Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

In stable hands

A horse trots away with its caretaker at Durgadi Chowk in Kalyan

Mumbai from a new lens

City-based photographer Ritesh Uttamchandani's first solo exhibition titled A Lease of Life takes a hard look at the city that is forever being represented in new shades. The ongoing display at Cymroza Art Gallery aims to present those facets of the city that are not usually romanticised. "Mumbai is often seen through a nostalgic lens. My exhibition will highlight those facets of change that will define how people look at this place 20 years from now," Uttamchandani told this diarist. He decided to go ahead with the show despite the current scenario because it was planned well in advance. "Curator Ranjit Hoskote, the organisers and I have worked on it for the past six to seven months. This is being done on a large scale, and we thought of doing it despite the restrictions," he added.

A photograph by Ritesh Uttamchandani from the exhibition

Let's read aloud

Like many community-driven initiatives that emerged during the pandemic, Payal Kapadia started the Read Aloud Club last year, where she also roped in educationist Rachna Narwekar. Open to children across age-groups, they help rediscover the joy of reading out aloud. "It gets kids to meet the authors of books that we read out to them. Children think of authors as heroes and have countless questions to ask them in real-time. While reading gives an impetus to their imagination, the fantasy worlds they live in find answers in the interactive sessi-ons," she told us. The club holds sessions on Clubhouse and Zoom.

Help at hand for COVID, cancer patients

Here's some news that might offer a ray of sunshine to many in these trying times. We learnt that Mumbai-based non-government organisation Altry has initiated a fundraising campaign to support and procure resources for 60 COVID-19-positive and cancer patients. "We are trying to help those who have been diagnosed with both the virus and cancer. Many cancer patients are in remission but they have low immunity; they contract the virus repeatedly. While we raise the funds to provide basic necessities to them, Helping Hands Foundation has collaborated with us to carry out our vision at the grassroots," explained Sonali Fabiani, founder, Altry. Those who are keen to donate for the initiative, can head to @altry_giftsthatmatter on Instagram.

A diary of everyday things

Writer-professor and artist, Amitava Kumar, who is known for titles such as Husband of a Fanatic and Home Products, among others, is set to release his next title, The Blue Book, in February. Kumar shared a bit about the book, which is a diary of sorts, "When I was a boy growing up in Bihar, I would see my grandmother place a single red hibiscus flower on a small pedestal for her gods. This was a daily morning ritual. I love rituals: they establish a pattern, and give structure to our days. My paintings and my words are just such a ritual, a way of giving form and shape to our shared lives, my readers' and mine."

A painting from the book

Bihar's foray into queer cinema

LGBT Bihar, an initiative by the NGO Dostanasafar, is gearing up to celebrate the state's first queer film festival. Accordingly, they're inviting submissions from filmmakers from across the country and will screen the best entries at the festival. "Last year, we organised Bihar's first pride parade, and were delighted with the response and participation. We're now eager to extend this representation by recognising films that address pertinent issues faced by the community," shared Aditya Sagar, who is organising the festival. Unlike other film festivals, there is no element of competition; instead, the festival is intended as a screening-celebration of queer cinema, he added. The submissions for the film festival must be between three and 30 minutes long, and can cover any genre, including documentaries, short films, advocacy shorts, features, autobiographical sketches, animations, or experimental art forms. Entries are being accepted until February 28 and participation is free. To learn more about the submission guidelines, visit @ lgbtbihar
on Instagram.