Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Pic/Nimesh Dave

Making way for yoga

People participate in a yoga session for International Yoga Day in the midst of busy traffic at Charkop market in Kandivali.

The adventures of Salim mamoo

Illustration of Salim Ali from the book. Image Courtesy/Rohan Dahotra

It was inevitable that Zai Whitaker imbibed a love of nature. After all, the author and naturalist grew up with Salim mamoo aka Salim Ali as a grand uncle. India's most famous ornithologist is also the subject of her latest book, Salim Ali for Children that was released earlier this week. "Hopefully it goes beyond information about Salim mamoo," Whitaker shared. The book, she added, offers insight into his resourcefulness and discipline. Yet, the childhood memories form the heart of the book. Describing her favourite chapter, A Rare Species of Uncle, Whitaker said, "Staying with our grandparents at Pali Hill was a treat, for many reasons like the hospitality, delicious food... and Salim mamoo, with narratives of his latest bird migration camp or survey in remote regions, punctuated with that loud,
croaky laugh."

Zai Whitake

O Womaniya!

Women attend a session by WSC

Women's Social Corner (WSC), which successfully launched in Ahmedabad in 2019, is planning to set up their next women-only network in Mumbai. "Our first event in the city will be held in July," said administrator Ayush Raikundaliya. "We're expecting at least 70 women from the 300-strong WhatsApp group to attend, and are on the lookout for an equally large venue. WSC hosts a range of events like meet-and-greets and book readings. The idea is to promote exchange of interests and ideas among homemakers, businesswomen and students," he shared.

All that goodwill for Kej

Ricky Kej (right) with Csaba Korösi, president of the United Nations General Assembly. Pic Courtesy/Instagram; (right) Senegalese singer Baaba Maal. Pic Courtesy/Wikipedia

It has been a busy week for composer Ricky Kej. The musician was recently awarded the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador plaque by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The plaque was presented to the Grammy Award-winner in recognition of his role in the new campaign, Her Land, launched at the recent United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The campaign, he elaborated, is about the threats and risks faced by women through issues of migration, land desertification and climate change. As part of the campaign, the composer recently teamed up with a voice from Wakanda. "We worked on the song with Senegalese musician Baaba Maal and Malian singer, Inna Modja," he said. Maal, in fact, is best known for providing the distinctive African vocals to the indigenous songs in Marvel's Black Panther films. "The song is titled Her Land," Kej revealed, adding, "We performed it at the recent UN General Assembly on June 16. It reflects the issues that are being talked about through the campaign." Women are among the worst affected by desertification and migration caused by climate change. Many countries do not provide rights for women to inherit land, the composer explained. "When it comes to issues such as post-migration caused by infertile land, they remain the most vulnerable. The campaign mobilises resources to help them overcome these situations," Kej remarked. As for music lovers keen on listening to the new track, Kej said, "The song will only be released after a month from now, which is not before I return to India."

Street-smart lighting in Andheri

The well-lit street below the skywalk

The beautification of Mumbai for this year's G20 summit saw many residents appreciate but also pan the lighting and glitzy installations that sprung up across the city and the suburbs. Take, for example, the colourful spherical bulbs installed along the Western Express Highway (WEH) near the airport. One such beautification that this diarist came across and approves of is the LED lights installed on the skywalk at Agarkar Chowk, near Andheri East railway station. Since it was a poorly lit section, this diarist avoided taking that route at night. In a recent unavoidable circumstance that forced us to return to the same route, the lights came as a pleasant surprise, and actually helped to negotiate the stretch safely. If only we didn't need international summits to ensure well-lit streets across the city.

Method to the expansion

Sahil Arora

A metropolis like Mumbai can never have too many art spaces. This diarist has often wondered why most galleries prefer the southern isles of the city. Things are changing though. Sahil Arora's Method gallery will open its new venue for artists in the Juhu neighbourhood from July 15. Gallerist Sahil Arora shared that plans were put in place four months ago. "After Kala Ghoda and Bandra, we are extremely excited to open Method's third space in Juhu. As someone who grew up and went to school in that neighbourhood, the lack of spaces to experience and engage with art and other art enthusiasts has always baffled me," he remarked. Arora revealed that the space will be bigger than their Bandra and Kala Ghoda venues. "It will be better suited to larger installations and performance-based exhibitions,"
he remarked.