Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Ashish Raje

Unlocked, Unmasked, Uncool

While it's good to see the city open up in phases, unmasked weekend revellers, like this woman, are back at Marine Drive.

Karaoke for a cause

As children, we're often encouraged by our parents to read aloud while studying. A 17-year-old girl from New Delhi has not only learnt this lesson, but also applied it to help home-bound primary school students learn effectively. Arshya Gaur has used the concept of karaoke to create an online learning platform called Read Together (readtogether.in), which comprises 70 chapters from the NCERT English syllabus of classes 1 to 5, in the form of audio-visual content. "I believe that the quality of education is greatly determined by its relevance to the current times. As someone who is passionate about reading and the English language, I knew that in order for English education to be exciting for kids, it was essential to adapt it to the tech-oriented world, especially since the pandemic struck," Gaur told this diarist.

Art beats for Juhu beach

A 30-ft wall mural at Juhu's Soho House that illustrates the spirit of sustainability, equality and impact, has become a talking point on social media. Painted by artists from Aravani Art Project, a collective of trans-women and cis women who use art in public spaces to raise awareness about LGBTQ+ inclusion, the vibrant mural was commissioned by Soho House in collaboration with the platform Art&Found. Sadhna Prasad, art director, Aravani Art Project, shared that they started working on it last year. "As Juhu beach has gone through its own journey from not being in good shape to being taken care of, the idea was to also celebrate that and acknowledge the discipline of sustainability behind it. The mural depicts common people, who may have at some point contributed to cleaning the beach. The figures are all faceless, so that anybody and everybody can connect with it."

You don't mess with the King

Nikhil Kamath. Pic/Instagram

A charitable simultaneous chess exhibition between five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand and multiple other celebrities over the weekend has gone horribly wrong for one of them, Zerodha founder Nikhil Kamath. Anand easily beat the likes of Aamir Khan and Arijit Singh, while Kamath defeated him. The ensuing scrutiny unsurprisingly exposed that Kamath had used a chess engine! To be sure, despite the questionable practice, Anand could have defeated Kamath on time, but the legend chose to resign, showing his class.

Viswanathan Anand. Pic/AFP

All the attention forced Kamath to grudgingly take the social media walk of shame on Monday, which he did with a mealy-mouthed statement sans any contrition. This led to more ridicule for Kamath, crowned by a dunk from Vishy, who tweeted a screenshot of Kamath's non-apology with the words: "Yesterday was a celebrity simul for people to raise money. It was a fun experience upholding the ethics of the game. I just played the position on the board and expected the same from everyone."

To err is human; to observe, canine

Doggone it, even they know about physical distancing, so why can't we? In a picture that says a thousand words, these indies are seen maintaining distance in a stirring show of canine Covid-19 protocol. This picture on a ‘forward' spree on the WhatsApp merry-go-round has elicited plenty of comments with the common sentiment: if they can, why can't we? Certainly, puts the wow in the bow.

On a melodic note

If you're a musician, here's your chance to display your skills on a global stage. The US-based National Association of Music Merchants has joined hands with Mumbai's Furtados Music to organise an open call for artistes to mark Make Music Day on June 21. People have to send in videos of them playing a song, and the best of the lot will be featured on Instagram. "Anyone can be a part of this, and there are no restrictions on genres. We have even had some entries from choral ensembles," shared Joseph Gomes, director, Furtados Music. Visit the @furtadosmusic page on Instagram to learn more about how to join this initiative.