Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

Bear Necessities

Mumbai Metro workers strike a pose with the find of the day, a cast-away Winnie the Pooh soft toy, on the Western Express Highway, in Borivali.

Roman holiday in Bandra

(Left) Pawan Shahri; Aditya Wanwari

The suburb of Bandra is set to get yet another restaurant and bar; this one will serve up Asian and Italian cuisines. It's being set up by Dhaval Udeshi, Pawan Shahri and Nikita Harisinghani - the folks behind restaurants such as Blah!, Silly, Butterfly High and London Taxi - along with culinary entrepreneur Aditya Wanwari. "The deli is inspired by the chic cafés on the streets of Rome. We'll serve authentic Neapolitan-style pizzas and homemade pastas. We've added a bit of pan-Asian to cater to everyone's palate requirements. There will also be an extensive collection of salads," Wanwari told us, while Shahri added, "Whether you drop in for a cup of coffee in the day, a cocktail in the evening or pasta for dinner, you will leave satisfied." The restaurant is going to open its doors this week.

Our winged friends, through a different lens

NCPA chairman KN Suntook at the exhibition in Piramal Art Gallery. Pic/Ashish Raje

A new photography exhibition at Piramal Art Gallery in NCPA is paying a tribute to birds, honouring them as global ambassadors of peace. It showcases more than 200 species of birds, photographed by 50 Indian lensmen. Mukesh Parpiani, head - photography, NCPA, shared that during the lockdown, several bird photographers across India were invited to spread the message of peace through their photographs and videos. "We want to highlight that to avoid caging and feeding birds, nest photography must be avoided, and birds must get ample space to make their nest and watering holes in urban areas."

Reading Mumbai

Since 2006, the Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI) has been publishing the Mumbai Reader, each comprising a compilation of articles that reflect perspectives on various issues facing the Greater Mumbai and Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Tomorrow, the 14th edition, Mumbai Reader 20|21, will be launched at Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan. Executive director of UDRI, Anuradha Parmar, said the reader focuses on "reimagining the post COVID-19 city". "It touches upon the need to reimagine housing, governance, transportation, urban streets and open space, and liveli-hoods. The message is to focus on directing our ideas and funding towards social well-being to create more resilient economies and food systems. A surprise is the collection of illustrations by Paul Fernandes, capturing the ‘madness and vitality that is Mumbai'," she informed.

Thrifting for change

A previous celebration at Educo

Educo is a charitable trust that runs a school in Lalbaug, and helps make education accessible to children from underprivileged communities. To gather support for their cause, they've organised an online thrift fundraiser along with thrifted-finds platform Dolce Vee. Meenal Srinivasan, founder-trustee, Educo, shared, "The sentimental value of the clothes that you donate will increase, as they'll not only be cherished by someone else, but the sale proceeds will help further kids' education too." Interested folk can shop for the collection on SaltScout.com/DolceVee, and get their clothes picked up by calling 9137713748.

The cart of culture

This diarist is well aware that if there's an art festival that city folks eagerly wait for, it is the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. Ahead of the festival in February 2022, they have announced the Kala Ghoda Arts Kart (KGAK). KGAK is a carefully curated virtual marketplace that will link small-scale makers to buyers. "It is our attempt to keep with the times and capitalise the economy through digital sales, especially for artisans who have suffered losses during the pandemic," said Brinda Miller, artist and chairperson at the Kala Ghoda Association. Given the uncertain times, she added that the online medium of the arts group is here to stay for good. Miller hopes that patrons from all around will support their efforts.