20 January,2023 06:55 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
A girl stumbles during a sack race at the annual sports day of Wadibunder Mumbai Public School in Priyadarshini Park, Malabar Hill
Karsh Kale (left) with Edge and Bono from U2
Music lovers of a certain vintage will recall U2's The Joshua Tree tour being a milestone moment. It was during the tour that composer Karsh Kale teamed up with Bono and his band to remix the single, Pride. Now, the single has been released as part of the band's new compilation, Songs of Surrender - a companion to Bono's memoir, Surrender. Kale recalled that he had opted for an ambient orchestration instead of his usual club mix for the song. It impressed the band enough for them to suggest the addition of a choir. Kale reached out to the a city choir to contribute to that section. "Pride was the first song from U2 that I heard at the age of 10. It was quite a full circle moment to be able to re-approach the song," the composer remarked.
(From left) Gina Lollobrigida with a camera and in a still; Pics courtesy/Wikimedia Commons; @Ginalollobrigidareal on Instagram
The passing of Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida on January 16 marks the end of an era for many. The actress was the definition of beauty and grace during her heyday on the silver screen. But for those in the know, the beautiful actor also had a stellar career as a photojournalist. This diarist caught sight of some pictures of her shared by celebrated photographer Pablo Bartholomew. He recalled the time of their meeting during the International Film Festival of India in 1974-75. "She was an amazing actress, but was also adventurous. It was quite a rarity for an actress of her stature to jump into something that was different."
Pointing out that Lollobrigida also spent a couple of weeks photographing Cuban dictator Fidel Castro as one of her projects, Bartholomew added, "She got around wherever she did partly because of who she was, and because she engaged with people which most stars or celebrities would not. That's something that interested me." While it was a brief meeting in Delhi, the photographer recalled that the Italian diva wished to visit Jama Masjid and the old Delhi neighbourhood on that day, before heading back to her hotel. "It was a short memorable meeting," Bartholomew shared.
Singer Ali Sethi with Subhi before the performance
Mumbai's connection with the Chicago blues grew stronger, when singer Subhi performed at a Chicago House of Blues venue this week. The Mumbai-bred vocalist opened the concert for another stellar Asian singer, Ali Sethi. Subhi was accompanied by a cellist and guitarist as they performed her Hindi repertoire. "I played an original set of seven songs," she noted. But the high was certainly meeting Sethi. The duo spent a while talking about music. "I told him how I love his style of modernising ghazals and classically influenced songs." The genial Sethi also asked her to pick his signature glasses to perform with on stage. Now, that's quite the fashion choice to make. "I was so happy he wore the one I chose," she said.
Participants at another curated workshop in session
Date nights at pottery studios have been a fun way to embrace weekends for Mumbaikars. Andheri's The Tiny Clay Inn is a favourite among couples for workshops. But after a friend complained about fewer social events for singles, the studio decided to offer blind date nights for a group to mingle. Now they're taking this idea a step further.
Founder Jigisha Patel (inset) tells us that they will be hosting a blind date night for queer women on the last Saturday of January, making the event more inclusive. "Even if people don't leave with a date, they'll leave with friends." Individual and group activities, snacks and limbu shots sound like the perfect setting to connect with others.
A moment from the film. Pic Courtesy/Rucha Chitnis
The chambers of the Mumbai Press Club in Fort played host to some special attendees yesterday. Rucha Chitnis' screening of her film, Van Versus Vikas, was boosted by the presence of the indigenous residents of Aarey Colony - the focus of the documentary. "The film interrogates the âvikas' in this country. It is an irony that progress is destruction for many," she shared. The filmmaker noted that for sustainable development, one needs to reckon with the harm caused historically. "If we can move forward, we need to celebrate the practice of co-existence with nature," the filmmaker said.
