Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Pic/Shadab Khan

Swing out, sister

Women catch a spot of exercise and some fresh air on a sky walker at an open gym at Bandstand, in Bandra.

What about the toss, boss?

(From left) Harmanpreet Kaur, Jhulan Goswami, Mithali Raj and Smriti Mandhana at the launch of the white India team jersey in Mumbai. Pic/@BCCI

Indian cricket fans have been savouring the build-up to the World Test Championship thanks to minute-by-minute coverage of the Indian team, well before the two captains come together for the toss at the Rose Bowl tomorrow. In contrast, we were left wondering about the step-motherly treatment to women's cricket when it came to the all-important toss between Mithali Raj and Heather Knight at the one-off Test that began yesterday. We had to be content with watching the two English openers walk on to the pitch as Jhulan Goswami marked her run-up. The ticker at the bottom informed us that England had won the toss. Surely important pre-match moments, especially the toss that is a vital part of cricket tradition, should have been aired for this historic Test since the last time India's women cricketers played a Test was in November 2014.

Lazaro's Pichwai connection

Fort-based contemporary art gallery Chemould Prescott Road is hosting an exhibition featuring the works of noted Australian artist Desmond Lazaro. Titled The Cosmos Project, the exhibition is a part of OVR Portals, Art Basel's first curator-led online viewing room, and comprises eight works that have been created using pigments that are handmade and hand-ground by the artist.

Ptolmy's Universe: The Dimensions of Paradise, 2020-21; Diagram Herschel's Galaxy and The Star Cut, 2020-21 by Desmond Lazaro

"My painting has always had a close relationship with methods and materials. This largely comes from my earlier training as a miniature and Pichwai painter in Jaipur, where we learnt to make our own pigments, along with brushes and paper. Today, I continue to use these modalities and ways of working, which have now become the backbone of my practice," Lazaro shared. The exhibition will kick off today with an Instagram studio visit at 6.30 pm. The show is on until June 19. For more, follow @chemouldprescottroad on Instagram.

All is well

The Bhikha Behram Well (Parsi Bavdi) at Cross Maidan in SoBo, is undergoing reconstruction. "We have massive trees next to the wall, one of which fell on the wall during Cyclone Tauktae, smashing the north side. We are now restoring the wall, with work going on since the past three days," said trustee Dr Viraf Kapadia. The well, a Grade I Heritage Site, was also targeted in an unsuccessful theft attempt in April 2020 during the first lockdown. At the time, the thieves had tried to pry open the donation box that was fixed inside it. Apparently all's well that ends well... or in this case, wall.

Celebrating 25 years of spice

It's been 25 years since the Spice Girls burst onto the global stage with their hit single Wannabe. Since then, the group went on to become the pop culture icons of the decade, selling over 90 million records worldwide. To mark this momentous milestone, they are inviting fans to share their memories of the band by posting photos or videos of them singing, dancing or talking about how the Spice Girls have influenced and inspired them. Tag your submissions with #IAmASpiceGirl.

Goopi goes to Colombia

A still from the film

India will also celebrate its 75th year of Independence this year on Colombian shores. A collection of Indian films for children will be screened in schools in Bogota, the country's capital, as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative. One of them is Goopi Gawaiya and Bagha Bajaiya [2013], an animated film that has been directed by Shilpa Ranade, and produced by the Children's Film Society of India and children's books publisher Karadi Tales. "The story is based on Upendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury's short story, Goopi Gyne Bagha Byne," shared Karadi Tales co-founder Narayan Parasuram, adding that this film is independent from Satyajit Ray's earlier adaptation of the same story.