Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Sameer Markande

Sibling Revelry

Puppies outside Crawford Market land their paws on fresh catch

Plastic ideas

The installation at Evelyn House. Pic Courtesy/St+Art India

Mumbaikars, don't panic - but ponder - if you come across a four-storey house in Colaba choking on layers of plastic. Part of St+art India Foundation's Mumbai Urban Art Festival, the installation graphically visualises the excess plastic that we have grown accustomed to. The Plastic We Live in, a piece conceived by anonymous art group Luzinterruptus from Spain, is currently up at Evelyn House - an Art Deco structure that influences key tourist areas - can nudge a wider dialogue about our relationship with waste, recycling and urbanisation.

When children write for themselves

Olive Ridley sea turtles hatching at the beach by Bao for We Hope: Children on Climate Change; (right) Timira G

A new title, We Hope: Children on Climate Change (Pratham Books), compiles how kids and early readers comprehend the effects of climate change. It puts together the voices of 16 child authors with illustrations by artists including Canato Jimo, Bao, Priya Kuriyan and Sudarshan Shaw. Three of these authors - Abhiraj, Atharva Raut and Ayush Jadhav - are from Kandivali's Akshara High School. About the book, Timira G, former executive director of the school, shared, "It's refreshing to find kids writing for kids, and the publishing house always finds ways to record their opinions. Back then, I was with the school, and encouraged every student to answer the questionnaire that was shared by the publisher. We were keen and that everyone should participate." Interested folk can head to storyweaver.org.in to read the book.

Also read: Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

For the hatke raconteur

An archival picture of Bhendi Bazar. Pic Courtesy/Wikimedia commons

The new year will witness a series of fascinating walks for those keen to hit the offbeat path. Organised by the literary organisation Urdu Markaz, Sakhafati Gasht (cultural walks) will introduce attendees to city routes that have kindled and continued their relationship with Urdu. "The first session will be held in February when college exams end. We plan to cover routes such as Madanpura-Nagpada-Bhendi Bazar-Dongri, Govandi-Mankhurd, Malad-Malwani-Pathanwadi, among others," shared its director Zubair Azmi. He recalled how a stable in Madanpura ensured director Mehmood Khan's entry into films. "The stable was owned by a merchant from Khan's home town. When he learnt that horses from the stable are used in films, Khan convinced the merchant to employ him," Azmi shared.

In the name of love and empathy

Pages from the annual report for ImPaCCT Foundation. PICS COURTESY/STUDIO ANUGRAHA

How can design adapt to the needs of a publication that caters to children's health? Studio Anugraha, a Ghatkopar-based art and design studio, recently brought out the annual report and additional material for ImPaCCT Foundation, the paediatric cancer care and treatment unit of Tata Memorial Hospital. Its co-founder Deshna Mehta shared, "It's gratifying to be able to use our skill sets here. Our prime objective was to communicate the purpose of the designed deliverables through a vibrant colour palette so that potential donors are interested in the report. We thought of design as a means to spur hope. And most importantly, we thought that if any child were to see it, they should be able to relate to it."

Double up on the drums

(From left) Shravan Shamsi, Ustad Taufiq Qureshi, Gino Banks and Shikhar Naad Qureshi perform at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Pic/Sameer Markande

Expect a duet of drums at Bandra's St Andrews' Auditorium next week. The venue will host the Mumbai Drum Day 2023 on January 20, with Ustad Taufiq Qureshi, Gino Banks, Shikhar Naad Qureshi, Shravan Shamsi and Giridhar Udupa among the performers. Banks said this edition will be a percussion contest between Eastern and Western rhythms for the first time on the festival stage. "I have worked with some incredible musicians on the tabla, mridangam, dholak and ghatam over two decades. So, I really wanted to bring this kind of jugalbandi to the stage," he said, adding that the audience will get to experience the chemistry and playful banter between the musicians through these performances.