In nature’s company: Here's what you can do in Mumbai during the weekend

A previous meet-up session in the outdoors

The American philosopher Henry David Thoreau would have enjoyed a weekend trail in the forests of Aarey, one imagines. If you are single in Mumbai and tired of the same old hangouts, this weekend meet-up offers something offbeat to explore. Arti Bhandari, co-founder of Prem-a-culture believes that nature trails offer singles in the city a chance to step outside the usual dating routine.

The idea for the trail was born out of the thought that nature builds attraction. "In our daily life, we hardly have any interaction with nature. The idea of these meet-ups is to help singles in the city come out and do something together," she points. Bhandari notes that the trail offers individuals an opportunity to interact and communicate openly while being surrounded by a natural ambience.

This is achieved through joint exercises and processes that help people open up and build friendships on a deeper level. The three-hour session also includes an interactive session with botanist Sayee Girdhari. "This is not to learn about the trees and plants, but to create a relationship by validating their experiences through nature," elaborates Bhandari.

On: September 4; 7 am
At: Aarey Forest, near Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road, Durga Nagar, Jogeshwari East.
Log on to: townscript.com; insider.in
Cost: Rs 650

Penning for the big screen

A weekend workshop will shed light on the craft of screenplay writing with a two-day session for writers to iron out the details

Any writing exercise has to begin with the writer before it turns to the craft, says lyricist and writer Neeraj Pandey. He plans to do just that at Fade In, a two-day screenwriting workshop to be held this weekend in Mumbai. "What I am trying to do is help writers understand their own voice to assimilate structure into their works," he tells us.

Neeraj Pandey

Having written lyrics for films like Ramprasad ki Tehrvi and Har Kisse Ke Hisse: Kaamyaab, as well as being the dialogue writer for the series, Tryst with Destiny, Pandey understands the challenge of the craft. He reveals that one of his objectives is to help writers understand how they can use the tools of the craft to shape their own ideas. "Writing is perhaps the simpler part. The toughest part is the discipline of getting through the task of sitting in one place for hours," he laughs. As for the participants, they have two days to work on those flaws.

On: September 3 and 4; 12 pm to 3 pm
Log on to: insider.in
Cost: Rs 599