Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Ashish Raje

In the Pink of Health

The pride of India also known as the state flower of Maharashtra - lagerstroemia speciosa in bloom at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus

Listen closely to the voices

A moment from the stage of Hunkaro

Editor-director Mohit Takalkar's latest production, Hunkaro that was recently staged at Prithvi Theatre, stands out for its connect with a human sensation. What does the title mean? Takalkar (inset) explains, "Hunkaro means to lend one the verbal affirmation they need. It implies someone somewhere is listening to you."

Director Mohit Takalkar

He added that people are attracted to visuals that they have nearly forgotten how to respond to sound - that's what he has tried to stimulate through the act. The piece, a confluence of languages like Hindi, Marwari, Haryanvi and Awadhi, is a nuanced storytelling account of thousands returning home in the pandemic.

Third Rajesh lost by Mumbai cricket

Rajesh Sanghi, Rajesh Sawant and Rajesh Verma

Mumbai cricket has lost yet another Rajesh. Fast bowler Rajesh Verma, who apart from bowling for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, also played against the touring English team in 2008. In October 2014, the Mumbai cricket fraternity coped with the death of Rajesh Sanghi, the Mumbai-based former Rajasthan Ranji Trophy batsman. Three years later, Rajesh Sawant, a fast bowler-turned-India U-19 fitness trainer was found dead in his hotel room. All three cricketers succumbed to heart-related issues and they displayed big hearts while gracing the willow game. We'll miss them!

Germany calling

(From left to right) Karan Talwar, Namrata Sanghani, Simran Ankolkar, Tanya Dixit and Sheba Alexander

Mumbai-based Harkat Studios is heading to Europe. The art studio's experimental programme, Bambaram - The spinning top, of 15 short 16 mm films by Karan Suri Talwar, Namrata Sanghani, Simran Ankolkar and Sheba Alexander (in pic) has been invited for screenings across four European cities. Speaking to this diarist, Talwar said, "The core idea came from the fact that the photochemical practice in India is dead. When we started to work with so many things digitally, we lost touch with films as an art." The flood of digital images can also be quite numbing, he revealed. "Every day, we are bombarded with so many images that we have also lost touch with the art of image-making," he added. The four filmmakers will travel to Europe with their films, talk about the photochemical lab and their grassroot art space. That is one way to keep the tradition alive.

Italian art sojourn

Psyche revived by Cupid's kiss by Antonio Canova, 1787-1793

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) welcomed Dr Chiara Rostagno on a special invite by the museum, the Italian Culture Centre and the Asiatic Society of Mumbai yesterday. Dr Rostagno spearheaded the preservation of Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper. At the museum, she spoke about Italian neoclassical sculptor, Antonio Canova, and the natural beauty of his art. Rostagno's lecture began with a biographical reading of the sculptor's memoir. Famous for his marble sculptures, Canova is considered to be the greatest Italian Neo-classical sculptor. The talk detailed Canova's idea of art, the time, and the memoirs of another art historian, Count Cicognara. Yet, the collaboration promises more than just discussions on the skill of the artist. Rostagno's presence allows Mumbai's premier museum to gain key know-how on preservation and conservation tourism. After all, there can be few better to learn than from someone who has worked to protect a Da Vinci! Anupam Sah, head of conservation, CSMVS said it was necessary to learn from Italy's successful union of conservation and tourism. "There is much to gain in learning from such experiences especially when this decade is for heritage conservation in India in tandem with the racy development that is the order of the day," he told this diarist. Touche!

A Maha celebration begins

Nitin Desai Studios is being decked up for a grand four-day celebration of the state's culture, art, cuisine and cinema that begins on April 28 and will culminate on May 1 which is Maharashtra Day. Production designer and owner Nitin Desai called it a time to give back to the artists who had suffered through the pandemic. The events also coincide with the anniversaries of artist Raja Ravi Varma (April 29), director Dadasaheb Phalke (April 30) and Maharashtra Day (May 1). The idea, he explained, was to pay homage to the art shaped the state's identity. From a world-record breaking Rubik's Cube image of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to sketches by Baburao Painter, Dinanath Dalal and Vasudev Kamat on show, it is worth the trek to Karjat.