Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Vanguards of artThe folks at Hers is Ours a group that creates awareness on genderdiscrimination using the arts as a medium are now spreading their message across 18 different spots in the country They have started The Outsider Festival which entails a van travelling across Agra and urban and rural spots in Rajasthan ferrying artists filmmakers and storytellers who will educate local communities about issues including marginalisation and inclusivity The core team behind the endeavour comprises Ayushi Shriramwar Anal Jha Trina Talukdar and Naomi Jahan Talukdar shared that they are also hosting menstrual hygiene and awareness workshops ldquoWe have started a crowdfunding campaign to cover our costsrdquo Jahan added Visit startsomegoodcom If you want to pitch inIcy developmentsToday through a poetry performance and talk writer and artist Himali Singh Soin will dig deeper into ice the theme of her book titled We Are Opposite Like That The book is a compilation of a series of poems historical documents calligrams logograms topological design elements and fictional mythologies based in the polar regions ldquoHimali has been researching the idea of ice and polar regions for a while now She received a grant from India Foundation for the Arts IFA in 2018 for this project through which she is also exploring writing about ice through a cultural lensrdquo explained Menaka Rodriguez head of resource mobilisation and outreach at IFACall for better representationPhoto by Peter Bos from his book on the Konyaks of NagalandldquoIf you search for images of tribal culture or heritage online the images that come up typically do not represent the communities in a positive lightrdquo shared Sudhir John Horo convener of the Tribal Design Forum a platform that explores the role that design can play for tribal communities in India This sparked the idea behind the first ever Tribal Heritage of India Photography Contest where participants are invited to share photographs that aptly capture the spirit of the tribal people and their culture and heritage Horo added that this contest was also envisioned as a way of crowdsourcing images to enable better representation online and of encouraging photographers amateur and professional to capture their own communities through their eyes In doing so they are seeking to encourage individuals belonging to tribal communities to selfdetermine their identity An international jury whose members are either representatives of indigenous communities in their countries or have worked extensively with indigenous communities will judge the entries To participate register on tribaldesignforumcom before October 29Photo from Aman Chotani from The Last AvatarDiwali lights on Singapore streetsTaking the opportunity to celebrate Singaporersquos strong cultural ties with India the festival of lights is being ushered in with great festivity in Little India mdash one of the countryrsquos most vibrant cultural districts Revellers will be greeted by an elaborate display of lights candles and rangoli decorations with the motifs of peacocks lotus flowers oil lamps and Mahalakshmi the goddess of wealth and prosperity becoming a common sight on Serangoon Road Theyrsquove also lined up events such as treasure hunts and a briyani festival in addition to virtual activities such as food masterclasses and entertainment shows to prevent overcrowdingExploring Mumbairsquos Portuguese tiesldquoWhile so many people drive past St Andrewrsquos Church in Bandra few know that it was built by the Portuguese before the Taj Mahal in Agra It is a part of what makes Mumbai one of the top five cities with Portuguese influence across the worldrdquo said archaeologist Kurush Dalal who is one of the speakers at an event dedicated to the Portuguese heritage of Mumbai This session aims to explore and decode how the unique culture of these preBritish settlers has historically geographically and socioculturally shaped the city of Bombay The other speakers include historian Fleur DrsquoSouza author Sifra Lentin and Portuguese architect Sidh Losa Mendiratta