Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Mind the gap
Alia Bhatt tries controlling her exctiement while watching a a mallakhamb demonstration at a school event in Juhu yesterday. Pic/Satej Shinde

Ready to Mingle
We are rolling forward the end of the year, and going into January, which is pride month in the city. Elsewhere though, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) caravan continues trundling across the nation. Last weekend, the fourth edition of the Indian LGBT Youth Leadership Summit was organised in Bengaluru by Mission for Indian Gay and Lesbian Empowerment (MINGLE), in association with other outfits, some of which were Mumbai organisations. The LGBT discussion is now a pan-India movement. The Bengaluru summit, which is an annual event, was held to identify potential leaders among LGBT youth from SAARC nations and groom them for future leadership roles. The two-day event witnessed the breaking of barriers along with identifying strong voices in the LGBT space.

Bed, breakfast and more smiles
Last December, this newspaper had reported on a Memorandum of Understanding that a global online homestay network had signed with the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), with an aim to help rural women open their homes to international and domestic travellers, and in turn, supplement their income. Given SEWA's wide reach and roots in Gujarat, the tie-up was first concretised in the state, where rural women not only offered the network's quintessential bed and breakfast facilities to guests, but also gave them a glimpse of rural life. Yesterday, the network announced that the number of SEWA hosts earning income through the home-sharing initiative has doubled. In times when distress migration is eroding rural livelihood, such collaborations seem like the way forward.

Manish, the judge
Back in July, the news of the selection of Ujjawal Dubey of the label Antar Agni, and Ruchika Sachdeva of Bodice, as finalists of the International Woolmark Prize had delighted the Indian fashion community. The designers will now battle it out in the grand finale that will be held in Florence on January 9. The judging panel, which boasts of top names including Phillip Lim, model Amber Valletta and Livia Firth also has Indian couture favourite, Manish Malhotra. We have our fingers crossed.

Music amidst the sand dunes
Even as the dust settles in Rajasthan after a weekend of non-stop music, thanks to the Magnetic Fields festival, we now get word that the dates for Ragasthan - another major event in the state's calendar - have been announced. It will be held between February 23 and 25 next year, in the dunes of the Thar desert, just off Jaisalmer. But unlike Magnetic Fields, Ragasthan bills itself as more than just a music event. Rather, it's a platform that celebrates sub-genres of art, where photographers, dancers, visual artists, activists, musicians and bikers can congregate under the stars, exchanging notes about their respective fields in an out-of-this-world setting.

Welcome the culinary giants
In recent times, both Gaggan Anand (below) and Manish Mehrotra (top) have teased our palates with their progressive Indian fare by hosting pop-ups in the city. Now, sources tell us that the celebrated restaurateurs are on the hunt for spaces in Mumbai to set up permanent shop. Apparently, Anand, who had until recently dismissed the idea of launching his feted Bangkok restaurant, Gaggan in India, is looking for a venue in Lower Parel and Bandra.

Meanwhile, Mehrotra is scouting for spaces in SoBo to bring in his Delhi offering, Indian Accent, known for its blue cheese naan and duck khurchan cornetto. Here's hoping we can savour these dishes, along with Anand's runaway hits, yoghurt explosion and charcoal.

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