<h2>Gold rush</h2>
<p>A live statue artiste dressed in an all-golden attire walks briskly past amused children at Juhu Beach</p>
<h2>Puppet talk in Goa</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/apr/Satyajit-Padhye_e.jpg" alt="Satyajit Padhye  with Chotu Singh. PIC COURTESY/SATYAJIT PADHYE" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Satyajit Padhye &nbsp;with Chotu Singh. PIC COURTESY/SATYAJIT PADHYE</em></strong></p>
<p>Ventriloquist Satyajit Padhye is all set to tread on unfamiliar terrain with a stand-up comedy show in Goa next month. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll have Chotu Singh [Padhye&rsquo;s popular puppet] with me,&rdquo; the ventriloquist quipped when we nudged him about the nerves before his first live and public stand-up set. Padhye will be joined by Mumbai-based stand-up comedian Pavitra Shetty at the showcase at Kala Academy in Panaji. &ldquo;I am writing some fresh jokes about Goa, and the different types of tourists that flock to the sunshine state every holiday season,&rdquo; Padhye revealed to us.</p>
<h2>Take note of these designs</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/apr/France-note_e.jpg" alt="A 500 Franc note from 1994 featuring Nobel laureates Marie and Pierre Curie  alongside neon embellishments. PIC COURTESY/RUKMINI DAHANUKAR" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A 500 Franc note from 1994 featuring Nobel laureates Marie and Pierre Curie alongside neon embellishments. PIC COURTESY/RUKMINI DAHANUKAR</em></strong></p>
<p>If you spot Mumbaikars queuing to access banknotes around the Fort area tomorrow, don&rsquo;t be alarmed; you didn&rsquo;t miss any last-minute memos. The new Beyond Face Value exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art Mumbai, will shine a light on historic symbolism behind French currency notes from a time before the Euro&rsquo;s advent.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/apr/Rukmini-Dahanukar_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>&ldquo;Banknotes are not merely economic tools, a country&rsquo;s identity and artistic sensibilities are closely tied to the notes. If you look at notes from France and its overseas territories, they reflect the country&rsquo;s visual style, including the Romanticism period,&rdquo; revealed curator Rukmini Dahanukar (inset). Presented in collaboration with the Alliance Fran&ccedil;aise de Bombay, the exhibition is a window into Dahanukar&rsquo;s ongoing research on world banknotes. Among enlarged canvas recreations of notes spanning decades, will be a special 500 Franc note from 1994. &ldquo;This one features Nobel laureates Marie and Pierre Curie. What&rsquo;s important to note is that Marie is given centrestage, with Pierre&rsquo;s portrait in the backdrop. As a nod to the couple&rsquo;s discoveries in radioactivity, the note also features neon embellishments,&rdquo; Dahanukar revealed. Those keen to unearth more such fun facts can visit the exhibition at the gallery till April 24.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Altar alterations</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/apr/Altar-done_e.jpg" alt="The restored altar at Our Lady of  Grace Church measures nearly 22 feet tall. PIC COURTESY/SEQUEIRA BROTHERS" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The restored altar at Our Lady of Grace Church measures nearly 22 feet tall. PIC COURTESY/SEQUEIRA BROTHERS</em></strong></p>
<p>The Sequeira Brothers from Vasai have been quietly chipping away at a piece of history at their woodworks workshop in Giriz village. The 400-year-old altar of Our Lady of Grace Church in Papdy, Vasai was recently restored by the brothers who are fondly dubbed the Michelangelos of Vasai by local residents. &ldquo;The altar had undergone substantial damage owing to moisture and a white ant menace. A restoration was long overdue; the last one was undertaken nearly 150 years ago. The Church trusted us in moving the altar all the way to our workshop for an extensive revamp. It has now been placed back in its original location,&rdquo; Benzoni Sequeira shared.</p>
<h2>United we art</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/apr/Manzil-Mystics_e.jpg" alt="A previous art-based activity for adults in the city. PIC COURTESY/SATURDAY ART CLASS" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A previous art-based activity for adults in the city. PIC COURTESY/SATURDAY ART CLASS</em></strong></p>
<p>Come April 26, art education organisations from across the city will go back to the drawing board at a symposium in Vile Parle. &ldquo;Art educators in Mumbai are doing excellent work on the field, but this is not a mission that can be achieved in isolation. The event will help smaller organisations find guidance and join hands with others in the field,&rdquo; shared Dharmesh Moleshree, growth and outreach manager at Saturday Art Class (SAC). Organised by SAC in collaboration with platforms like Manzil Mystics, Nazaria and Mann, the conclave is now calling for interested individuals and groups to join the movement. Those keen can log on to @saturdayartclass.</p>
<h2>Benvenuto in India</h2>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2025/apr/Horse-sale_e.jpg" alt="A photograph from Antonio di Vico&rsquo;s trip to Vadodara in 2023. PIC COURTESY/ ANTONIO DI VICO" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>A photograph from Antonio di Vico&rsquo;s trip to Vadodara in 2023. PIC COURTESY/ANTONIO DI VICO</em></strong></p>
<p>It is nice when old friends come visiting. So, when photographer Antonio di Vico reached out to this diarist to announce his next trip, we were pleased. Di Vico featured on this page in December 2023 when he walked from Mumbai to or Dharamsala. &ldquo;I am excited to be back in India. This time, I will start from Mumbai for Kanyakumari,&rdquo; shared di Vico. The Italian will begin his walk on April 5. &ldquo;The experiences from the journey, stories, and photographs will be part of my book that will be released later this year,&rdquo; di Vico said.</p><p>
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