Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Sonam Kapoor will walk the ramp for Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla

Weaving a better future
If you haven't had your fill of fashion shows this season, this one in Worli should be your next stop on Sunday. It's for a great cause because designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla have put it together in association with Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA), to celebrate 50 years of the NGO. "It is an honour to work with CPAA for the third year in a row. Cancer is treatable and beatable. Let's all be a part of this fight," the duo told this diarist.

Shweta Bachchan Nanda and Karan Johar

Sonam Kapoor, Karan Johar, and Shweta Bachchan Nanda will be the showstoppers for this collection titled Inheritance, an Ode to the Textiles and Embroideries of India, which uses heritage textiles from acr­oss the country as a canvas for embroideries. You can expect ba­n­d­hani tie-and-dye, Banarasi tissues, jamdanis, khadi, Assam weaves and Kanjeevaram silks, with chikankari, zardozi, gota and resham work, along with motifs like the pai­sley and lotus in their signature style. "These fabrics form the DNA of this collection," the designer duo summarised.

Batting for a good cause
Vijay Varma, who has been receiving much praise for his role in Gully Boy, was seen in a tricky relationship with children in the film. In real life, however, things are far less complicated. The actor recently collaborated with an NGO that works with kids who live in slums, and yesterday, he was seen interacting with children and young people suffering from Down Syndrome.

The actor happened to visit Cafe Arpan, which is run by Yash Charitable Trust and employs individuals with Down Syndrome. "I'm elated that they extended an invite for me to be there. It's an empowering thought and cause. Inclusivity of all kinds is the need of the hour and Cafe Arpan is an important step in that direction," Varma told this diarist.

Dubai masala
Starting this weekend, those in Dubai craving for a dose of desi flavours with intriguing twists can head to Zorawar Kalra's Dubai outlet of Masala Library. Located in one of the tallest buildings in the city, the place will serve a new 12-course tasting menu, just like in Mumbai, apart from replacing the pork options.

Zorawar Kalra

"Masala Library will showcase a synthesis of over four decades of research and exploration across various Indian kitchens. The dishes are presented in a contemporary way, with vibrant colours and a blend of flavours. With an emphasis on using the freshest ingredients and by capturing the grandeur of centuries-old traditions and combining them with
modern-day cooking techniques and a futuristic presentation, it will offer an incomparable gastronomic voyage in Dubai," Zorawar Kalra, managing director, Massive Restaurants Pvt Ltd, told this diarist.

100 poets, 1voice
World Poetry Day was observed this Thursday, and city-based collective Kommune, inspired by Rakesh Tiwari's Sau Hazaar Likhne Wale, embarked on an interesting initiative. "We thought what if 100 poets came together from across the world and created one voice, one piece together? We sent out an email to all the poets we have met and invited entries on social media.

As we read the submissions, it seemed daunting - more than 1,000 lines in multiple languages," director Tess Joseph told this diarist. The group released a video of the piece on YouTube, with the poem voiced by Kalki Koechlin and poet Gaurav Tripathi that sent out a clear message - "my right to write".

What's cooking with Aditi Ramesh?
While people are in awe of musician Aditi Ramesh's vocal techniques, many don't know that the Mumbai-based singer also used to write a food blog, but stopped two years ago due to lack of time. We stumbled upon this as she wrote about a meal she whipped up recently using an orange chutney made using oranges she brought back from Arunachal Pradesh.

"I plan to write more and encourage people who feel they don't have the time to eat home-cooked meals, and to keep traditional recipes alive," Ramesh told this diarist. Even musically, Ramesh was creating something that soun­d­ed scrumptious in snippets she posted from the sess­io­n she had with her Ladies Compartment band mates."We are working on recording our first single and experimenting with layering vocals and adding a vocoder to parts," she said.

Musical chairs

Vidyut Jammwal and Hollywood director Chuck Russell at the promotions of their upcoming movie in Andheri on Friday. Pic/Satej Shinde

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