25 July,2023 07:25 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Ashish Raje
Policemen photograph the waterlogging caused by heavy rainfall near Hindmata junction at Dadar
The Dilip Piramal Art Gallery at NCPA witnessed a weekend rush last Saturday. Fifty students of journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications (XIC) led by professor Sandra Vaz attended the last weekend of the Mumbai Monsoons exhibition. "This was an opportunity for them to observe and learn about the field and its challenges," shared Vaz. With curator Mukesh Parpiani joining Palashranjan Bhaumick, Vijayanand Gupta and mid-day's Pradeep Dhivar, the students had experienced hands to answer their queries that ranged from camera angles to the key to split-second decision-making while on field.
The group performs on stage
Mumbai's K-pop dance group Axiom secured the third position at the All India K-pop Contest 2023 semi final held in Delhi last weekend. The group is currently training for hours under professional performers Hyunsu and Yamakasi for the finals set to take place towards the end of August.
"I still cannot digest that we have won.This experience is so magical. It feels like we're actually training to become K-pop idols," shared Rishabh Sadasivan (right) of Axiom.
While most 20-year-olds might turn to their father's car for a quick jaunt to Goa, 27-year-old Shubham Vanmali is heading in the opposite direction. The swimmer, who was awarded the Tenzing Norgay Prize in 2021, will attempt a record-equalling solo effort of swimming from Goa to Mumbai in December this year. "We are all familiar with the trip from Mumbai to Goa, so I thought I would go the other way - by sea," the Nerul-resident remarked. Approximately 425 to 450 kms in span, the journey would take him close to two weeks, he admitted. "We plan to cover over 35 km every day in two shifts of four to five hours," he revealed to this diarist. While he is training till December, Vanmali shared, "It will be more of a mental challenge than a physical one."
If this traffic island could speak, it would say: I am in on the eco-awareness trend too. A recent installation at a small Mahim traffic island, near Hinduja Hospital and Status restaurant is quite the head-turner, especially at dusk. Come night and the little space, shaped like a pizza slice, comes alive and alight. It features a globe, covered with blue and green. The greens depict leaves and trees, and the blues we presume are our water bodies.
The globe on the traffic island in the day gets illuminated once the light fades
This diarist feels it could perhaps be a timely message about preserving the two precious resources, at a time when we are facing serious and adverse effects of climate change. This is powerful, and is delivered aesthetically. Pedestrians can actually step on to the island to take a closer look too, as there is a bifurcation within this space for a deeper understanding, or, if they chose to, interpret it in their own way. We think it's an eye-catching addition to the city's luminous landscape.
Badshah (centre) with Dolly Rateshwar (extreme right) at the inauguration of the studio. Pic Courtesy/Instagram
It has been a busy few weeks at The Dharavi Dream Project. The neighbourhood hip-hop platform opened its first recording studio on last week to take another step on their recording journey. Inaugurated by Badshah, who will also play mentor to the talents, the studio will be a platform for in-house talent to express themselves, said co-founder Dolly Rateshwar. "The recording studio took five years to come to fruition. Between delays and the pandemic, it was quite a challenge. The first objective was always to give a platform to not just those at The Dharavi Dream Project, but also to other hip-hoppers across the city. While they are talented, many of them lack resources. The studio will be a resource centre, and focus on recordings, collaborations and independent music," she revealed. Perhaps, Rateshwar remarked, in the future, the studio might look to scout new rappers as well.
