Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

Sleeping duty

A man manages to nap amidst the chaos on the busy SV Road in Borivali.

The wonder years

Mumbai Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh met with a pleasant surprise recently during the grand finale of the East Indian Singing Competition held in Manori. The Maharashtra's ports, fisheries and textiles minister, who was invited as a chief guest for the event, was shocked to learn that there were two songs dedicated to him. The songs not only portrayed his political journey, which many are aware of, but also his childhood journey. The lyrics mentioned how Shaikh used to pluck fruits from the trees, swim in the lake and was an active football player. Impressed by them, Shaikh immediately announced a cash reward for both singers. "I was surprised to learn that these singers have done so much research on me. I don't even remember plucking fruits or swimming in the lake in my childhood. I thank them for bringing back those memories," the minister admitted, while appreciating the singers.

Mumbaikar, New Yorker

(From left) The Mumbaikar - Local Train and Mumbai by Night by Rachita Vora

Irrespective of whether you've been to The Big Apple, chances are that the iconic covers of The New Yorker magazine have caught your eye at some point. "The magazine covers, in a sense, are such a big tribute to New York City (NYC)," shared Mumbai-based artist Rachita Vora who has embarked on an inspired series of artworks, titled The Mumbaikar. The artworks are designed in the same style as the NYC-based magazine's covers, but capture the sights and sounds of aamchi Mumbai and the resident Mumbaikar - whether jostling for space on a local train or quietly relishing chaat at Chowpatty.

"I lived in New York while I studied there. I have always felt that both Mumbai and NYC are incredibly similar in various ways - the culture, diversity, density, and both are on the coast. They're both rewarding but also really unforgiving. So, I felt that a homage to The New Yorker covers could be The Mumbaikar series," said the artist who recently re-ignited her love for art. The series will have a total of eight pieces, seven of which are done. "For the eighth one, I'm crowdsourcing ideas from Mumbaikars, and so the inspiration for the final piece will come from them. I will give them credit for that," she added. Got any ideas? Drop @rachitavora a message on Instagram.

Mumbai meri zubaan

Migrant workers walk to their hometowns in 2020. Pic/Suresh Karkera

Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, and English in different forms - "These languages have always been central to the understanding of Bombay as a city." That's what Mustansir Dalvi has to say ahead of a discussion on the translated version of a book of poetry he wrote during the lockdown, called Walk. It's being organised by The Literary Club of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai. The book itself was born of the images that Dalvi had seen of migrants walking home last year. That collection of 20 poems in English has now been translated into Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati, with help from translators Hemant Divate and Udayan Thakker, who will also feature in tomorrow's talk.

Chairing an idea

Anjolie Ela Menon, Big B, oil on wood, 2002. Pic courtesy/AstaGuru

The motif of a chair is recurring in modern Indian artist Anjolie Ela Menon's oeuvre, pointed out Sneha Gautam, vice president-client relations, AstaGuru, ahead of the auction house's Modern Indian Art - Collectors Choice online auction that will be held on November 20 and 21. And a part of the auction is a unique piece by the artist that chronicles the superstardom of actor Amitabh Bachchan on a chair. Several such rare masterpieces by celebrated modern Indian artists, including Amrita Sher-Gil, FN Souza, Ram Kumar and VS Gaitonde, will be part of the bid. Leading the auction is a seminal painting by SH Raza, titled Bindu, an acrylic-on-canvas work from 1982. "Other highlights include MF Husain's Family, a larger-than-life painting depicting the portrait of a family. What makes this artwork rare is the fact that the artist super-imposes himself in the painting, simultaneously imparting a sense of it being a self-portrait," she said.

Booked for this fest

Kids and their mothers at a TCLP library

The Community Library Project (TCLP) is a non-profit that runs free libraries in Delhi and Gurugram. In order to support their programme, they're hosting TCLP's Free Library Festival 2021, a fundraiser that will involve a book mela in Delhi, and online workshops on topics including reading, zine-making, cooking, comedy, publishing and more on November 20 and 21. "The idea is that the online workshops give people a glimpse of what happens in a free library - a space where you not only read books, but also meet like-minded people and share ideas," said Purnima, a part of the organising committee. To join in, head to @kitabein_bolti_hain on Instagram.