08 January,2022 07:06 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
In these bleak times, a young man and woman say their goodbyes at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
When it comes to chronicling the city's history, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) holds a special place for most of us. The building underwent an extensive restoration that included its grand dome in time with its completion of 100 years. Conservation architect Vikas Dilawari, who helmed the project told us, "Till the late 19th century, Mumbai was a city of towers and turrets. After Victoria Terminus was built, the focus shifted to domes. Although the CSMVS building is one of the finest examples of Indo-Saracenic architecture, like the domes of Bijapur, the materials are different from those used in Bijapur. Our six-month long research tells us these domes were made from concrete and steel." The team built a 113-foot-tall scaffolding to reach the dome. "We read up on paints and lighting so that the most important feature could be highlighted," Dilawari said, adding that the lit-up dome makes for a nice birthday gift.
With further curbs on movement looking imminent, Tripoto, an online travel-related community, is urging its users to convert their passion into careers. For real-world advice and insights, they've tied up with Suta, a city-based saree platform. "Our workshop will focus on how to start a small clothing business on a shoestring budget. We'll share our own challenges, how we started manufacturing and, finally, how we took our business online. We'll also help participants create a strong business dashboard, identify the right audience and create a solid financial plan," Taniya Biswas, co-founder of Suta, told us. Those who are keen, can log on to @tripotocommunity.
Themed calendars push us more to turn a new leaf each month. Last week, Pune-based National Film Archive of India (NFAI) launched the 2022 edition of their annual e-calendar, around the theme, Yaad Karo Qurbani. It is dedicated to all those stories of fearless freedom fighters as depicted on screen. "The calendar's theme draws from the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, a 75-week grand celebration launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mark 75 years of India's independence. The calendar includes a beautiful assortment of 12 images from our archives - from classics as well as more recent films. For instance, we have Manoj Kumar as Bhagat Singh, Amar Dutta as Subhas Chandra Bose, Mehtab as Rani Lakshmi Bai and Aamir Khan as Mangal Pandey, among others," Aarya Bhagwat of NFAI, told this diarist. To view and download this calendar, people can visit nfai.gov.in.
This diarist came to know that the Climate Centre for Cities at the Delhi-based National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) is organising a National Photography Competition that focuses on the pronounced impacts of climate change. The competition accepts photographs under two categories; climate impacts in cities and climate actions in cities. Hitesh Vaidya, director at NIUA said, "The contest is a unique opportunity for photographers to capture climate variability and its adverse impacts on the environment." Vaidya added that winners will get cash prizes. The last date for submissions is January 26. Those interested can head to niua.org for more details.
The eighth edition of the Chandrabhaga Poetry Festival is here amid looming uncertainties. Thanks to the scope of virtual interactions, this fest that brings together poets from across cultures and timelines will focus on myriad topics such as Posters, Protests and Poetry and The Atlas of Nomadic Verses, among others. Actor-dramatist Danish Husain, who will be part of the panel, The Atlas of Nomadic Verses, told this diarist that it will include an assorted set of poets. "The curators must have thought we are nomadic souls, moving from one station to another, dabbling in varied art forms, and chalking out our own maps," he shared.
