Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Mum the multitaskerA mother snatches a few moments from running her auto spare parts shop in Sion to tend to her sonrsquos studiesOperating in a safe zoneMaintaining safety in the performing arts is an area that is often overlooked This spurred Varoon P Anand Kaivalya Playsrsquo artistic director to conduct the first ever safety survey in the performing arts space and design a session for arts managers in association with the ArtX Company ldquoOur approach to safety is threefold mdash the performers the spaces and the external audiencerdquo he said Considering that such topics are typically considered dull they are teaching improvbased techniques that arts mangers can apply to spark dialogue he added about the session scheduled for 3 pm today To register visit TheArtXCompany on FacebookWater we needAn artwork by Sanjana Jaiswar a 10yearold Mumbai resident has received a special mention in the second round of the Water We Want International Contest organised by Global Networks of Water Museums Jaiswar created the artwork during a workshop conducted by Dr Sherline Pimenta Describing her drawing Jaiswar told us ldquoEveryday there is a shortage of water in our area then the area people ask for a water tank when water tanks come into the community then there is a rush to fill the waterrdquo Dr Pimenta said that her goal was to make children aware of the importance of water ldquoIrsquom happy to hear the theme of Sanjanarsquos artwork because it means that the message about how much water we need and waste has gone throughrdquoA better futureThrough their new series Be Inspired art platform Teamwork Arts is hoping to engage the youth in conversations centred on Indiarsquos future Launched in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser Government of India and the Science Museum of Bengaluru these episodes will see leaders policymakers and others speak about mental health climate change governance economics and other socially relevant topic ldquoThe idea is to expose young people to whatrsquos really happening around us and explore ways to improve these situations Be Inspired is a concept where we talk about tomorrowrsquos India We have experts as speakers for each episoderdquo said Ila Gupta its director of international festivalsThat gut feelingAs a gastroenterology doctor winner of MasterChef UK 2017 and a cookbook author Dr Saliha Mahmood Ahmed has combined all the skills in her arsenal to create Foodology Hachette India a book she describes as a culinary and scientific journey through the gut ldquoIt is an unapologetic celebration of what I believe to be the most amazing organ of the body that will enhance and enlighten the way you cook and eat To create this book I have drawn on the latest science and my own experiences as both doctor and a cook From my childhood memories of devouring Indian street food to why munching on a jam doughnut brings gastronomic happiness the book is a complete exploration of our physical and emotional relationship with foodrdquo she shared The book delves into the process of digestion and discusses how the food we eat can influence our mood and emotions To sweeten the deal Dr Ahmed has also included 50 new mostly vegetarian recipes for readers to try outPainting a rainbow of supportA still from My Motherrsquos Girlfriend the short film made by 2020 grant awardee Arun FularaNow in its sixth year the Kashish QDrishti Film Grant which has already facilitated the production of five LGBTQiA short films is inviting submissions of screenplays by filmmakers who identify as lesbian gay bisexual transgender intersex asexual queer or nonbinary They will be awarded a grant of Rs 2 lakh to make one short film ldquoIt is important to support filmmakers from the LGBTQiA community since they often have no funding support They are sidelined by production houses and OTT platforms because they believe in being true to their content and do not chase after big stars The grant ties in with our mission of enabling a completely inclusive platformrdquo shared Sridhar Rangayan festival director of Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival