12 April,2022 07:10 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Atul Kamble
It is nap time for this dog while its human friend sweats it out at an open gym in Five Gardens, Matunga
Last weekend, marigolds - saffron and yellow, lined the entrance of Khotachiwadi, Girgaum's most famous heritage neighbourhood dating back to the 1800s when a wealthy Pathare Prabhu gentleman leased land out to the East Indian community. One of its most-loved residents, veteran designer James Ferreira, who is also co-founder of the Khotachiwadi Welfare and Heritage Trust, was flying around his cottage, "melting from the heat", checking if things were in place for Khotachiwadi Alive, a weekend pop-up bazaar selling fashion, baked goodies, hand-crafted jewellery, antiques, plants and homegrown Marathi food ingredients.
Every door of his personal residence flung open, the house held no secrets as his friends, rank strangers and celebrities meandered in and out, before they snaked down the lane to a new design gallery that has found home here. Kiran Rao, Pheroza Godrej, Ankur Tewari, Aditi Rao Hydari, Jackie, Ayesha and Krishna Shroff, Gauri Shinde, Shyam Benegal, Brinda Chudasama Miller, Kunal Vijayakar, Anaita Shroff Adajania, Paul B, Mehr Jesia, Sangeeta Raghavan and Sameer Seth among others spent a few hours soaking in the kinship we've all missed during the pandemic. A kid ran behind a mortified stray cat; a couple took a selfie outside a 19th century chapel erected to pay thanks for saving the residents from the 1890's plague.
Gallery 47-A was a magnet, attracting connoisseurs, press and art enthusiasts, for its unique take on design practices and histories, air conditioning on a sweltering day and crisp beer and rose on the house. Housed in the blue and yellow Crasto family home, it's likely to become the second cultural punctum of Khotachiwadi after the Ferreira residence. East Indian treats including buff roast, chicken moilee and fugiyas were sold in tiny foil parcels from Ferreira's living room, in a sort of culinary celebration of his family's Catholic East Indian roots. A gallerist joked, "What about us!" She is vegetarian.
Outside on the street, a live BBQ counter was dishing out burgers and hot dogs, making it a busy corner. Residents, pedestrians and visitors to the gallery and pop-ups, snaked around the meat lover's assembly, including a few Jain sadhvis, who walked by gracefully without a peep. Some lanes down JSS Road, a makeshift stage was hosting a play on the occasion of Ram Navami. It was just another harmonious Sunday in the multi-ethnic neighbourhood of Girgaum. Back home, the TV played news of a Ram Navami shobha yatra attacked in Himmatnagar, Gujarat. What a let down.
For over a decade, Panvel-based artists Rupali and Gautam Patole have been wondering how to bring their art to the general public beyond the realm of studio visits and exhibitions. During the pandemic, the couple found themselves moving closer to nature, trying their hand at farming and even setting up a studio under a giant banyan tree in Karjat. With a simple, lively, exposed-brick façade, the space started attracting local artists, tribal artisans and women looking for work. "We then decided to set up an art cafe there, to serve homely, seasonal fare," Rupali shared about the Roots Art Cafe, which opened on Gudi Padwa.
Located minutes away from ND Studio, the colourful, rustic hangout serves up pithale bhakri, organic poha, multigrain thalipeeth, juices, salads and more. "While you wait for your order, you can experience the art. There's pottery, our sculptures, poetry on the walls, and we plan to introduce block printing. Even if you drop by just for a cup of tea, you'll return with a dose of motivation," Rupali promised. Gautam said the studio-cafe is one-of-its-kind in the area. "It's great help for farmhouse owners there who can add creativity to their spaces."
Mumbai artist Sahej Rahal will showcase his work at the preliminary programme for Manifesta 14 Prishtina in Kosovo from July to October. The European nomadic biennial explores the relationship between culture and civic society, and investigates social change through art and architecture. Approached by creative mediator Catherine Nichols, Rahal's art will be in response to the Kosovo Museum, famous for its prehistoric artefacts. In keeping with her larger curatorial aim, his work will follow themes like world-building and archaeological histories; he intends to use discarded objects from Prishtina to create a new world in an installation that will reflect collaborative storytelling with the city.
Had it not been for cloud kitchens, our cravings during the two-year house arrest would've had to wait. In the post-pandemic world, the boom in the cloud kitchen space prompted brick-and-mortar restaurant owners to sit up and take note. With the sector set to morph into a R2-billion-dollar industry by 2024 in India, the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI)'s Mumbai Chapter is hosting the country's first Cloud Kitchen Convention today. Experts such as Anurag Katriar, Dhruv Dewan, Zorawar Kalra, Ranveer Brar (below, left) and Rashmi Daga among 40 others will gather to exchange notes and shed light on the way forward. "The cloud kitchen business is the toughest vertical in the sector because of the disconnect with the real customer. While overheads are lower, the struggle to get orders and be profitable is also a big challenge. The convention will lend valuable insights on how to be profitable, how to stand out among the crowd, and how to raise money and scale up," shared Pranav Rungta (right), Mumbai Chapter Head, NRAI, and director, Mint Hospitality Pvt Ltd.
