Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Bipin Kokate

Rinse Well before Wash

Youngsters escape the summer heat in the cool waters of a tank at Banganga in Walkeshwar

Jayeshbhai's salaam to ‘vintage mid-day'

Superstar Ranveer Singh, a proud reader of Mid-day, gave this newspaper a thumbs up amidst a roaring audience at a press meet when he said: "Sab kuch digital ho raha hai, but vintage mid-day abhi bhi hai. Wah yaar! Abhi bhi log mid-day padhte hain. Mein mid-day digitally padhta hoon. Congrats on the amazing work you guys are doing. It's a publication with a great legacy." At the promotion of his upcoming film Jayeshbhai Jordaar, the actor applauded this brand for its commitment to keep print alive. He also remembered the erstwhile mid-day Mate; the buxom model who brought a daily dose of oomph to the then afternoon edition of the paper. And that took this diarist back to the days when a city restaurant had the walls of its men's washroom plastered with cutouts of the Mate.

A journey deep into nature

Naturalist Explorer LLP's Sunday trip to the Gorai mangroves is a fitting escape from the traffic. Anurag Karekar, co-owner, Naturalist Explorer, told us that mangroves are a hidden ecosystem within themselves. "Only when you have patience and can make close observations does the magic happen." The tour will have botany and zoology students to assist participants. "There are mangroves in Charkop and Kandivali," he told us, adding, "People living next to it often don't understand its value. We hope to build a conversation and change that." One step at a time.

A poetic evening

Mumbai can prepare for an evening of dramatic reading. The city launch of poet Jeet Thayil's (in pic) Penguin Book of Indian Poets will see 10 Indian poets take to the stage at the G5A warehouse on April 23. "We are planning to do something that is unlike the usual kind of poetry reading." The idea of 10 poets taking the mic for 10 minutes each does sound dramatic. Thayil shared with us, "Poetry is theatre. It is drama." The performers include Ranjit Hoskote, Thayil, Sampurna Chattarji, Devika Rege, and Harnidh Kaur, among others.

For the love of reading

For a generation that will grow up knowing Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar as the ‘Architect of the Indian Constitution', illustrator and artist Nidhin Shobhana's (inset) workshop at the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum will offer a new perspective. Organised as part of the museum's monthly Read With Me sessions, the workshop for kids will have the illustrator showcase the love for reading in the great man. "There is a need to talk more about him than simply saying he drafted the Indian constitution," he told us. The conversation will mainly revolve around Babasaheb's love for reading and books itself.

"The plans for his house in Rajgruha, Dadar, were centered around his huge library," he told us. Shobhana had illustrated author Yogesh Maitreya's BR Ambedkar: A Life in Books that will also feature as part of the conversation. "I will also be sharing and discussing photographs from the recent Bhim Jayanti from different parts of the city, as well as sharing photographs of statues, clicked by my friends across India, of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar to show the kind of visual culture that we have around him," the artist confirmed. Apart from the photographs, the workshop will also introduce children to other artists whose works featured Dr Ambedkar.

Rocked to the core

Indie rock fans started feeling the blues after Delhi-based band, The Local Train, officially announced a split. One of the most promising rock bands in the last decade, they had been quiet after the pandemic, until vocalist-guitarist Raman Negi let the cat out of the bag while answering a fan on Twitter. This caused heartbreak among adoring fans on social media. Quick to respond, the band put out a statement assuring fans that while Negi has parted ways with them, "We are here to stay." While the band did not respond to this diarist's request to speak on the issue, it clearly has plans in place. "We will have something new to share soon," they informed us. For now, all seems quiet on the front.