Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Anurag Ahire

The discerning shopper

Mesmerised by the dazzle, a baby girl looks at earrings at a street jewellery shop in Santacruz on Monday

Life lessons from Ruskin Bond

As one of India's best loved authors of children's literature turns 88 on May 19, Ruskin Bond loyalists might want to relive the allure of Rusty's world. But what if this diarist told you that readers could celebrate the occasion beyond walking down the memory lane? The writer's next title, How to Live your Life, adds to his birthday cheer. This time, Bond will share tips on living our lives well.

Why is the book special? "With a life wonderfully lived, the writer is right on top among the people most suited to tell us how to live our lives. With a career spanning over 70 years, he has written more books than we can keep a count of. What makes this book of advice so valuable is his keen understanding of people, of the world and of life. As he says, ‘The race is not to be won, it's to be run' - and we know he has run it very well indeed," said Tina Narang (in pic), his publisher at HarperCollins. We hope to take down our fair share of notes from the man who knew the child within us so well.

Guide, by nature

Have you ever felt that your guide for a biodiversity walk isn't adequately informed? Or, is incapable of connecting nature with culture? The Handbook for Nature Guides, a detailed compendium by naturalists Payal Mehta and Harsha Jayaramaiah (in pic), is perhaps inspired by similar underwhelming experiences. The manual lists out guiding techniques and reminds nature guides to act responsibly. Mehta shared with us, "Nature guiding is as much about knowing the wildlife as it is about skilfully conveying the information to visitors. Our book has some pointers that can guide a guide on how to guide. As far as ethics in wildlife tourism go, we believe in sensitivity towards nature." Mehta added that there's more to guiding than has been covered in this book, but they have only focused on easy-to-follow guiding skills. Nature and wildlife lovers can read the book on ncf-india.org for free. The book ends with a checklist for an excursion for compulsive planners.

A homegrown win

Mumbai-based actress-filmmaker Amrita Bagchi brought home the Grand Jury prize at IFFLA for her short film, Succulent. The film depicts the story of a woman employed to help lonely people cope, as she battles loneliness herself. For actress Merenla Imsong (in pic), playing the character was surreal. The actress revealed that Bagchi wrote the script while recovering from dengue. With the pandemic, the short film has acquired new significance. She recalled, "Before the pandemic, it felt so weird. After the pandemic, it feels almost real." Imsong is excited to share her joy with her friend and director who is presently touring the USA. "We are so excited at winning this award. She has done a really good job," the actress shared.

Word of the stage

Writing Without Borders, a cross-border play-writing opportunity, will enable eight writers to pen eight plays as part of an initiative supported by the British Council's Connections Through Culture grant. Four writers from India and Northern Ireland each will collaborate with one another for this initiative. Theatre person and Rage co-founder, Shernaz Patel shared, "Submissions are open, and selected writers will write about things they see and experience in our world. These commissioned plays will see fruition as part of a year-long process of rehearsed readings and workshops." Anyone above 21 years of age and with a flair for writing can apply. For more details write in to info@ragetheatre.co.in.

Like mother like child

There's something about children seeing mothers dress up and don that gracious smile. City-based clothing platform, Suta wrapped up accepting submissions for their collaborative campaign #MyMaaInMe on Sunday. The digital campaign hosted in association with Ira Woman - a platform for women by women - required participants to upload a video or picture sharing traits, habits or idiosyncrasies they draw from their mothers. "When we founded Suta, one of the strongest inspirations for my sister [Tanya Biswas] and I was our earliest memories of our mother wearing sarees. She never had a formula for draping it. From her, I not only learnt how versatile it can be as a garment but, over the years, found myself draping my own sarees the same way," said Sujata Biswas, co-founder, Suta. She added that the response to this campaign was heartening: "We've seen people share simple things such as recipes and advice, to more nuanced subtleties like their outlook towards life or approach to parenting. It made our Mother's Day celebrations special."