Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Let's have a roaring birthday

Jay and Rudra, the tiger cubs born to Shakti and Karishma celebrated their first birthday over the weekend at Rani Baug at Byculla East

Swifties on a high

A moment from the movie. Pic courtesy/YouTube

Last week was a frenzied one for hardcore Swifties who rushed to get their first day first show ticket for Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour movie that released across the country last Friday. Among those who secured a seat was Mumbai's Tithi Jain.

Jain accessorised her sunglasses with the names of all the Taylor Swift eras

"We planned everything in advance and to the T," Jain told us, explaining that her outfit was matching colours with Swift's lead-in performance vibe. Of the movie, Jain was all praise, and claimed to still be "on a high" when this diarist reached out to her.

A DIY ticket

"The theatre was sold out to Swifties. There were people distributing DIY tickets to replicate the vibe of attending the real gig. With all that sparkle, feminine energy, dancing and brilliant cinematography, it didn't feel as if I was watching a movie. It felt more like a concert," she exclaimed.

Khar gets a new culture space

A moment from the rehearsal of the play Aakhri Local at the newly-opened centre

In a space-starved city with sky-high rentals, we are glad to report that the western suburbs has a new space to soak in theatre, live shows, music performances, comedy, open mics, film screenings, installations and exhibitions. The Jeff Goldberg Studio, yesterday, opened a 1,430 sq ft The Jeff Goldberg Creative Center in Khar, which is equipped with everything that's required for a shoot, theatre, dance, and music performances. "We have a wide array of lights, amps, stage, mirrors, sets, props, etc; a set-up that a creative team can use any way they like. It has long been a goal of the studio to have a wider footprint in the creative arts community providing people a space to nurture the arts, and grow. It is built on the fundamental idea of community, and the Creative Center is the next logical step in this direction," Jeff Goldberg, its founder and director, told this diarist.

Homeward bound

California-based Indian artist Anoushka Mirchandani (below)opened her show at Gallery ISA last Friday. Homecoming is an intimate exploration of the role of ancestry, heritage, family, womanhood and migration. "This body brings together the duality of my existence, my upbringing in India where I lived till I was 18 years old and where my family is still based, and my life in the United States where I spent the next 17 years and am currently based. My work is an examination of my own experiences being an Indian/Immigrant/Other/American/Woman/Artist and navigating this multiplicity of identities. My story is also that of a patchwork identity weaving between two contrasting worlds, and belonging in neither and in both simultaneously," Mirchandani told this diarist. The works bring together two halves that make a whole; environments, colours, moments from her life in California, juxtaposed with memories of her childhood home and upbringing in India. "I wish for viewers to be drawn into the serene, intimate and raw moments of the spaces of the multifaceted aspects of a woman's journey, specifically my own thoughts, complexities and environments which in turn encourage self-inquiry of the viewers own reality," she signed off.

AI on books

Haider used AI tool DALL·E 3 to create illustrations that showed elements of the sessions. Pic courtesy/Instagram

Shabbir Haider (inset), a regular at Bandra Reads (a silent book reading community) found an artistic way to express his experience.

"Reading at Jogger's Park has been a delight, so I used AI to create illustrations that showed elements like cats, the sea, books, trees and people, all regular in the session, something that would evoke memories," he told this diarist.

Apple appeal

For 10 days, Thea will present an exclusive menu highlighting French-imported apples in collaboration with INTERFEL (Interbranch Association for Fresh French Fruit and Vegetables) and chef Juliano Rodrigues of the Bandra fine-dine. Konark Bhandari, INTERFEL representative, gave us a crash course about these apple imports, "The varieties on the menu are the most imported from France to India: royal gala, Granny Smith and golden delicious. We have consciously chosen to use those that will be available to Indian consumers going forward. This includes the rare Kissabel of French origin, famous for its blush pink interior with a perfect balance of tart and sweet. Arriving in India for the first time, these will be especially available for a small window in late November."