Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Anurag Ahire

Sar par haath rakh kar

A shopkeeper finds a convenient resting spot for his hand at a market in Malad East on Monday.

Lessons in art

Recently, this diarist learnt of a new publication that is of special significance in a developing country. An organisation in museum reasearch and education, Rereeti Foundation is now part of a book brought out by Art1st, a platform that redefines art education through learning, programmes, modules, films and advocacy. Paradigms of Creative Pedagogy: Children as Makers is a collection of 14 selected papers by national and international scholars and educators. Commenting on the scope of art in imparting lessons on critical socio-political and ecological issues, Tejashvi Jain, its founder told us, "Exploring our society and its issues through a combination of systematic research and art will help children view their challenges through different perspectives and enable them to respond to the challenges they face in their lives versus reacting to them. This will help them to create out-of-the-box solutions as a part of their normal practice." The book is available for download on theart1steducatorseries.com.

Squaring up in Bandra

Here's a Christmas tree with a difference. In fact, Christmas was just an excuse for the installation called Squares of Light that has been put up at The Steps in Bandra, said Alan Abraham, the architect behind it. It entails square structures representing a Christmas tree, with each square emitting light that illuminates a person standing behind it. "It's conceived more as photo frames put together to bind us as a family and community," Abraham shared. Get clicked there with your loved ones before it's taken down on January 22.

Love in the time of the new year

The new year is often a time for new beginnings, sometimes in the matters of the heart as well. A dating app has published the results of a survey it conducted where 50,000 of its users across India spoke about what they hope for from their relationships as New Year's Eve beckons. Seventy-five per cent of the men and 56 per cent of the women said that they are eager to meet their partner in person on NYE, while the rest have apprehensions about Omicron. Another interesting statistic is that while only 20 per cent of people in metros want to introduce their partner to their family, 65 per cent want to throw an NYE party where the partner can meet close friends. "The survey throws light on pandemic fatigue as most couples are keen to meet up and celebrate the new year together," shared Ravi Mittal, CEO of QuackQuack, the dating app.

Dalits in focus

Writing With Fire, a documentary where women re-centre the narrative of power and grassroots journalism, has made it to the Academy Awards shortlist 2022 in the Best Documentary Feature category. In it, directors-producers Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh tell the story of Khabar Lahariya, India's first newspaper run by Dalit women. Incidentally, back in 2014, journalists from the pioneering newspaper had visited the mid-day office to understand the workings of a daily newspaper in a big city.

Curing the city's water woes

While once romanticised, the Mumbai rains have become a bane of contention for citizens, who must contend with waterlogging, and the resultant traffic snarls and property damage with each monsoon. To help counter this, Mission Green Mumbai, a citizen-led environmentally oriented movement, is offering to guide residents on rainwater harvesting. "Currently, because of concretisation, the thermal radiation in the city is high - even people living on the ground and first floors cannot manage without air-conditioning. Rainwater percolating into the ground produces cooling, saving energy and money. Further, trees in the city are also affected by concretisation - they are not growing to their proper height and are prone to falling easily. They also dry up. By promoting percolation, the watering requirement for the city's green cover reduces. As a city that experiences an average of 10 per cent water shortage, Mumbai will find that rainwater harvesting is a great money and water saver," explained its founder Subhajit Mukherjee, who is offering to teach residents how to create a simple percolation pit via a WhatsApp video call. The initiative, he added, has been recognised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti. To learn more, message them on 9323942388.