Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Incognito mode
From Silk Smitha to silk kurta, actor Vidya Balan hides behind her glasses and bag at the airport on Thursday. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

Indie through the years
We took a musical trip down memory lane this Independence week. A popular channel released a list of songs that charts the evolution of independent music in India. It starts with Rock Machine's Top of the Rock, which set the ball rolling for music videos in the country.

And the list then travels through the years with older names like Parikrama and Brahma, to middle-of-the-road acts like Karsh Kale and Anoushka Shankar, to current biggies like Your Chin, Dualist Inquiry and Prateek Kuhad. The indie scene is far from a fully polished product in this country, that's true. But here's tipping our hat to the people who started it all.

Temple run in mini Madras
Mumbai, being the bustling city that it is, is home to many cultures. Matunga, in the heart of the city, is more than just a foodie's dream come true. A photo walk taking place this weekend promises to introduce the many wonders of Matunga, or mini Madras, as it is known. "The talking point is to capture the culture of the area through South Indian temples and its famous eateries. You get to go behind the scenes," Tejas Shinde of its organisers, the Photographer's Blog, tells us. Now, that's a novel way to pack in culture, heritage and a food trail in one morning.

Tata, Mr Vajpayee
There is a way of saying tata and the Tata top brass know it. Atal Bihari Vajpayee's demise has tributes flowing in. Tata Trust chairman Ratan Tata said, "All of us who knew Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee are saddened to hear of his passing away. He was a great leader with a great sense of compassion and humour. He will be remembered fondly by a vast number of us." For N Chandrasekaran, chairman Tata Sons, it was about Vajpayee's stature on the international stage. He said, "The nation has lost a statesman of independent India. An iconic leader on the world stage, Vajpayeeji led India with great wisdom, foresight and love for the country."

A stitch in time
Fashion designer Anita Dongre is known for charitable pursuits that go beyond supporting embroiderers and weavers who are intrinsic to her craft. Through her eponymous foundation, Dongre had set up a community tailoring centre in Charoti in 2015, and Jawahar early this year.

And on Independence Day, Dongre threw open her third community tailoring centre in Dhanevari, a tribal village along Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in Palghar. Twenty five women will be provided a structured professional training in tailoring for two months, in order to help them earn a livelihood and become self-sufficient.

Travel with Milind
During the college years of this diarist, we recall an auction that offered a chance for a bike ride with John Abraham. How we wished we had enough moolah to ride pillion with the hot actor. Flash forward to the present, bicycle enthusiasts and fans of Milind Soman will get the chance to spend a vacation with the fit actor-model. A popular BnB company is offering the opportunity to experience a local, leisure vacation with him. And if you're keen to cross oceans, another travel company has curated a seven-day trip to Portugal, three of which can be spent cycling with Soman. Are you fit for the challenge?

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