Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Ashish Raje

My Safety Belt

A young school boy finds a unique way to keep steady by holding on to the scooterist on a road in Dadar.

Goa's music plays everywhere

Akshay Mahajan; (right) Allen Costa, Goan radio announcer and journalist. Pic Courtesy/Justina Costa

Photographer Akshay Mahajan rightly notes that the Goans are a musical people. This is evidenced by the impact musicians from the Goan diaspora had wherever they travelled to. For instance, Mumbai. This diarist recalls a conversation with an East Indian who mentioned that it was from the city's Goan musicians that the East Indians of then-Bombay picked up nuances of music. Tracing this musical history, Mahajan and art historian Lina Vincent will present a photo exhibition, Goa Familia: Let The Sound Linger at Serendipity Arts Festival this December. Mahajan said, "This year's theme for the project, which looks at non-traditional archives like family albums and oral histories, is Goan music. We will look at how music spread through the diaspora from temple songs and parochial music schools to a secular practise of music during the era of Bombay Jazz and Bollywood music; from local instruments like the ghumat, to European including Portuguese influences where Western instruments were used, and the fusion created a truly unique experience."

The final march of the drum

Darshan Doshi; (right) Aaron Spears on the drums

The passing of Grammy Award-nominated drummer Aaron Spears arrived as yet another blow to the music fraternity. The 47-year-old passed away in Los Angeles on Monday, and was known for his partnership with rapper Usher and singer Ariana Grande. But unknown to many, Spears had a connection to Mumbai. On his visit to the city back in 2018, he spent some time with fellow musicians from the drummers' union such as Sivamani, Gino Banks and Darshan Doshi. "I also met him in Los Angeles in 2020, just before the pandemic," Doshi shared, adding that Spears was a musician who loved his family. "I first heard of him in 2011, long before I met him. His groove and technique were something else. When he incorporated gospel chops and gospel drumming into his style, it went up another level," Doshi remarked. Recalling Spears' kindness, he said, "I would often send him tracks I worked on, and he would genuinely share inputs and encourage me. I will miss that."

A blue elephant for Zeenat

Zeenat Kulavoor

Earlier this week, artist and designer Zeenat Kulavoor was presented the Blue Elephant award for her design for Parag Tandel's book, Ek Bagal Mein Chand Hoga, Ek Bagal Mein Rotiyan. The book, Kulavoor explained, outlined 13 recipes from across the homes of women in Thane Koliwada. "We divided it into two parts. One part is functional in that you can access and use the recipes as a notepad. Whereas the other side of the book is an artwork and poems and drawings put together," she said. As well as turning to maroon government files and typewritten pages for design inspiration, she remarked that the key was to try and capture the element of art and archiving in the design of the book.

Praise from the Comrades

Satish Gujaran during a previous race

Running a marathon is never easy, but running it for more than 12 years is quite the task. Powai-resident Satish Gujaran was honoured with the Gems Spirit of Comrades award by one of the oldest marathon races, Comrades in Durban, South Africa last weekend for being a part of it and encouraging other marathoners for over 12 years. "I started running as a way to quit smoking. It was during my stay in Durban that I heard of the marathon," shared Gujaran. One of the oldest and challenging races, the marathon was instituted in 1921, and saw close to 400 Indians participate this year. "I was alone when I took part in 2010, since then we have trained hundreds of runners," he told this diarist.

Finding science through drama

A moment from Raul's winning play, Erica

Science One Act, a theatre competition organised by the Marathi Vidnyan Parishad that intertwines science with performing arts was held in the city last week. This diarist was delighted to learn that two Mumbai-based troupes qualified for the finals to be held on November 23. Saba Subhash Raul, director of the play Erica, which qualified in the open age category, shared, "It's the fictional story of a girl born to a victim of the infamous Nazi medical experiments, and her struggles fitting in a post-war society. The vision was to warn people of the perils of war and unprecedented advancements in technology that are bound to return to bite us one day," he told this diarist.