Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Anurag Ahire

Seize the day

A man is engrossed in his phone while a senior citizen exercises beside him in the early hours of the day on the Marine Drive promenade

Braille-iant idea, this!

Ariana Singhi inspects the Braille print and final newspapers

Youth power goes beyond tall talk; and 16-year-old city-based Ariana Singhi has reiterated that statement. The journalism enthusiast recently transferred the Robinage: Newspaper for Kids into a Braille issue. "I have been writing for the newspaper since we were in Grade Two," Singhi told this diarist. Her venture to give her own nerdy spectacles a funky print-sleeved look led her to discover the world of the visually impaired. "I noticed that young visually impaired students had only textbooks to read in Braille, while we enjoy a choice of books. I reached out to the National Association for the Blind to pitch the idea [of a Braille newspaper]." While it initially seemed like a far-fetched idea as the process of printing in Braille is expensive, Singhi refused to give up. "I crowdfunded nearly R1.4 lakh in a month, and started working towards it. We sent out newspapers to 30 schools for the blind across Maharashtra. I aim to do one such Braille newspaper quarterly," she revealed.

Krumping to queer beats

The Swiss dance collective at a previous performance

Juhu's Soho House is all set to host a queer extravaganza on Christmas eve, as they will welcome the debut performance by Swiss dance collective Ouinch Ouinch. "This is their first visit to the country, and they will perform in Delhi, Goa and Mumbai as part of their three-day India-tour Happy Hype," said Sakshi Juneja, founder of Gaysi Family that was brought on to the project as supporting partner by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, boxout.fm and The Embassy of Switzerland in India and Bhutan under the initiative Switzerland India 75: Success Stories to Be Continued. "Ouinch Ouinch draws inspiration from the Krump culture's Hype Call, originating from the streets of '90s Los Angeles. The group will dance to the beats by Afro and hip-hop music artiste DJ Mulah. Expect it to be urban, wild and queer," she told this diarist excitedly.

Chill vibes only

A student sets up the space for the fest

After a 10-year hiatus, Bhavan College's O2 The Fest, that was discontinued after a stampede had left some critically injured in 2014, is back with their next edition. "This year's theme is Just Vibing, where we take a laid-back approach to the otherwise competitive nature of college fests," shared Animesh Singh, organising team member. The three-day fest, which began on Monday, will conclude today. "To make sure the fest isn't overcrowded, we have arranged for a three-layer security set-up this time that includes volunteers, NCC Cadets from the college and hired security agents," he told us.

Carter Road's got an orange surprise

The newly painted mural on Carter Road

Earlier this month, the Ourange Juice Gang, comprising six popular digital creators from Mumbai, set on a new venture as they released their titular anthem, a Hindi rap song lined with Marathi hooks, and unmissable Mumbaikar elements. Amid their tight schedule ever since, artist Mooz decided to give them an orange surprise. "I was fascinated by their song. I knew one of the creators from the gang. He brought them to Carter Road near Oceanic Building on Monday; and there it was - a mural featuring the gang full-on ourange juice style. They were surprised and touched," Mooz told this diarist, adding that it took him nearly two days to complete the artwork.

Deco, it's yellow!

The iconic blue motif of the Art Deco building Court View in Churchgate has been painted anew (right), upon the request of its residents. Varada Phadkay, senior consultant conservation, said, "There were some cracks, and paint was chipping off. We had to be extra careful."

The challenge was in painting the famed bas relief (below) since being intrusive could have damaged it. As for the colour, she said, "We chose the new scheme of pastel yellow as an ode to what the building once was. Not many might remember but before blue, the building sported yellow and pink."