Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Pic/Shadab Khan

Where there is a wheel, there is a way
A boy performs tricks on a bike in Wadala on Friday, while his friends take it lying down.

Could have, wood have, should have

The Vanvadi forest near Nerul is a remarkable story about how a group of citizens came together to turn around an area where trees had been felled indiscriminately. Nearly 25 years ago, about two dozen people got together to pool in resources and buy 65 acres of the privately owned land, in order to promote natural farming. But their efforts soon went beyond that, and they transformed the area into a lush green forest with water reserves that can be tapped into.

The first batch for the programme that is underway at Vanvadi

Now, the brains behind the initiative have started a project called Vanvadi Forest Eco-versity Association, where they are involving both urban citizens and tribal communities from the region to join forces to conserve the overall ecology of the area. The programme involves 20 participants staying at the forest for three months, learning about biodiversity, watershed management, natural farming and developing sustainable livelihoods, among other things. Dilip Jain (inset), one of the people who conceived the programme, shared, "The biggest challenges we are facing are not the stock market, but ecological loss." The first batch of 20 people is already on site, but there are weekend slots available for people who don't want to deep-dive into the programme. Log on to vanvadi.org to find out more.

Animal instinct

It is a fallacy to assume that stories involving animals are meant only for children. The country has a rich oral tradition where tales featuring animals have had a long-standing impact on the society's psyche, as is evident when we use words like 'ullu' to admonish someone. Storyteller Vikram Sridhar will now explore this subject at a workshop that the organisation Artkhoj is hosting tomorrow on ethology - or the study of animal behaviour - in Indian oral literature. "Everything is being converted into the text or visual medium, but the oral tradition can't be replicated," he said. If you'd like to know more, log on to insider.in to sign up for the session.

Raising the bar in Bandra

Chef Seefah Ketchaiyo and Karan Bane have had their hands full despite the pandemic-induced shuttering of their restaurant since March. Apart from delivering their authentic Thai-Japanese fare across the city, the duo has been working on a bar menu to complement their treats. We're pleased to share that the Hill Road eatery will finally reopen for service from January 15, with a swanky bar. "We've moved to the second floor in the same building. You can expect signature Thai and Japanese cocktails like Ryou - famous for substitute of rice wine, and Isan Thai - a twist to daiquiri with pandan and lemongrass. We'll also serve sakés and Japanese beer later," she shared, adding there'll be limited seating. Cheers to that.

Sound victory

We are living in an age when all you really need to make a film, is a decent smartphone, and the African Smartphone International Film Festival is an event that recognises such projects. An Indian film, So Sicily, has just won the Best Original Score award for this year's edition. Donn Bhat, Sahil Bhatia and electronic act Burudu were the names behind its winning music. "Their songs became the rhythm of the film," director Jai Sharma (in pic) told this diarist.

When artistes play a double role

While some artistes stick to performing, others graduate to becoming entrepreneurs. That's the subject of a new online talk series by the Kolkata Centre of Creativity (KCC). Titled Artist to Entrepreneur 2.0, the series will see live conversations with noted artistes. The first talk on January 12 features Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam exponent Mallika Sarabhai (in pic) who manages the dance company Darpana. KCC director Reena Dewan shared, "During the pandemic, when the already minuscule funding resources in the arts dried out, survival for artistes and arts managers became arduous. We started the series to empower them with tools and knowledge to create their own economy, and learning from experts."