The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Nimesh Dave
Mirror image
The waters of Gorai Creek create a rippling, canvas-like reflection of a group of fishermen rowing their boat back to the jetty in Borivli
Opening act thrills
Taktook during a musical showcase; (right) Tinariwen performs at a concert. Pics courtesy/@_sohilbelim, @tinariwen
For a band still finding its footing, opening for a global name can feel less like a gig and more like a main character moment. Yesterday (February 6), Mumbai-based band Taktook took the stage in 1AQ, Delhi ahead of Grammy-winning Tuareg music band Tinariwen as part of their 2026 India tour. The tour is part of the first edition of the India Jazz Project. Formed in October 2022, Taktook draws from Middle Eastern and African musical traditions, folding funk, Afro-beat, and jazz into a sound that is still evolving. Guitarist, musician, and founder of the band, Pankaj Tak told this diarist yesterday, “The opportunity feels surreal, and even though preparations are in full swing, I admit it has not yet fully sunk in.” The opening act balanced reverence and self-expression, with a few Tinariwen covers alongside original tracks like Wah Wah, Hermanos, and Vishal, from Taktook’s debut album, Mother Tongue, which will be released by the end of this year.
Navi Mumbai’s hidden green gem
The garden in the hospital premises. Pic courtesy/Earthen Routes
Take a walk through the campus of Kharghar’s Tata ACTREC Hospital, and you’ll be in for a surprise at the sight of a flourishing permaculture garden. “The hospital uses it to grow fresh, pesticide-free food for their own cancer patients, especially as a large number of them hail from low-income, farming backgrounds and need to meet the nutritional needs of their ailing family members,” we were informed by Manasvini Tyagi, founder of Earthen Routes, the platform spearheading the endeavour.
“The main method used is multi-cropping: You’ll find vegetables, herbs, and creepers, amongst others.” She added that volunteers, from students to working professionals, routinely help out with sowing, harvesting, and maintenance, among other tasks. We hope other organisations take a cue and go green.
Bandra’s tipples in Hong Kong
Lyres Spritzer, one of the cocktails on the menu. Pics courtesy/Sixteen33
Loyal patrons of Pali Hill’s Sixteen33 eatery and cocktail bar will be pleased to learn that the outlet will soon take over Quinary, a celebrated cocktail bar in Hong Kong, on February 12. While patrons in Hong Kong would certainly be able to savour a medley of flavours, from pineapple to lime, the one-night event is more exciting for Ethan Campbell (top), head mixologist, and Peingamla Varah (Anna), mixologist, both of whom will travel to Hong Kong for this collaboration.
Campbell shared his thoughts, “[Quinary] is a space that has always pushed the boundaries of what a cocktail experience can be. To represent India on such a global stage is incredibly special. This takeover is about bringing our local energy and stories into a global conversation. It’s more than what’s in the glass; it’s about sharing where we come from and connecting through craft.”
Stories from India’s heartland
Performers enact a scene from the play. Pic courtesy/Datta Patil
The team of the play, Ithech Taka Tambu, directed by Sachin Shinde performed at the ongoing Kala Ghoda Arts Festival on February 3. “The play questions the concept of development and morality,” shared playwright Datta Patil. Incidentally, the play was born when Patil read the news report about a thief returning stolen goods to the late poet Narayan Surve’s family in 2024. “The next time we’re in town, we will let you know,” the Nashik-based Patil shared. We look forward to that.
Of maladies and medical journeys
Physican, oncologist, and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Siddhartha Mukherjee (right) revisits cancer’s long, tangled history in an updated edition of his book, The Emperor of All Maladies (HarperCollins) that is now available to readers. The book, first published over a decade ago, returns at a moment when cancer research is moving rapidly, shaped by genetic science, targeted therapies, and evolving ideas of treatment and care. Mukherjee, in this book, traces how medicine’s understanding of the disease has grown through centuries of trial, error, and discovery. Reflecting on cancer’s earliest recorded description, Mukherjee notes in the book, “It was in the time of Hippocrates, around 400 BC, that a word for cancer first appeared in the medical literature: karkinos, from the Greek word for ‘crab’.” In a way, this expanded edition not only charts the evolving fight against cancer but also highlights the innovations shaping its future.
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