01 April,2025 07:29 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Ashish Raje
A girl looks on as devotees offer Eid-al-Fitr prayers at the BMC Mohammad Hussain Ground, YMCA in Mumbai Central
Baby by Dhruvi Acharya. Pic courtesy/Chemould Presscot Road (right) A view of the gallery in New Delhi. Pic courtesy/Method Delhi
Art works from some of Mumbai's galleries will soon be showcased in Delhi for a special exhibition titled, Bambai Se Aaya Mera Dost, curated by the newly-opened branch of Method Gallery in the National Capital. With more than 30 artworks from 16 art galleries in display, the exhibition intends to celebrate the camaraderie that has defined Mumbai's art landscape.
"Art is not nurtured in isolation - it thrives in dialogue, in exchange, and in the strength of community. Mumbai's galleries have been working together for quite a long time now. The exhibition is supposed to create a dialogue of friendship, community, and creative exchange - the very spirit of collaboration which defines Mumbai's art scene," Sahil Arora (inset), gallerist, said.
The city's crumbling urban infrastructure is one problem that has been plaguing Mumbaikars for a long time now. To find solutions, Walking Project India is conducting its first conclave on April 4 to discuss the issues pertaining to walkability in the city. "The idea is to bring together policy experts, urban designers, bureaucrats and politicians to discuss the city's walkability. We have planned one inaugural session and three panel discussions to understand the problem from its grassroots. Right from design issues in pedestrian infrastructure, to the problem of parking and lack of footpaths to the Hawkers and Street Vendor's Act, we'll try to shed light on all these matters. We also plan to highlight the social aspects of a good walking infrastructure and how it makes a difference in the quality of life for people," Vedant Mhatre, convener, shared with this diarist.
With a new title expected to hit bookshelves soon, writer and mid-day columnist, Lindsay Pereira (inset) shared with this diarist about the ideas that drove the narrative of his latest book, Songs Our Bodies Sing (Penguin Random House). "The book is basically exploring how the characters are engaging with the ideas of the Orient and the occident, in a very contemporary India. In the 1990s, when McDonald's came to India it swiftly replaced the vada pav. The idea is to evaluate these shifts from a contemporary perspective and see how that relationship has changed," Pereira explained. Set in multiple locations including Mumbai, Toronto and London, Pereira's book seeks to provide nuanced reflections on the current situation, "I am also looking at how social media, popular culture and the easy access to information have impacted the way we view the West and vice-versa. There is a character in the book who sells stuff to foreigners but not his own people, so I am also evaluating the ideas of bigotry, how hypernationalism changes the way we see the people and the prejudices that both the East and the West have against each other," the writer concluded.
The graffiti, Big Man Blastoise at Carter Road in Bandra. Pic courtesy/NME
If you happen to walk past the Carter Road promenade, you might just spot a new Pokémon hanging around. We are not talking about creatures from the anime world, but rather Siddhesh Vinod Sapte aka NME's (inset) latest graffiti that lights up the Bandra hub. A fan of the Japanese anime series, the artist decided to spruce up the wall near the promenade to showcase one of the more underrated Pokémon. "I've always wanted to paint Pokémon-themed graffiti because of my childhood memories. I decided to go with Mega Blastoise at Carter Road.
The reason behind choosing this location was that Blastoise is a water-based character, and Carter Road is beside the sea," he shared. This is not the first Pokémon that NME has painted on city walls either. "I have previously painted Gengar and Jigglypuff," he admitted. The graffiti was also a part of the Pokémon Go Fest celebrations that took place in the city last weekend. For NME though, the project was more than just a collaboration. It took the artist over three hours and the graffiti was tinged with nostalgia. "It was a big part of my childhood; a daily ritual in fact, to watch Pokémon after school. I also loved collecting Pokémon tazos and playing trading games with my friends," the artist recalled.
