Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Ashish Rane

Beak hour

A flock of pigeons scurry for a bite near Bandra Talao.

Let's clean Carter's beach

A few residents of the city are getting their hands dirty for a good cause. A small clean-up drive in the shore by Carter's Road promenade, started by Bandra residents Harold Fernandes and Bhavna Nandwani, has grown in number over the past couple of weeks. "It's a tidal beach that's been in total neglect with heaps of trash and construction debris dumped there, along with encroachment. We did quite a large clean-up last weekend, and we're trying to see how we can make it a citizens' movement. Currently, we're six people in the team," shared volunteer Ashwin Malwade, adding that those who would like to pitch in, can call 9867706945.

This Rose smells of victory

Bombay Rose is an animated film that has had a successful run at festivals after premiering at the Venice Film Festival in 2019. It's notched up a number of awards too, the latest of which is the Best Animated Feature Film honour at ASIFA India Awards of Excellence, which originated in France and celebrates the art of animation. The plot of the evocative film is based in Mumbai. It follows the story of two flower-sellers - a Hindu girl and Muslim boy - who fall in love on the streets of the city. Director Gitanjali Rao told this diarist that she tried to explore what it means for two migrants to build a relationship in the city, despite all the struggles they face and others trying to come in their way. She added that a team of animators from city-based Paperboat Design Studio helped create the film using the frame-by-frame technique with computers, which isn't common in today's day and age. "They are the ones who should really receive this award," she felt, even though she wrote and directed it.

X'mas comes early to Bandra

To lighten up the gloomy times with the spirit of Christmas, Santa Claus is on his way to Bandra in an auto, equipped with a chhatri and floaters. No, this isn't our Christmas hangover. His arrival marks the launch of the Christmas in July initiative that's aimed at homebound elderly folks and the financially vulnerable communities in Bandra. The initiative is spearheaded by A Very Bandra Christmas, a group of friends - Annabelle Ferro, Leanne Manchanda, Melody Laila, Chrys-Ellen Peters, Clement DeSylva and Nalini Sorenson - who got together last December to stage a series of virtual events.

This time joined by Giselle and Ricardo Pereira and Stephen Viegas, the team has put together two relief drives - Dal Chawal for the Dil and Bandra Bakes. "We couldn't wait for another December to celebrate the spirit of giving. We've curated ration bags for needy families; for this, we're looking for donors. To spread cheer among the elderly folks living alone, Bandra-based home bakers have volunteered to send baked goodies," said Laila. To lend Santa a hand, text 8433842093.

Loved by the world

Nikhil Katara in a staging of the play

Letters Of Love, a theatrical reading of original love betters by Readings In The Shed has been included in the official selection of The Borderlight International Theatre Festival. A bi-annual festival based out of Cleveland, which is taking place virtually this year, it will make available to attendees on-demand videos for 35 chosen performances. "We stage Letters Of Love every year on February 14. This year was its third edition, which was staged at NCPA's Experimental Theatre. We read letters by famous people who are not necessarily authors or poets, but real-life figures, and share historical records of their love stories. This year, we presented letters between writers Zelda and F Scott Fitzgerald, photographer Andre de Dienes and Marilyn Monroe, letters that Frida Kahlo wrote to her lovers, as well as private letters by Oscar Wilde and Kurt Vonnegut," shared its creator, Nikhil Katara. Visit borderlightcle.org for more details.

For a pristine Powai Lake

(From left) Ronak Shah and Anuj Vohra

For the past few years, Hiranandani Gardens residents Anuj Vohra and Ronak Shah had been noticing a cover of greens cropping up on Powai Lake. Today, almost half the lake is covered with this plant - water hyacinth, an invasive species that's not endemic to India, explained Vohra. "It sucks up water and oxygen, and prevents sunlight from going down, affecting the organisms living inside," he said. The duo has started a campaign, Pristine Powai Lake Initiative, inviting volunteers to help them pull out water hyacinths. "We've taken out 500-600 kg of it, but that's not even 0.1 per cent of the total cover," he shared. They're at it every Thursday, Friday and Saturday; to join them, call 9920320319.