The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Satej Shinde
Unexpected flight delay
An Alexandrine Parakeet perches upon a tree amid heavy rains in Thakur Village in Kandivli East
The word, according to Gulzar Saab
There was something in the air last night,…” This diarist has shamelessly borrowed a section of the lyrics from ABBA’s hit, Fernando to sum up last Saturday night’s tribute to literary icon, Gulzar by HarperCollins India. The session was to celebrate him being conferred with the Jnanpith Award. Mumbai turned up on time at the Royal Opera House, braving weekend traffic and threatening rain clouds, to listen to the master in conversation with Prasoon Joshi, lyricist, poet and screenwriter.
(From left) Gulzar and Prasoon Joshi in conversation at the event
In his keynote address, Joshi began by sharing with the audience that at 91, Gulzar Saab still writes a page a day. Reminiscences flowed effortlessly, quite like his poetry and prose: From his discovery of Tagore’s works via Urdu translations (he learnt Bengali later), to his preference for original words with translations, and his experiences of reading another icon, PuLa Deshpande. When Joshi expressed concern about a rapidly changing literary ecosystem, he merely said, “Don’t limit literature to compartments. Allow it to evolve…”
Mumbai fans had some good news too. Amchi Mumbai (HarperCollins India), a city-centric bilingual collection of his short stories and poems with Rakshanda Jalil, will be released in January 2026. “It will reflect my seven-decade-long journey here,” he said, before reading a few lines from the un-released title. The line, “Sattar saal pehle, yeh sheher fikramand tha,” elicited the loudest applause. “Usually, when the whistles and coughing increase, it’s my cue to wrap up,” he told Joshi, and brought the house down. The audience had their fill of the great Gulzar Saab, the unplugged version. It’s true. We are blessed to live in his ‘yug’, as Joshi said.
Taken like a champ, Siddhant
Actor Siddhant Chaturvedi doesn’t mind some good old banter between his hectic Bollywood schedule, we learnt. Comedian Kashyap Swaroop (right) recently reached out to the Gully Boy (2019) actor for a green flag before dropping a joke about his school time shenanigans in an online video. “We were schoolmates at Gokuldham High School in Goregaon. I vividly remember him fussing over free kicks during football matches,” Swaroop recalled over a chat with this diarist.
Siddhant Chaturvedi. PIC COURTESY/@SIDDHANTCHATURVEDI
In the now-released video, Swaroop quips, “I told him he acts so well on the field, he should become an actor one day.” Chaturvedi, who played a stand-up comedian in the popular 2023 film Kho Gaye Hum Kahan was up for some lighthearted humour. “He actually enjoyed the material and urged me to go ahead and put it out in the world. As for me, I was just trying not to burn any bridges, you know?” Swaroop confessed to this diarist.
A sweet ending
Laddu is all smiles on his ride back. PIC COURTESY/ADITYA NATARAJAN
Last week, this diarist had made a request in this section to keep an eye out for the missing ‘Marathon Dog’ Laddu. Caretaker Aditya Natarajan gladly informed us of Laddu’s return last Saturday, following a social media tip about several dogs abandoned in the Sion-Chembur area. “One of the dogs was Laddu. A few of us drove down to the location, and found him at a bus stop opposite Everard Nagar,” he said. The search for the owners of the other streeties abandoned in the area continues on @gullybois.
A new method
The now-shuttered space in Bandra. PIC COURTESY/METHOD BANDRA
Art cafe Method Bandra is having a makeover, rebranding itself to Haiku. The place shut down for renovation yesterday, and is expected to reopen sometime next week.
“This move is mainly to avoid all the confusion between our Kala Ghoda and Delhi-based galleries. Visitors often end up at the café, seeking an extensive gallery, or at the gallery just looking for a coffee,” Sahil Arora (left), founder, revealed to this diarist. “We’ll keep sharing updates on our social media platforms regarding our reopening date, as there’s always a chance of delays with renovation.”
Once in a Moon Moth at BNHS
Moon Moth sighted at BNHS. PIC COURTESY/BNHS
The Bombay Natural History Society’s (BNHS) 142nd Foundation Day celebration was gatecrashed by an elusive winged visitor yesterday. At around 11 am, a Moon Moth, famously known for its short lifespan of not more than ten days, was spotted on a trail at the BNHS Nature Reserve area. “While the species itself is not rare, sightings are uncommon. It was undoubtedly a timely surprise,” a BNHS education officer shared with us, amid celebrations at the Hornbill House in Fort.
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