Mumbai Diary: Friday frolics

Fish friction
Blame it on the current ‘climate'; at least, that this what the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) says. The political party, which claimed that it was going to host non-vegetarian camps, particularly seafood camps outside certain Gujarati localities in the city as early as August 2 and August 9, has scotched its plans.

The MNS had stated that they planned to host these camps because of a fracas in a Dahisar building between a Maharashtrian family and Gujarati neighbours over fish. What may have been a residential society dispute, was turned into a sectarian battle and was politicised.

The MNS jumped at the opportunity stating that they would hold seafood camps. Yet now, MNS spokesperson, Shalini Thackeray, when asked about the seafood camp to be held on August 2, said "Given the current climate in the country, like the demise of APJ Abdul Kalam and the Gurdaspur terror attacks, we are taking a break from this idea.

We are all in mourning, actually." Was the party serious about bringing the Gujarati vs Maharashtrian battle in the guise of veg vs non-veg to the table? Or, was it said to grab eyeballs? Gimmick or truth? One would never know, but for now, at least, fish friction is off Mumbai's menu.

Hrishida is back!
We found this book jacket of a soon-to-be-released treasure on the much-loved Indian filmmaker.

Titled, The World of Hrishikesh Mukherjee, this tribute to Hrishida by Jai Arjun Singh, promises to be a must-pick for the bookshelf for those who lived and loved his brand of cinema. They don't make ‘em like they used to, no?

Why Mumbai needs Bagzilla
Teaming up with the Mumbai Police and ad agency, Oglivy, Eeksaurus has come up with quirky short films to promote women's empowerment while encouraging them to dial 103 whenever they find themselves in any danger and the Mumbai Police will be there to help them!

A screen shot from Porcupine Jacket that secures one against perverts at the push of a button

The videos have been conceptualised on the theme of gadgets that a woman wished she had when encountered with such unpleasant situations. These include items such as ‘Bagzilla', the monster in a bag, ‘Porcupine Jacket', which drives through perverts at the push of a button, and ‘Intergalactic Pest Control', who are present in their little spaceship to deal with miscreants at a women's beck and call in troubled situations.

The underlying theme of all the videos is to promote the helpline number available for women across the state. The humour in these videos has helped. Having recently won the first ever award for India at Annecy, the world's oldest and largest animation film festival, Eeksaurus has also been felicitated by the Mumbai Police commissioner for their efforts to promote awareness for women's safety in the city.

Of badminton and kite flying
On singing legend Mohammed Rafi's 35th death anniversary, his enterprising singer son Shahid went into nostalgia mode, "Abbujaan (Rafi) always lived and breathed music, but he also enjoyed sports, especially badminton.

Mohammed Rafi with Kishore Kumar

They had formed a team comprising Yusuf-saab (Dilip Kumar), Naushaad-saab, lyricists Anand Bakshi and Shakeelbhai and of course, my dad who would play often at the local gymkhana.

He was also a carrom champ and an expert at kite-flying. He would be elated at watching a kati patang descend, but would also feel sad that woh kite ‘out' ho gaya. Listening to cricket commentaries was another passion," recalls Shahid, whose family has displayed sentimental memorabilia at Rafi Mansion in Bandra that included his his harmonium.

"As a doting father, whenever he returned from his overseas live concerts, he would pamper us with toys and confectionaries," reveals the son, who shares that his Mohammed Rafi Academy music school that was launched five years ago, will be revived by the end of this year, he assures us.

Spin in SoBo
Like fashion and food, the fitness industry is not spared by trends too. One such trend that has had celebrity endorsement now is spinning. These sessions combine music, dancing and weights with your regular spin session. The costs for these sessions go as much as Rs 2,000 per class.

Marine Drive too saw one such trademarked spin class open three months back and they now have more than 100 active members we are told (though they charge about as R650 per class). So, the question is are you up for a spin? Log on to www.revolutioncycle.in to check out the real deal.