Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

Ground Recovery

Ignoring the rains, players of St Joseph's High School lie down in the grass to calm their breathing during the half time of the Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) Boys U-16 Division 1 football match against St Francis D'Assisi High School in Borivali West.

Bappa maximum

It is that time of the year when the narrowest lanes of this city expand to accommodate the massive idols of Mumbai's favourite God. On Sunday, residents of Khetwadi had a chance to witness such a miracle. The idol for Mumbaicha Maharaja on the 11th lane SGM in Khetwadi arrived with quite the fanfare. "It is the tallest idol in the state at 45 feet," claims Umesh Wadivel, member of the organising committee of the mandal. Describing the theme this year, Wadivel shared, "We have always had tall murtis. Last year, we had a 38-foot-high idol. This time we decided to exceed it and make the largest size possible." Keeping with the theme of the monsoon, the mandal is hosting Ganesha as Indra, the god of the rains, Wadivel said, "He [Ganesha] is Indra, with the weapon of lightning and the Vajra in his hand. He is also the leader of all the gods." Considering the size of the idol, Wadivel revealed that it was crafted in Khetwadi itself. "The form was conceptualised and created by Kunal Patil. While they have a studio in Vasai, we decided to make this murti here," he told us.

Calling writers and poets

Tata Literature Live! has called for submissions of original short stories, poems, haiku or essays for their popular MyStory contest for this year's edition. The submitted literature pieces can be up to 5,000 words. "This year, we have added an option to submit haiku, as it has become increasingly popular," Reena Agrawal (inset) of the fest, shared, adding that there will be 11 winners, six selected by the jury, and five will be voted in.

Bye bye, Bomi uncle

The iconic signage of the restaurant

Patrons of the iconic Grant Road landmark, B Merwan and Co. might feel an absence on their next visit. The Irani café and restaurant lost co-owner Bomi Irani. Fellow restaurateur Parvez Patel of Ideal Corner recalled the late octogenarian's attention to detail by saying, "I knew him as a business colleague.

Bomi Irani

He was known to be quite strict when it came to his business functioning. He was extremely particular about what he sold at his store, its quality, and overall, about his ethics. In the early years, he would start early and work long hours, but gradually reduced his workload. As there was no one to take over the business, he had, for a few years, reduced the business substantially."

Art gets a new turf in Mumbai

DG Vazirani and Minal Vazirani

It was a pleasant surprise for this diarist to hear that Mahalaxmi Racecourse Members' Enclosure will open up to its first art fair with Art Mumbai in November 2023. The fair will present paintings from galleries across Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, as well as the Middle East and USA. There will also be a section on craft-based art and antiquities from around the world. "With Mumbai at the centre of a cultural movement, we believe that there's never been a better time nor place to launch a fair of this kind. To underscore this timing, it's important to note the strong growth of the Indian art market in the last fiscal year," said Dinesh Vazirani, co-founder, Art Mumbai alongside Minal Vazirani, Chawla Art Gallery's Nakul Dev Chawla and gallerist from Grosvenor Gallery, London, Conor Macklin. "We are at a particularly interesting juncture in history, where South Asia has entered the global conversation on art and culture, which is rapidly gaining importance. India's burgeoning art scene is developing and is in the process of expanding," noted Minal Vazirani.

Rock on, DJ Aarohi

Aarohi Dalvi (right) with the Guinness Book of World Records certificate

Some children are born gifted. Back in November 2022, this page had reported about young Aarohi Dalvi's passion for spinning turntables. Having started in the pandemic as a four-year-old - thanks to her father Ashish, who brought home a turntable to keep her occupied - the eight-year-old is now a world record holder. Aarohi has received approval from the grand old dame of Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest female DJ to play at a club. "The record, in fact, took place back in April 23 in Vasai, when she was still seven years old," her father told this diarist. While they had applied to the Guinness Book right away, it took more than three months before the committee confirmed Aarohi's name on the record books. In order to achieve it, she spent an hour and 12 minutes mixing tracks non-stop at the turntable at Vasai's Wings On Fire club. "The limit was one hour, but she exceeded it by 12 minutes," Ashish shared proudly. While the Dalvis are more than familiar with their young star's skills, the sight of a seven-year-old spinning records at a club might have surprised quite a few guests. Not at all, apparently. "People were more than enthusiastic and welcoming. They kept cheering her on," her father shared. The records aside, little Aarohi is in no mood to stop, and practises her mixing skills for two hours every day after returning from school. "She loves the turntable. Every day, after she is done with her school and playing, she sits down to mix records. She never misses a day," Ashish revealed to this diarist.