Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Fishing for a lift

A fisher woman hops atop a handcart with the day's fresh catch to be ferried down a street at Bhaucha Dhakka on Tuesday.

Who's the drama queen?

A moment from the play

Actor Suchitra Krishnamoorthi takes up the role of a producer for the first time with her play Drama Queen that was staged last month in Mumbai, and now moves to Delhi. Krishnamoorthi told us, "The play is a comical musical, and is based on my book by the same name. It is a one-act performance, where I act and sing on the stage. It is an honest narration of struggles and situations a single mother experiences five years after marriage, divorce and fame." Has discussing single motherhood in a comical tone resonated with audiences at large? To that the actor said, "In most cases, people have laughed out loud. They have shared how they felt that it was nearly their story. That's because human experiences are universal in nature. Only once, a woman walked up to me and shamed me for not putting my child first. That apart, the feedback has been heartening."

Print is back on the zine

Grasshopper, crease pattern of Robert J Lang. Pic courtesy/The Curator Mag

While the screen became our constant companion amid the pandemic, the print medium has always found ways to remain relevant. Case in point, this paper that you're holding in your hands. The art world, too, has seen the resurgence of art zines, magazines and newspapers in the past two and a half years. Take for instance, The Curator Mag. In 2016-17, photographer Rahul Singh Manral along with art curator Shrey Sethi founded the visual arts magazine, which took the digital route with the world shifting online. With a focus on celebrating the touch-and-feel sensibility of the print medium and to introduce art-lovers to artists hailing from different disciplines from across the world, the magazine is being reinvented in the print format. The first edition of the magazine, Familiarity and Interpretation, is available now for pre-order at thecuratormag.com. Graphic designer Vritika Lalwani, founder of Praxis, who worked as a consultant for the project, told us that it's been a wholesome journey helping Manral and Sethi work on the design as well as the editorial approach. "I think the magazine makes art more accessible and easy to understand - there's no jargon and even ‘non-creatives' are sure to enjoy the written text pieces as well as the visual essays."

For a pet project

In 2020, we followed the journey of Navi Mumbai's Phoebe's Farm, a human-friendly pet resort, as they started a funding page after the lockdown and Cyclone Nisarga affected their revenue sources. They later reopened when funding trickled in. However, after nine years, Phoebe's Farm might have to close down in November due to a dearth of finances required to pay rent for the farm area. Manoor Sachdev (in pic with his pet, Chester) said, "The farm has all kinds of animals that need to be cared for. Currently, we are looking for a smaller, two to three acres-space for these animals that have no other home. We are also looking for investors who can help us in continuing our work. I invite all to Phoebe's Farm to see if they can help with leads, or to just drop by." If you'd like to do your bit, check @phoebesfarm on Instagram or call 9833955040.

From Mumbai to Locarno

Gitanjali Rao

Animator and filmmaker Gitanjali Rao will receive the Locarno Kids Award la Mobiliare on August 8 at Locarno's Piazza Grande. The honour conferred by Locarno Film Festival celebrates creators who can communicate the magic of cinema to young viewers. When this diarist reached out to Rao, she shared, "The award feels special because I was told it is for my body of work both on and off screen. My films are not for children per se, but they are enjoyed by young adults and grown-ups. Knowing that young adults like my films is refreshing." Rao's short film titled Printed Rainbow will be screened at the upcoming award ceremony. "It's good to learn that my work is not being referred to as comic films only," she joked, adding that the honour means a lot more to her as European critics and audiences look at cinema differently.

Maha nod to her open idea

Activist Smita Chakraburtty's decade-long experience took off when the Supreme Court, in 2019, picked up her report on open prisons and mandated that the country should incorporate a similar module across states. As a result, Maharashtra will now get four open prisons. Chakraburtty, who helms Paar, a non-partisan research and advocacy organisation, said, "Open prisons look to re-integrate convicts into the social fabric through a democratic system. Here, prisoners are given a second chance at life and often, they negotiate to stay for longer periods of time. In this module, the government spends under R500 on each prisoner in a month; it's because prisoners look for work, earn their livelihoods, and feed their families."