Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Pic/Suresh Karkera

The tide is high but they are holding on

Workers entrusted with building Mumbai's Coastal Road brave the lashing waves at Marine Drive on Thursday.

The business of mythical mysteries

From financial blueprints to Pharaoh's tombs, it might seem like a long journey but Mumbai-based author S Venkatesh has it all covered. The private equity investor and business guru who has helped establishments scale up across different spectrums, is back with his second book. AgniBaan is an ancient and mystical connection between India and Egypt that stitches a modern-day conspiracy, with the plot covering everything from The Giant Pyramid and Lonar Lake to environmental disasters and e-warfare. The intrepid explorer shared, "Writing this book gave me an opportunity to delve deeper into certain ancient secrets connecting the two countries, and link them to electronic warfare and climate change. I am delighted to have been able to blend my love for history, science and intrigue into a thriller."

Take note of SOI's call

The National Centre for the Performing Arts' Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) has been a flag-bearer for western classical music in the city, and they are now continuing in that vein with an open call for composers to submit their musical creations. SOI members will rehearse the selected entries before performing them at a later point in time. Some of the criteria on which the compositions will be judged include how free-flowing the musical emotions in it are; how they reflect the current situation; and what the experience of creating and composing music while remaining confined indoors was like. Applicants must be Indian citizens or hold an Overseas Citizen of India card. The pieces can be meant for solo instruments, or go up to a chamber orchestra. "Apart from performing the mainstays of the orchestral repertoire, SOI is now seeking to provide a platform for local composers to showcase their work," Marat Bisengaliev, the orchestra's music director, told this diarist. The last date for submissions is September 12. Those keen to sign up can visit soimumbai. com/callforcomposers.

Fire safety in numbers

The folks at NGO Project Mumbai have joined hands with the Mumbai Fire Brigade for an important initiative called Agni Rakshak - Making Mumbai Fire Safe. "It involves training citizens in various aspects of fire safety, including evacuation methods, understanding different types of fire, learning how to make a fire-safety call, and practical training in using extinguishers," its founder Shishir Joshi told this diarist. He added that the sessions will be held every Saturday, and that at the end of each, the participants will be given a certificate and cap for being a ‘fire safety champion'. The training is free of cost, because they want every citizen of Mumbai to be a fire-safety volunteer. The first batch last weekend witnessed 30 participants who were trained at the Byculla headquarters of the Mumbai Fire Brigade. Those interested in joining the next session tomorrow can email volunteer@projectmumbai.org to register.

Diners take cautious steps

Now that the second wave is waning, or at least seems to be doing so, the restaurant industry is slowly tottering back to its feet after being brought to its knees for much of the pandemic. But the big question is, how will customers respond to the prospect of dining out, knowing that we are still far from being out of the danger zone? A study by analytics firm Economix Consulting Group has some revealing insights. While 33 per cent of respondents ate out at least thrice a month in the pre-pandemic days, only 11 per cent are willing to dine out now. Also, 86 per cent of the respondents felt that safe seating arrangements are of paramount importance, and while 50 per cent of people in Chennai want to visit fine-dines, Mumbaikars are more inclined to visit only those restaurants that they would frequent earlier. "It is evident that the shift to home delivery or takeaway is here to stay," shared ECG CEO Latha Ramanathan.