Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Brothers in arms

A boy carries his younger brother as heavy rains flood a street in Sion

Richly done

Rolf Von Bueren with son Nicklas

India and Thailand are two Asian nations known for their keen interest in luxurious embellishments. Founded by Rolf Von Bueren, Lotus Arts de Vivre, a Bangkok-based gallery, is bringing its unique hand-crafted jewellery, home decor and artefacts collection to India to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Lotus' wood and silver art pieces

Founder Bueren looked back on the gallery's journey and his time spent in India. He shared, "There is nothing more luxurious than that which we cannot have, and it is an unimpeachable facet of human nature to covet that which seems out of reach." The celebrations that will be held at Colaba's Suleman Chambers today, will flaunt Lotus' dazzling wood and silver art pieces.

The passing of a dear friend

The publishing world was thrown into sorrow with the passing of Nandita Aggarwal (in pic, right) in the last week of June. The editorial director of Hachette India recently passed away after battling a terminal illness. In the close-knit world of Indian publications, the news of Aggarwal's demise was mourned by authors and publishers alike. Karthika VK (in pic, below), her former colleague at HarperCollins, told us that the late editor's excitement for new discoveries made her special. "I still remember that exact moment when Nandita walked up to me in the office; a set of printouts in her hands, a broad smile on her face. She said, ‘I've just read this manuscript and we have to publish it'," Karthika shared, describing the decision to publish Anuja Chauhan's bestselling novel, The Zoya Factor. This enthusiasm matched by hard work and generosity typified Aggarwal, she added. "With Nandita, it was always straight talk combined with generosity. And that's how I think her colleagues will remember her," she signed off.

Speak in actions

Mumbai's community of puppeteers has something to look forward to. Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust, which turns 25 next year, has planned an International Puppet Film Festival - PuppetOscope - and is accepting submissions till September 30. Co-founder, Anurupa Roy (in pic), shared, "There has never been a puppet film festival in India and, interestingly, the lockdown found several artistes online who created beautiful digital media. We plan to explore ways to expand the space and bring new audiences to this dying tradition." The films presented will be about puppet theatre with puppets in documentaries, fiction, and feature categories. To submit entries check PuppetOscope on freeway.com.

What's the point of Art Deco?

To discuss Art Deco style of architecture, Art Deco Mumbai Trust is hosting a webinar, Of Substance and Style, where Dr Michael Windover (in pic), a professor of art and architecture in Canada's Carleton University, will be in conversation with Alisha Sadikot, a museum and heritage educator. In the talk scheduled for this evening, he will decode the etymology of Art Deco and the nature of cultural production linked to it. He will inspect the limits of this catch-all term. Trust founder Atul Kumar told us, "Several attempts have been made to demystify the term. In our session, the professor will employ a series of frames to present a rich canvas of the style and its global reach." Those interested to attend it, look up @artdecomumbai.

Thinking with an open mind

A moment from the film. PIC COURTESY/YOUTUBE

We had previously reported on this page that Maharashtra was to get its first open prison thanks to the efforts of Paar, a non-partisan advocacy organisation that studies prison systems across India. The team has now released its first animation film in an attempt to simplify this complex issue. Founder Smita Chakraburtty shared, "It took us four months to make this film. Prison is a taboo word. As a result of our social constructs, prisoners are othered. Our animation film aims to humanise prisoners in the public eye and generate awareness on prison conditions. They are made to live in a cage. Open prisons are opposed to caging humans."

The film on YouTube's Paar Official channel has been designed by Angie and Upesh Pradhan. Musician Susmit Bose, known for his songs on social issues, has lent his voice to the creative. Chakraburtty added that after watching the film, people have written to her seeking information on such a system of detention.