Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Shadab Khan

Early to the party

Two men take shelter under a dysfunctional train bogie that will soon be converted into a restaurant outside Bandra West railway station.

IN PHOTOS: Sea of devotees gather in Parel as 18-foot-tall Lord Ganesha idol sets off from Mumbai to Surat

3 months agoPHOTO GALLERY

An epic crossover

Bheema, 2021-2022, Sindhe Chithambara Rao, watercolor and drawing ink on animal hide. Pic Courtesy/ Sarmaya Arts Foundation

While India waits with bated breath as Neeraj Chopra resumes his quest to win a second Olympic gold in javelin tomorrow, Dadar-based Sarmaya Arts Foundation has fielded another familiar, yet unexpected candidate. Maya Ravana from The Ramayana, features as a javelin thrower in a series of artworks released by the foundation. It reimagines puppets from the Tholu Bommalata and Togalu Gombeyaata shadow puppet traditions as sporting champs. "We have a collection of these artworks that trace their roots to Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. While watching the Paris Olympics, I suddenly realised how there are many parallels between the disciplines and characters from epics like The Ramayana and The Mahabharata. The trishul, in the Maya Ravana piece for instance, resembles a javelin," revealed Rishi Kochar, a member of the foundation. Other artworks include Arjuna as an archer and Bheema as a wrestler. To view the entire contingent, head to @sarmaya_india.

A matter of pride

An illustration from Skin Stories

Celebrations continue as the platform, POV Mumbai, has invited members to share their artworks showcasing interpretations celebrating Disability Pride. "Even though the month has ended, we are running this campaign to explore collective joy with the community through art. The campaign is special as three winners will receive Skin Stories, a publication that documents lived experiences of diverse folks with disabilities around gender and sexuality," shared Shazia Qureshi, project anchor for Disability. The deadline ends on August 31.

Coffee minus the filter

Members of the club at a Bandra cafe

A concoction of hot coffee and cool conversations is what you can expect from Bombay Coffee Club, the newest community of coffee aficionados in the city. "While drinking copious amounts of coffee remains one of the goals, our focus is on sparking candid conversations between strangers using coffee as an ice-breaker," revealed co-founder Jay Bhanushali. The club's debut meet-up at Bandra café last weekend witnessed eight enthusiasts participate in games, activities and a café-hopping evening across Bandra West to end the night. "Once the participants warmed up to each other, we tried some interesting social experiments. at the cafés. For instance, towards the end of the evening, participants were asked to order cups of coffee for each other based on the conversations they just had. It led to some interesting revelations," Bhanushali shared with this diarist. Those keen on joining similar caffeine-fuelled adventures can log on to @bombaycoffeeclub to register.

Have you met Zane yet?

Zane, the four-year-old apricot poodle at the Lower Parel cafe

Lower Parel's popular pet-friendly eatery Zane's Café has finally let the cat, or in this case, the dog out of the bag. The inspiration behind the café, a four-year-old apricot poodle, Zane, cleared two hours off his (packed) schedule to meet and interact with loyal patrons yesterday. "Zane is somewhat of a celebrity in the area; especially with our patrons who have been regulars since we opened two years ago. People often leave reviews saying they came here for Zane but couldn't find him," shared a member of the team. What's more, this diarist was thrilled to learn that some patrons have even offered to schedule visits based on Zane's availability. "The event was a candid meet-and-greet with Zane. People brought their pets along, and we had our founders come down to the venue as well. Because we were also celebrating the café's second anniversary on the same day, there couldn't have been a better day for the meet-up," they added.

The heat is on in Marol

Omkar Dhareshwar (right) juggles firesticks at the Marol Art Village

Fire sticks and LED-powered balls illuminated the Marol Art Village yesterday during a collaboration with city-based flow arts collective Go With The Flow. For the uninitiated, the discipline includes using one's body and props like balls, sticks, and hoops to create free-flowing, rhythmic movements. "This is the second time we are collaborating with the collective that was originally founded by artiste Navin Tatte. The event was not only for experts and professionals from the field, but also for those who wished to dip a toe in the activities," shared founder Omkar Dhareshwar, who impressed audiences with his juggling routine involving fire sticks and LED balls. The founder revealed to this diarist that he also introduced novices to a new creation - a juggling board that teaches you the basics of hand-eye coordination. "Free flow arts may look easy at first glance, but in practice, they are extremely difficult to ace. When I am juggling, for instance, all my senses have to be engaged to the best of their abilities to ensure the rhythm is not broken," he elaborated.