Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Pic/Ashish Raje

Dekho, magar pyaar se

A child peers out of the taxi window amid traffic to look at a man on a bicyle near JJ hospital on Mohammed Ali Road.

Nothing compared to her

Pic courtesy/Wikimedia Commons; (right) Shweta Shetty

Gen-Z might not recognise her, but late Sinead O'Connor, who passed away on Wednesday, was one of the leading voices of pop in the Nineties. Her courage and vulnerable voice defined her as an icon of the time. Artiste Shweta Shetty recalled, "Every time she was on stage, she spoke about things close to her heart. She wanted to make a difference." It earned her outrage. Shetty observed that few understood her struggles, be they with mental illness or a dysfunctional childhood. Recalling O'Connor's greatest hit, Nothing compares to you, Shetty said, "No one had heard a song like that - with minimalistic style and make-up. It was simplicity with a capital S. The emotion of her music set her apart from everyone else. You can have the best production, but without emotion, the song will wilt. She had many hits through the decade, but for me, it was that song that defined her."

Barks in the Baug

Those who recall the brilliant Busybee's Round & About columns will know how he got his dog Bolshoi the boxer, featured in countless columns. Apparently, he fell from the skies when it was raining cats ‘n' dogs, and that is how Bolshoi became a part of Busybee's world and writings. Now, it's been raining cats ‘n' dogs in Mumbai, but this dog, unlike Bolshoi, did not have such a dramatic entrance into our WhatsApp universe, and Colaba's Cusrow Baug. This female Labrador was found "near the colony on Thursday morning. She had a black collar on. The collar, a black one with a red stripe, seemed to have fallen off the dog. We found it later. We kept the lab in the Cusrow Baug pavilion, and we looked after her. There are some residents who have Labradors in the colony, so we asked around. But nobody was missing a dog!" shared Hoshang Jal, Cusrow Baug Association secretary. The canine was featured on several WhatsApp chats, asking the owner to get in touch. She seemed friendly but got a tad restless at times. Just before going to press, we heard that the owner had fortunately dropped by and collected the beloved pet. So all's well that ends well, to this sweet, doggie story or should that read canine tail? (pun intended). Three woofs of appreciation for the Baug's jolly good fellas who kept her safe, dry and comfortable.

Kaali peeli conversations

"Yeh hamara ghar hai [this is our home]," taxi drivers would tell graphic designer Rabia Gupta every time she'd enquire why they had decorated their vehicles in such quirky ways. To Rabia, kaali peeli is a term that is unique to Mumbai, that is representative of the city's migrant community and often has a "vernacular connotation." "When I'd ask them why there are [stickers of] Allah on their dashboard, they'd tell me how they share the vehicle with another driver, who is Muslim, and that they're friends," she explains. Keeping such anecdotes in her mind, Gupta came up with a series of designs directly photographed from those cabs and imprinted them on an array of products like cups, t-shirts, bags, pillows (top), trays, and coasters and what not. All this was done with the intention to blur the line between vernacular and cosmopolitan. Bringing these heart-warming tales to the stage, Gupta will host a session called Meter Down tomorrow at Khotachiwadi's 47-A, where she'll share these documented tales.

Pastry queen

Stephanie Peter's raspberry pain au chocolate; with her award

Andheri girl Stephanie Peters made her parents and her city proud as she carved a prominent space for herself in Cheshire's food scene, in the UK. After establishing Pastry Pedaleur at Cheshire Market, being the first to introduce cruffins in the area, and finishing as the runner-up on a television food competition, Peters added another feather to her cap, or more aptly, an award to her shelf. On July 24, her bakery won the Cheshire Life Food & Drink Awards 2023 for Food Producer of the Year. "The award [recognises] the quality of preparation, presentation and innovation of our products," an ecstatic Peters told this diarist.