Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

No one to butter them

Two potsellers in Dharavi on Monday. The area's traditional potter community struggled to make any income this Janmashtami due to the pandemic.

Wheel to win

Today is the last day for children between ages nine and 16 to sign up as junior bicycle mayors, for the cycling initiative Cycle Chala City Bacha. "In Mumbai, during the pandemic, because there was a bicycle boom we managed to get 24 bicycle counsellors across wards in the city. We will now have one junior bicycle mayor and 24 junior bicycle counsellors. The junior mayor will have a similar role, just like their senior counterparts, including reaching out to schools, societies, etc. One of our mandates is to get them to ask these places to donate old bicycles, which we will then refurbish and provide to people in urban-poor settlements, like kids and dabbawalas who need it for commuting," said bicycle mayor Firoza Suresh (in pic).

He stamped his legacy for posterity

The stamp (in orange) that Roby D'Silva designed for the 1955 competition

Roby D'Silva was a famous product designer from Vasai who was sought after by top companies like Kellogs. He passed away recently at the age of 91, and leaves behind a rich legacy of notable contributions to organisations including the United Nations.

Historian and coin researcher Pascal Roque Lopes told this diarist that D'Silva won the first prize at the All India Postal Stamp Design Competition held in Delhi in 1955, adding, "The design was eventually put on a postage stamp."

So long, thanks for all the music

This diarist has had the incredibly good fortune of watching Lee Scratch Perry live in concert twice over. The man who's called The Godfather of Dub and High Priest of Reggae was 75 years old at the time, but he still managed to bring the house down with his unique brand of Jamaican music. Perry passed away over the weekend at the age of 85, and it's an astounding fact that he was still lined up for shows this year. The man was also instrumental in making Bob Marley a global superstar, and helped propel the careers of numerous other artistes such as Max Romeo. He was also a prolific creator, churning out records with such dizzying regularity that his body of work is as big as his Mercurial status in the world of reggae and dub music. "He was like the CEO of albums, an artiste who just sat at his studio and belted out music. He also conceived so many sounds that later became go-to fodder for music producers," shared Sumeet Thakur, percussionist for indie band Sol Moon and a longstanding fan of Perry's.

When dum is mast

Chef Asma Khan with actors Dan Levy (centre) and Paul Rudd. Pic/Twitter

The debate over what is the best type of biryani in India often raises people's passions. But as far as Hollywood actor Paul Rudd is concerned, the Kolkata-style dum biryani seems to top the list. He was recently spotted digging into the dish at chef Asma Khan's Darjeeling Express restaurant in London. "I'm glad that the unique dum biryani of Calcutta is sharing the limelight with the fabulous," Khan shared, adding a photo of hers with the actor. We can imagine fans of the Lucknowi and Hyderabadi styles of biryani feeling somewhat jealous.

Are you protein-smart?

In the fight against climate change, food insecurity and public health, smart protein - that comprises meat, egg and dairy alternatives produced without industrial animal agriculture, through food science and biotechnology - is gaining ground. And organised by Good Food Institute India (GFI India), the India Smart Protein Innovation Challenge 2021 aims to meet the protein needs of 10 billion people by 2050, one-sixth of whom they claim will be Indian. By providing infrastructural support, mentorship and a smart protein digital lab, the initiative will act as a platform for innovators to develop smart protein solutions. Varun Deshpande, managing director, GFI India, shared, "We can no longer sit back and watch as planetary and public health crises rage. We need all the great talent we can get to focus on these pressing problems, and smart protein is one of our most promising solutions." Interested folk can apply at smartproteinchallenge.in by September 14.