02 September,2022 06:57 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Atul Kamble
An elderly gentleman goes about his daily shave at Lalbaug.
For those who prefer reading across genres, veteran actor Akash Khurana's new book will spur curiosity for its celebratory glance at a past that has contributed to his present. Dotted with enriching experiences from his time in academia, media, theatre and management, Mentor-Morphosis follows the storytelling tradition of passing on emotionally compelling narratives for the coming generations. Drawing from individuals who have impacted his life, Khurana - in this book - generates prototypes of mentors and mentoring stages in a person's journey. Recalling his book release from earlier this week, he said, "It offered scope for attendees to socially interact after a long gap. There's a lot of me that I wanted to share with this title. If one community didn't know about my theatre background, another didn't know about my corporate days. On a level-playing field, it was an effort to present my many sides to the readers. The thing is if you have a known face, the actor dominates your recognition."
Book-marked websites, saved newspaper cuttings or heirloom journals - recipes traverse all mediums before ending up in your kitchen. No one knows this better than the folks at Jevayla Ye that sell East Indian masalas alongside other items. This month, they launched a WhatsApp group for a major customer base. "Older customers might not use Instagram, but they're savvy with WhatsApp. So we share longer videos of recipes that these mums and dads can easily access and also forward to friends," said co-founder Natasha Almeida. They are also celebrating hitting 50,000 followers on Instagram with a food joke contest where you can drop your submission in the comments section and win a tote bag. Almeida's favourite entry reads - I was missing hugs from people; maybe it's just the tan-doori.
As an educator and curator, Shaleen Wadhwana has often wondered about the gap between theoretical art programmes and the practical skills needed to cut it in the real world. She is now set to share her learnings through an upcoming programme, 100 How To's. "My objective is to upskill the art ecosystem with each question that I answer. I hope there is a skill dispersion," she said. The course - shared on Instagram and a new website - will talk about how to curate an exhibition, write an artist statement, run a gallery or get your first job in the art industry. The plan is to kickstart the programme in mid-September with a new website and Instagram handle to access. Stay tuned to her handle on @shaleenwadhwana.
A new contest about creative makeshift chairs that Godrej Archives has launched, Take A Seat, caught our roving eye on Instagram. Vrunda Pathare, head, Godrej Archives, told us, "I had seen makeshift chairs quite frequently, but it never occurred to me that this was such a widespread phenomenon." The participants seem to agree with pictures ranging from steps to a petty box being used by a vegetable seller making up for a chair. Those interested can send in pictures till September 16.
In a city where bibliophiles are always looking for new spaces, we were delighted to come across news of the Bombay Underground community looking to restart their library space in Bandra after two years. Himanshu S of the platform told this diarist, "Starting today, we will have a book sale that includes books from our collection across genres. These are from graphic novels, classics from the older vintage as well as children's books. It is a good mix." The proceeds from the sale will contribute to the funding of the new bookspace. The earlier space, called the Underground Bookhouse, ran out of resources just before the pandemic, he pointed out. In addition to funds, the sale also allows the group to refresh their curation, Himanshu noted. "We also have two other spaces - Aqui Thami runs the Sister Library and also the Dharavi Art Room," Himanshu said. Book lovers can also sign up for membership during the sale.
