The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce. In these times, when polarisation is the order of the day this one deserves applause, thinks Dr Abraham Mathai, founder chairman, Harmony Foundation and former vice- chairman of the Minorities Commission
PIC/KIRTI SURVE PARADE
Kitne paas, kitne door
It’s close encounters of different kinds on the seashore at Bandra Bandstand.
A master class in the gender lens
Yogesh Pawar
To mark World Population Day, Population First, in collaboration with the Mumbai Press Club, will host a special offline Masterclass, The Importance of Using a Gender Lens in Journalism, on Friday, July 11, 10 am to 1 pm. “Too often, gender is treated as a separate ‘beat’ rather than a lens through which every story must be seen,” says Yogesh Pawar, Director of Population First. The Masterclass aims to encourage reflection among journalists on gender sensitivity, persistent gaps, misrepresentation, and under-representation in mainstream media. “As a valued Laadli Media awardee, you already know our work is about more than advocacy — it’s about reshaping public discourse,” Pawar adds. “This session is our way of deepening that conversation and equipping media professionals to tell more truthful, inclusive stories,” he adds. The session is open not just to journalists but also to communications professionals and students. Those interested can register on bit.ly/4nufdZ8
Taking a leaf out of Shobhaa’s book
Shobhaa De and Sanjoy K Roy, managing director, Teamwork Arts at the 2025-26 festival season announcement at Lower Parel last week
It’s high time JLF [Jaipur Literature Festival] comes to Mumbai,” author Shobhaa De tells us during cocktail hour, and we couldn’t agree more. The discussion takes place at The Quorum in Lower Parel, where festival curator Teamwork Arts last week announced the dates for its 2025-26 festival season, including 10 editions of the world’s largest literary festival, Jaipur Literature Festival & JLF International. “JLF has gone to Seattle, so why not to Mumbai?” asks De, who regularly travels for the fest’s international editions. “It’s lovely to see people enjoying the festival in the US, listening to the panel talks, dancing to the music performances. Mumbai is culturally rich, but its festivals and arts are not accessible to everybody. The city needs an inclusive festival like JLF,” she adds. The 2025-26 season is already underway, with JLF being hosted right now in Valladolid, Spain. Why launch the Teamwork festival calendar in Mumbai? “Because the arts cannot survive without patronage,” says Sanjoy K Roy, managing director, Teamwork Arts. And, because Teamwork has a lot of plans for the Mumbai audience in the coming year, he hints. Watch this space for more…
Let’s hear it for cohesion
Dr Abraham Mathai
In these times, when polarisation is the order of the day this one deserves applause, thinks Dr. Abraham Mathai, founder chairman, Harmony Foundation and former vice- chairman of the Minorities Commission. Mathai has appreciated the commendable role played by the Mumbai police under Deven Bharati for “tireless efforts, effective enforcement, and constructive engagement that led to the successful implementation of the High Court order on the removal of loudspeakers from mosques.” Most of all though Mathai stated that, “the Muslim community in Mumbai showed remarkable cooperation by embracing the use of technology through the ‘Online Azaan’ app”. Many local mosques have introduced the mobile application to relay the Azaan live from registered mosques. The app, developed in Tamil Nadu, allows users to receive the Azaan in real-time, five times a day. Social cohesion and responsibility, particularly ‘Appening’ in a fragmented world.
The Gill-Greg captaincy connection
Shubman Gill and Greg Chappell
Two three-figure scores in his first two Tests as captain at Leeds and Edgbaston gives leading from the front a good name in the case of Shubman Gill. It reminds us of the start another classy batsman made to his captaincy career — Australian Greg Chappell — who coached India from 2005 to 2007. Taking over from elder brother Ian in 1975, Greg kicked off his captaincy stint in style by smashing a hundred in each innings during the opening Test against the West Indies later that year, in Brisbane. An eight-wicket win for the hosts was followed by a West Indies victory at Perth, but Greg’s Australia triumphed in each and every Test in the series after that. West Indies led by Clive Lloyd, endured a 1-5 shellacking and Greg ended the series with 702 runs at 117.00 with three centuries. Greg continued accumulating runs and ended up an all-time great. We hope Gill can do the same.
Step up your stage game
Rhys Sebastian. PIC/IG@SAXONTOAST
Independent musicians and producers looking to sharpen their live performance chops should bookmark this: On Saturday, July 13, saxophonist, producer and live music director Rhys Sebastian will lead an intensive four-hour workshop at The Sanctuary Audiovisual Studio, Mumbai. Titled Producing and Arranging for a Live Set, this OffSet Education session is tailored for those looking to bridge the studio-to-stage gap. Expect an immersive, hands-on learning experience covering everything from sonic textures and arrangement techniques to tech setups, stems, loops, and setlist storytelling. Just 20 seats are available, and tickets start at Rs 3,000. Register at offseteducation.mojo.page.
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