<h2>Levelling the playing field</h2>
<p>With the rains here, a man prepares the ground by smearing heaps of mud at MIG Cricket Club in <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/search/bandra--articles" rel="nofollow"><strong>Bandra East</strong></a>.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Telling their story</h2>
<p><img title="Siddhartha Menon; (right) Women of the social enterprise" src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2023/jul/dos-july-four-a_e.jpg" alt="Siddhartha Menon; (right) Women of the social enterprise" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Siddhartha Menon; (right) Women of the social enterprise</em></strong></p>
<p>Recognising the power of storytelling, social enterprise Tiny Miracles, will host an event this Sunday where the women from under-served communities in the city who are part of the organisation will get the chance to share their life stories. Siddhartha Menon, impact and content head, noted that the ability to contextualise one&rsquo;s life is the first step towards healing. He added, &ldquo;These women will experience the feeling of being heard, and commanding an audience of 200 people with a microphone in their hands to tell their story.&rdquo; Stories Of Her initiates the foundation&rsquo;s project called Empowerment Engine. Leading up to the event at the organisation&rsquo;s Andheri East headquarters, the participating women will learn the craft of storytelling in a workshop held by storyteller and writer Mehak Mirza Prabhu. The session will kick off with a comedy set by domestic help-turned-comedian Deepika Mhatre. If you would like to be an audience to the stories that will unravel, you can message @tinymiracles_official to book your seat.</p>
<h2>A nod from Mamata Banerjee</h2>
<p><img title="Woman with mirror by Jogen  Chowdhury. Pic courtesy/Wikimedia Commons" src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2023/jul/dos-july-four-b_e.jpg" alt="Woman with mirror by Jogen  Chowdhury. Pic courtesy/Wikimedia Commons" width="1280" height="651" /><strong><em>Woman with mirror by Jogen &nbsp;Chowdhury. Pic courtesy/Wikimedia Commons</em></strong></p>
<p>When Vikram Bachhawat, director of <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/search/kolkata-articles" rel="nofollow"><strong>Kolkata</strong></a>-based Aakriti Art Gallery, stepped into his office last week, he was surprised to see an envelope on his desk from the Chief Minister of West Bengal, <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/search/mamata-banerjee-articles" rel="nofollow"><strong>Mamata Banerjee</strong></a>, wishing the gallery success for their upcoming exhibition Bengal Beyond Boundaries from July 7 to 16 at Bikaner House in New Delhi. It is a fitting wish from CM Banerjee who is an artist herself. Elated with the acknowledgement, Bachhawat shared with this diarist, &ldquo;It is always nice to have our work appreciated and recognised. My colleagues, staff and I feel encouraged, especially since this is a big show with 300 artworks and 100 artists.&rdquo; The exhibition on Bengal artists has been conceptualised by artist Jogen Chowdhury and curated by art critic Uma Nair.</p>
<p><img title="Vikram Bachhawat and Mamata Banerjee" src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2023/jul/dos-july-four-c_e.jpg" alt="Vikram Bachhawat and Mamata Banerjee" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Vikram Bachhawat and Mamata Banerjee</em></strong></p>
<h2>A stop at the paani puri thela</h2>
<p><img title="A still from the video" src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2023/jul/dos-july-four-e_e.jpg" alt="A still from the video" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>A still from the video</em></strong></p>
<p>&ldquo;Bhaiya, thoda aur teekha banao&rdquo; is a typical conversation many Mumbaikars must have had with their favourite paani puri walas. Embodying this vibe, paper stop motion animator Sakina Tayeb Ali&rsquo;s recent collaboration with illustrator and animator Shubhajeet Dey, combines two different animation mediums &mdash; stop motion and drawing. &ldquo;I reached out to Shubhajeet Dey with the idea and he readily agreed. The video&rsquo;s lower frame was the paani puri thela. I shot it in front of a green screen and sent it to Dey who then added the animation of the white blob man and the landscape,&rdquo; Ali told this diarist. The animator, who shuttles between Mumbai and Kuwait, revealed that they had to sync every move with precision, &ldquo;When you look at the whole frame, the stop motion and drawing blend in seamlessly.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>The inclusivity canvas in Matunga</h2>
<p><img title="Raynah Hazari; (right) Participants paint umbrellas at the event " src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2023/jul/dos-july-four-f_e.jpg" alt="Raynah Hazari; (right) Participants paint umbrellas at the event " width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Raynah Hazari; (right) Participants paint umbrellas at the event&nbsp;</em></strong></p>
<p>Raynah Hazari (below), a standard IX student, gave colour to the grey monsoon skies with her umbrella painting initiative that brought together members of the transgender community. The event, Falak, took place last weekend at Matunga&rsquo;s Lakhamshi Napoo Hall. The 15-year-old shared, &ldquo;The event was initiated by my deep empathy towards the transgender community after reading about the prejudices they face. I wanted to do something meaningful to bring them joy.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Bandra&rsquo;s got talent</h2>
<p><img title="A dancer performs at a previous edition" src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2023/jul/dos-july-four-g_e.jpg" alt="A dancer performs at a previous edition" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>A dancer performs at a previous edition</em></strong></p>
<p>One of the biggest community-led showcases in the city, St Andrew&rsquo;s All Bandra Parish Talent Contest is back for its 66th presentation and 70th anniversary. This year, they plan on focusing on their goal of fostering talent, community and togetherness through art and the theme, Zonals, the heART of Bandra. The event will offer young talent a stage to begin their artistic journeys in music, dance and drama just as it did for previous participants. Father Clarence Fonseca, parish priest of St Andrew&rsquo;s Church and the president of the Andrean Cultural Council aptly shared, &ldquo;The event provides a platform for people to showcase their talents.&rdquo;</p><p>
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