Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Pic/Ashish Raje

Two centuries, one frame

The façade of Rajabai Tower dominates the skyline in front of the BSE building at Fort.

The OG sound

Simon and Garfunkel. Pic Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons

This diarist stumbled upon an interesting nugget about the the play, The Graduate, directed by Trishla Patel that is set to be staged this evening at The National Centre for the Performing Arts, and later at Prithvi Theatre. The production will feature the original soundtrack from the 1967 film by Mike Nichols including tracks by Simon and Garfunkel. Patel shared, "The music of The Graduate stays with you, and I knew I had to use it for the play. For this one, in particular, it was tougher because Simon and Garfunkel are closely associated with the original play. They wrote the songs - Sound of silence, Mrs Robinson, and even Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme - particularly for this play and the movie." She continued that while US-based Concord Theatricals owns the rights to the play, they don't own the music rights. "We did not know whom to approach. Eventually, we decided to go through the Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS). The only trouble is that you have to apply for a license for every single production. Yet, it is worth the effort when I look back on it," Patel revealed.

Trishla Patel

‘His talent was ahead of its time'

The late Ajit Ninan sketches his iconic Detective Moochhwala at The Indian Institute of Cartoonists (IIC) in Bengaluru, 2022. Pic Courtesy/Jayanto Banerjee

The art of satire is one that cartoonist Ajit Ninan loved and enhanced with his work. The 68-year-old veteran whose caricatures of the high and mighty were a reminder of their flaws, passed away in Mysuru on Friday. Recalling Ninan's perceptive insight, fellow cartoonist Jayanto Banerjee said, "He had that special sense of humour that could take everyone by surprise. He would look at things unlike anyone else." Banerjee remarked that Ninan was a workaholic who would turn up to the India Today office at 7.30 am, and would keep the landline phone off the hook while working. "He did not like it when calls disturbed his work," Banerjee shared. While his passing leaves a void, Banerjee noted, "His style will not die with him. When an artist works for such a long time, over 30 years, they influence a new generation." The loss was personal to many, including mid-day cartoonist and visual artist Manjul. "I had the privilege of meeting him for the first time in 1989 during my visit to Delhi and collaborated with him from 1997 to 2000. He was not only a brilliant artist but also a master of caricature. His ability to transform any object into something extraordinary was nothing short of incredible, and this talent preceded the era of computer software for such tasks. The lessons I learned from him have left an indelible mark," he shared with us, adding that the news was deeply saddening. On Ninan's skill, cartoonist Satish Acharya told this diarist, "It's not just a testimony to his longevity as a cartoonist, but also says a lot about his simple yet powerful drawing style. His drawing skills had no weakness and his sense of humour had no parallel. Many generations of cartoon lovers grew up enjoying his cartoons and illustrations, from his comics in Target magazine, to caricatures and political illustrations."

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ISRO, and more

Illustration/Anupama Bijur

The women who were part of the iconic Chandrayaan-3 mission continue to make waves. Anupama Bijur, VP-marketing in an investment firm, tried to capture the essence of these low-profile women in an illustration. "I contribute monthly illustrations to the Network of Women in Media, India and the theme for August was women of Chandrayaan," says Bijur, adding, "I had seen their photos and videos; they seemed so confident about the mission. Women do so much else, and then they are also part of such important space missions. That's exactly what I have tried to portray in this illustration."

A royal salute

Brian May

Chandrayaan-3's achievements have even got the stars talking, and we mean literal rock stars. Guitarist Brian May of the legendary rock band, Queen, shared a photograph developed from the stereo camera taken from onboard the satellite. Few people know that the guitarist is also a PhD in astrophysics. Praising the achievement, he wrote, "Can't wait to see more stereos from this mission! Congratulations Chandrayaan Team !!"