Mumbai diary: Thursday Dossier

22 August,2019 07:26 AM IST |   |  Team mid-day

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Kajol and Kokilaben Ambani


Borderline envy

Is it Kajol's saree that seems to have caught Kokilaben Ambani's discerning eye at an event in Worli on Tuesday. Pic/Ashish Raje

Dance beyond boundaries

Juhu girl Vaishali Sagar - who picked up lavani (Maharashtra), chirmi (Rajasthan), tera taali (Rajasthan) and hozagiri (Tripura) dance forms from a guru in her neighbourhood - recently won a dance competition held in Istanbul, Turkey. She said that the experience is one that she isn't likely to forget since it showed her how art forms like dance can transcend boundaries of culture and language.

"The audience was thrilled that we could balance three pots on our heads, especially during the chirmi dance, when it's actually on fire. People also seemed to appreciate the skill required to perform complicated dance forms like tera taali, where the movements become really fast," she shared with this diarist. Here's hoping for more such globetrotting experiences for the dancer, who said she also tried her hand - or should we say feet - at a local Turkish dance style while she was there.

London calling for Amninder

Known for her finesse in handling smoked meats, besides other specialised preparations in the city, chef Amninder Sandhu is all set to dazzle London with her culinary skills at Meatopia, a world-class culinary event originally started in New York City. The chef, who will be showcasing the versatility of the tandoor by cooking 1,300 bharwaan tangdi kebabs, will be cooking for the first time in the UK.

"I'm excited about being a part of this event dedicated to cooking on wood and charcoal. I deeply admire chef Francis Mallmann and feel proud to be at Meatopia, an event previously graced by the legend. I will also be doing a demo of the mango wood smoked chicken for over 100 people at The Cutting Room stage on the last day of the event, and a special tasting of the bharwaan tangdi kebab at The Cellar Table for a select set of guests," she told this diarist. Safe travels, chef!

Worth a thousand words

We don't get to see so many stalwart filmmakers in one frame, so when we do, we make sure we take a moment to soak it all in. And we have Sudhir Mishra to thank for this.

He tweeted this picture yesterday that included Ketan Mehta, Saeed Mirza, Pankaj Parashar, Govind Nihalani and Manmohan Shetty with this apt caption, "Today the lunch was good, the company beyond compare. Hum zinda hain, hum aur filmein banaenge! Anybody have a problem with that ? Huh!"

Hailing SoBo's heritage

South Mumbai has centuries-old public buildings, libraries, synagogues, churches and temples. Given these buildings, the area has the potential to become one of the best heritage districts in the country, feels state Governor CH Vidayasagar Rao. He voiced this opinion while recently receiving the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation from Eric Falt, director of UNESCO India.


(From left) Eric Falt, CH Vidayasagar Rao and Dr Suhas Pednekar

The award was given for the work that the University of Mumbai has done to restore the Rajabai Clock Tower and Library Building. "We must identify these buildings, restore them and develop a heritage tourism circuit," Rao said about the SoBo buildings while speaking at the event, and we couldn't agree more. Minister of higher education Vinod Tawde, Vice Chancellor Dr Suhas Pednekar, Chairperson of Indian Heritage Society Anita Garware, architect Brinda Somaya, TCS COO
NG Subramaniam were among those present.

When Rahul met Marie

Good-looking men with puppies - now that's a dreamy combination! Add a happy ending to that and it's definitely an "aww" moment. That's exactly what actor Rahul Khanna gave fans on Wednesday when he melted hearts by posting about Marie, a stray pupper he had come across in February 2017, when she was found abandoned behind his gym in Mumbai and rescued by the security staff.

Khanna, who is known for his love for dogs, uploaded a picture with her, which got noticed by a young Englishwoman who was visiting the city. "She fell in love with Marie and took her with her to the UK," Khanna wrote. The next few frames comprise the happy grown-up Marie running around in the UK as Khanna nostalgically captions, "She's come a long way from the gullies of Mumbai. Don't you love a happy ending?" Sure we do.


Khanna with Marie

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