Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Pic/Atul Kamble

He's not sitting on the fence

A man trying to catch a bus displays his acrobatic skills outside Churchgate railway terminus on Thursday.

Copy that

The original art work by Tristan Eaton; (right) the mural at the restaurant

City-based art gallery Method has highlighted a glaring instance of plagiarism by the architectural firm Seza. The art in question was lifted from the artist Tristan Eaton and recreated at an upcoming restaurant named Vandal in Powai. In their post, the gallerists mentioned reaching out to Eaton for confirmation that the piece had been replicated without his consent. "Unfortunately, there's a normalisation of plagiarism in India, whether in art, music, film, or another creative field. An ecosystem like this doesn't allow for the original expression of ideas and we desperately need that to happen in the Indian context," shared Method's founder and curator Sahil Arora.

A trunk call

One of the devastating fallouts of Cyclone Tauktae recently was the number of trees that were uprooted when the storm hit the city. But what many people don't realise is that an uprooted tree is not one that has been lost forever. That's the message that photojournalist-cum-environment enthusiast Sanjiv Valsan is hoping to spread along with NGO Vata Foundation. They are calling on Mumbaikars to send details of trees that have fallen in their area, so that these can be trimmed down to the trunk and planted back in the same spot, or at another suitable place. "You have to send your name, exact address, the GPS location of the tree that has fallen, photos of the condition of the leaves and roots, and identify the species," he shared. Send an email to marc@people-patterns.com with these specific details if you're keen to save Mumbai's greenery.

Bandra cafe does a good turn

Javed and Jennifer Mallick

In April, Jennifer Mallick, who runs The Village Shop, an organic cafe in Bandra, along with her husband Javed, received a call from her NRI friend, Suguna Bachoti. "She told me that she was really upset about the pandemic situation in India, and wanted to contribute funds to help those in need with cooked meals," Mallick told this diarist. That set the ball rolling for an initiative called The Good Plate, which the Mallicks started. It involves packing and delivering meal boxes to street kids, frontline workers at vaccine centres, and elderly people without home help. But they have funds left only for one more week. So, visit @thevillageproject_ on Instagram to keep the fire burning.

Poetic birthday

The Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) will celebrate the 75th birthday of its director, K Satchidanandan, today with an online poetry event. It features 50 poets from nine countries, including Taslima Nasrin. Speaking about the role that poetry can play to make sense of these turbulent times, Satchidanandan told this diarist, "It has come to serve as an invisible bridge that creates a feeling of togetherness and comforts us with a feeling of empathy and intimacy." Log on to the KLF page on Facebook. You will end up verse for it, pun intended.

Starting a helpful chapter

Here's how book lovers can help out with a good cause. A Covid-19 relief fundraiser and giveaway has been put together by two book reviewers, Delhi-based Devangi Saraf and Bengaluru-based Krutika Puranik in collaboration with publishers including Pan Macmillan, Bloomsbury and Juggernaut, with all proceeds being given to charity. "Those wishing to participate have to make a donation starting from '150 and present us with the receipt. The more they donate, the higher their chance to win a book of their choice directly from a publisher of their choice on our list," said Saraf (below). "This was an emergency response because organisations need funds urgently," said Puranik (inset). The duo will be collecting funds till May 30 on their Instagram handles @askthebookbug and @unordinaryescapes.