Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Chowpatty chalein?

An indie on the shores of Girgaon.  Pic Courtesy/Sandy Paws

Dog lovers need not make the trek to Chowpatty to meet its friendly indies anymore. Local feeder Gauri Sait’s new Instagram page Sandy Paws (@sandypawsmumbai) will act as a crowdsourced archive of photographs and anecdotes that puts the spotlight on  the neighbourhood’s four-legged stars. “It is a positive space where the community shares photos of their beloved pets and strays. It celebrates the joy of animal companionship,” Sait shared.

The OG chroniclers

Dr Mariam Dossal at the symposium

At Friday’s symposium, to kickstart CSMVS’s Digital Library project, which was exclusively reported in mid-day, key heritage voices presented their views. Among them was Dr Mariam Dossal, historian and former Head of Department (History), University of Mumbai. She recalled the contributions of Jonathan Clarke and Colin Cunningham. Clarke’s 40-page study of the heritage value of the disputed and long-shuttered Watson’s on Esplanade revealed that the cast iron site was possibly the first multi-storeyed structure in its time. “It occupies a special place in international structural history,” Dossal reminded. Architectural historian Cunningham’s studies on Mumbai’s textile mills, including its technology, are exemplary; she informed, “It can help recognise its [mills] value, and the extent of loss.” We’re sure their works will hold much gravitas while building the archive.

Peace crusader in the city

VK Tripathi with his daughter, disseminating the message of peace and harmony. Pic Courtesy/Rakhi Tripathi

What is a physicist and an IIT Delhi professor emeritus doing distributing pamphlets on the streets of Indian cities? This is Professor VK Tripathi, a humanist who has made it his mission to foster grassroots resistance against communalism, and promote awareness through his Sadbhav Mission. Now, the professor and his daughter Rakhi Tripathi will be in Mumbai to campaign for peace in Gaza, speaking out against the attacks on the people there. One of the posters being prepared, which Rakhi shared on X, reads: “Masses of the world are one. Their pain and repression are one.” 

VK Tripathi 

Rakhi writes in her post, “My father, Professor VK Tripathi, and I will quietly stand with Gaza, handing out fliers, speaking to people, and reminding everyone that humanity is our only side. A peaceful, humanitarian call for conscience.” The Tripathis will be in Dharavi on September 27, from 10 am to 2 pm, and at Marine Drive on September 28, from 9 am to 1 pm. Their voices may well be lost in the wilderness of violence, but when one’s conscience calls out, there is no choice but to answer.

When Saif was ‘wow’ed by abstract art

(From left) Curator Prachi Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, artist Tirthraj Sinh Zala, and Kareena Kapoor Khan at the Juhu gallery. Pic Courtesy/Artura Spaces

Bollywood power couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan had an impromptu brush with art earlier this week, this diarist learnt. While visiting a children’s learning centre in Juhu, the duo dropped by the art space Floor One for a mini walkthrough of curator Prachi Kapoor’s ongoing exhibition, Where Gods Once Stood. Self-confessed art connoisseur Saif was quick to put on his critic’s hat, the curator revealed. “He has a keen eye for abstract art. He suggested artists start naming their works instead of labelling them ‘Untitled.’ A long discussion ensued,” she told us.

Top cop secrets

D Sivanandhan with the new book. Pic Courtesy/D Sivanandhan

The launch of former Police Commissioner of Mumbai, and former Director General of Police, Maharashtra, D Sivanandhan’s latest title on September 8 was attended by another straight arrow former commissioner, Julio Ribeiro. The book, The Brahmastra Unleashed, is Sivanandhan’s first-person account about the story of the end of Mumbai’s underworld. While the book will have a second launch in Chennai on October 12, it has already made it to the reading list of actor Mohanlal, who incidentally played the top cop’s character in Ram Gopal Varma’s Company (2002).