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Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Updated on: 29 May,2025 06:36 AM IST  |  Mumbai
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The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

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Raising the bar his way

A college student practises callisthenics at Five Gardens in Dadar East. 


Art on TIFR campus



Ragmala by MF Husain. Pic courtesy/Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Ragmala by MF Husain. Pic courtesy/Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), in association with Art Mumbai, will conduct a special lecture by gallerist Mortimer Chatterjee titled The Epoch of Pioneers on June 2.

Oindrila Ray Chaudhuri (inset), Consultant with TIFR Archives, said, “Homi Bhabha, the founder of the organisation, started collecting paintings and sculptures for the organisation. Apart from science and mathematics, the institution is a place where you will find a great collection of artefacts.”

Indie love

A picture from Missy’s Musings. Pic courtesy/Ramesh Narayan
A picture from Missy’s Musings. Pic courtesy/Ramesh Narayan

On June 3, in a bid to create awareness about the condition of stray dogs, senior advertising professional, Ramesh Narayan (inset), will launch a book and a short film on community pets at a Colaba venue. He shared, “In the pandemic, I had started a social media handle about my indie dog, Missy, and had named it Missy’s Musings. I compiled these posts and published a lavish coffee table book.”

What’s on the nameplate?

Suresh Suryawanshi
Suresh Suryawanshi

Many times, our passion is side-lined due to family and societal pressure. Suresh Suryawanshi was subjected to a similar problem when he wanted to move out of his job at a travel agency, and become a full-time artist. It took him years to learn the art and prove the fact that this is what he was always meant to do. Suryawanshi talks about his journey, “During my leisure hours at my profession, I used to attempt calligraphy and free-hand drawing. People around me started appreciating it.

A nameplate. Pics courtesy/ Suresh SuryawanshiA nameplate. Pics courtesy/ Suresh Suryawanshi

Then, I started creating greeting cards. I learned design software to enhance my skills. After that, I studied advanced-level calligraphy for five years. With the help of my knowledge in print, and guidance, I took up calligraphy as a profession. I always knew that I could become an artist, but my family wasn’t supportive of the idea. Gradually, I moved to art and decided to make it my career. I started making nameplates in the Devanagari script. From 2010 onwards, I have been making nameplates professionally.”

Language of songs

Music, they say, is universally understood. For singer-songwriter Abdon Mech (below), the recent trip to Budapest was proof. “The folks at Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) and the Task Force for Music and Arts (TFMA) in Nagaland reached out for this songwriting camp in Hungary. It was an opportunity that fascinated me as a songwriter; to work with singers and musicians from over 30 countries,” he told us from Nagaland. Having concluded the three-day camp earlier this month, the singer returns with Neon Leon, a Taiwanese-American pop artiste. “It is a song we loved working on, and are exploring ways to make the release happen soon,” he revealed.

Think out of the matchbox

Matchbox zines created at the previous workshop. Pics courtesy/Mrunmayee Das
Matchbox zines created at the previous workshop. Pics courtesy/Mrunmayee Das

If you like to keep things short and sweet, we might have found your tribe in the city. Coffee and Yap!, a workshop at the Editions Jojo bookstore this Sunday, will witness participants turn their personal stories into pocket-sized zines; compact enough to fit snugly inside a matchbox. “Zines started as an alternative movement. Central to its character are ease of access, production and its circulation within like-minded communities,” founder Kaamna Patel gave us a refresher on the concept. At the day-long community meeting for beginners, participants will stitch pages, fold paper, and bind thoughts into handheld narratives. “The workshop is in the spirit of zine culture, bringing people together to learn a new skill, work with their hands around a community table, using photographs from their personal archives,” Patel added. This matchbox idea has sparked our curiosity, for sure.

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