Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Fruit of labour: A fruit vendor enjoys the pleasant weather as she decides to rest while watching over her wares at Chembur Road. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

In honour of St Honoré

Chef Sanah Ahuja who has catered to the likes of actors Kajol, Soha Ali Khan, and recently made the cupcakes at the Twitter CEO press event in India, is bringing the timeless French classic, Saint Honoré cake, to Mumbai with The House of Amel. Saint Honoré was a sixth-century French bishop who earned his status as patron of bakers and pastry chefs through several "miracles". "We all have been eating cheesecakes, tarts and entremets for a long time now; the time was right to get something new," says Ahuja about her new Cuffe Parade patisserie. The dessert comprises a puff pastry base, dainty choux and an intense cremeux, all brought together with a light chantilly cream.

Patrons for the win

Singer-songwriter Dhruv Visvanath is out with a new song, Fly. Along with his obvious merit as an ace musician, Visvanath has shown what it takes to be an indie musician, funding himself through his Patreon account. It provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service. "My Patreon is a crucial part of my work. With the uncertainty of the world at the moment, not only does the avenue help with keeping a consistent earning, but also helps with finding the right people to work with. Over the past year, I've worked with amazing mix and mastering engineers, graphic designers, artists and videographers. I consider my Patreon a work in progress, but I'm very grateful to the patrons I have thus far. They are very encouraging and I'm thrilled that I get to share my work with them before anyone else in the world gets to hear or see it!" For 2022, he has more releases lined up all the way up until March. "I feel like I've got my control centre on full power, and by that I mean, my bedroom."

Strategy from other side of the fence

Ajinkya Rahane, who is out with a hamstring injury

When did Ajinkya Rahane sustain a left hamstring strain that put him out of the ongoing second Test match against New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium? The BCCI, in their press release issued on the morning of the Test, says that happened on the final day of the opening Test at Kanpur. Okay, but wasn't it important for the BCCI or skipper Virat Kohli to let the media know on match eve? No, going by how transparency over injuries work in this part of the world. Similar opaqueness was displayed for the injuries to Ishant Sharma (little finger) and Ravindra Jadeja (swollen forearm). So yes, three players from the playing XI at Kanpur (including the caretaker captain) were injured, but the fact that they couldn't make the playing XI could only be revealed to the media on the day of the Mumbai Test. It's fair to say Rahane's injury probably saved him the embarrassment of being dropped for his massive dearth of runs. One retired, seasoned reporter came up with a simple way to embarrass the blockers of injury news: "Ask the captain during the pre-match press conference whether all members of his squad are fit and available for selection." No captain would want to be stingy with the truth and he'd have to find a way to ‘play' this delivery. Good luck, journos.

The Mumbai sojourn

Meera Gandhi, founder and CEO of The Giving Back Foundation, was in Mumbai recently. Having grown up in the city and attended The Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai, Gandhi has family and friends, whom she caught up with, including Hema, Deora, Mukul and Nitasha Deora. "I dropped by at the Soho house where my daughter [musical artiste Madame Gandhi] is going to be the DJ at the new year's Eve party," said Gandhi. Gandhi was in the city also for meetings concerning her new book, 3 Tips: Lessons I Have Learned, which will be out next year. The book has 52 sets of three tips, one for every week of the year, and the topics range from how to manage stress, finding love, finding joy in our lives, to finding rainbows or the exciting moments in your life, and changing the energy around you, among other things. "I've been in every situation imaginable in every part of the world, so if anyone is qualified to do this book, it is me," says Gandhi. The tips are also featured weekly on her Instagram page, and are 56 seconds long.

Say yes to Reels, with a caveat

Instagram's changing algorithm and focus on trending Reels has made many a creator and brand pull their hair out in frustration. Homegrown tonic water brand Svami, has decided that if you can't beat them, better to join them, but by giving it your own twist. Co-founder of Svami, Aneesh Bhasin, had shared on his handle how Reels was stifling creativity by encouraging similarity. "I hate Reels, but if Instagram is openly saying that Reels will get more reach, then brands really don't have a choice." Svami has adapted to the format in their own cool aesthetic, showcasing their products, set to trending music, shot creatively by Bhasin. "We are not saying ‘oh, we will do two Reels a day'. We plan to keep it organic."