Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Hop, skip and a jump

Children line up to test their jumping skills in a friendly game at Safed Pul, Saki Naka

Cannes goes for new media

The old ways are-a-changin'. The traditionally stiff upper-lip Cannes film festival will get a taste of new Indian media this year. The Indian government has picked five new-age media companies to represent the change at the Marche Du Film. Among them is Pocket Aces. Thrilled with the development, co-founder and CEO, Aditi Shrivastava (inset) told this diarist, "This is a wonderful way to commemorate India's 75th year of Independence. We are excited to present the innovation in creating high-performing data-driven content across genres and platforms." Shrivastava agreed that this could be a great opportunity for the media ecosystem. "We look forward to learning from the best-in-class filmmakers and producers, and forging some long-lasting relationships," she added. It is a new Indian wave, after all.

Going o-live into the metaverse

The city-based Olive Bar and Kitchen may just start a new trend for restaurateurs. AD Singh's Olive Group of restaurants has collaborated with Hey Hey Global, an online platform, to foray into the world of NFTs or non-fungible tokens and the metaverse. The restaurant will host its first of a kind event in Mumbai this weekend, turning it into a virtual playground as actors Rahul Bose, Sunny Leone, designers JJ Valaya and Narendra Kumar along with other NFT artists unveil new creations, designs and art works. Guests at the event will explore new digital spoken word, art and fashion. AD Singh, its founder and MD, told this diarist, "Since we launched The Olive Group over 20 years ago, we have been fortunate to have had our finger on the pulse of our customers' wants and likes. We've introduced many industry ‘firsts,' and now, we're excited to see what our integration into the metaverse means, both for our customers and for us." Designer Narendra Kumar emphasised, "Being part of the ONFT initiative is like stepping into a whole new universe." As long as it does not change the vibe, we are all for it.

Honey, this tastes good

Thor may just have to drop by the city sometime. The city's Moonshine Meadery, run by Nitin Vishwas and Rohan Rehani (in pic) has come up with sidr honey. Part of the Moonshine Honey project, Vishwas described it as a game-changer. What led them to honey? "It lends itself to experimentation that allows us to make consistent meads," Vishwas explained. The duo seeks to revive the practice of mead drinking. "Its popularity died down," Rehani shrugged. It is time to hit rewind.

Art for all, by all

Artwork by Paresh Maity at the IAF

Gathering 550 artists and 33 art galleries in one space, the India Art Festival (IAF), is a contemporary art fair founded in 2011. Rajendra Patil, director of the Mumbai-based festival, described to this diarist, "The concept was to provide a platform to artists and art galleries. It has since flourished and become a democratic platform." The festival is open to all participants across India to showcase their works.

Rajendra Patil

"We have an artist from Agartala, and another from Kanyakumari," he said. "If you look across India, we have one lakh-plus practising artists, but barely between 15 and 20 galleries for them. These galleries cannot absorb such a large number of artists. Moreover, in India, we don't have sufficient infrastructure for the visual arts," Patil explained. For such artists, especially young ones, the festival acts as a bouncing board, the director added. The fest gives them an opportunity to showcase their work to an eager audience. It will take place at the Nehru Centre from May 26 to 29.

All about the real smart Alyque

Alyque Padamsee and Vandana Saxena Poria

Alyque Padamsee may no longer be around to liven up life with his sparkling anecdotes, but his words will live on. The late ad-man's book, Let Me Hijack Your Mind, co-authored by Vandana Saxena Poria, will be launched at Crosswords in Kemps Corner today. "The book," Vandana Saxena Poria explained, "is an attempt to get you to think of fresh ways to solve old problems." From love and loss to gender and leadership, the book sheds new light on ways to tackle eternal issues. The co-author revealed that the ad-man believed people were beginning to submit to accepted ideas. She added, "The book talks about how to critically question everything you do in life, so you can make choices that will help you live life in a happier way."