Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

Prawn to be kings

Young boys hold up king prawns for sale on Aarey Colony Road in Goregaon

Loaf-ing around in Mahalaxmi

Chef Rachelle Andrade

Following baker Rachelle Andrade on social media is a hungry affair. There's always a flaky croissant showing off its layers, fluffy doughnuts rising up or a toasty sourdough being sliced through. After whipping up bakes at Qualia and Magazine St Kitchen, Andrade is opening up her own bakery, along with restaurateur Aditi Dugar. Nestled in an old cotton mill in Mahalaxmi, TwentySeven Bakehouse promises to serve up a rotating menu of breads, laminated pastries and regional bakes. Somewhere during taking time off to spend with her family, "after years of crazy bakery hours", the baker shared that she felt ready when Dugar reached out. "We reconnected and things picked up from there. I'm excited to be back in the kitchen - it's my comfort zone," she told us about the bakery that opens doors on August 27. "Our opening menu features a variety of breads and whole loaves, laminated pastries, cookies, and cakes both by the loaf and slice. We've got small, savoury pies and tarts like the Goan chorizo and potato or roasted tomato and pesto, a variety of croissants, and, of course, my favourite - baguettes," she told us.

Humour vs hate

Kaneez Surka and Kajol Srinivasan

Amid the increasingly toxic culture of religious intolerance in India and the world, humour brought some much-needed relief to people this weekend, when seven comedians from Mumbai, Delhi, LA, New York and Indore got together for a virtual show. The fundraiser stand-up was hosted by Hindus for Human Rights, an international non-profit that works to further pluralism, and civil and human rights. The line-up included some familiar city performers like Kaneez Surka, Kajol Srinivasan and Rajeev Nigam. "I performed with them last year, too, and this time, I made jokes on the political situation in the country, tackling free speech issues, the sense of oppression that artistes are facing, and the encroachment on individual freedom," Srinivasan told this diarist.

Superheroes return to the Maximum City

A moment from ComicCon India 2020. Pic Courtesy/ComicConIndia on Facebook

After three long years, ComicCon India is coming back to the city in the offline format on February 11 and 12, 2023 in Bandra.

Hamza Sayed (inset), founder of Bandra's The Comic Book Store, told us that this year, the store will be exhibiting at all three venues - Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai. "It is a great opportunity to reach out to comic fans," he said. Sayed added that it is also a great platform to educate a new generation on comic book legacies.

Tech the right turn for education

Technology is changing how the world works, including the way we study. Take for instance, Anto Philip and Shreyans Jain (in pic), founders of youth platform Under 25, who have launched Under 25 Universe - a student network that aims to make education more accessible through decentralised education (DeEd) via blockchain technology. The Web 3.0-enabled programme, available through an app and website, will help create a digital student community wherein, instead of enrolling in one college or course, students will be able to choose from skills that will be valuable across professional roles. They will learn with and from their counterparts across the world. "Today, there is no acknowledgment of personality in a student. We want to foster an individual's unique capabilities. De-Ed helps students grow holistically, not just academically," shared Jain.

Marwar, the muse

Maharaja Bakhat Singh in a moonlit garden

Rajasthani royalty will grace Mumbai soon when Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Jodhpur comes down to inaugurate a special exhibition - Garden and Cosmos - The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur, from the Mehrangarh Museum Trust (Fort) Jodhpur. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) will host the exhibition.

Maharaja Gaj Singh II. Pics Courtesy/Mehrangarh Museum Trust (Fort) Jodhpur, Facebook

Its director general Sabyasachi Mukherjee described it as a visual representation of the two cultural and aesthetic influences in the Marwar court between the 17th and 19th centuries. "We hope the paintings will offer a new understanding of Indian art for our visitors." The show will open on September 4.