21 May,2021 05:10 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
Cycles, both electric and classic, have been gaining popularity as a viable mode of transport amid the pandemic, as seen here in Sion.
A still from Tamhane's The Disciple
Here are not one, but two excuses to celebrate all things Marathi this week. As part of their Marathi programming series Museum Katta, an adda that celebrates creative minds who highlight various aspects of contemporary Maharashtrian culture, Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum is organising a discussion with Chaitanya Tamhane about his award-winning film, The Disciple, today. Director Tasneem Zakaria Mehta shared that the conversation will be facilitated by editor of Art India, Abhay Sardesai. "The session will explore the theme and nuances of the film set against the cultural backdrop of Mumbai, and the niche world of classical music," she added. And, for young minds out there, the museum will host a Marathi storytelling session in collaboration with Goshtarang, a project by NGO QUEST, on Saturday. "The Zoom session will include an illustrated narration of Chhatri or Umbrella by Mahendra Walunj; it's written by Nilesh Nimkar and illustrated by Shubhangi Chetan. This is part of our larger public engagement programme that encourages familiarity with folktales, literature and focuses on learning via storytelling," the director revealed. To register for both, email education@bdlmuseum.org.
We have previously reported on this page about how the community of over 5,000 dabbawalas had just begun to find a footing post the pandemic, when the second wave dealt them another cruel blow. The community has now found an ally in Riyaaz Amlani's Impresario Handmade Restaurants, which is employing them as delivery partners for direct orders received on their tech-enabled platforms. Orders from their brands including SOCIAL, Smoke House Deli and Salt Water Cafe in Lower Parel, Bandra (West) and BKC areas will be fulfilled by the dabbawalas starting this week. Amlani shared that he hopes to extend the project to not just all his restaurants, but also the rest of the industry.
"Restaurants have been trying to figure out means of direct delivery and ordering [minus aggregator apps]. While doing so, we realised that another group of people who've been hit badly are dabbawalas, who embody the spirit of Mumbai. Whether it's rain or shine, dabbawalas ensure your food reaches you safely. So, for us, this was the perfect collaboration," explained Amlani. They will also launch a subscription-based meal service in Mumbai, called Ghar Ka Khana, which will be delivered by dabbawalas. Now, that's a win-win.
Comedian Papa CJ's friend recently recounted a conversation she had with a doctor who has been working in a Covid-19 ward in Gurugram. "She told me that after the doctor gave her his counsel, he broke down telling her about all the physical, mental and emotional pressure he had faced," Papa told this diarist. That prompted him to offer Naked, his hit comedy routine that will be streamed online this weekend, for free to doctors, as a mark of gratitude. Log on to papacj.com if you are a doctor, too, and could do with some laughs.
Ever since chai enthusiast Viji Venkatesh, who has a three-decade-long experience in cancer patient care, kicked off the Chai for Cancer addas, the hope-filled evenings have been bringing together supporters of the cause. This time, her friend and Thane-based home chef Rohini Bhowmick (in pic) decided to add another element of fun to the fundraising initiative. "This time, the theme is Ek Chai Zindagi Ke Naam. When I was going to join in, I thought that amid all the anguish and despair around us, I want to imbibe an approach of cheer and encouragement. We decided to reach out to people and have them interpret the theme in their own way, to bring out the spirit of life. Of course, the end goal is fundraising, but I wanted supporters of the cause to forget all the dreariness for a while," Bhowmick shared. The result is a cheerful series of videos of people singing, sketching, talking and well, celebrating zindagi. Check them out @rohinibhowmick on Instagram, and help them take care of cancer patients at chaiforcancer.org.
In some good news for the city's art community, Shilpa Gupta is having her first mid-career survey exhibition at M HKA, Museum of Contemporary Art, Antwerp. The four-month long exhibit, titled Today Will End, will see 25 of her artworks go on display, curated by Nav Haq, associate director at M HKA. "It's an honour to have this survey show at such a major museum in Europe which brings together key works from the mid-1990s onwards. The works deal with human relations, subjectivity and perception through themes such as desire, boundaries and orchestrated exclusions. There are several interactive works which delve into the liminal zone that hover between art and object, perspective and experience, and renewability and repetition," she told this diarist.
