Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

When the badshah holds court
Residents of a neighbourhood in Vasai were in for a starry surprise when Shah Rukh Khan arrived in the distant suburb for a film shoot on Wednesday. Pic/Nimesh Dave

Women from India's contingent at yesterday's opening ceremony. Pic/PTI

A 'suit'able fit?
For as long as one can recall, women representing India in world sporting events have mostly worn a saree-and-blazer combo. However, many athletes, like several Indian women, often need help to drape the unstitched fabric, and find it uncomfortable for long ceremonies. So, based on their feedback, the Indian Olympic Association swapped the saree with the trouser. While this could have been a great opportunity for our athletes to go from drab to fab, the outcome was once again, underwhelming. Though the fit was marginally better (they have a famous brand as their style partner), the jacquard drape on our women didn't impress, and seemed straight out of an amateur fashion school project. When will we learn?

Art that comes with a heart
Art doesn't have to be the preserve of the elite at posh galleries. Sometimes, a painting doesn't need to have the expertise of a Picasso or SH Raza to qualify as saleable. For, art can simply be what a bunch of children with learning disabilities produce on an empty canvas. And we are not talking about the movie Taare Zameen Par here. Take the students of The Gateway School, for instance. They all have learning challenges. Yet, they have the talent to create genuine works of art, albeit with a little help. And now, they are holding an exhibition of their works next week, in collaboration with designers like Monisha Jaising, Vikram Phadnis and Kinnari Panicker (in pic), who will also be showcasing their designs. Good luck, guys

A kaali-peeli tribute
How often have you struck a dialogue with your kaali-peeli driver about everything under the sun while he ferries you to your destination (sans GPS)? Now, as this beloved city icon faces competition on our roads, an upcoming exhibition, aptly titled Padmini, pays tribute as it attempts "to capture... the spirit of a bygone carriage, a continuation of conversations shared with countless taxi drivers". To be housed in a heritage hotel in Colaba, it seems like a true celebration of the past.

Stray thoughts
In this PR-driven age of commercial overkill and blind consumption of ideas, where World Idli Day and Sibling Day become talking points and more reasons to rake in the moolah, it comes as a breath of fresh air when social media throws up the odd surprise of the sensitive kind. Turns out, yesterday was observed as World Stray Animals Day. To mark this day, several NGOs across the country reminded the aam junta to use the day to begin caring for a stray near their home or office by feeding them. A heartwarming way to start the day, no?

Shatranj ke Mohre

75 years of theatre
On May 1, 2017, the Indian People's Theatre Association kicked off celebrations to mark 75 years. What better way to do so than to give theatre aficionados a treat of some of its best productions, and that too for a year? The period saw iconic IPTA productions such as Bakri, Ek Maamuli Aadmi, Aakhri Peshi and Dronacharya being revived, and the staging of Bobby, a new play where children from a municipal school in Santacruz were roped in and trained to act.

The first staging of Ek Maamuli Aadmi

As the year-long run of nearly 75 shows comes to an end next month, what lies ahead for the theatre association? "We have plans to invite Javed Akhtar to play Ghalib in Aakhri Shama. We also have a new play coming up in August. In 2019, we will also be celebrating Kaifi Azmi's birth centenary," informs actor-director and senior committee member of IPTA, Ramesh Talwar. A treat that continues indeed.

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