Actor Kunal Kemmu teams up with Aflatunes for a new single, Spoken Fest expands to Indore, Lucknow and Pune, and a new initiative boosts Indian comics. Meanwhile, Mumbai communities rally for stray vaccinations, and Bandra’s Trilogy Bookshop celebrates dogs and cats with a special curation this International Dog Day weekend.
Pic/Shadab Khan
The Best Message
An idol of Lord Ganesha looms large over the directive against the use of POP idols on a BEST bus at Saat Rasta in Mahalaxmi
You had me at Mira Rd!
Kunal Kemmu (centre) performs alongside the Aflatunes. Pic Courtesy/Kunal Kemmu on YouTube
Kunal Kemmu’s new musician alter-ego is turning out to be a treasure trove of surprises. The actor recently roped in the popular city-based A Capella group Aflatunes for a cover of his newest single, Loche. When this diarist reached out to band member and beatboxer Gaurav Gambhir for a post-collaboration report, we were in for a proper Bambaiyya surprise. “We actually hit it off quite well because we’re both Mira Road boys. What was supposed to be a recording turned into a heart-to-heart about life in the suburb. It felt like I was talking to one of my old friends from the area,” Gambhir shared. As for Kemmu’s single, the original has already amassed nearly two lakh views online. “He’s a solid performer. He’s found a way to stay true to his peculiar personality through his music, which is commendable,” Gambhir was all praise.
Upgrades to the mehfil
Roshan Abbas (left) greets lyricist Gulzar at the recently concluded edition of the fest in Pune. Pic Courtesy/@freelenser_
The upcoming Spoken Fest season will now travel to three new cities, and ones that are more than familiar with the tradition of quick-witted poets. Starting October, the festival will head to Indore, Lucknow, and Pune before returning to Mumbai in February 2026. Festival director Roshan Abbas revealed, “Every year, we are flooded with messages from people across India asking, ‘When will you come to our city?’ This year, we are finally setting out.” With Priya Malik, Amol Parashar and Srishti Shrivastava leading the line-up, Abbas added that the fest will be an upgrade. “We are a Karawan of culture. A modern mehfil that gives an inclusive stage to all. Hindustani is Hip and the fest celebrates just that,” he said.
Comics for all
Alok Sharma (extreme right) at the convention
With a resurging interest in the nostalgia and art of comic books in India, a new initiative seeks to unite Indian publishers, creators and designers under a common pan-Indian platform. It was proposed by comic writer-publisher Alok Sharma at the recent Anime India convention. “From aspects of sales, insurance, rights for creators and shaping policy, the idea is to bring the spotlight back on Indian comics,” he shared.
Streeties on our mind
A friendly stray gets his dose of medicine. Pics Courtesy/Anoop Parik
'On Monday, the UFFC community members conducted a vaccination drive for dogs and cats in Chedda Nagar, Chembur'. Approximately 30 to 40 volunteers came together for this initiative. Their aim was to vaccinate over 50 community strays for rabies in the neighbourhood. Festivals are a stressful time for strays, Anoop Parik, participant, Next Page Community, informed this diarist, revealing how he once tailed a runaway dog all the way to Dadar. Animals often run away in fright amidst crowds and noise. Their next drive post Ganeshotsav will be on August 30. For more details, check out thenextpage.in.
For Moturam and friends
The collection at the entrance
A lovely surprise awaits visitors to the Trilogy Curated Bookshop and Library near Bandra’s Joggers’ Park, this International Dog Day weekend (August 26). Lined near their buzzing counter is a carefully curated selection of titles celebrating canines in all their avatars. Owner Ahalya Naidu Momaya (below) shared that the curation has a sentimental connection. “Our growing collection of books on dogs, which sits right beside us, is where our own dog, Moturam Boona, would have been. We miss him a lot. Sometimes, we turn around to chat with readers and from the corner of our eye, we see happy pups and happier senior dogs on the covers of books that always bring back the best memories,” she shared. But canines are not the only friends at the bookstore. “We have books on cats too, placed all over the bookshop, some looking at you from top of the classics, basically settled wherever they like, as any self-respecting feline would do. But the dogs are what greet you first. As our good boy would,” Momaya signed off.
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