26 January,2024 03:49 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Anurag Ahire
A Fort-based clock seller scrolls through his phone with his monocle on.
(From left) Sachin Tendulkar, Ramakant Achrekar and Vinod Kambli. File Pic
The Shiv Chhatrapati Awards, the state's highest sporting honours, is in the news with sports like carrom, powerlifting, billiards and snooker, golf, bodybuilding, yachting and equestrian becoming eligible again for the prestigious honour. Meanwhile, we stumbled upon a poignant image in our archives of late cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar holding his 1990 Dronacharya award. Beside him are his wards Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli posing with their Shiv Chhatrapati awards, presented to them for 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons respectively. Suited and booted, the pride of Shivaji Park posed outside the Wankhede Stadium dressing room, an area where no media is allowed nowadays.
The royal family of Mayurbhanj's 1937 Alvis, which is now owned by Nishant Dossa
For many, long weekends often mean having a whale of a time, or in this case, a wheel of a time. Even as you read this, the Vintage and Classic Car Club of India (VCCCI) will flag off their annual vintage car rally at 10 am from the World Trade Center (WTC) at Cuffe Parade today. For those who miss the event, the two days post the rally are interesting too. These classic cars will be parked at the WTC on Saturday, January 27 and Sunday, January 28. "We want the citizens, especially children, to come in and see them," said the VCCCI committee members. "Two days of holidays should be ideal for people to make their way to SoBo. The cars are not only rare and resplendent, they actually become a medium through which we can learn a little about our history," the committee explained. Like the vintage cars that belonged to royalty for instance. Some of these were sold to persons over the years. Yet, they whisper secrets of yore through their shiny exteriors, and their interiors still have a whiff of nostalgia and class. There will be close to 150 cars and 90 bikes at the rally, all of very fine vintage, followed by the exhibition.
A photograph from the exhibition. Pic Courtesy/Vivek Pillay
Celebrities aren't the only ones getting papped these days. A one-day photo exhibition on Wednesday at the Western Railway's (WR) headquarters in Churchgate celebrated the building's 125th anniversary with some of the finest photographs of the trains. "Rail fans have played a pivotal part in keeping the spirit of WR alive through photographs. We identified eight such fans and displayed their works as a gesture of appreciation," Sumit Thakur, chief public relation officer, Western Railway, shared.
As the ongoing Kala Ghoda Festival offers the city a fresher perspective on art, gallery Chemould Prescott Road hosted a collateral screening of Kekee Manzil: The House of Art, yesterday. The documentary follows the life of gallerist and curator Kekoo Gandhy, grandfather of the current owner Shireen Gandhy. It explores progressive art in the newly independent India and unearths the story behind Bandra's iconic Kekee Manzil.
Behroze Gandhy
"My favourite part of the film is hearing Tyeb Mehta's wife Sakina talk about his work, and watching my uncle Dara reminisce about Juhu beach," producer Behroze Gandhy, daughter of Kekoo, told this diarist. While the movie documents events from the 1940s to 1990s, she shared that it still holds relevance for young art enthusiasts, "My father was at the right place at the right time. He was a spectator of the progressive art movement and Bombay (now Mumbai), both of which were eager for new influences." The screening witnessed a full house with nearly 100 people. For Behroze, one of the closest memories of the film is a scene that features her father sitting on her bed. "It brings back a visceral, warm memory," she shared.
Creative Ideas and Innovations in Action (CiiA), an initiative for youngsters, has collaborated with Marathi Vidnyan Parishad to introduce a three-day-long exhibition highlighting innovative science projects by college students at Nehru Science Centre, starting January 31. "This year, we had 695 entries from Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa, of which 100 were selected and 10 will win," said A P Deshpande (right), secretary of Marathi Vidnyan Parishad.
