Pic/Sameer Markande

Misty Mornings

As cooler days may set in Mumbai soon, a foggy blanket was seen over people walking on a road along the main highway in Vikhroli.

Chalo, ab Delhi chalein

Attendees at the Zine Bazaar that was conducted last year

What is art if restricted? Known for breaking free from norms, Gaysi Family's Zine Bazaar comes back in a new avatar, Opn Art House, to include all mediums of art, free from constructs and rules. It will make its debut in Delhi next month (November 18 and 19). Creative director of Gaysi and illustrator Priya Dali (inset) shared, "We wanted to expose more people to this way of creating art, by bringing in other forms of art that are similar to the ethos of making a zine, and to look at art that doesn't follow conventions or be restricted to the traditional notion of what aesthetics is."

Desi Pokemon world

Amulya and Pokemon Bushyphant. Illustration/@jazylhdraws

In several digital arts and animation communities, October is celebrated as Inktober, an occasion by artists to test their skills. Daily online prompts come from these online communities, which people treat as themes to draw. There are variations of Inktober like Batober (sketching Batman), Poketober (illustrating Pokémon), among others through which artists challenge themselves.

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Animator Jazyl Homavazir (right), gave his own spin to this and created a brand-new Pokémon avatar that is truly desi. "I wanted to create my very own Pokémon region and characters that are very Indianised. So, I created Amulya, who is a farmer's daughter and her grass-type Pokémon Bushyphant, who are from the Gandhar region. An elephant was an obvious choice for a desi Pokémon starter," shares the talented animator. He shares that he added saffron shades in the clothes, pigtails and ribbons, an anklet, bracelets and chappals to Amulya, to make her look desi but appealing to a global audience.

Eleven years, and counting

Performers at last year's edition

If the saying ‘better late than never' had a tangible form, it would be Adhata Trust's Badalte Rishte - A Musical Journey event that was held in celebration of World Elders' Day that was observed on October 1. The event took place last evening at St Andrew's Auditorium, Bandra, and also commemorated the NGO's 11th anniversary, as they continue to advocate positive aging. Founder Arun Nanda (inset) shared, "The entire programme was conceptualised, produced, and performed by our members from across 14 centres, many of whom had never stepped onto a stage before joining Adhata; they danced to famous Bollywood tracks."

Pedal push for Dussehra

Cyclists during the Dussehra trail last year (right) a plate of jalebi and papdi. Pics courtesy/Ravi Agarwal

City businessman and cyclist Ravi Agarwal of SoBo Cyclists, a group that organises cycling trails, has an exciting event lined up. The cycling group is conducting its sixth Dussehra special cycling trail that will see some 100-plus enthusiasts gather to celebrate the festival by cycling a five-km-route around Dadar's Shivaji Park, and then relish some delicacies.

"For the past few years we, have been conducting this at Nariman Point, but this time we decided to meet at the iconic Shivaji Park. The idea is to celebrate Dussehra together by savouring festive-special jalebi papdi from Panchratna Jalebi House. We want to promote a sense of community and bond over food, apart from cycling together," Agarwal (left) told this diarist, who adds that this is open to all. Now that's a great way to savour delicacies and burn calories.

Lil lit fest

Rahul Saini, founder of book club PaperBackTalks is organising an intimate literature festival next month. "The club started as a small space to discuss books, and I have been bowled over by the kind of reciprocation that it has received from Mumbai's bibliophiles. So, I thought of bringing together a three-hour fest that would give people a chance to listen to the speakers, and an opportunity to interact with fellow book lovers," Saini (below) said. The fest will allow 50 people, and will include writers, poets and even a magician, along with stand-up acts, quizzes and a book swap. Not bad for a two-year-old club, we say.