Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Pic/Sameer Markande

Meet the Junior fire squad

The students of Kenia and Anchor English School pose for a picture on a fire engine at the fire brigade head office in Byculla

Let's get lit

Ekta Bhandari and Anurag Kothari (right) Students at the college's previous literature fest. Pic Courtesy/Instagram

City-born book club Read A Kitaab has collaborated with Institute of Chemical Technology in Matunga for its annual three-day-long literature fest that began yesterday. "This is our first time collaborating for their literature fest where we are responsible for the curation," revealed co-founders of the book club Ekta Bhandari and Anurag Kothari. "The fest is open to all, and has a fun line-up, which includes panel discussions, workshops, a podcasting session, a book reading gathering, open mics and even a small gig," they added. Those keen to attend can log on to readakitaab.com for more details.

Festival time in Mumbai

Dancers perform the hook step at Marine Drive

Mumbai Festival, which promises to showcase the cultural kaleidoscope of the city over nine days, starting January 20, made the announcement of its inaugural edition loud and clear. A recently released anthem Mumbai Ek Tyohar Hai, composed by Shamir Tandon for the festival, made waves across social media, as netizens took part in the hook step challenge, which was choreographed by Remo D'Souza.

Shankar Mahadevan

Lending their voice to this four-minute-long song are Sukhwinder Singh, Shankar Mahadevan, Harshdeep Kaur, Falguni Pathak, Avadhoot Gupte, and talents from the The Dharavi Dream Project. "The anthem is a rhythmic piece embodying diverse emotions, spirit, and unity. As a proud Mumbaikar, contributing to this project has been a joyous experience," said Mahadevan. The festival also rolled out its venues for events yesterday, among which were Gateway of India, Juhu Beach, Grand Hyatt in Kalina and Thakur Cricket Stadium in Kandivali.

On track with Ghibli

Sahid SK's artworks were inspired by Studio Ghibli

It is said that sometimes, the wrong train takes you to the right destination. If you were to board trains that come alive in AI artist Sahid SK's recent artworks, you will find yourself in the anime verse. After the 27-year-old anime enthusiast's Snowfall in Mumbai artworks took the internet by a snow storm, he rolled out nearly 20 pieces that reimagined the Indian Railways in anime style.

"I have been watching anime since I was a teenager," said Sahid. He added, "You will notice that my characters are inspired by those you will spot in Studio Ghibli movies. I also wanted to make it retro, so most of the settings are inspired from the Indian Railways in the 1980s.

Cake for a cause

Last month, this section featured the opening of a new bakery in Mahim, Maska Bakery, that promotes the sense of community with its baked goodies. Now, a month later, on their first-month birthday, to celebrate the milestone, founder and chef Heena Punwani (below) shared with us, "To make the occasion special, we will join hands with Khaana Chahiye, a non-profit-organisation, where for every order you place with us till January 28, we will send a box of birthday chocolate truffle cake for nearly 525 individuals under their wing. We are also conducting a ticketed walk on January 21; the proceeds will go towards the foundation."