Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Krushna Abhishek and Claudia

Laughter on auto pilot
Actors Krushna Abhishek and Claudia fool around in an autorickshaw in Bandra East on Tuesday. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

The new space. Pic/Bipin Kokate

Veggie in SoBo
A new signboard in an Art Deco building near Royal Opera House caught our eye recently. Turns out, Botanica Cafe and Diner that will open next week is by two newbie restaurateurs, Shubam Guptaa and Anuj Sadh. The food will be a mix of Mexican, Italian, Indian and other cuisines, and all vegetarian, keeping the locality in mind. They plan to use only fresh local produce. Even the mocktails (sorry folks, no alcohol) won't use syrups. Artisan coffees and select boutique teas will also be on the menu.

The picture on the left in each of these Instagram posts by Dayal is if her original designs while the right is by the brand

Copy paste fashion?
Anupamaa Dayal, the woman behind boho-chic designs, has accused the brand W of copying her signature motifs - Ao and Bukhara. On Monday evening, the Delhi-based artisanal designer expressed her indignation on Instagram with: "It's hurtful to see years of research and creative energy being copied like this".

According to Dayal, she had collaborated with indigenous tribes in Nagaland to develop the Ao print, and while her motifs were the result of traditional methods of hand block printing, W has realised them using the faster and cheaper technique of screen printing.

Anupamaa Dayal

"It's devastating to see a large retailer just copy our prints," she said. The brand W, known to offer clothing options for plus-sized women, has yet to respond to Dayal's claim.

Aspinwall is one of the permanent venues. PIC COURTESY/kochimuzirisbiennale.org

All aboard for Kochi
It's that time of the year when the wise folks at the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) decide to reveal the first list of participating artists across divergent forms, styles and disciplines for the upcoming fourth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale that will begin on December 12, 2018 and continue till March 29, 2019. The list features prominent names like Marlene Dumas (Netherlands), Valie Export (Austria), Jitish Kallat (India), Guerrilla Girls (USA), Nilima Sheikh (India) and Song Dong (China).

Anita Dube

Senior artist Anita Dube will curate the edition, billed as a "People's Biennale" for being one of the largest art congregations. The event will include talks, workshops, film screenings and music across a range of venues in Kochi. Dube emphasises on the focus of this edition, "In both, the exhibition and the carefully designed interactive spaces, I hope the incredible range of exhibiting artists and visitors will become active participants and co-producers of the biennale as a knowledge laboratory."

Ashley Lobo

Bollywood naach-gaana in Turkey
Choreographer Ashley Lobo and his dance company Navdhara India Dance Theatre are set to hit the international scene with their show, A Passage To Bollywood. The team has been invited to perform at Turkey's prestigious Bursa Festival that will be held in Istanbul in July. The dance team will be presenting their show that is supposed to have a heady mix of Bollywood songs. With over 30 feature films to his credit, Lobo brings a lot of cinematic feel to his stage productions. This is Lobo's third visit to Turkey and he is excited at showcasing India at the festival, "I love Turkey and the people, also love the food and history. I would like to tell Turkish people to watch this show and taste a slice of India. It is a fictional story that is based on every village child's dream to go to the big city and become successful. It could be a real-life story but it unfolds differently though," he says.

Chetan Korada

Breaking new (speed) barriers
Bengaluru-based Chetan Korada counts among those rare car racers in the world who drive their vehicle with prosthetic legs. What makes his achievement even rarer is that he is the only racer who drives a regular car without any custom-made modifications. Korada, who was born with a congenital deformity, has won several national-level championships. The 31-year-old is in Mumbai for two days, and is in talks with sponsors for his international debut at a series of upcoming championships in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Chennai. "I will also be in talks for other championships in South East Asia Pacific as well," Korada told this diarist. Good luck!

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