Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Rane Ashish

Imprints on the sands of time

A young woman draws a heart on the shoreline while her friend captures it on video at Juhu Chowpatty

The flamingos' last dance

Flamingos at TS Chanakya wetlands

While the heatwave forces Mumbaikars to pray that the monsoon arrives early, birdwatchers are hoping for the opposite. After all, this is the last month to sight the city's annual guests, flamingos. "While a few small numbers are around in the first week of June, most of the flamingos return to their breeding grounds," shared Asif Khan, associate officer, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) shared.

Visitors take photographs during a walk. Pics courtesy/Asif Khan

The pink-feathered visitors will head back to the Kutch desert, only to return in November. "June to November marks breeding season. A majority of the birds visiting Mumbai are from Kutch, barring a few exceptions. Hence, this weekend is the last flamingo walk by BNHS, although you can still spot the birds at the wetlands later on," he suggested.

Community for the greens

Chembur's Vivekanand Education Society's College of Architecture (VESCOA) has teamed up with the NGO Stree Mukti Sanghatana to recycle dry and e-waste produced in the college. The college will enable students to participate in environmental activities. Other than hosting workshops on recycling, the initiative also hopes to create an herbal garden on its campus. Anand Achari (below) principal of VESCOA said, "This partnership offers our students an opportunity to immerse themselves in initiatives that promote sustainability and environmental awareness. Through engaging activities and hands-on learning experiences, our students will gain a deeper under-standing."

To design more than an idea

Designers at work during the Delhi edition in March

Those who believe creativity to be the domain of dreamers might be surprised at the upcoming Designathon in Mumbai. To be held on May 12, the second edition of the event will witness over 200 user interface designers come together in the city, said founder and organiser, Punit Chawla. "In layman terms, everything we access and use today is connected to design. Yet, many young designers often struggle to reach out to the right people. This prompted me to host this event that will act as both an opportunity to network with peers and seniors, as well as show off their skills," he remarked. The venture hosted a similar session in Delhi in March, and the Mumbai edition is a follow-up to the same. The day-long event will witness designers participate in a competition to solve real-world problems with creative thinking. Chawla noted, "Design is not just visual, it is also an insight into the psychological and social behaviours in society and needs to be accordingly adapted. It is key to business. At the event, young designers will be given a problem statement and expected to come up with quick-thinking and creative decisions. Of course, we will give leverage to the juniors." While it might sound like an all-business affair, the founder stated, "The physical meet-up is an opportunity to look past our work to make friends. It is a niche field, and needs a community to come together."

A crisp blue note

Details on the Blue Note record

While the world celebrated International Jazz Day yesterday, city-based collector Manu Trivedi had his own secret to cherish. His 1947 shellac blue note vinyl of Thelonious Monk's iconic jazz standard, 'Round about midnight, remains the envy of many collectors.

Thelonious Monk at a concert in 1961. Pic Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons

"I picked it up from the Jazz Room in New York in the late '90s. This is one of Monk's first recordings of the iconic album. It was also the first year that Monk signed for the label," he remarked.

Manu Trivedi

With its Bauhaus-influenced cover style and typeface, it is no surprise that the collector considers it a prized possession.