Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Ranveer Singh and Kabir Khan

Mud, mud ke dekh!
Two young cricketers glance at actor Ranveer Singh and director Kabir Khan as they take a stroll at the JVPD grounds in Juhu on Saturday. Pic/Satej Shinde

A true milan of melodies
We are truly rejoicing right now. That's because one of our favourite bands, Delhi-based Advaita, is back with a new song almost after seven years. The video, Milan, which has been recorded live at the Oddbird Theatre in New Delhi as part of the Unison concert, and is now live on the band's YouTube channel, is classic Advaita - soulful and technically perfect. But why did it take seven years?

Advaita perfroms Milan live at the Oddbird Theatre in New Delhi

"The band had taken a trip to Palampur, where for 10 days we just played, and the tune happened over one of the jams. Once we got back to the city... life took over and the song went on ice," bassist Gaurav Chintamani told this diarist. When we asked if more music was upcoming, Chintamani chuckled, "Seven tunes will find their way to the audiences now."

Welcoming the laughter quotient
The antics of Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul on the Karan Johar show led to some level of mirth. This diarist remembers how former India spin stalwart and captain Bishan Singh Bedi was banned for the Bangalore Test against the West Indies in 1974-75 for appearing on a television show for children after India's disastrous tour of England. Of course, Bedi did not come out smelling of roses because he touched on why India lost 0-3 to the Englishmen and thus were unable to repeat their 1971 glory in Old Blighty.

Hardik Pandya

Another cricket buff posted on social media how much coffee would cost you across coffee houses in Mumbai. When it came to Johar, he wrote: "Koffee with Karan can cost you your career." Another joke that surfaced on the screens of some smart phones was about how the Indian team's fitness trainer has banned coffee from the dressing room and the coffee shops of their hotels was a no-go zone. We wonder when's the next time Pandya and Rahul will be seen laughing.

The real catwoman
Half-Indian half-Peruvian actor Elena Fernandes, who was conferred Asia's Supermodel Of The Year in 2017, has her hands full. Apart from movie projects, she is registering her own animal charity organisation called IAmChange.

Elena Fernandes

"Having neutered stray cats for over three years, I want to be able to do it on a bigger scale to help bring a difference. There's no reason why we can't achieve the goal of getting all strays neutered for the betterment of their welfare," says Fernandes who takes care of 72 stray animals in Bandra. "Seeing healthy cats, and no dead kittens is the biggest reward," she says.

Bengali novella wins hearts in UK
It is usually rare for good regional literature from India to get picked up by mainstream publishers, let alone international ones. And so, last week, the publishing industry was in for a huge surprise, when author-Bengali translator Arunava Sinha took to social media to announce that British publisher John Murray would be publishing his translation of Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay's The Aunt Who Wouldn't Die, in the UK.

The 250-year-old John Murray has had a distinguished roster of authors on its list, including Jane Austen, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Lord Byron. Esha Chatterjee, CEO of indie publishing house, Bee Books, which released the translation said the book got international attention when noted British author and critic Philip Hensher gave a laudatory review of the book in The Spectator and mentioned it in the best books in 2018.

Taking art from Colaba to Kurla
Piramal Museum of Art is taking great efforts to shift the focus on art outside of Colaba to mid-town Mumbai. From January 18 to February 3, it is going to host a public exhibition at Phoenix Marketcity, Kurla. Director Ashvin Rajagopalan says, "In a city like Mumbai, people have no time to go and see art. Everyone has a train to catch and a job to get to. What people make time for on the weekends is shopping, food and movies, which is why malls are so popular and populated.

So, we have decided to take the art to the people. We hope that by placing art in the middle of the lives of the Mumbaikar, we will be able to provide them the space to learn about art." From Tanjore and miniature paintings to traditional metal work and contemporary pieces, the works have been selected from the Piramal Art Collection and Piramal Art Residency. Family guides, activities, artwork guides and visitor experience managers have also been planned.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates