Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Ira Khan

She was all yellow

Aamir Khan's daughter Ira seems lost in her own world at the launch of a fashion collection at a Lower Parel restaurant. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

No shame here

Women are often victims of slut-shaming. More so in India, where women often are accused of inviting sexual assault. And while there have been countless discussions, protests and talks about the subject, Mumbai girl Simryn Thind, who has taken part in the SlutWalk at Pershing Palace in Los Angeles in the past, found a bold and novel way to highlight the problem. Thind got the word "slut" tattooed on her inner lip at a Bandra parlour recently.

"I wanted to get this tattoo as a statement against slut-shaming. It is a big issue on which I wanted to shed a positive light. Also, I wanted to prove my friends wrong, after they said that I wouldn't get it done. I chose the inner lip for the tattoo because it is hidden and also looks super bada's when you show it to someone," she told this diarist. More power to her.

She's making no bones

Lisa Ray's autobiography, Close to the Bone, has been the talk of the town for months now. That's not just because it talks about how she successfully battled cancer, but also because the book focuses on what life for a cancer survivor is like after he or she defeats the disease.

Lisa Ray (left) chats with a guest at the book-reading session. Pic/Sneha Kharabe

And a book-reading of the same was held at a lifestyle store in Lower Parel over the weekend, which saw actor Anahita Uberoi in attendance. Once the event commenced, everyone listened in pin-drop silence and there were a few teary eyes in the audience as well. People applauded Ray for her courage in both overcoming her fears as well as telling her story with grace. Ad guru Swapan Seth was among the other known faces present at the event that saw a slightly delayed start due to the rains. Despite that, it was a
full house.

Masters at work

It's been over two decades that jazz maestro John McLaughlin and vocalist Shankar Mahadevan have been musical brothers in arms, having first joined forces as part of Remembering Shakti in the late '90s.

Shankar Mahadevan and John McLaughlin

Since then, their mutual admiration has only grown stronger and this was evident when McLaughlin paid a brief visit to Mumbai recently with the sole purpose of mixing an album that the two are working on together. It was, as Mahadevan put it, "three days of absolute music, learning, love and laughter". How wonderful it is to see this old association stand the test of time, and blossom into something more meaningful over the years.

A deli cool idea turns 14

Yesterday, the iconic Indigo Deli by deGustibus Hospitality, owned by Anurag Katriar, completed 14 years since the opening of the first outlet in Colaba, which - though shut now - remains present in essence across the other 11 outposts in Mumbai and Pune. It was the first of its kind, in that it strayed from the multi-cuisine or Chindian module most restaurants in that era followed.

Anurag Katriar

Such that the reaction of the first customer to have ordered their now-famous wafer-thin pizza is one that might make you fall off your chair. "'This is masala papad,' he told us and the chef wanted to kill himself," Katriar recalled, adding, "It's like a lifetime in the restaurant industry and I am filled with pride."

Now hear this!

When Mirchi and Mime launched in Powai in 2015, it came as a breath of fresh air. That's because it was the first city restaurant to employ hearing- and speech-impaired staff. The menu carried sign-language guides, which patrons were encouraged to employ while placing orders. The concept created a splash in Mumbai's F&B industry. Now, the people behind the venture - Prashant Issar and Anuj Shah - have joined hands with Riyaaz Amlani of Impresario Limited to scale up the same concept.

They will soon launch an eatery called Ishaara, which, too, will employ people who are unable to hear or talk. "In terms of attributes, these boys and girls are far more suited to the hospitality industry than the rest of us. They smile more, they are more focused, they are intuitive, they are friendly and they are warm. And I think our customers will notice that," Issar said.

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