Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Pic/Sameer Markande

Nature's fury

A man walks by as huge sea waves crash the kerbside, showering water along Apollo Bunder promenade

Bboys of Dharavi battle it out

A contestant showcasing his Bboying skills at the event

As part of their effort to bring hip-hop and Bboying into the mainstream, The Dharavi Dream Project (TDDP) recently concluded their Breaking Jam battle. The one-day event saw some raw and young talents from the lanes of Dharavi showcase their prowess in the art form at the competition. Dolly Rateshwar, founder, TDDP, told this diarist, "We held this event after reopening our school, School of Hip-Hop, post the long COVID-19-induced break. The two main objectives of this competition were - encourage street culture and highlight Bboying." The event got a good response from the crowd with 48 crew and solo participants. And while TDDP's very own group could not bring home the winning trophy, they earned huge applause on the night. "Our Bboying team, Manzil crew, aged between eight to 18 years, organised the entire event. We want to create learners and prodigies and they proved it to the end," she added.

Greening the city

Lalwani planting a sapling in a coconut shell. Pic courtesy/Instagram

Roots Nature Club, a city-based initiative by conservationist Pooja Lalwani (inset) has come up with its Project Rewild Earth, a new programme that encourages people to re-wild their spaces.

"People usually choose exotic and ornamental plants. The idea here is to vocalise and educate them more about wild flowering or fruiting plants of India that will help the ecosystem, even though it is in a smaller way. We will offer consultation, and help people rebuild their entire garden space," she explained.

Deco! The Empress is back

The Empress Court lettering that was changed 30 years ago

If you, like this diarist, are in love with Mumbai's old-world charm, here's a bit of good news. Empress Court that stands on the corner of the road opposite Oval Maidan recently reinstated the old lettering of its name after having it changed 30 years ago due to repairing damages. The project, taken up by Art Deco Mumbai Trust (ADMT) that works towards conservation of the city's iconic Art Deco buildings, along with artist Tanya George, was a tough challenge, the latter revealed. "ADMT reached out to me a year ago.

The new Empress Court lettering that is inspired from the original one, is made of metal. Pics courtesy/Art Deco Mumbai

While it sounded like an exciting offer, the only problem was that the reference photo we had was very old. We could barely see the letters. We got the overall idea of the shapes, and then ADMT suggested using some motifs and designs from the interiors and the gate of the building so that it does not look out of place," George said. Vishaka Bhat from the Trust added that it was their suggestion that led to this project. "We have a small collection of archival images of Mumbai. When we showed the owners of the building the photo, they were on board to get the lettering done again," she explained.

Flight of fancied colours

If you recently drove to the airport and were surprised by the kaleidoscope of colour on the walls by the road, it is thanks to Wicked Broz. The group has brightened up the walls over 350-feet in length and 10 feet in height, along the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) road. The project took over eight weeks and 35-plus artists. Co-founder Omkar Dhareshwar told us that the high-speed traffic prevented the team from putting up ladders to create Jaspinder Singh's design. "We worked through the scorching summer. It took us 10 minutes to drive back to get one cup of tea. But the way the wall looks now makes it all worth it," he added.

Come sing with France

Mumbaikars can now celebrate World Music Day (June 21), or as the French call it, Fête de la Musique with Alliance Française de Bombay. The French Institute in India in collaboration with the network of Alliances Françaises in India brings their Level-up contest to the city shores this year. A peek into the prizes tells us that you shouldn't miss this opportunity. Stéphane Doutrelant (below), director, Alliance Française de Bombay, shared, "Fete de la Musique that brought people closer through singing and dancing on the streets of France, has now been embraced by the whole world. It brings me immense joy to bring this festival to life in Mumbai."