Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Pic/Anurag Ahire

So long, Gharial!

A young visitor's attempt to pet a gharial at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Zoo is blocked by a protective glass panel.

Haikyuu, Mumbai

The group cosplays as the characters from the new anime movie

When members of Mumbai Anime Corps (MAC) decided to dress up last weekend, it was a different experience for most Mumbaikars. The group donned their best cosplay of Haruichi Furudate's manga, Haikyuu!! as they attended a special screening for fans in Parel. "The movie made its way to Mumbai after a long wait, we saw it premiering worldwide in May, and had to wait for our turn. To celebrate, we decided to get a few of our members to cosplay as the characters," Rivika Khanna, founder, MAC, said. Working through the week, the team grinded it out despite the Mumbai heat. "Cosplaying in the heat with make-up on is an ordeal. The wigs can be heavy and hard to manage; but it's worth it. People loved it, and came up to talk to us about details," she revealed. With a meet-up for die-hard fans coming up later this year, Khanna hopes the fans will only grow in number.

Customer is king

The well-stocked auto rickshaw

Hailing an auto rickshaw in Mumbai is a game of skill, persistence, and more importantly, luck. This was surely on actor Shakunt Joshipura's side last Sunday. The actor stepped into an auto in DN Nagar, Andheri, only to find goodies like magazines, a first aid kit, earbuds, tissues, and an ashtray. "I was confused at first. The driver informed me that it was a gesture of support for the many struggling actors who frequent the locality to make a living in this heat," Joshipura told this diarist. "It's moments like this that remind you what a privilege living in Mumbai is," he shared with us.

These comedians aren't kidding

Rugved Paranjpe and Anannya Pathak

Laughing at a child on stage will usually draw some concerned stares. But at Chota Packet Bada Dhamaka, a children's stand-up comedy show held in Matunga on Sunday, young performers left the audience with no choice. "Children are naturally great storytellers, and humour comes organically to them," remarked organiser Pallavi Wagh Kelkar. Giving us a recap over a call, 11-year-old participant Rugved Paranjpe humoured us, "My favourite bit is about my neighbour. Her name is Shanti; but we've hardly ever seen her silent." To this, 13-year-old Anannya Pathak pulled out her best punchline. "My set is about teachers. I will talk about my teacher who loves a good surprise... test," she chuckled.

Log journal of trees

(Left) The artwork featuring gulmohar flowers; (right) the bombax ceiba panels

This time of the year is usually blocked on Dahisar-based illustrator Sefi George's calendar to step out and sketch sights from nature for International Nature Journaling Week. This year, however, the illustrator has a different approach. "I fell ill, and I couldn't step out. So, I started turning the memories I have with nature into art," she shared. Her latest artworks are dedicated to the gulmohar and bombax ceiba, or red silk cotton species. "Gulmohars are not native to Mumbai, nor does our weather suit them. Every year, the BMC trims the trees' branches to avoid accidents. Still, they persist. It seemed like the perfect fit for the day's theme - growth and development," she revealed to us. For day three yesterday, George took inspiration from the bombax ceiba. "Dahisar is home to many native trees. I spotted this species at a local park in the neighbourhood. It caught my eye and I spent a year logging its transformation through the seasons. The artwork is a collation of those logs," she informed us.

Pride and unity

Uttara Jadhav (centre) at the event held in Shivaji Nagar in Pune

For two cities that spend most of the year trying to one-up each other, Mumbai and Pune sure know when to dial it down to join forces. The Pune Pride last Sunday saw some familiar faces from Mumbai. Sweekar, a Mumbai-based community of parents of LGBTQiA+ individuals, showed up with pride colours to show their solidarity. "Many young individuals came to us for help with coming out to their parents. It was heart-warming but it reminds us that we still have a long way to go in making inclusivity the norm," shared Uttara Jadhav, a member. Dhruv Goenka from the Humsafar Trust, who was also at the event, added, "The atmosphere was electric. I was surprised to see corporate firms backing the movement unabashedly, something we could use here in Mumbai."