Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

The gentlemen at the helm of the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) at the AGM at the race course. Pic/Shadab Khan

Looking ahead with 101
As Annual General Meetings (AGM) go, this one was relatively quiet. The Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) held its 101st AGM at the Mahalaxami racecourse last evening. Since the committee and chairman were already decided, there was none of the high drama that has marked previous AGMs at the venue.

One could not help thinking though that while all the attention is focused on 100 years and all the hoopla that comes with the landmark, 101 means turning the chapter. It is time now not for nostalgia but looking ahead. Forget about 100, how is the turf club going to survive the next 10 years? Its biggest challenge is guarding its own turf against all who want a slice of the SoBo pie. A grim but very real question.

As for grim, it was all him at the AGM. The club's higher echelons are extremely male-dominated. There is no woman on the committee. The RWITC has many more women members but women are still invisible in decision-making roles. Ladies, now's the high time to step up and take the reins too.

Happy 100th, Roald Dahl!
Roald Dahl, remembered for his children's works like Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Matilda, and The Witches, had as interesting a life as his fiction.

A page from Roald Dahl's Life In Stories written by Andrew Donkin

From flying fighter planes in a World War to courting tinsel-town stars, it all happened for this master whose first work, sent to a newspaper, was actually a fictionalised account of his fighter pilot days peddled as journalism. The quirks and practical jokes remained a part of his life.

To celebrate his birth centenary, the British Council in the city has organised a workshop, to introduce the writer to youngsters today. And how can anyone remember Dahl and not have fun? There will be cake-cutting and celebrations as well. Chocolate cake, we're guessing.

More magnetic power acts
Floating Points (DJ set), Roman Flugel and Dorian Concept made it to the first list of names announced by Magnetic Fields 2016 for their upcoming festival.

Sarathy Korwar will be one of the performers

Indian singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad fit the bill in the South Stage with a great mix of other acts - a new ambient act from Mumbai called Burudu, Delhi-based band Begum and an interesting collaboration featuring Narendra Kumar and Shreyas Dipali from Bengaluru.

But the artiste who is already creating ripples before the event is Sarathy Korwar, a London-based musician who was classically trained in Pune. His album combines hypnotic Sidi chants with Jazz.

Austrian multi-instrumentalist and beats prodigy Dorian Concept is also a part of the carnival. Like every year, there will also be a host of other activities, which includes stargazing sessions on the palace rooftop and the much popular treasure hunt.

That radiant glow

Pic/Sameer Markande

Kareena Kapoor Khan made for a stunning portrait, baby bump and all, at an event held at a Bandra five-star last evening.

Bandra gets a slice of the pizza
What started off as a discussion on the lack of slice pizza joints in the city, materialized eventually into Slice by Slice Pizza - a pizza outlet that will open its doors to customers tomorrow. Located off Bandra's buzzing Carter Road promenade, the outlet will serve over 10 different types of pizzas and pizza rolls from around the world - by the slice - at pocket-friendly prices (Rs 70: Vegetarian, Rs 90: Non-vegetarian).

The idea is the brainchild of couple Keval and Disha Manek, who have been working on the idea for the past six months. What sets Slice by Slice apart from the rest of the pizza joints are their sauces, which include their highly-recommended meat-based Ragù sauce, as well as their fiery sauce, among others like tomato herb sauce and the popular barbecue sauce. This promises to be one helluva saucy pizza affair.

Mama's boy

Some serious mother-son bonding between Mandira Bedi and her little guy, Vir. We love how Mandira calls her little hero, ‘gangsta'. One thing's for sure, he'll grow up to be a heartbreaker.