Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

With a little help from my friend

A school boy gets some help from another student while trying to climb over a divider at Chembur.

For the love of happy wags and puppy eyes

(Clockwise from above) Gulzar, Rajdeep Sardesai and Shobhaa De

While books on human companionships are common, books on our many dog friendships are still rare. A new release now promises to give our liking for ‘belly scratches' and ‘puppy eyes' the special place they deserve. The Book of Dogs (HarperCollins) is a testament to how deeply dogs enwrap our hearts. The book contains 45 original write-ups by some of the country's finest storytellers. There are contributions by Gulzar, Shobhaa De, Sarnath Banerjee, Orijit Sen, Jerry Pinto and Rajdeep Sardesai, among others. Hemali Sodhi, the editor of the book, said, "When the pandemic hit, it was the unwavering love of our dogs that became a constant source of comfort for many pet parents." The book that's due for release on January 17, 2022 will ensure that all royalties are forwarded to registered dog charities.

Good food is good mood

Mood Indigo, the annual fest by students of Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B), will have pop-up food stalls for this year's edition on January 29 and 30. They have called for entries from those who have a passion for cooking. Akshat Rathi, an economics student at the institute, told us, "People should get a multi-cultural experience; food stalls can make that happen. We accept all kinds of entries." Foodies can find details on @iitbombay.moodi on Instagram.

Rewire and explore

G5A imprint, a digital magazine by the G5A Foundation, is an iteration in promoting experimental and independent art practices. Speaking about their recent call for submissions for the sixth volume, editor-in-chief Ishan Benegal said, "The theme this time is Raze | Renew | Erode. Sometimes, the best way forward is to reset. Sometimes, this happens intentionally. At other times, it happens unintentionally, over long phases. We are looking for similar explorations and more." Those interested to contribute can log on to g5afoundation.org

Santa comes to feed

The Feed'em Movement, a Mumbai-based trust that fights food insecurity in India, has special plans to celebrate Christmas. They have planned a Christmas Food Drive that will feed over 1,000 underprivileged children from parts of Andheri, Jogeshwari and Malad this week. "We will have games and activities, too. We aim to distribute nutritious meal packs for the kids to enjoy the festive season," Sana Arora, founder of the movement, told us. Those who are keen to donate and be part of their cause, can log on to @the_feedem_movement on Instagram and find relevant bank details.

The players on stage

A still from one of the flagship performances at Thespo; (in pic) Anushka Ghose

Youth theatre movement Thespo recently concluded Thespo23 Awards Night where flagship performances walked away with coveted awards. The festival, which was held between December 16 and 19, hosted workshops on voice work, Shakespeare, characterisation and set design. The jury consisted of performer and writer-director Anuja Ghosalkar, theatre critic Avinash Kohle and Marathi playwright and author Makarand Sathe. "The Thespo23 Awards Night is our way of celebrating young talents and people who have contributed to the field of theatre," shares Anushka Ghose, design and communications coordinator of the festival.