Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Anurag Ahire

God-Approved

A Shiva idol outside a hospital in Goregaon West reflects the mood of the times.

Women to the fore

Dr Binish Desai (in pic), who goes by the moniker of Recycle Man of India, has announced the launch of a new women's empowerment centre. Like its predecessor in Bhiwandi, which empowered former sex workers as women entrepreneurs, this one, too, will help rural women in the area to transform tea and coffee waste into crockery, corporate gifts, eco-friendly lighting and home décor products. "The centre, which will be open to the public on Diwali, will also serve as an experience centre where tours and projects that engage the wider community are conducted," he shared. The new centre will be located on NH-08, between Mumbai and Surat.

Tech a right turn

In 2019, Mumbai girl Zoe Kothari had met with an accident that led to physical, neurological and psychological trauma, and the realisation that her life would be so much harder without a fully-able body in the long term. The 18-year-old has now designed and launched ZIAI (Zoe's Inclusive AI), an AI bot for the disabled community, and for non-disabled individuals looking to be allies. The platform helps users apply for accessible jobs, create inclusive institutions and learn about laws that protect disabled citizens. It also includes tools for anti-ableism language check and data on ableism, among other features. "My dream is to create impact through art and technology. I was lucky to have made a quick recovery, but I still struggle with chronic pain, and as a student trying to perform at an equitable level with my peers. I recognised my incredible privilege that this was only my temporary reality, and I wanted to help people for whom it wasn't," she shared.

The many sides of Navratri

The festival of Navratri has always had at its core, the celebration of the feminine form of divinity. And ahead of Navratri, in a virtual workshop titled Stories from the Womb, storyteller, dancer and cultural entrepreneur Anita Ratnam (in pic) will narrate mythical stories of "unusual devis, feminine energies and goddesses of south India". The workshop, on September 30, will be hosted by the National Centre for the Performing Arts. "I'll look at the beautiful and the fierce, the calm and the benign, as well as the assertive and aggressive sides [of feminine energy]. I'll also share unusual stories of goddess Meenakshi of Madurai, Parvati as Akhilandeswari, Saraswati as an inquisitive and restless river, Mahalakshmi's elder sister, and other gramadevatas, as well as ammans [meaning mother] who guard the entrance of villages," Ratnam told this diarist. She will explore why these Dravidian deities have become popular. "There'll also be music, chanting and personal anecdotes about how the goddess has been a guide and a protector for me," she said. Her tales will be followed by a Garba Raas workshop by dancer Avani Shah. Interested folk can call 8879114939 to register and tune in.

Let's listen to what Pinky has to say

Based in Bengaluru, Hidden-Pockets is a five-year-old sexual and reproductive health platform working in Bihar, Kerala, Karnataka and Delhi that helps make information accessible to young people, and connects them to trusted medical facilities. They've now teamed up with Mumbai-based actor-writer Neha Singh (inset), who has penned a fun song about abortion rights for women in India in Bhojpuri-Hindi. Pinky karein sawaal, launched yesterday on International Safe Abortion Day, is a peppy yet informative number that's aimed at engaging youngsters, shared Aisha Lovely George, executive co-ordinator: "Singh has a beautiful way of writing and we felt she'd do justice to this sensitive topic." Singh said the song revolves around a young girl, Pinky, who's celebrating her birthday. "She isn't accepting her relatives' gifts and taunts them for not standing up for her when she needed an abor-tion. While doing this, she details her rights," she added. Log on to You-Tube to hear what Pinky has to say.

A visual delight

Bharati Kapadia. Pic Courtesy/Linkedin; (right) Tasneem Zakaria Mehta

An upcoming festival, scheduled to begin in November and titled Video Art by Indian Contemporary Artists (VAICA), aims to give a leg-up to experimental video practitioners from across India, showcasing their works online. The team behind it includes people like visual artist Bharati Kapadia, architect Anuj Daga and film producer Tina Nagpaul. Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum is one of the supporting partners and its director, Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, shared, "In the last two years, technology has changed the way we communicate. Video and the moving image have become ubiquitous and accessible at a mass scale. VAICA will showcase videos made by people from all walks of life, including artistes, scientists and teachers." Visit @vaica.festival on Instagram to stay tuned for more.