Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Bipin Kokate

Riding on exhaustion

Our collective experience of fighting through another lockdown is best reflected in this rider's mini break at Mahalaxmi racecourse on Tuesday.

Don't fear the serpent

For those afraid of snakes, here's an avenue that might help curb your fear, and acquaint you with the species. The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has launched a two-day certificate course in Snake Taxonomy to be held this weekend. Eminent scientist and researcher Varad B Giri, who will be conducting it, will explain how to scientifically identify and understand different snake species. "Snakes are a highly neglected species. There's a lot of hatred towards them mostly because of lack of knowledge. Through our citizen science initiative, we want to help people identify and understand why these species are important, so with the knowledge of identification they can rectify their fears," Giri informed. Interested folk can email cec-mumbai@bnhs.org to register.

So long, Subhadra

This week, writer Subhadra Sen Gupta succumbed to Covid-19, leaving a void in children's literature in India. The Delhi-based Sahitya Akademi-award winner specialised in historical fiction - enlightening young minds with stories set in the Mughal and Mauryan era, among other significant periods in Indian history. Tributes poured in on social media; Shuddhabrata Sengupta, the writer's cousin and member of Raqs Media Collective, wrote, "I learnt how to look for clues, like a detective, from her, and how to cherish and share a good story."

Among her many accolades, Sen Gupta won the Big Little Book Award (BLBA) last year. Commenting on her legacy, Swaha Sahoo (inset), head of Tata Trusts' Parag Initiative that has instituted BLBA, told this diarist, "We have lost a magician who brought history alive for generations of children. When she was awarded the BLBA in 2020, we were hoping to work together to create more books for children and translate her existing work into many Indian languages. We are deeply saddened by her passing. We hope to share her books and her work in other languages so that she lives on through their magic, and touches many more lives for years to come."

Art that heals

While the pandemic causes distress across the country, nine women photographers have come together to help those in need. Prints of Hope is their way of raising money through selling prints, on @eight_thirty on instagram, to generate funds for organisations battling the virus on the ground. Artists presenting their works include Adira Thekkuveettil, Divya Cowasji, Kirthana Devdas, Menty Jamir, Mithila Jariwala, Pavithra Ramanujam, Riti Sengupta, Vinita Baretto and Zahra Amiruddin (inset).

"We came together initially to make a zine, but with the pandemic, decided to start a fundraiser. We have identified organisations that are involved in different kinds of work, and are not in the social media circle. We are dividing funds between three of them," shared Amiruddin, photographer from the collective. Relief work funds are directed towards the NGOs Athrout, Khalsa Aid and Premankur.

Saved by the book

In what can be called a first of sorts, publisher HarperCollins Children's Books have launched their I Can Read! subscription programme in India. The plan is being offered in three-month, six-month and annual packs to parents and educators across the country, based on each child's reading level, in collaboration with the independent children's bookstore Kool Skool. Aimed at beginner readers, the programme features a range of titles by award-winning authors and illustrators including Else Holmelund Minarik, Syd Hoff and Jack Prelutsky. About its significance, publisher Tina Narang said, "A subscription model is particularly relevant for the unique times we are in owing to the pandemic, when both parents and educators are seeking out reading material for their home-bound children."

City with glitter

On May 20 and 21, premier auction house AstaGuru will host an online auction of heirloom jewellery, silver and timepieces. With 120 lots, it features a wide selection ranging from traditional Indian masterpieces to jewellery from the Art Deco period. What's also interesting is that there's a Bombay connection, too - on offer are pieces by the city's erstwhile bullion merchants Manilal Chimanlal & Co. Featuring coveted gemstones, Jay Sagar, AstaGuru's jewellery specialist, reckoned that the pieces "would make for a worthy inclusion in any important collection." About the timepieces, the auction house's timepiece expert, Deepak Krishnamoorthy, added, "The catalogue features an exceptionally well-researched collection of 48 lots that have been selected to appeal to the buyers' diverse choices."