The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Atul Kamble
Embracing sisterhood
Aqui Thami. File pic
Not all libraries are meant for quiet readings. Sister Library, Bandra’s community-owned feminist space for female artistes is to host a film screening of filmmaker Jyoti Nisha’s critically acclaimed BR Ambedkar Now and Then on September 6. As part of the library’s September Feminist Movie Night, the session will also invite the filmmaker for a one-on-one conversation. “We wanted to celebrate the writer’s work while appreciating the contributions made by Dr Ambedkar himself,” aqui Thami, artist and founder of the library shared with us.
For the love of reading
Students browse through the collection of books at the newly inaugurated library. Pic courtesy/Mumbai Bookies
There is a new reading space in town. Mumbai Bookies, in association with Google for Education and Teach for India, has initiated a library building drive in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)-supported schools.
“We inaugurated our first library at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Municipal School in Worli on September 2, and plan to build similar libraries in four other schools across the city. We donated books relevant to kids aged betwen five and 12 to make them feel excited about having something new in their hand,” shared Shantanu Naidu (left), author and host, Mumbai Bookies. The community painted the classroom, built and organised the bookshelves as part of the drive.
Spreading their wings
Meera (left) performs during a previous event. Pic Courtesy/@meerasmelodies
After serving as a venue for theatre since 2018, Aram Nagar’s popular performance space Veda Factory will shift gears with a new curatorial wing, Veda Factory Curations.
“It was time for us to tap into the vast network of artistes that we have built, and give something new to our audiences. We have some exciting music, theatre, and storytelling events lined up,” Hina Yadav (inset), head of curations, revealed to this diarist. The group will kick off their first session of programming with a musical night featuring Sanchi Mannotra, Sagar Verma and Meera Desai on September 12.
Message in a mandal
A scene from Vinayaki. Pic/SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
When the mandal becomes the medium for an uplifting message, we are all eyes and ears. The Riddhi Siddhi Mandal, based in JB Nagar, Andheri East, is celebrating its 50th year with a special initiative in the ongoing Ganesh Utsav. They have designed a 15-minute live drama titled ‘Vinayaki’, which highlights how a woman’s multi-tasking life, such as balancing family, work, and society, often takes a toll on her personal well-being. In a nutshell, this is a live musical which follows Ragini, a young woman passionate about music. Under parental and societal pressure, she sets her passion aside to focus on her career.
As marital and family responsibilities increase, she tries to keep everyone happy, but her efforts are taken for granted, and the value she brings goes unrecognised. On the verge of a breakdown, she rediscovers her passion for singing. With social media, her song becomes a sensation, helping her reclaim her sense of self and liberation. The theme has been scripted by Mandal volunteers. Noted Marathi theatre artist Disha Dinde plays the protagonist. Those visiting the Mandal can witness a mix of the divine with thought provoking communication and ideas. We like.
Giving Sanskrit an upgrade
A moment from the band’s previous performance at an event. Pic courtesy/Vrunda Gandharva Sakhyam
While this diarist struggled to get through the Sanskrit subhashit mala for the board exams, the contemporary band Vrunda Gandharva Sakhyam is looking to bring back the language into popular use. Andheri-based researcher, Dr Shreehari Gokarnakar, songwriter for the band shared that they have crafted Sanskrit versions of popular songs from Jeena isi ka naam hai to the title track of Titanic (1997). The band recently performed at IIT Bombay last month to perform their musical play, Shravya-The Sanskrit Symphony. “As someone who studied Sanskrit, it always bothered me that people restricted it to a language for ritual text. It is a scientific and contemporary language. The idea of making covers was to show how adaptable the language is. It has proven to be an effective way to take the language to the next generation,” he shared. With another performance coming up in Bhandup later this month, Mumbai might get a taste of the new rhythms.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
