Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Masked and ready, 2023!

A young boy in a Guy Fawkes mask rings in the new year atop the shoulders of a relative at Bandra Reclamation on Saturday night

Her kitchen confidential

We've often found ourselves craning our neck to get a peek of what's brewing in the kitchen of a restaurant. What does it take to run an eatery? Gauri Devidayal should know. The restaurateur, who, along with her partner Jay Yousuf, runs The Table in Colaba, is spilling the beans in her upcoming book, Diamonds for Breakfast. The tell-all title traces the journey of starting and sustaining a restaurant, and all the little-big stories that make it what it is. "I started working on it to mark our 10 years, but then the pandemic happened. Now, it's ready as we turn 12," shared Devidayal, adding that the self-published book releases in January-end. "It's a funny, racy read of our ride. It includes, for instance, nuggets about how we dealt with a fire, the interesting experiences we have had with all kinds of guests, what went down during the pandemic, as well as fun chef encounters," she added.

Also Read: Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Beach please in Worli

Worli's Atria Mall, the one-time culinary hotspot that went quiet, is gradually coming out of its hibernation mode. The latest buzz is courtesy Praia, a restaurant and bar helmed by restaurateurs Vicky and Kabir Luthria, and Gaurav Dabrai, who you will remember from their Copa, Juhu, days. The beach-inspired eatery is spread across 15,000 sq ft on the rooftop, and replaces their previous haunt, Swey. It's set to open doors this week.

(Left) Gaurav Dabrai and Kabir Luthria

"The restaurant is a great space to usher in sundowners, or have dinner and drinks. We travelled to Greece to research restaurants there and then came up with this concept. The menu is flavour-forward with the spice and fun our palate craves. There's European food, heavy influences of Asian fare, and a little bit of Latin American influence, too," Dabrai told this diarist. The bar will whip up tropical cocktails, as well as offer zero-proof options. Cheers to that.

Smells like teen spirit

Children rehearse for a performance

This January, the NCPA will be teeming with teenagers who will reinvent the oft-used phrase, ‘teen drama'. The institution has tied up with the National Theatre, UK, for its Connections festival to host plays put up by children from eight schools across Mumbai. Anahita Uberoi, creative learning director for theatre at NCPA, shared, "The plays are written specifically for children between the ages of 13 and 18 by award-winning playwrights." The eight productions include terra/earth by Nell Leyshon, Crusaders by Frances Poet and The Sweetness of a Sting by Chinoyerem Odimba. While it is focussed on Mumbai for its pilot edition, Uberoi revealed that they might consider including schools from across the country in the future. We're ready for this drama.

Get the kula together

Mumbai's culture junkies can look forward to a four-day arts convention, Kula Worldwide, that will be held from January 12 to 15 at Goregaon's NESCO Exhibition Centre. The convention is founded on the need for co-existence in the independent creative sector. The fest draws from the way many artistes representing contemporary and traditional art forms such as tattoos, performing arts, music, graffiti, crafts, digital arts, and gaming, lost out on work during the pandemic. Founder André Tully (inset) shared that this spurred him to think about the need to ensure the future of independent artistes and various modern and traditional cultural practices. Derived from the Sanskrit word for tribe or community, Kula highlights the need to bring this diverse group together and represent India at a global level. "We want to represent India to the world, and showcase how we respect our roots while developing our modern contemporary arts in a collaborative manner. This platform offers artistes a chance to come together and work towards a bright future," Tully added.

Rasas by Goa's shores

Subodh Kerkar (left) fishermen heading to their boats

Recently, artist and sculptor Subodh Kerkar nudged this diarist to think of a formation by the sea - resplendent in sunshine - where Bharatanatyam dancers strike a mudra on the beach. The sensory image was plucked out of his upcoming installation on January 8 at Morjim beach, Goa. "I would often walk past the ocean and capture stills of fishermen. Since the traditional fisherfolk were always busy, I spoke with Bengali labourers in the area, and with their help, could clinch formations where humans became a fishing boat. Around the same time, Bharat Bala was in Goa; he wanted to make a film on me. During that process, I fell in love with video-making," Kerkar recounted. This prompted him to marry his interests - the motion picture and installations - and shed light on how humans and nature are inseparable. The artist is currently looking for dancers, who can register for the project at @subodhkerkar on Instagram.