The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
PIc/Shadab Khan
Just-turned-90 Kanhai left his mark
The inscribed title page (right) Rohan Kanhai’s autobiography
Our in-house cricket nut walked into our bay on Friday to announce that Rohan Kanhai, the West Indian batting great, has turned 90.
Rohan and cricket… an Indian cricket connection struck us. Yes, he said, reminding us that Sunil Gavaskar named his son Rohan after his hero Kanhai, who he first set his sights on in 1958 at the Brabourne Stadium.
Our colleague also came up with an incident dating back to India’s 1971 tour of the West Indies.
Kenia Jayantilal, who was part of the India team on that tour, told him that Kanhai made him feel at home by organising vegetarian food to be sent to his hotel room. The vegetarian fare also included puranpolis.
Sweet acts like these are unthinkable in the today’s ruthless world of international cricket, but that’s how opponents, now matter how tough they were on the field, treated fellow cricketers.
The cricket nut also told us about his brief interaction with Kanhai at the Wankhede Stadium when he was coach of the West Indies cricket team in 1994.
Kanhai had just finished signing his book Blasting for Runs, when he asked whether his autobiography was still available. When told that it was bought from a secondhand bookseller only the previous year and falls into the rare and out-of-print category, he remarked, “lock it up, lock it up” probably indicating that it should be treasured and not lent.
We hope low-profile Kanhai enjoyed his 90th birthday irrespective if he celebrated in Guyana, the country of his birth or America.
Of starry skies in Bandra
Gitanjali Chandrasekharan, founder of Talered and author of The Magical Star Of Bandra, celebrating Christmas at Ranwar village
Christmas is a special time of the year when time itself seems to slow down, and we pause to take in the twinkling lights, the decked up churches and cribs, and all the lip-smacking treats with a sense of childlike wonder. It’s this very emotion that Talered — founded by our former mid-day colleague Gitanjali Chandrasekharan and producing custom storybooks for children and adults — captures in a brand new book about Bandra traditions in Bandra. It follows a group of children from the suburb who discover traditions such as the Bandra Star contest, umber (East Indian cake), and upsaoing (fishing in tidepools).
Chandrasekharan came upon the idea during a conversation with mid-day senior editor and Bandra resident Sandra Almedia. “I learnt about the Star Contest and was intrigued by it. It is such a beautiful thing, the whole lane participating in one thing for weeks, taking pride and also competing with one another. The idea of creating children’s fiction based on Bandra history was something I wanted to do,” Chandrasekhran tells us, “Bandra’s Christmas lights and decorations, the Old Man tradition [burning an effigy to symbolise putting the past year’s sorrows behind you], and just the sense of camaraderie is so beautiful to witness. It gives you a sense that at least something in the city is still connected to community.”
“Because it became such a community story, she adds, “I wanted to keep it free to read. So it’s available free of cost to read at The Village Shop, LoveFools, MCubed Library and Fictionary.” If you find the book at any of these places, here’s hoping you enjoy it and tag @_talered on Instagram!
Zoo at Indie Comix Fest
Zoo is an anthology that contains various standalones; (right) Anand Shenoy
The Indie Comix Fest is all set for today, with around 30 different artists coming and displaying their work. Among these artists is 29-year-old Anand Shenoy, who is going to feature an anthology that he has been working on since 2020. The anthology is called Zoo, and it is a series of different standalone stories which he writes and illustrates. Other than this, he will also be featuring a zine called Bubbles, which have interviews with different alternative contemporary cartoonists.
Describing Zoo as a slice of life comic, Anand says, “I like to use the term domestic drama to talk about it. It’s when people are in awkward, embarrassing situations and how they avoid and tackle it.” He further adds, “An example of this could be a story called My Cold Brother, which is about a boy who lives in the fridge because it’s too hot outside.”
Make a trunk call for elephants
Canvas for a cause: The artist with his painting
One does not need an elephantine memory to recall this. At least seven wild Asiatic elephants were killed when a high-speed passenger train collided with a herd crossing the tracks in Assam. Mumbai artist Kartikeya Khatau has paid tribute to these animals, through his painting. Parel resident Khatau said, “I have titled this painting ‘Gaj Yatra’. It is for sale and sized 26/20 inches, made on handmade paper. In a global world, Assam is not far away and no cause too remote. We need more AI-technology maybe to alert drivers about elephant movement. On our part, I believe we can raise awareness, give a voice to the voiceless through our art.”
For the story tellers out there
The Nazaria Arts Collective often train young people who want to tell stories through films
If you’ve ever made a film and had no idea where to send it, this might be the door you were waiting for. Nazaria Arts Collective is set to host the first-ever Nazaria Youth Film Festival in Mumbai on January 24 and 25, 2026 — a festival imagined for youth, by youth, and refreshingly free of entry or submission fees.
“We teach students at our community media lab called Kahani lab how to make films and we’ve seen these films travel across the country in various premier film festivals,” says Nandini Kochar, 28, co-founder and director of the Mumbai-based non-profit media organisation. “So the idea emerged that what would it mean to create a film festival and provide them a platform to showcase their films at no extra cost.”
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
