Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

Girls like to Swing

A child swings on the handle bars of the Mumbai Metro Red Line between Gundavali station and Dindoshi station.

Doodling for Mumbai

Doodles on CSMT

For Pradeep Joshna Das (inset), the idea of Mumbai lies in its blend of beauty and chaos. Having quit his corporate job during the pandemic, Das turned to sketching doodles as a full-time artist. This weekend, he will release a compilation of sketches that define his view of the city.

Gateway of India (right) Pieces from the collection

"I focus on the buildings and culture, from vada pav to the kaali-peeli, in my sketches. It is one of my favourite things to do," he shared. While the city has many iconic locations, it is Marine Drive that draws his attention.

Pradeep Joshna Das

The other site of his dreams, brought alive through doodles, is the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. "I just love that building because when you stand next to the building, it tells you about how things have changed, but this building still remains," he shared. Interested readers can check out his works on @thebombay_doodler.

To dance up a story

Siddharth Kumar (left) A moment from the short film

At an age when experiments in cinema are considered a risk, Siddharth Kumar (inset) has come up with an ace. The Andheri-based filmmaker's short, Kahu, has made it to the top three films in the honours list of the Athens International Monthly Art Festival in May. "It was a surprise for us," shared the filmmaker who began work on the film in September 2023. "The idea emerged when I visited a short film festival in Pondicherry last year. The experience sparked the thought of making a dance-based narrative in the horror genre," he shared. The film had been submitted to the art-dance category of the festival at Athens, and was selected among the top five for the edition in May. Having already been submitted the film to festivals in Istanbul, Russia and Budapest, Kumar said, "The idea is to focus on a festival run for the project this year, before opening it up to the public."

Young voices also matter

Children rehearse for the performance; (right) a moment from the play depicting an election rally

Amid the clamour of adults making the most important decision of the year, a bunch of kids are adding their own spin during electoral season. The children of the Andheri-based NGO, Dhai Akshar, will host a theatrical production today based on the importance of voting. "The play is part of the culmination of a month-long workshop," shared theatre practitioner Yogesh Arora (right).

The workshop, he added, was aimed at improving the children's communication and social skills. "The children came up with the idea of a skit based on the election. Titled Chunavi Jungle ya Jungali Chunav, it speaks of the rising polarisation in the country, and the importance of voting," he revealed. Performed by children below the age of 15, the play will be hosted at the trust in Andheri today.

Juhu's book evangelists

This newspaper's story on Hind Vachanalay in Satara in the February 18 edition was the key to Juhu Reads' chapter's idea to celebrate their first anniversary. The members have begun a book collection drive, along with the NGO Book Share India, to donate to the library, shared curator Shishir Bangera. "We will donate Marathi and Hindi books, and textbooks through May 25," added his co-curator Diya Sengupta.