Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Installation by designer JJ Valaya and Narendra Kumar

Crossing borders
The Partition Project, an ongoing exhibition that marks 70 years of the Partition of India and Pakistan has been starting all the right conversations. Adding to the diverse platforms via which the controversial subject has been conveyed to a new generation is fashion. In collaboration with Lakmé Fashion Week, seven biggies from the industry -­ Sabyasachi Mukherjee, JJ Valaya, Tarun Tahiliani, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Shantanu & Nikhil, Abraham & Thakore and Narendra Kumar Ahmed - were invited to interpret their thoughts on the historic event through their garment creations. These garments will now be part of a permanent collection at of the Partition Museum, Amritsar.

Interiors of Lady Baga's Delhi outlet

Gaga over Baga in Kamala Mills
You read it here first. The Olive Group is set to open the first Mumbai outpost of one of their Delhi properties, Lady Baga. The outlet replaces what was Mumbai's first speakeasy bar (PDT). Hoping to offer the Susegad experience in the mill district, Lady Baga is supposed to be Goan in spirit, complete with sand, psychedelic murals, shack-style ambience and beach beds inside the property. The restaurant, which is set to open by the end of September, specialises in Goan delicacies and a bar menu inspired by the cuisine of the sunny state. Whether Mumbaikars will jump at the short cut for a slice of Goa is something we'll have to see.

Pic/Nimesh Dave

Smiling to the heavens
Marathi actor and dancer Archana Joglekar returned to the city, and performed at an evening of kathak dedicated to her mother and noted kathak exponent Asha Joglekar, at a Vile Parle auditorium over the weekend.

Happy feet
While partygoers in the rest of the city danced to regular club music, those who dropped in at Andheri's Finch were in for a rocking time as they witnessed Swiss piano man Nico Brina not only play with his hands but feet and nose too.

Nico Brina plays the piano with his feet. Pic/Atul Kamble

The 47-year-old, who made his debut in the city, mixed boogie woogie rhythms with rock 'n' roll and the blues for the energetic performance. A self-taught artiste, with just one year of learning at Swiss Jazz School in Bern, Brina broke the world record in 1996 for being the fastest boogie woogie player - his left hand mustered 608 strokes per minute.

Celebrating Altaf
Last weekend, a scent of nostalgia wafted through DAG Modern Art Gallery as late artist Altaf Mohamedi's family and friends gathered to celebrate his 75th birth anniversary. They unravelled facets about the artist who brought his work - with themes of death, power, corruption and marginalisation of the proletariat - onto the streets back in 1970s.

Late artist Altaf Mohamedi's daughter Sasha, granddaughter Rhea and wife Navjot at the launch

Guests Jitish Kallat, Vivan Sundaram, Anand Patwardhan and Mariam Dossal shared memories of their association with the artist while the family - wife Navjot, daughter Sasha and granddaughter Rhea - cut a cake too. The event also marked the launch of his retrospective exhibition.

Indie music, now in a book
In a country where Bollywood music rules the roost, it comes as heartening news that the indie music scene is now vibrant enough to be chronicled in a book. Indie 101: The Ultimate Guide to the Independent Music Industry in India by Ritnika Nayan offers an insight into the functioning of the industry.

Starting with tips for those new to the industry in areas like finding the right equipment and studios to artiste management and intellectual property, the book seems to have the indie world covered. It also features interviews with musicians including Monica Dogra, Vishal Dadlani and Subir Malik among others.