Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Still one with the fans

Actor Varun Dhawan seems unfazed by the Mumbai Police chalan for taking a selfie with a fan in traffic as he chats with more in Bandra West on Saturday. Pic/Shadab Khan

Weight a minute
Nishriin Parikh, who at 51, is Mumbai's oldest bodybuilder, has been training harder of late. The Napean Sea Road resident is prepping for the Talwarkars Classique Body Building Competition to be held on November 27 and 28. She works out six days a week for two hours.

Nishriin Parikh

"I'm participating in the mixed doubles and synchronised pair. I'm competing in the open age category where young women athletes are as old as my daughter," she laughs. Once considered a male dominated sport, Parikh is happy to see more women participating in competitions. "My only advice to aspiring body builders is to be disciplined with their food, supplements and training. It is imperative to have the right kind supplementation as it helps build muscle and recover from wear and tear of the cells."

And how the challenge was won!
A little over three months ago we had told you about how Edgard Kagan, the US Consul General in Mumbai, was welcomed to his term here with a series of tasks, that would earn him the stamp of a true Mumbaikar. For example, order food from a dabbawala, get himself clicked in front of Gateway of India, hitch a rickshaw ride and so on. Keagan, who just completed 100 days of his term, released a video on Friday, that shows him ticking off the assigned tasks.

Edgard Kagan

The Consul appears more than comfortable doing these typically Mumbai things, and he even raises a glass of cutting chai with fellow chai-drinkers at a roadside stall. And yes, while these are "truly reflective of the spirit of Mumbai", as Kagan says in the video, we wonder if it's time for him to graduate to the next level and try the Virar fast. Well, going by his stomach for challenges, it won't be surprising if he does.

Monumental moment
We are happy to learn that Bandra Kurla Complex will soon welcome a sculpture by Manish Nai, the artist who ably turns jute and gunny bag into well-regarded art. This week, with the support of Galerie Mirchandani + Steinreucke, Nai will unveil his largest work yet; an untitled wall sculpture that's about 60 feet long and 12 feet tall.

Manish Nai

Made of compressed jute, it has been created especially for the entrance lobby at Godrej BKC, and is based on original drawings by the artist. His intersecting hoops have been nearly nine months in the making, and Nai hopes to stun his viewers through the rich indigo of his sculpture against the pristine white of the lobby area. While the indoor sculpture can be accessed by visitors to the property, it's Nai's moment to claim the spotlight with this monumental work.

An installation shot of the wall sculpture

When Harold Larwood had the wood on Don Bradman
A good book can eat into your sleeping hours. That's exactly what happened to our in-house cricket nut this week. Having parted with some autographed Indian cricket material to a fellow collector, the recipient decided to reward our man with an autographed copy of The Larwood Story - the inside story of the famous Bodyline controversy by Harold Larwood and Kevin Perkins.

Harold Larwood

The gripping book, reprinted and updated in 1982, is filled with pleasant and deplorable incidents which the terrorising fast bowler experienced on his infamous 1932-33 tour of Australia. Larwood, unlike his ruthless captain Douglas Jardine, had a cordial relationship with most Aussie cricket writers. In the book, he recalled returning to the team hotel at 3 am from a private party during the February 1933 Brisbane Test, "feeling very rosy" and bumping into a bunch of Australian journalists discussing cricket. Larwood joined in. The star fast bowler felt he could clean bowl overnight batsman, Boy Wonder (that's what the English team called Don Bradman during that controversial series) inside three overs.

Larwood stood to earn 10 shillings each from the handful of journalists and the bet was placed. In the first hour of Day Two, Bradman was walking back - bowled Larwood 76 - after adding only five to his overnight score. He dismissed Bradman in the second innings as well. "Not only did I bowl Bradman inside three overs but I also clean bowled [Bill] Ponsford. And I collected my bets," wrote Larwood, who captured 33 wickets in that Bodyline series and did not play for his country again. How the most hated fast bowler in Australia went on to settle down in that country is a story for another day. He died in Sydney less than four months before he turned 91.

Itss a century
IT'S finally happening. The Indian Art Studio, one of the cities oldest and probably only, surviving photo studios, will be making history when it turns 100 on December 7. Nestled in the heart of South Mumbai on Princess Street, the triangular antique space has stood the test of time, and remains the mainstay of fans of photography.

Brinda Miller

The Chaddha brothers - Anil, Sanjay and Rajesh, who've shouldered the grand legacy of this studio for nearly three decades - have for some time been preparing to display a large seminal collection that traces the story of the studio's long, unchanging tradition, for visitors. While congratulations are in the offing, we can't wait for them to make this happen.