Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Hey we are matchingThats what Swara Bhasker seems to telling this cute pachyderm that stands as the mascot of a Lower Parel cinema hall where she attended a discussion on Friday PicSayyed Sameer AbediThe best ever Mumbai foodTen years ago a US resident set out on a hunt for the best food the world had to offer and recorded his journey on YouTube Today Sonny Side as he likes to call himself has made Vietnam his home and his Best Ever Food Review Show has over 16 million subscribers India happens to be one of his favourite culinary destinations and Sonny is in town to kickoff his first 11day road trip in the countrySonny Side right shoots for his online show at a dabeli stall in Andheri on Friday PicDatta KumbharWe wanted to start somewhere with a vibrant food culture like Mumbai and then continue south On my last two visits I had mostly covered northern India and I know that the food identity in the south is quite different he told this diarist speaking about the itinerary which includes stops in Pune Goa Bengaluru and finally Chennai In Mumbai he started the shoot last morning at a Ninja dabeli stall in Andheri known for the lightning speed at which the owner puts together the Gujarati snackWere actually shooting for our 100 street food challenge where we see if we can spend that much on street food in a day This might be impossible in India and thats the point We want to show how all these varieties can be so cheap he said Sonny counts pani puri among his favourite desi dishes It is one of the most unique dishes I have ever had It is super fresh meant to be had right there and tastes just perfectFreedom of expressionAhead of his performance in the city today this diarist caught up with Carnatic singer TM Krishna and the topic of his recent concert in Delhi which was called off due to threats by rightwing groups and subsequently organised by the Aam Aadmi Party AAP government came up Recently Ms Nayantara Sahgal also faced a similar situation So this is not just about meSome like Gauri Lankesh and MM Kalburgi have lost their lives because they expressed themselves If we still do not recognise that there is a drastic shift in the nature of our being that violence is being normalised we will be allowing this country to drift into darkness he said adding At the same time the support I received in Delhi and from all over India has reassured me that the majority of this country will not allow this to happen This is the strength of our democracy our constitutional spiritAbout to dropThis diarist happened to be at a sangeet ceremony earlier this week where he truly grasped the sort of impact that Ritviz has had on the countrys music scene The DJ was playing a bunch of Bollywood tunes when all of a sudden he switched to Udd Gaye the Hindi dance music producers breakthrough hit from 2017And the dance floor went wild Mind you this was in Kolkata So its safe to assume that Ritviz now enjoys panIndia appeal And the good news for his fans is that the DJ is about to release a new track called Ved for which he has collaborated with DIVINE We got to listen to it ahead of the launch and can confirm that its a bazzheavy tune as is characteristic of the Punebased artisteA royal date with the GatewayThe Gateway of India is arguably the citys most iconic landmark and yet each time an interesting nugget falls into our lap about the monument its place in the citys history books makes us relook at it with immense pride So recently while chatting up with a fellow history buff this diarist learnt that the month of January has a special connect with the Gateway Its common knowledge that a pavilion and hall of white Plaster of Paris was the temporary gateway constructed at Apollo Bunder to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to attend the Delhi Durbar in 1911However few are aware that it was immediately after the royal couple had left Bombays shores from the temporary structure on January 10 1912 that city governor Lord Sydenham initiated a scheme to commence work on a permanent structure The reclaimed frontage to the north of the Taj Mahal Hotel was identified to be the space for the stonelanding site The inaugural stone was laid in 1913 and work began to level the promenade around the seafronting plaza The impressive archway designed by George Wittet was finally complete in 1927 In fact Wittet had proposed a grand avenue beside the landmark that was never implemented15 years youngIn 2004 Arpita Das started Yoda Press out of her home with her friend Parul Nayar Since then the indie publishing house has brought out titles that have encouraged conversation on gender sexuality and popular cultureThey even launched the first LGBTQ imprint in India And Das posted on Twitter yesterday that Yoda Press turned 15 Its not been an easy journey but we have come a long way and loved every jousting minute of it she wrote And we can only say may the force be with youCatch up on all the latest Crime National International 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