Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Chaar ChoughiThese cats strike a regal pose on the stairs leading up to a house at MazgaonFood for goodTina Matlani with the feeders for straysMumbaikars passionate about providing for strays especially in the cityrsquos unforgiving monsoons have an ally in Chemburbased Tina Matlani An interior designer by trade she also runs an NGO called Risa Foundation through which she is offering to build and install feeders in suitable locations at no cost ldquoI was keen to work for the benefit of stray animals I have designed these feeders using PVC pipes and they can be filled as convenient for the animals to eat and drink from through the day The feeders donrsquot only help dogs and cats but are also visited by birds and rodents whose fate is often overlookedrdquo Matlani told this diarist If you are keen to have these installed in your neighbourhood connect with her at kristinaa1209gmailcomGoing southAfter recently winning the National Award 2021 in India Deepti Guptarsquos docufeature Shut Up Sona is set to screen at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne IFFM The film which follows protagonist Sona Mohapatrarsquos journey in the music industry and as a performing artiste explores her take on prejudices in this space and the broader society as well while also diving into her musical roots and inspirations ldquoI am elated to see that this yearrsquos IFFM has a considerable number of women filmmakers which is a great feat This documentary is my personal voice and journey with Deepti in the land of visual storytellingrdquo Mohapatra told usCreating a sound foundationThe Indian Foundation for the Arts IFA is organising a gig to raise funds and what caught our eye is the quirky lineup It includes a rapper who goes by the name of Q and who is also known as a risqueacute politically charged filmmaker Then therersquos Roddur Roy a YouTube sensation who makes parodies of Bengali songs or so it seems Hiphop crew National Animal and vocalistproducer Suyasha Sengupta aka Plastic Parvati in pic complete the bill All in all itrsquos an eclectic mix of artistes and Menaka Rodrigues head of outreach at IFA told this diarist that the event came about after she approached Q She added ldquoThe project grew from there and the funds will be used to support IFArsquos programmes which are aimed at boosting arts and culture across the countryrdquo Interested in the gig Head to insiderin to purchase your ticketPlay it writeCollaborations have always played an integral role in the theatrical process While the pandemic compelled theatrewallahs to take their craft online in relative isolation the Bombay Theatre Company is attempting to keep the collaborative spirit alive ldquoWersquore inviting playwrights to compose an original monoact or monologue in English which will be enacted by an actor of their choice Selected entries will be showcased on our social media pagesrdquo shares Raveesh Jaiswal its founder and directorArt for our timesWe might be getting used to the new normal but the past yearrsquos experience has been nothing short of unique for each of us From isolation and fear to longing and hope wersquove been through a multitude of emotions To mark this important chapter in history with art the Kshirsagar Apte Foundation has launched their initiative Ujaale Unki Yaadon Ke They are calling for artistic projects that reflect the experience of Covid19 in Mumbai ldquoIt has been a unique time in our history and we should find a way to remember it As the arts reflect and bear witness to our stories hence the call for artistic projects We want to be representative of Mumbai and therefore we are accepting entries in four languages mdash Hindi Gujarati Marathi or Englishrdquo shared Swati Apte its director The projects can be across platforms mdash an artefact a performance a virtual idea an exhibition or any other form ldquoThe arts space has also evolved this year So the scope of the call has been particularly broad The idea is to capture the experience of the pandemic which has brought a lot of grief and loss but also gratitude and hoperdquo explained Apte Interested folk can head to kshirsagaraptefoundationorg for further details