Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

Balancing is an art

A young girl performs a balancing act on a tightrope on a road in Dadar as little boy looks on from his balcony

Mumbai's new superheroes

A panel featuring Jaspreet Bumrah. PICS COURTESY/INSTAGRAM

Growing up, this diarist imagined his cricket idols as superheroes. LOCOPOPO, a city-based design studio has made it a tad easier for the young fans today. A series of comic book style artworks titled Mumbai Indians Superhero-Verse 2024 created by the studio features 25 Mumbai Indians players as superheroes with fitting superpowers. Pacer Jaspreet Bumrah, for instance, features as ‘the fastest man alive' in the panel (above) titled Toe Crusher Unleashed. "We have been working on the artworks since early last year. We were elated when we learnt that the cricketers have had the time to look at them and that they loved it," Lokesh Karekar (right), its founder, revealed.

On a Sola high, the East Indian way

The Mumbai East Indian Masala Group performs at the previous edition

The East Indian Sola will make a musical return for its 2024 edition on April 20 in Manori. "Music is a huge part of East Indian (EI) culture; second only to food. Some commendable talents have emerged from the community this year. This one is for them," Zenobia Gracias, event director, told this diarist, referring to the inaugural edition of the East Indian Music Awards that will open at the festival. The Sola will also witness a revamp in scale with the attendance expected to be between 500 and 700 this year, compared to a smaller scale celebration with 100 visitors last year. Among performances by the Mumbai East Indian Masala Group, the Jesus Band, and young duo Maxwell and Yung Clyde, Master Roland Hanso, a veteran EI musician will present his songs that speak of forgotten EI traditions.

Capture like a pro

A photograph from Baxi's collection

When your doctor or accountant calls you into their office, it might not necessarily be to share pleasant news. At a newly-opened photo exhibition in Andheri, however, diabetologist Dr Rahul Baxi and chartered accountant Utkarsh Sinha are inviting visitors to their temporary abode in for a visual treat. They will present their photographs at the exhibition alongside 10 other professionals. For Baxi, the exhibition marks the first public show in the suburbs. "I was at Baxi's exhibition in Colaba last year; being a hobbyist with a full-time job like him, we instantly connected," shared Sinha.

From the heart of Govandi

Illustration Courtesy/ Yoda Press; PeoplePlaceProject

The relentless growth and human displacement that shapes Mumbai also births interesting stories of survival and hope. Some of those will find a way into the book Awaaz: Voices of Govandi. Facilitated and edited by Nisha Nair-Gupta (inset), the book emerged as a result of Nair-Gupta's work at the Artist Residency Programme at Govandi Arts Festival in 2023. "I was invited as a guest artist to the festival, and worked with the community for the six to seven months prior as part of the process. It was during our research that I worked with this group of people from the Natwar Parekh Compound in Govandi, mostly women, who co-wrote the book. While working on the project, I realised that it was their story to tell, and I took on the role of a facilitator," the founder of PeoplePlaceProject shared. The community was a resettlement colony, and their experiences shaped the book. "The eight stories speak of how people have nurtured hope through difficult times," she revealed. To keep track of their research, Nair-Gupta and her colleagues often sketched their walks through the colony, and these illustrations (left) are part of the book. "We are launching the book on April 21 at the community space of Kitab Mahal in Govandi," she told this diarist.

When inspiration is in the air

Chaplot guides a participant

Leave your rulebook at home before you head to artist Seep Chaplot's Canvas Conversations painting session tomorrow. An impromptu painting session led by the Rajasthan-based artist in Bandra will throw prompts like "Ask three people around you for their favourite songs and turn them into a painting" at the audience, among other quirky instructions. "The idea is to give people the freedom to draw how they want. When the prompts are off-beat, people find it easier to let go of their inhibitions and express themselves freely," Chaplot shared with this diarist.