The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
PIC/NIMESH DAVE
Let there be light
Workers in bright yellow raincoats set up celebratory lights at a pandal in Bandra West ahead of Ganeshotsav.
Bharatanatyam over brunch
Anjusha Nair. PIC COURTESY/@nair.anjusha
We had just about wrapped our head around the ‘café rave’ trend in the city, when Kalyan’s Snickerdoodle Coffeeworks threw us another curveball. Ambernath-based Bharatanatyam artiste Anjusha Nair is gearing up to present a classical performance at the cafe’s outdoor seating area amidst diners this weekend. “We’ve always wanted to spotlight art forms that struggle to find spots in contemporary spaces,” Disha Chandak from the café’s core team explained to us. Nair’s piece, we’re told, is just as ambitious. Titled Aanch, it is set to explore Draupadi’s untold stories in the Mahabharata. Those keen to join, can log on to @snickerdoodlecoffeeworks.
Comic canvas for Iron Man of India
A panel from the book. ILLUSTRATION COURTESY/Mohit Suneja
When we learnt that author Mallika Ravikumar (right) was penning a new comic book-style book on Iron Man, we couldn’t have guessed it was a literary snapshot of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s life and times. Now available in leading bookstores and e-stores, Sardar Patel: Man of Iron Words of Steel features 50 illustrated stories for young adults. “Some years ago, when I was a content writer for a government portal on Sardar Patel, I went looking for Patel’s office in Ahmedabad. ‘Is Sardar Patel’s office in this area?’ I asked a street vendor. ‘Kaun Sardar Patel?’ he quipped.
I was astonished. Sardar had united India — from Kashmir to Kanyakumari; he’d pulled off the impossible against all odds. It appalled me that he was unknown in his own backyard. I resolved to do something to make up for this yawning gap in public knowledge about him. I wrote a blog, addressed small groups of children on his birth anniversary, wrote a book about accession (565 : The Dramatic Story of Unifying India). This anecdotal biography about Patel is yet another attempt in redeeming the promise I made myself,” Ravikumar shared with us. True to its comic book style, the stories will be interspersed with humour, we
were assured.
When signs and melodies jam
An interpreter on stage. PIC COURTESY/@ACCESSFORALL12
Bandra witnessed a heartwarming display of inclusivity earlier this week. All About Music, a three-day music conference held between August 20 to 22 at a five-star featured sign language interpreters from Access for All, a Mumbai-based organisation working for people with disabilities, who were seen interpreting the panel discussions effortlessly. “Our idea was to make the event inclusive, for which we even conducted an accessibility audit. We had six interpreters presenting alongside the guest speakers, who were impressed and even shared admiration and need for this to become the norm. We hope that soon, people with impairments can make sense of live shows from the comfort of their homes.” shared Siddhant Shah, founder, Access for All.
A tee-se for Mumbai
The periodic table T-shirt. PIC COURTESY/@lobocopmumbai
City-based Kenneth Lobo’s (below) new T-shirt gave this diarist an eerie flashback to school, until we looked closer. Titled The Periodic Table of Elements of Bombay’s Electronic Music, it features elements dedicated to pioneers of electronica in Mumbai. Beginning with Ch for Charanjeet Singh, dubbed the father of acid house music, other elements are nods to DJ Suketu, DJ Nasha and Kris Correya.
“I grew up in the ’90s, when electronic music was booming in Mumbai. This is my tribute to everyone who played a part,” Lobo, a music industry professional, told us. Sure enough, there’s an element of surprise as well. Elements J, Dw and Fi are shoutouts to popular watering holes Janata, Deepak Wines and the erstwhile Lower Parel party hub, Fire N’ Ice. Those who wish to wear their love for the genre on their sleeve will have to sit tight just a tad longer. Keep an eye on the release date at @lobocopmumbai.
Thanks for the sass
The latest scoop from Nariman Point suggests the popular hangout Sassy Spoon is shuttering come August 28. “Thirteen years after we opened the doors, the restaurant has reached its natural end. We’ll be back in the same space soon, with a starkly different idea,” owner Rachel Goenka confirmed.
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