Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Bipin Kokate

Fitness takes centre stage

A man attempts the Shirshasana.at the Five Gardens area in Dadar.

Trisha's twisted take on mythology

In her book Misters Kuru: The Return to the Mahabharata (HarperCollins), author Trisha Das spins up a pretty amusing and feminist take on the Mahabharata. There's a slice of romance, action and bits of comedy. "It's a contemporary fun read with social commentary and mythological elements," she told this diarist. A sequel to Ms Draupadi Kuru: After the Pandavas, Das moves from Draupadi to a second coming-of-age around the Pandava brothers - how would they relive their lives given a choice? But the book still holds nuanced interactions that bring to light women's experiences in a man's world. And in this case, heaven too. Like a final declaration that frees Draupadi from belonging to the brothers. Arjuna attributes Draupadi's tears to relief, unable to fully appreciate the situation. But Das doesn't tell and prefers to lay the scene down for what it is. In these scenes, the importance of retelling a story from a female perspective is highlighted. The plot is set in New Delhi, which is where Yudhistra, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva drop down from heaven. Can we expect another title? The sister of funnyman Vir Das says that there's a romantic comedy nearing completion.

Music is art

India's diversity is not just evident in the number of local languages there are or the varied topography in different regions. It is also evident in the individual styles of music practised across the country. The Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS), an association of industry professionals, now wants to highlight that fact with a new campaign called Know Your Music, which will involve a series of programmes every month, starting June 21. The launch will commence with a panel discussion featuring singers Shantanu Moitra (in pic) and Abha Hanjura, among others. "With this campaign, we aim to initiate a transformation in the way people are consuming music, thus making music not just a passive consumption habit, but a work of art and creation that the audience will take notice of and love to engage with," shared Rakesh Nigam, its CEO.

Look what's brewing in Bandra

(From left) Brew Whale co-founders Vedant Munshi and Pranav Mehra

Ever since the state government allowed the sale of growlers last year, growler stations have been mushrooming across the city. The latest one to launch is called Brew Whale in Union Park, Bandra.

The outlet

"We realised that Bandra was the most central of our shortlisted locations for us to deliver across Mumbai. We also have plans to launch a couple more growler stations in Mumbai this year," shared Brew Whale co-founder Pranav Mehra. Head to the outlet and take your pick from options such as Moby Wit, Bowhead Stout, Killer Ale and Bandra Brew.

Lined for a win

Aravind Adiga is no stranger to literary awards. He won the Man Booker Prize in 2008 for The White Tiger, the book that catapulted him to fame. Now, Adiga has been shortlisted for Australia's biggest literature prize - the Miles Franklin Literary Award - for Amnesty (Pan Macmillan). The book is about an illegal immigrant who flees from Sri Lanka to Sydney and tries to create a separate identity for himself. The others on the list include Amanda Lohrey for The Labyrinth. Here's hoping that Adiga bags the honour.

Yoga shows the way

June 21 is marked as International Yoga Day and ahead of it, the Godrej Group carried out a pan-India survey across age groups that showed how an added number of people have taken to yoga during the lockdown. Fifty-eight per cent of the respondents said they have adopted a physical or mental fitness activity during the lockdown, restricted not just to yoga, but Zumba and meditation too. Fifty-nine per cent of the millennials questioned said that they have done the same. "Our research indicates that many people started practising yoga to remain mentally and physically fit. It has certainly helped people deal with uncertainties and anxieties during these tough times," Godrej's corporate brand head Sujit Patil told this diarist.