Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Balancing act

A dancer performs a spin using his hands as a fellow dancer watches in awe during a practice session at Five Gardens, Matunga.

Marked for reading

The collection of unique bookmarks brought by the readers

SGNP Reads, a silent reading community born in the city, turned a new page last weekend by recording a turnout of 24, the highest at a session since its conception. "The number has seen a sustained rise, and it's purely by word of mouth," Amanda D'Souza, co-curator, told this diarist. The community celebrated the milestone with an impromptu photoshoot of the unique bookmarks that the readers brought with them. "We noticed our readers use all kinds of contraptions as bookmarks. From fallen leaves to boarding passes to even currency notes, we had quite an interesting mix. It called for a proper photo shoot," D'Souza told this diarist.

A silver lining

A duo performs at a previous edition of the talent show

Silver Innings, a senior citizens' community, and the Rotary Club of Mumbai, Nariman Point, are calling for old-timers with hidden talents for the latest edition of their talent show, Umang 2024. "Our aim is to show the fun side of ageing. We have enough people talking about problems," Shailesh Sharma, founder, shared. The event is accepting auditions for dance, street plays, music, stand-up comedy and other performances till January 31, following which, the practice phase will commence, leading up to the main event on March 3. "We do not follow a competitive format. There will be no first prizes. The experience of sharing your talent is the reward," Sharma added. Interested individuals aged 55 years and above, can send their audition videos to silverinnings@gmail.com.

Get moving with the music

Noisy Pots perform at an event. Pic Courtesy/Instagram

After giving the suburbs one of its go-to spots for live gigs, Nevil Timbadia, co-owner, Bonobo Bandra, brings a new venture that will make transcending boundaries with music a tad easier. "Around India, my new project, will aim to showcase great music and make it easier for bands to tour. We aim to tour once a month, traversing four cities per tour, and reach nearly 10 as we grow," Timbadia told this diarist. The project will debut with a four-city India tour by the Czech electronic dance band Noisy Pots on January 31.

Nevil Timbadia

Jap mould for Mumbai

Binal Dharod; (right) Kazuya Ishida demonstrates his technique of moulding a pot at the workshop

The city caught a glimpse of Japan's unique and ancient culture last week when Japanese ceramic artist Kazuya Ishida introduced participants to Bizen pottery at Studio White & Gray's workshop. "Bizen is one of the six ancient kilns in Japan and is known for its traditional and unglazed high temperature-fired pottery. It is rare to find practitioners of the art form as it is a highly specialised technique that can take years to master," Binal Dharod, founder of the Byculla-based studio, shared with us.

The session began with a talk by Ishida about how potters can understand and familiarise themselves with new forms of clay by feeling it in their hands. "The clay in India differs from what Ishida is used to in Japan, and so, it was a learning experience for him as well," Dharod revealed, adding that that the potter trained the participants in his unique style of moulding clay from the inside which lends it a distinctive shape and form.

Dharod shared how a visit to Kumbharwada, the potters' cluster in Dharavi, was the highlight of the trip for Ishida. "He was fascinated by the size of pots that the potters were moulding there. His amusement grew when he witnessed diyas being made in bulk," she shared, adding that the Japanese potter was introduced to Indian seafood to end the trip. "India and Japan share their love for seafood. He loved Mumbai's flavours," she concluded.

These Catholics are funny, men!

Samantha D'Souza launched her joke account @probablyrela tablecontent in May 2020, with what she calls generally relatable content that shifted specifically to content about the Catholic community. D'Souza's comedy isn't stereotypical or offensive; instead it's filled with inside jokes that the community bonds over - the church aunties and vindaloo jokes are endearing and funny, take it from a community member. After the 23-year-old bid her goodbyes, the page retained over 5,000 followers. Those 5,000 received a pleasant surprise when a new post hit their social media feeds this week with a quip around Maldives, Lakshadweep and a feast celebration at Erangal beach. "She's alive!" someone commented. "My brother Gavin brought me back. I didn't expect over 5,000 people to stick. Witnessing people celebrating my return as if it is Easter is heartwarming," D'Souza joked.