<h2>Catch a break</h2>
Play carries on as usual for a group of boys at the puddle-ridden <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/cjp-protest-around-1500-people-gathered-at-shivaji-park-to-protest-200-protesters-detained-says-mumbai-police-23641091" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Shivaji Park ground.&nbsp;</a>
<h2>Bouquets from Bhutan</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Ashwin-Sanghi_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
Accolades are pouring in from across borders for author Ashwin Sanghi (below). Bhutan&rsquo;s Drukyul&rsquo;s Art and Literature Festival will witness Sanghi accept the inaugural JSW Literature Prize in August. Sanghi&rsquo;s knack for blending history, modern-day crime, and mythology seems to have struck a chord with the festival&rsquo;s founder and Bhutan&rsquo;s Queen Mother Gyalyum Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk, who referred to Sanghi as &ldquo;a fitting first recipient of a prize dedicated to the enduring power and significance of literature.&rdquo; The feeling is mutual, we learnt. &ldquo;My life&rsquo;s work rests on the belief that popular fiction can be intellectually rich and culturally rooted without sacrificing the joy of story. To have that conviction recognised in Bhutan feels extraordinarily fitting,&rdquo; shared Sanghi.
<h2>Finding Wangchuk in Ladakh</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Gaurav-Ganmbhir_e.jpg" alt="(From left) Gaurav Gambhir interacts with a learner at a workshop in Sikkim" width="1280" height="720" /> (From left) Gaurav Gambhir interacts with a learner at a workshop in Sikkim
While<a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/cjp-protest-i-am-still-alive-says-activist-sonam-wangchuk-on-25th-day-of-his-hunger-strike-as-agitation-continues-at-jantar-mantar-23641097" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> Sonam Wangchuk</a> (below) has matters of national importance to look after at this moment, Mira Road-based beatboxer and hip-hop musician Gaurav Gambhir aka DCypher hopes to meet him in a more relaxed avatar come September.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/SECMOL_e.jpg" alt="The SECMOL campus in Ladakh. PICS COURTESY/WIKIMEDIA; GAURAV GAMBHIR" width="1280" height="720" /> The SECMOL campus in Ladakh. PICS COURTESY/WIKIMEDIA; GAURAV GAMBHIR
Wangchuk&rsquo;s Students&rsquo; Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) will play host to a hip-hop workshop for Ladakhi youth. &ldquo;I am keen to meet young <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/photo/in-photos-climate-activist-sonam-wangchuk-among-120-detained-at-delhi-border-over-ladakh-protest-102405/6" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Ladakhi talent.</a> There&rsquo;s very little the country knows about the region&rsquo;s hip-hop scene, but I&rsquo;m sure it is home to some immense talent,&rdquo; Gambhir told us.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Sonam-Wangchuk-aq_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
The beatboxer will be joined by BBoy Kancha of the Dharavi Dream Project, who will teach participants how to shake a leg, hip-hop style. The visit comes on the back of a workshop conducted in Sikkim earlier this year by the I-Ultimate youth leadership camp. &ldquo;We couldn&rsquo;t meet Wangchuk sir back then because he was already engrossed in his ongoing efforts,&rdquo; Gambhir rued. Second time&rsquo;s the charm, we guess.
<h2>KGAF gallops back to town</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Kala-Ghoda-art_e.jpg" alt="A striking art installation at KGAF 2025. FILE PIC/ATUL KAMBLE" width="1280" height="720" /> A striking art installation at KGAF 2025. FILE PIC/ATUL KAMBLE
A little birdie told us that Mumbai&rsquo;s most beloved horse is giddying up once again. The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF) will return for a new season from January 30 to February 7 2027, honorary festival director Brinda Miller (right) confirmed. &ldquo;I shortlisted a few themes including Forging Ahead, Setting The Pace, and Spirit in Stride for my team. The one that won unanimously was MultipliCity,&rdquo; she revealed.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Brinda-Miller_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
The idea itself is a fun wordplay on the city and the diverse ideas and people that make it up, she added. Will 2027 bring new segments to the festival, we wonder. Miller chuckled at our suggestion, &ldquo;In fact, the festival has spread its wings so far and wide that we were contemplating if we must make it simpler this year,&rdquo; she admitted, adding that the Lifestyle segment that was introduced two years ago will be one to watch, with yoga, skateboarding and other new-age activities finding a spot in the festival. We&rsquo;ll be there to welcome the faithful horse home.
<h2>An artist contemplates</h2>
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/Anju-Dodiya_e.jpg" alt="Anju Dodiya with her works in 2025. PIC COURTESY/@CHEMOULD Prescott Road" width="1280" height="720" /> Anju Dodiya with her works in 2025. PIC COURTESY/@CHEMOULD Prescott Road
Our eyes could not help but widen in curiosity when we caught the title of Anju Dodiya&rsquo;s upcoming talk at the Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda. As part of the Let&rsquo;s Talk series by Kochi Biennale Foundation, the artist will host a session titled Bridges of Hesitation on August 20. Shrugging our inference to Kazuo Ishiguro&rsquo;s An Artist of the Floating World, Dodiya replied, &ldquo;The title actually comes from an old painting of mine. I wanted to address that sense of hesitation, self-doubt and questions that you experience as a young artist. While many think it to be a negative, I find it necessary to be addressed.&rdquo;&nbsp;

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Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

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