Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Pic/Nimesh Dave

Up in the air

A man appears to levitate as he applies pressure to lift his handcart at Madh Jetty

Music to the world's ears

The video also features music by the city-based band Inayat

It's a triple treat for city-born and New York-based filmmaker Tanay Shah. Anal Haq, a music video that Shah worked on as the director of photography and executive producer, has bagged the award for the best music video at the Student World Awards in Los Angeles. The film also made it to the semi-finals of the Indie Short Fest in California and grabbed a spot at the New York Istanbul Film Festival as well. "We submitted the film to a diverse set of festivals to get exposure from world audiences. We have our fingers crossed as we wait to hear from the Cannes Indie Shorts, LA Under The Stars and others," Shah revealed.

Wild, wild Mumbai

Did you know that Mumbai is home to free-ranging leopards, and has over 50,000 flamingos in Thane Creek? The city has one of the best sea-scapes in the world, offering a peek into corals and diverse marine life. And yet, many are unaware about how lucky we are to have these assets right within the municipal limits of the city," said (below) Bittu Sahgal, founder of Sanctuary Nature Foundation.

The foundation has released 12 of 22 books about the less-travelled roads of India that will bring people closer to nature. The Sanctuary Field Guide to Mumbai, Sahgal added, is a thin booklet that one can easily carry around and refer to as a guide when exploring the city's wildlife. Get your copy on pages.razorpay.com/stores/Sanctuary naturefoundation.

Beats of wellness

Participants form a drum circle

Kolkata-based wellness enthusiast Komal Vaishnav is bringing her Rhythm and Earth-Drum Circles platform to Nautilus (Candies) at Pali Hill this Sunday. "Drumming is a therapeutic activity. The rhythm created by people, who walk in with little to no knowledge about the instrument, connects one to the earth and brings about a sense of community," Vaishnav shared. She added that her batches always have a fair mix of age groups, "It amuses me how the most energetic in the group are those well into their 60s." Those interested can drop a message on 7036083629 to sign up.

Remembering a legend

Dr Vasantrao Deshpande. PIC COURTESY/Wikimedia Commons

The Deshpande family of Pune celebrated Hindustani classical musician and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee late Dr Vasantrao Deshpande's 104th birth anniversary yesterday. Rahul Deshpande (inset), his grandson, told this diarist that he owes his life and professional values to his grandfather. "I was only three and a half years old when he [Vasantrao] passed away in 1983.

But his stories were passed on to me by my parents and his disciples," the singer shared. He played the role of his grandfather in the 2022 biographical film, Me Vasantrao. "There is so much that people don't know about him. For instance, he wouldn't keep any of previous records with him. He lived in the present, and the music that he was making in the moment mattered to him the most," he revealed.

Eat like an East Indian

The food festival will feature various food and merchandise stalls

East Indian Food Festival, which is a part of the annual East Indian Sann celebrations across Mumbai, will host its 2024 edition tomorrow at St Andrew's Quadrangle in Bandra. This time, director Alphi D'Souza revealed, they will set up a restaurant which will serve a special East Indian buffet. "The Mobai Gaothan Panchayat has been hosting this festival since 2010. Of the 50 stalls, nearly 30 will be East Indian food-themed [expect Kunbis, Bhandaris, Kolis, and Agris specialties]. There will also be community-themed games, merchandise and book stalls," he told this diarist. Call 9323195028 to reserve a table for the special buffet.