Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Bow down, Mister

While the two factions of Shiv Sena fight over the bow-and-arrow party symbol, two kids play with toy weapons at Chunabhatti.

Goa beyond the beaches

Men carrying a casket of angels depicted in a mural at the chapel of Holy Trinity

Like many of us, sociologist Omkar Bhatkar enjoys venturing to Goa and exploring its hidden gems. Recently, he was able to enter the Convent and Church of Santa Monica and witness the murals on its walls from the 16th century. "I was stunned to see such beautiful artwork hidden from the public eye. It was a spontaneous thought, and I knew it needed to be preserved in a visual form." After a lot of effort and securing permission from the Archbishop of Goa, Bhatkar filmed the documentary, Painted Hymns, along with a few friends. He told us, "The major challenge was to edit all the shots; so, I blended these murals by adding mystical poetries by Rumi, Khalil Gibran, and St John of the Cross to them. This is why I call it a poetic fresco." The 72-minute long film will be screened at St Andrews Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts this Saturday.

Thai on our mind

This diarist was pleasantly surprised to learn how sook - similar to the Hindi word sukh - means happiness in Thai. And in the true TGIF spirit, it also refers to Friday, chef Karan Bane shared with us. Bane and his partner, chef Seefah Ketchaiyo, have joined hands with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to usher in some sook in our lives with a new series. The Sook (Straight Out Of Kitchen) Series will see them bring in chefs, bartenders and gastronomes from Thailand to Mumbai. It begins on July 22 and 23, when chefs Black and Beer, who are behind the Chiang Mai-based restaurant Blackitch Artisan Kitchen, will take over Seefah in Bandra to plate flavours of northern Thailand. "The idea is to get chefs and bartenders from Thailand for pop-ups and takeovers to create that [Thai] bar and culture in the city. In this session, you'll find Chiang Mai-style food - it's more about freshness and herbs, and using traditional methods to serve a modern cuisine," he added.

Flower power

Marigolds and mithai signal auspicious beginnings in India. And Mumbai-based entrepreneur Shweta Agarwal is infusing the festive spirit of marigolds into mithais with Genda Phool. The online store currently delivers to Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane, and a brick-and-mortar shop is likely to open in time for Diwali. On the menu are savouries and sweets like the white rose, macadamia magic and betel bloom. "We create sumptuous sweets that are a unique blend of Indian elements. Unlike conventional Indian sweets, customers can expect to savour unconventional nuts including macadamia nuts, pine nuts, hazelnuts and peanuts," she told us.

Good times for kids' literature

This honour will bring a smile to the faces of those, who like this diarist, track Indian and regional children's books for their vibrant variety. The Binod Kanoria Children's Books Awards were inaugurated a month ago to shine a light on quality children's content through specifically tailored prizes for the genre. Founder Nirbhay Kanoria told us the awards take after industrialist and his grandfather Binod Kanoria's love for storytelling and will focus on authors of Indian children's literature. "There are four awards - English early readers for three-to-six-year-olds, English middle readers for six-to-nine-year-olds, and prizes for illustrators and Hindi literature," he added. The jury includes Anita Roy, Dalbir Kaur, Sushik Shukla, and Kamlesh Joshi among others. "We wanted the jury to reflect a blend of literature, education, literacy and visual art for a more holistic assessment. For instance, Kaur, an educator, knows how children's texts should be taught in schools," he said.

A word on dyslexia

Few might be aware of the struggle of coping with words as writers do. For Aditi Surana, graphologist and founder of the APT mental gym, the struggle was essential to her profession. In her July newsletter, which celebrates the first anniversary of her online mental health community, she revealed the secrets to cope with dyslexia. Surana told us, "I personally feel all of us must embrace our imperfections." Coping with any problem is a matter of finding the right tool and applying it diligently, she explained, "Dyslexia has been my biggest struggle. All my life I wanted to write, and I couldn't. So, I felt I could share the steps I used to overcome it." Speaking from the experience of her mental gym, Surana noted, "I approach every problem like a puzzle. Sit down, write and try to solve it."