Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

In Search of the perfect shot: A young man crouches to capture a reflection in a puddle of water, at the Gateway of India on Wednesday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

A larger home for Mumbai's rescues

Animal lovers in the city will be happy to learn that Yoda, an animal rescue and rehabilitation centre, is planning to completely revamp its Khar space. "We want to increase our capacity from 45-50 animals to 60-70. We will acquire more OT tables for our vets. We also want to replace the flooring with tiles that are more comfortable for dogs to walk on, and restructure the cats' enclosure so they have space to roam freely. We will be investing in good quality steel cages to house the animals, which can last us several years, and try to improve ventilation in the shelter," its founder Priya Agarwal said. They're planning a larger space in Karjat, where they will tend to farm and wild animals. To do your bit, message them at 9820952339.

The organic way

Ever since Juhu-based husband-wife duo Tilak Goswami and Supriya Sarin started their organic store Vnya last year, they've been finding new ways to live up to the name, which translates to ‘of the wild' in Sanskrit. To celebrate their one-year anniversary, they have tied up with non-profits Truly Earthly, Youth For Aarey and Earth4ever Conservation Foundation and will be planting a tree at Aarey for every purchase that people make at their store over the amount of R1,200. "We will continue doing this forever. It's part of our many initiatives to contribute to this cause. This Sunday, we're doing a plantation drive at Aarey," shared Sarin. Well, talk about sowing what you reap.

The zine with mangroves

Pages from the zine featuring art contributed by the selected artists. The art can be viewed at the virtual gallery, which is accessible to all

Ministry of Mumbai's Magic (MMM) is a creative platform that, earlier this year, had launched an initiative called #MakeArtForMumbaisMangroves where they invited artists to shine a light on how mangroves are an integral tool in protecting our coastline. After that, they had launched a virtual gallery with selected artworks. Now, they have come out with a zine containing those pieces of art, which will be distributed to the 50 featured artists, in order to thank them for their contributions, though the virtual gallery is still open to the general public to view at ministryofmumbaismagic.com. The folks at MMM also plan to present a copy of the zine to the state's environment minister to amplify the cause. "The campaign was a social media movement to raise awareness on the need to protect Mumbai's mangrove forests. From the use of digital art to watercolour painting, detailed embroidery to typography - these artists have come together in solidarity and brought to life their concern to protect Mumbai's biodiversity," shared team member Suma Balaram.

An ode to a picture-perfect legacy

Mukesh Parpiani receiving the award from Akademi member Samir Mohite. Pic/Sameer Markande

Decorated photojournalist and former photo editor of mid-day, Mukesh Parpiani, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to photojournalism, from Andhra Pradesh Photography Akademi. Of the recognition, Parpiani, who currently heads the photography division at the NCPA, said, "It is an honour to receive this award, which commemorates the work I have been doing for more than 50 years. To younger photographers, I will say that photojournalism will never die - its significance is as profound today as ever. Photojournalists have documented crucial moments in history, including our freedom struggle and the ongoing pandemic, where we have been at the forefront."

Creating inclusive art exhibitions

Siddhant Shah and Jonny Costen

Access For All, an organisation working on integrating accessibility in art spaces, has announced an open call for Manifesto for Accessible Art Festival, a project they are conducting in collaboration with Welsh deaf performer and creative consultant, Jonny Cotsen. "Given the lack of facilities and representation for disabled artists in art festivals, we wanted to create a manifesto on how to organise accessible art festivals and have artists share the challenges they face. We are also keen to break away from a charity-oriented to a mainstream approach, so that they have equal access to mainstream art spaces," shared Siddhant Shah, its founder. Such artists can apply for a two-week online residency - three artists from India and Wales will be chosen.