Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

A boost to animation
This October, if you happen to turn up at Chitrakatha, the popular biennial animation festival hosted by Ahmedabad's National Institute of Design, you'll get to watch 10 animation films on diverse themes - farmer suicides, fear of the dark and even a one-way journey to the Mars. Helmed by students of the institutes, these films will make it to the fest because they're up for crowdfunding currently on Wishberry.

Poster of Kaitav Patel's Dhamachakdi

The platform has tied up with the festival to launch a R1 lakh campaign for each of these shortlisted projects and help the students complete the production process. The idea is to offer a push to Indian animation and encourage young creators. If you're keen to support too, look up Script 2 Screen page on the online portal.

Look who's on permanent vacay
For two BFFs who gave up corporate careers to pursue their passion for food and travel, made a living out of it and became famous, one would think life couldn't get any better. But Mayur Sharma of the Rocky-Mayur duo gave us some serious FOMO when we learnt that he has now permanently shifted to Goa.

Obvious speculation that Sharma is all set to start a restaurant in the sunshine state was put to rest by Rocky Singh, who is excited for Sharma but also seems sad to lose his neighbour of 41 years. "Vegetarian Mayur in Goa?" a fan raised a valid concern. "Langur ke munh mein angur.... don't tell him, shhhh," replied Singh in his tongue-in-cheek style.

Fatherly tales with Cyrus and Kunal
Fans of the American sitcom How I Met Your Mother are up for a déjà vu (of sorts), except that instead of Ted Mosby, they will see Kunal Vijayakar recount his numerous accidental encounters with Cyrus Broacha to the latter's daughter. Aptly called How I Met Your Father, the upcoming production by Raell Padamsee will premiere on September 16. The 90-minute show will also feature Vijayakar donning multiple avatars that he has become known for.

Kunal Vijayakar and Cyrus Broacha

Friends and collaborators for a long time, Vijayakar and Broacha were also part of the act, 40 Shades of Grey Hair, which premiered last year. This is one duo that's funny across media.

Another festival beckons
Following close on the heels of NH7 Weekender, the line-up for another much-awaited rock music event has just been announced. Amit Trivedi will headline it, making up for a missed opportunity in 2015 when the same event had been washed out, leaving the Bolly biggie's fans high and dry.

Amit Trivedi will headline the festival

The others on the bill are progressive heavyweights Skyharbour, the mellifluous Prateek Kuhad, electronic producer Komorebi and Kochi-based rock band When Chai Met Toast. So gear up for an evening that promises to be high on energy, and not just because an energy drink brand is pumping in the funds for the October 14 event.

Talk about jewels
If you love the glint of a diamond, and the story behind a rare one, then watch out for Saffronart's inaugural conference from October 6 to 8. The three-day affair hosted by the auction house will see a host of eminent experts, from India and abroad, for a symposium titled The Timeless Legacy of Indian Jewels.

Dr Usha R. Balakrishnan. Pic/Saffronart

The sessions are curated by Dr Usha R. Balakrishnan, a noted jewellery historian and author who has previously curated exhibitions on Indian jewellery for the Kremlin Museum in Moscow and the National Museum, New Delhi, among others.

Among the speakers that Balakrishnan is bringing to us are Susan Stronge from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Salam Kaoukji, curator of the al-Sabah Collection; and, Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekwad from the Baroda Royal Family. We are already quite thrilled looking at the sessions, some of which are on the Koh-i-Noor, enamelled jewels and brocades from Varanasi, and the role that jewels played in Mughal courts.