establishment is called Kishore Kumar Ganguly Marg and that became our cue While painting him we scanned several photos of the late actorsinger We wanted to depict the actorrsquos largerthanlife take on comedy and his joiedevivre Accordingly we selected this profilerdquo explained Ranjit Dahiya founder of BAP The mural is 15 x 13 feet and will be painted in BAPrsquos signature colourful style The makers expect it to be completed by early next weekPush for endangered languagesNonprofit organisation the Endangered Languages Project has put out a call inviting artists and illustrators from indigenous or endangered language communities to create artworks and pieces on the theme of language revitalisation ldquoWe are excited to work with artists to develop commissioned pieces of art to represent the importance and beauty of language revitalisation We are especially interested in supporting indigenous and tribal artists who work in traditional styles modern ones or some blend of the two This art will be a prominent part of our new websiterdquo said Anna Belew outreach coordinator You can send your portfolio to annaendangeredlanguagescomCurating zines with zingZine makers at the last edition of the Bombay Zine FestBombay Underground an art collective has announced the next edition of the Bombay Zine Fest and is inviting creators to send in their applications A zine the organisers explained is a selfpublished collection of original or appropriated texts and images usually reproduced using a photocopier local printing press or just penandpaper ldquoAs of now wersquore only inviting applications which can be emailed to us Following this the shortlisted candidates will be invited to mail us their zinesrdquo said Himanshu S cofounder of Bombay Underground The fest which was started in 2016 has featured zine makers from across India and all over the world To make for a more interactive engaging experience makers can showcase their zines at the fest on dedicated tables Therersquos also a larger common table for international makers who are unable to physically attend the event The last edition which was held in January 2020 had about 40 to 50 makers physically showcasing their zines at the fest and an overall participation of around 200 Indian and international makers To register email them at bombayundergroundgmailcom