Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

A skater enjoys a fun ride on Bandra's Carter Road on Thursday. Wouldu00c3u0083u00c2u00a2u00c3u0082u00c2u0080u00c3u0082u00c2u0099ve been better with a mask. Pic/ Pradeep Dhivar

This is how I roll

A skater enjoys a fun ride on Bandra's Carter Road on Thursday. Would've been better with a mask. Pic/ Pradeep Dhivar

Three's company

A little bit of music can do no harm during these times, especially when three talented musicians from the city unite to put up a special concert. This evening, baritone Firdause Wadia, tenor Kersi Gazdar (inset) and soprano Farah Ghadiali will perform famous classical and musical theatre songs live as part of Jiyo Parsi's Friday Forum.

About the hour-long set, Ghadiali told this diarist, "We're going to be performing 16 pieces from our respective homes. The musical theatre pieces are all in English and include those from The Sound of Music and West Side Story." The concert can be streamed on the Jiyo Parsi Facebook (FB) page but even if you don't have an FB account, you can catch it live at https://bit.ly/31julyyoutube.

The big roar

Yesterday, on International Tiger Day, India celebrated the bounce-back of its tiger population. But a webinar by CMS Vatavaran discussed if these figures could collapse during a pandemic. One of the panellists, Dr Anish Andheria, president, Wildlife Conservation Trust, lauded the government and forest department's efforts. "India now has 70 per cent of the world's tiger population compared to much bigger and greener tiger range countries.

But we cannot be complacent. While the tiger numbers have certainly jumped, tiger habitats are under threat and are degrading. More efforts need to be made to conserve them," he asserted.

Potter helps in lockdown

Today marks the birth anniversary of one of the most popular fictional characters in history, Harry Potter, and also of his creator JK Rowling. It turns out that the books are coming to the aid of many Mumbaikars during the lockdown, too.

Giving us a sense of its popularity, Jagath Tekkate, COO of SoBo's iconic bookstore Kitab Khana, told this diarist that book sales of the series spiked in June and July. "It's a favourite across age groups. We sold about 30 to 40 copies of the individual books in these couple of months; in July alone, we sold about seven boxes [each box includes a set of seven novels]. What's also interesting is that the expensive, illustrated version is also in demand," he revealed. Well, didn't Dumbledore say that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it?

Some sign of Sima

Colaba's celebrated fine dine, The Table, has been putting up witty banners during the lockdown and their latest is an ode to matchmaker Sima Taparia made famous by a recent Netflix show. It reads, "There's SoBo salad from The Table, raan biryani from Iktara, truffle fried rice from Miss T, and then there's Sima Taparia from Mumbai." Gauri Devidayal, co-founder of the restaurant, shared that they intend on having banners on a weekly basis. "It's been a great way to engage with our audience and retain a sense of humour during what seems to be a difficult time for many," she added.

Canvas support for Indian art

Delhi-based Ojas Art Gallery and Sanjoy K Roy's Teamwork Arts have come together for a unique virtual exhibition and sale starting next Thursday. Titled Fables of the Earth, it will showcase 100 artworks from four Indian indigenous art forms. "It is part of our ongoing #ArtMatters advocacy and fundraising initiative, to provide much-needed support to the artists and artisan communities. In collaboration with Ojas Art, we have curated the first virtual digital gallery to showcase the indigenous artists, who for centuries have been preserving our stories through their craft," Roy told mid-day.

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