Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Pic/Shadab Khan

Casting a Wide Net

Fishermen, hard at work, reel in the day's catch off Bandra's coast.

Keep crafts alive

The Chitrakar Relief Sale is an initiative by Baro Market to support 10 master craftsmen and their families, as well as students of their respective schools of art. Its founder Srila Chatterjee explained, "With art taking a backseat in the current status quo, the makers of art have been severely impacted.

Art by Ramesh Tekam

These are people whose heritage has been passed down through generations and is now threatened with extinction." The idea was conceived when one of the master craftsmen succumbed to Covid-19, she added.

A painting by Anwar Chitrakar

The craftsmen, who have been hand-picked by Chatterjee, each practise a unique form of traditional art and have been recognised on national and international platforms. You can view the sale and contribute to the cause at baromarket.in.

For the artiste

The pandemic does not discriminate on the basis of creed, privilege or profession. Everyone has found themselves vulnerable, as have artistes. Veteran vocalist Shubha Mudgal, who we hear has successfully recovered from the infection, and musician husband Aneesh Pradhan have taken it upon themselves to compile a list of artistes who have lost their lives to Covid-19. The eventual aim is to plan welfare schemes, though right now, the effort is directed at gauging the loss the community has suffered because, as Mudgal and Pradhan point out, the powers that be have turned a blind eye. "Arts organisations, private and state-funded, have done nothing to even collate information from the field, let alone devise effective welfare and relief schemes. It is up to us to do the little we can," Mudgal said.

Paying musical tribute to our nurses

Yesterday was International Nurses Day and the folks at Global Hospital, Parel, and Masina Hospital, Byculla, treated their nurses who work on the frontline, with some much-needed music therapy. And who better than the home-grown Furtados School of Music to do this. "The idea was born out of witnessing the angst and anguish around us. We asked ourselves what we could do and decided to organise a musical activity to relieve some of the stress that these frontline workers were under," Tanuja Gomes, its co-founder, told this diarist.

Celebrating five years of Deco

An archival image of Art Deco buildings facing Oval Maidan. Pic courtesy/ Art Deco Trust, Mumbai

The Art Deco Trust celebrated its fifth anniversary yesterday. The Trust, which works as Mumbai's guide and repository of the Art Deco style of architecture, aims to cultivate and renew interest through its conservation and documentation activities. In the past year, they also began exploring new digital frontiers to showcase deco architecture in the city. "We wanted to be in the mindspace of every Mumbaikar, tell them about the style and make them appreciate its beauty. We also wanted to acknowledge everybody who made this happen," Atul Kumar, its founder and trustee, shared. "We hope to continue documenting and conducting recees when it's possible to do so, and host more exhibitions and events," he added.

Directors' call

Budding filmmakers, pull up your socks. The Vintage Film Foundation, which organises the Vintage International Film Festival, Kolhapur, is accepting entries for its 2021 edition. Co-founder and chairman Sachin Bhoiraje shared that the festival provides a platform to local talent: "The idea was to encourage filmmakers from small villages, towns and cities to display their skills while learning the nuances of the craft from international cinema." To submit your feature film, documentary, short or music video, head to @viff2021 on Facebook.