Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

Guns and roses

Flower vendors carry their wares past a police van at the Dadar flower market.

Look for lady flower

Ashneed Lilaowala

In last week's interview with SMD, thespian Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal declared that if her vagina was a person, it would wear Ashdeen Lilaowala. The fashion revivalist working with Parsi gara embroidery has designed the costumes for the Gujarati inning of the iconic play, The Vagina Monologues. Working within the palette of black and red, he has created shape-shifting pieces that speak of the personas the actors channel.

And within them, he has placed a cheeky and subtle detail that could look like a peony with a Parsi aesthetic, but is actually a line drawing of a vagina. "It's on Mahabanoo's jhabla, on the skirt and tunico of another actor," Lilaowala tells us, "It's not the first thing you think of when you see it; we were going for silly and clever. It's just an outline." How delightfully Georgia O'Keeffe.

A morning with his-tree

The Amherstia Nobilis at Fort is one of the sights on the heritage walk

A heritage walk scheduled for March 10 focuses not on buildings but the greenery around them. It starts at 8 am under a 150-year-old Banyan tree next to Horniman Circle, and will take you on a merry trip past other iconic buildings. It also passes between David Sassoon Library and Elphinstone College, and to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, which houses a Mahogany tree planted by David Livingstone during a visit to Mumbai in 1865, soon after he found the source of the Nile. "There are no charges. We do not charge to impart knowledge," says Dr A Kothari, one of the organisers of the walk. You can register your name for the walk by calling him at 9833476773.

Turn left for filmi trivia

At the launch of a new exhibition at the CSMVS, filmmaker, archivist and restorer Shivendra Singh Dungarpur (in pic) spoke about an exciting project that is underway in collaboration with the BMC. "We're building a cinematic map of the city which will highlight past and forgotten details," said the founder of Film Heritage Foundation, "Through the process, we found out about the fountain at the entrance of the Bombay Talkies - which had no water - and the several mango trees on its grounds, where Kamal Amrohi could often be found, hanging upside down and writing scripts." Dungarpur rued the disappearance of film families over the years, while acknowledging how many continue to come forward with material, enriching the city's cinematic history.

Three cheers for the girls

One of the training programmes by Magic Bus India Foundation

There is some good news during Women's History Month from Magic Bus India Foundation. As part of its initiative to train and place youth from marginalised communities across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Thane, the Foundation achieved a 71 per cent female placement ratio last year. Additionally, of the 9,162 youths who enrolled in the programme, 59 per cent were female.

In the previous year too, the Foundation witnessed 56 per cent female participation in their pan-India outreach. "Our focus on gender inclusivity ensures equal opportunities for all youth. Through our programmes, we transition young girls from marginalised communities to sustainable employment, enabling them to move out of poverty and lead dignified lives," says Aarthi Singh, Senior Director, Magic Bus India Foundation (in pic).

Adding intrigue to cricketing injuries

Raj Singh Dungarpur at CCI. File Pic

Injuries, or for that matter, non-injuries have always been an attention-grabbing issue in Indian cricket. Our in-house cricket nut remembers the late Raj Singh Dungarpur telling him a story of two players on an overseas tour. This was when Raj Singh used to manage Indian cricket teams, before he became chief selector and the BCCI president. One of those two players for some reason felt he wouldn't be up to play the Test match. Player No.2 on the other hand, was determined to play despite his injury. Raj Singh summoned a local doctor and asked him to check both players. The doctor soon returned to brief Raj Singh. He said, "Manager, one player is fit, but doesn't want to play. The other chap is in no position to be part of the Test, but is hellbent on playing." One can imagine how difficult things would have been for the poor manager with no selector accompanying the team. But Raj bhai, as he was known to those close to him, could conquer any hurdle.