Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

"This one I can do"

The shavasana is the easiest asana for anyone to do, as this dog shows us

Patwardhan Park battle takes a new tee-wist

For months now, there has been a concerted effort by activists, green warriors, Bandra locals and others to save Patwardhan Park (PP). The battle is against the BMC, which has proposed an underground car park underneath PP, one of the green lungs in Bandra West. While a legal battle is on, those opposed are doing all they can for the cause. Now, the Save PP tribe is telling you to wear your heart on your sleeve. Or, on your shirt actually. There are save Patwardhan Park t-shirts available on the Your Design Store website. The quote simply states, "no parking in our parks" and we like the sense of freedom the little girl on the swing printed on the t-shirt gives. The PP saviours have been impressive, because while many protests and movements are well-intentioned, they seem to meander at times and even fizzle out. More power to this communi-teew, whose garb says don't remove gardens for gaadis.

Shola jo bhadke…

The King and the Queen of Britain at the Animal Ball

Sabyasachi has truly gone global, and is taking age-old Indian tradition with him. The designer recently designed Shola masks for King Charles III and Queen Camilla for the Animal Ball, a fundraiser held by the two, to make common cause for The Elephant Family charity, which is devoted to protecting Asia's animals and trees. The Shola masks were made as a collaboration between the artists from the Sabyasachi Art Foundation and the local craftspeople of West Bengal. What we love is that it's brought this little-known-outside-of-Bengal craft international fame.

Sholapith, also known as shola or Indian cork (Aeschynomene aspera), is a white soft core extracted from the stem of the spongy plant. It's supposed to have divine origin and because of its white hue is used in religious customs. Made traditionally by the artisans called Malakar, who as legend goes were appointed by Lord Shiva himself to be the sole creators of sholapith works, are popularly seen at Durga Puja pandals decorating the Goddess' headgear. The craft is mainly practiced in Bardhaman, Murshidabad, Nadia, Birbhum, Malda and Hooghly, and is also good for the planet! Since shola is natural and biodegradable, it is cleaner to use than plastic or thermocol. We hope it shows up somehow on runways in accessories, and then trickles down to the high street. Won't that be something?

Indrani turns to Insta

"Like a phoenix... she rises," reads Indrani Mukerjea's bio on her Instagram account, which she recently started. The former media executive, who has been out on bail for over a year now in the 2015 Sheena Bora murder case, has been is picking up the pieces of her life, travelling, exercising, and praying. From trekking in Mussorie, visiting the Omkareshwar Temple in Coorg, and making new friends in Leh, Mukerjea's Reels and posts, she says, "aim to share the whispers of peace and strength that resonate within my heart". A few days ago, she wrote about her years in confinement inside the Byculla Women's Jail and the unwavering support and sisterhood she found among fellow inmates. "In this digital world, Instagram is a diary where I have begun to capture the moments that bring me joy, enable me to spread positivity and express the power of the human spirit to survive and rise up every time one falls," she tells this diarist.

From sci-fi to the kitchen

We have loved how filmmaker Arati Kadav's brain works ever since we saw her sci-fiction movie Cargo in 2019. The IIT Kanpur alumnus left engineering to pursue filmmaking and was inspired by the stories of Panchatantra and Indian mythology. Her most recent outing, The Astronaut And His Parrot, starring Ali Fazal is also gathering accolades, and she won the Best Director at the Fantasia Film Festival. When we met her recently at a award show where she was being felicitated, she told us that these days she was working on something completely different. She is now directing the Hindi remake of the Malayalam hit, The Great Indian Kitchen, starring Sanya Malhotra. "I was fortunate to collaborate with such a dedicated actress like Sanya. Working with her was like an exercise in empathy, and in deeper understanding of strength of women. We interviewed many women [to prep for the movie] and just felt a great responsibility towards this story." Watch this space for updates.

Turf luck for Mohali

The Punjab Cricket Association ground at Mohali in the 1990s. PIC/MID-DAY ARCHIVES

That Mohali in Chandigarh has missed out on a World Cup cricket game for the mega event to be held in October-November has surprised the world of Indian cricket. The neat ground once boasted of a good pitch for fast bowlers apart from the fact that it was a semi-final venue for the 1996 World Cup. Had Shane Warne been alive he would have been surprised by the latest development as well, because he bowled Australia to victory in that semi-final which was as good as lost till the final overs. Australia skipper Mark Taylor summarised the game in percentages - West Indies won the first 95 per cent of it while the Aussies won the final five per cent. Both West Indies and Sri Lanka are in Zimbabwe for the World Cup qualifiers. Sri Lanka are not expected to be out of the World Cup, but West Indies are out and won't be in India later this year. How times have changed for Sri Lanka, the 1996 champions and West Indies, who won the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979. Times have changed for Mohali too.