The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
PIc/Shadab Khan
Space jam
Numerous bikes and scooters are parked outside Mira Road railway station.
Democracy on the walls of Art Basel Qatar
Rashid Rana, Fractured Moment. Pic Courtesy/Chemould Prescott Road
The inaugural edition of Art Basel Qatar aims to offer unique experiences to art patrons. Opening for its preview on February 3 and 4, the fair will depart from the conventional booth model to offer something more radical and conceptual.
While Egyptian artist Wael Shawky, takes on the role of artistic director, the edition will also see a familiar Mumbai face on the committee in the form of Shireen Gandhy. The Chemould Prescott Road gallerist said, “The fair is a very unique model for any of us. The attraction was that it is uniform, and set up in an L-shape. You present your works —photographs, canvas works, or sculptures — within that space. I like the democracy of it.”
Shireen Gandhy
This makes the gallery’s choice of showcasing Rashid Rana’s Fractured Moment more resonant. The work creates the illusion of a frozen instant through a sequence of static images from CCTV footage in Gaza, recreated on wallpaper. “The medium of photography, recreated on wallpaper, is a risky medium. And, you enter this L-shaped space with the wallpaper all around you,” she shared with this diarist.
Adieu from the OG kitchen
Munaf Kapadia (standing) and his parents serve late actor Rishi Kapoor (centre) during a dining experience. Pic Courtesy/The Bohri Kitchen
We bring news that may be heartbreaking for fans of The Bohri Kitchen (TBK). The iconic and much-loved catering platform for Bohri cuisine, will close its doors on January 31. The platform had outlets in Bandra, Worli, and Andheri, amongst others. Munaf Kapadia, founder, and Chief Eating Officer, as he is called, revealed, “We were unable to scale the brand to its potential; it has always been a niche for hearty food, made by my mother, chef Nafisa Kapadia. My team and I wish to move ahead with other projects; I’d like to create a home-dining playbook for homemakers who aspire to start similar dining experiences in their homes.” He assured us, “For the last few days, we’ll ensure a swift response to any orders coming our way.”
Building blocks for butterflies
Dr V Shubhalaxmi (in purple) with children at Shree Balaji International School, Kalamboli; (right) Dr V Shubhalaxmi instructs students at Nagraj Sheth School, Uran. Pics Courtesy/Inaturewatch Foundation
Students across a few schools in Navi Mumbai are currently being instructed in regard to the use of butterfly gardens, with a garden being inaugurated on each campus. “We intend to complete this endeavour for 10 schools by January 31. Currently, we have reached six. Four more are remaining for the next three days,” this diarist was informed by Dr V Shubhalaxmi, founder of iNaturewatch Foundation, which organised the project. The naturalist delivered a presentation for teachers and students, especially for Grades 5 and 6. “The aim is to teach them how to maintain the garden. Students can even create a butterfly calendar to observe and document insects,” she shared.
The many faces and shades of love in India
Paromita Vohra
Author, journalist, and filmmaker, Paromita Vohra’s new book, Love, Sex and India: The Agents of Ishq Anthology (Westland Books) brings a myriad of stories when it comes to love and sex in India. Released on January 26, the anthology was born out of the digital project, Agents of Ishq, and presents real stories by Indians across identities, places, and experiences, reframing sex as an integral form of self-expression, rather than a taboo. “We speak of sexual life through a lot of stereotypes; it’s all abject shame or rah-rah liberation. But between these poles, is real life, where everyday people are trying to discover who they are, sometimes tentatively, sometimes boldly,” Vohra shared with us. She also revealed an interesting detail, “Each story also has a tone of the writer’s own personality and their English. We never tried to iron out the regional inflections and cadences with which people write English, the Malayalam or Marathi phrase mixed with the angrezi. There is a lovely desi intimacy to that.”
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