28 February,2024 06:49 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Nimesh Dave
A student studies for the upcoming board exams under Bappa's watch at Jogeshwari Caves
The band performs at an event
Heavy metal band Zygnema's newest release is a throwback to the 2000s, and no, it's not their upcoming album. Sidharth Kadadi, the band's lead guitarist, recently shared a 2008 photo of the band at Powerchords, the music festival of Sion's SIES College. "The college gig culture back in the day was massive. Metal and rock ruled the line-ups.
The photograph from 2008
Powerchords was our first headlining show and that year we went on to play 40 competitions across the country. It brings back fond memories, especially in times where fests seem to have forgotten the genre," Kadadi shared, adding that the band will recreate the photograph leading to the launch of their new album, Iconic, in March.
Dr Stuart Kohlhagen (in black T-shirt) interacts with educators at the Victoria Memorial School for the Blind in Tardeo
Last weekend, Australian STEM educator and founder of Science Nomad, Dr Stuart Kohlhagen made a trip to the city under the invitation of the Australian Consulate to the Victoria Memorial School for the Blind in Tardeo. "This visit allowed us to share a number of simple, non-technology activities to make education more accessible to visually impaired students, which immediately triggered active discussions amongst the educators," Kohlhagen said. It was not all about teachers though.
He revealed, "I had a short Q&A scheduled with the students which turned into 90 minutes of the most fascinating science questions such as âWhy do octopuses have three hearts?', âWhat is a black hole?', âWhat is the origin of viruses?' and many more." Currently on a visit to Gujarat for his workshop, Make-a-thon, Kohlhagen is expected to return to the city this weekend for another round of events. "It is a great start, but as yet, just a start," he told this diarist.
The interiors of the new restaurant
Come March 11, the streets of Bandra Kurla Complex will take a culinary sojourn across parts of Central America, right into Lyla - restaurateurs Dhaval Udeshi (inset), Nikita Harisinghani, and Pawan Shahri's attempt to bring a slice of Mexico and California to Mumbai.
While the menu curated by chef Beena Noronha will revolve around signature dishes like ceviche de pescado and aji lima churros, the founders informed this diarist that the highlight of the restaurant is the ambience. "Our design ethos blends Indian, Afro-Latin and Spanish influences, showcasing rich hues, organic textures and vibrant accents that will embrace our patrons with a cosy atmosphere," they shared.
Chaitanya Prabhu (centre) displays a signboard at the awareness drive
Chaitanya Prabhu, founder, Mark Your Presence, a not-for-profit voter engagement organisation, is busy with some last-minute pre-election campaigning. Prabhu, with more than 180 young volunteers, congregated at Marine Drive on Sunday to raise awareness about voter registration. "Young people partake in political discourse on social media platforms but the same enthusiasm doesn't reflect in the voter turnout," he shared, adding that the barrier is often the ambiguity around the electoral process. The organisation recorded 342 live voter registrations on the day of the drive with the support of the chief electoral office and the collector's office. "Youngsters in the city aren't familiar with elections because we don't have college body elections in the city," Prabhu remarked, adding that to get students involved, the organisation has been working on a Youth Manifesto that holds suggestions and proposals from more than 900 students from colleges across the city. The official document is set to be published on March 15.
If you step out in the city for a day by yourself today, you could probably count your choices on the fingers of one hand. Andheri-based filmmaker Nachiket Parchure (below) and actor Sankalp Joshi's brainchild, Professional Livers of Life, aims to make going out fun for everyone. The community offers lone rangers the option to share their plans on the community group to find like-minded individuals who would like to join. "People are living most of their lives online, and seem to have forgotten the pleasures of heading out. For a lot of them, not having a partner is the biggest barrier. Our community is a judgement -free zone for people from all walks of life," Parchure shared. Those interested can drop him a message at @nachiket_ parchure.
