12 June,2021 05:01 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Anurag Ahire
It's the season for jackfruits, and a man carries a humongous one on his head at Goregaon West on Friday.
The intersection between music and films is the focus of an upcoming virtual documentary film festival, called Lights Camera Music, which the folks at Royal Opera House are organising. Call of the Maestro, Leaving Home: The Life and Music of Indian Ocean (in pic), A Moment of Mishearing, and The Last Music Store are the four films that will be screened on the Opera House's YouTube channel as part of it, starting June 18. "These films capture the essence of music through the power of storytelling. As part of our curatorial philosophy, we have always presented the traditional with the contemporary across genres. We were overwhelmed with the response and have planned a second edition of the virtual festival," shared Asad Lalljee, curator, Royal Opera House.
Having been cooped up at home for a long time, a chance to be at one with nature is just what the doctor ordered. The Bombay Natural History Society is now offering Mumbaikars that opportunity, having reopened the gates to its Conservation Education Centre (CEC) in Goregaon East after the pandemic. Only groups of five people or less will be allowed, though. CEC director Raju Kasambe told this diarist that this is the best time to view the butterfly garden there since it's the season for the insects to lay eggs. "The weather is also perfect," he added. We agree.
TM Krishna is one musician who has regularly used his craft to come to the aid of people affected by the pandemic. He will continue in that direction this evening, with a concert titled #TheDropBoxConcert, a fundraiser for artistes struggling financially at present. "The idea for the concert is such that I will be live on my Facebook and Instagram pages from 8 pm on June 12 [today], and take requests for songs from people and chat with them. Anybody who wishes to contribute any amount, can do so," Krishna shared.
A new initiative by G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture at Mahalaxmi is bringing six stalwarts from diverse artistic fields onto one platform, where they will give a series of interactive lectures to share their life experiences and how they dealt with challenges. Simply titled Lecture Series 2021, it features musician Shubha Mudgal, dancer Leela Samson (below), historian Nayanjot Lahiri and academic Pratap Bhanu Mehta, among others. They will interact with audience members at live virtual sessions across July and August, with poet Ranjit Hoskote moderating the events. "Our focus is to build a place for professional artistes to [learn from these masters and] hone their skills. We also wanted to bring on board people who have reached a certain level of expertise and position in their fields," shared G5A director Anuradha Parikh (inset). Visit g5afoundation.org to register for the lectures.
Pandemic-induced travel restrictions may have served as a deterrent to some fans who would have otherwise hopped on to a flight to watch the India vs New Zealand World Test Championship final in Southampton next weekend. Thankfully, Team India's kit sponsors, MPL, have a plan for fans to feel the pulse of the match from their living rooms. A limited-edition Test white jersey has been launched today, which will be available for '4,999 via the sponsor's website from June 14. However, just like the fastest-finger-first game we are now so used to playing to procure a vaccine slot, you'll need similar skills here too, considering there are only 250 jerseys up for grabs. "The jersey is made of jacquard, a quick-drying material widely used for international sports merchandise," informs MPL's senior vice president Abhishek Madhavan.
