Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Shadab Khan

Snooze time

Workers take a quick afternoon nap under Suman Nagar flyover on a hot and humid day in Chembur

Life on a local

Illustration/Mitali Vandkar

Among the many things that bond Mumbai's different cultures is the city's lifeline - local trains. For most Mumbaikars travelling in the trains is a daily routine, accompanied by stories of chaos, unplanned friendships, and sometimes, as per illustrator Mitali Vandkar's (inset) new artworks, robbery. Vandkar's 12 illustrations showcase a fictional character Otto's daily journey in a local train as part of her 2024 calendar.

"Each month will display different stories and characters that Otto witnesses and meets during his long [one-way] commute. The character is inspired by a friend, who travels from Panvel every day. These stories capture moments in a train that most Mumbaikars will be able to relate to," shared the 22-year-old. She further revealed that there is a plot twist towards the end. This diarist, who was given an exclusive dekko, can assure the final illustration will leave you laughing. Psst, it involves a thief and a ticket collector.

An ode to Wendell Rodricks

Malaika Arora in a piece from the collection

Thinking about the works of the late Wendell Rodricks (right) takes this diarist's mind to her mother's closet where stories unravelled over a black linen blouse with a silk collar, and perfectly-tailored pants purchased in the late 1990s. These clothes were crafted, not for a certain size, but for women's bodies. Reiterating Rodricks' genius, designer Amit Aggarwal shared, "The deeper I delved into Wendell's body of work, the more I came to appreciate the profound sophistication in its simplicity.

Aggrawal works on the collection Amit Aggarwal. Pic courtesy/Instagram

Although Wendell's clothing may give the impression of being minimal and straightforward, I believe the creative process was intricate and involved a deeply contemplative approach." Aggarwal has collaborated with the Wendell Rodricks label to create an ode to the late designer in a collection that brings together their mutual admiration for the human form and geometry.

"Each garment features circles, achieved through draping or fabric cuts, pays homage to Wendell's colour palette through saturated colours, and incorporates fringes. The fabrics used included organic weaves and silk, with subtle couture-inspired details," he told this diarist, adding that working with Malaika Arora, was the cherry on top.

Fables for the eco-friendly generation

Children at a previous storytelling session conducted by Shailja Shaily

To celebrate Children's Day, Sanjay Gandhi National Park is collaborating with Kahani Kalakar (a group that conducts storytelling workshops for children) for a storytelling event, titled Prakriti Aur Kahaniya. Led by founder Shailja Shaily and author Adhya Bhatnagar, the session will be held on Saturday for kids between the age groups of four to 13.

"The idea is to educate children about nature, wildlife and environment conservation using the creative technique of storytelling, so that it does not become preachy," shared Shaily (below), adding that the hosts will use props such as animal puppets, clouds, trees and more, to enhance the experience. The one-hour long session will also see the duo teach the young ones about creating their own stories, characters and some fun and cool narrative techniques.

Reeling them in

The team looks through the reels of the discovered film stock. Pic courtesy/FHF

While the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) tends to root around archives to discover rare film reels from the past, their latest treasure hunt last weekend revealed something more modern. "A couple of our sources led us to a collection of 70 mm reels of 60 films, including some Hollywood films such as Apollo 13 from the 1990s and 2000s decade," shared director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. He remarked that it was a rarity to find so many celluloid reels and unexposed stock in the city.