Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

Art imitates life

A fisherman arranges fresh catch for the day at Lokmanya Tilak Road in Dahisar West

Scenes from Marine Drive

The re-opened restaurant provides a view of the sea

After a temporary closure earlier this year, The Allamanda Terrace reopened its open-air rooftop space offering a panoramic view of the Arabian Sea. Located at Marine Drive, the restaurant now has a revamped menu that includes sesame edamame and cheese kebabs, halloumi khurchan, rasmalai tres leche, gajar halwa baklava and a range of curated cocktails. Sanjeev Shekhar, general manager at Hotel Marine Plaza, shared, "Our goal is to provide a unique dining experience. We're thrilled to present our menu which combines modern Indian cuisine with the elegance of the sea."

German moves for garba

Felix Hug gets ready for the garba night that was conducted at the Chembur school (right) hug celebrates Navratri with his family

Juhu-based Felix Hug, a German choral conductor, who has made Mumbai his home for over 15 years, is officially a true-blue Mumbaikar. Conductor of The Beatz Crew from Kanakia International School in Chembur, he was recently seen shaking a leg at a dandiya event that was organised by the school. Recounting the culturally rich experience, he said, "The first time I played garba was in 2008 with 50 odd students from the school. This time I played after 15 years and there were close to 100 students," he shared, adding that he enjoyed dancing, but was not sure if he performed well. "I am such a bad dancer!" he laughed, adding that the entire fest was spectacular, especially the vibrant, colourful set-up that was created for the event. "Being married to a Bengali, I now have a better understanding of the importance of Navratri and the elements associated with it and how it leads up to the Diwali festivities. So, now I am looking forward to the Diwali celebrations," he told this diarist, excitedly.

Thriving in Borivali

Students of Don Bosco School at the plantation drive

Earlier this year, the students and staff at Don Bosco High School and Junior College in Borivali West conducted a drive to plant over 400 saplings of native tree species on their campus. A few days back, they were happy to report the growth progress of the site. Zidaan Castellino (below), 15-year-old student and climate activist shared, "The aim was to use the vacant space available on campus to help keep the campus cool with more trees. It was important to plant native trees to ensure that they thrive across seasons, and host biodiversity."

Kiran loves her zines

(Right) Kiran Rao at the Zine festival that saw huge participation

This diarist learned that the Bombay Zine Fest had a celebrity visit for its recent edition at Bandra haunt, Candies in Pali Hill. Director and screenwriter Kiran Rao took a round of the festival, stopping at each stall selling zines, art prints and books. We spoke to a seller at one of the stalls, Dr Alok Joshi, popularly known for his live sketches of well-known corners of the city, and who was selling his zines and comic books. Speaking about the pleasant surprise of this visit, Joshi told this diarist, "Kiran Rao patronised all the stalls that were present. She came in early when there was less crowd and showed interest in everybody's work, while [the people] she was with liked our food prints." Joshi noted how Rao was kind enough to engage in a conversation and express her interest in his on-location sketches.