Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

27 November,2024 07:07 AM IST |  Mumbai  |  Team mid-day

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Pic/Atul Kamble


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Beyond the boundary

A young boy is fixated on the action across multiple cricket pitches at Oval Maidan in Churchgate.

Make way for Koliwadas' stars


Singers Nivedita Hamav and Vishal Chandi will join the contest

Following the trend of shows that highlight music talent, Versova's Koli community has started their own competition, Singing Star, to encourage local voices. "In the past five years, there has been a rise in singing talent in Mumbai's Koliwadas. But these talents remain confined to our community. The idea behind the online competition is to expose them to the world," Ravindra Kharde, head of the event, told this diarist. Singers will be assessed on the basis of YouTube likes on their video and later, by a panel of judges. "The competition is open to anyone who can sing Koli and Agri songs and the submissions are open till December 10," Kharde told us.

Chhattisgarhi repast in Mumbai


Participants in a discussion at a previous community dinner

Mumbaikars have a chance to indulge in the flavours of Ramsama village in Chhattisgarh right here at 3 Art House. The dinner menu, crafted by Sangeeta Toppo (below), reflects her influences from growing up in her village. Toppo moved to Mumbai in 2019.

"She was excited when we proposed this idea and created most of the menu. The idea is to unearth flavours and showcase the diversity of Chhattisgarhi cuisine," said founder Jasmeet Kaur Bagga. This weekend's spread includes vegetarian dishes like dal dubki, mooli ka saag, and arsa roti. Bagga added, "Every month, we aim to spotlight one culture and collaborate with someone familiar with its cuisine to reveal these rare dishes."

A canvas of Bapu's life


An illustration of Mahatma Gandhi at the Dandi March (right) a portrayal of Gandhi reading the newspaper

What better place for a Gandhian to display his love for the Mahatma than his own home? Hyderabad-based veteran artist Shankar Pamarthy, who has created over 150 artworks of the Mahatma since his early experiments in the 1980s, is exhibiting 20 of his best pieces at the Gandhi Film Foundation behind Mani Bhavan till December 3.


Shankar Pamarthy

"I never sketched with the goal to present my works for the public. As a youngster, I deeply admired Gandhiji's principles and began creating the sketches as a personal tribute," Pamarthy revealed to us. The artist's first ever solo exhibition at the venue features his unique line art and caricature-inspired depictions of Gandhi in landmark events in Indian history, contrasted by moments of quiet solitude that capture the essence of Gandhi's life.

Threading ideas


Mithani with an embroidered artwork

The new gallery space at Kemps Corner, Milaaya Art, unites the traditional handiwork of artisans and artistic exploration with their opening exhibition, Metamorphosis. "It reflects what Milaaya Art stands for - a transformation of traditional craft into contemporary art," said founder Gayatri Khanna of the exhibition that will conclude in January. The team of artisans collaborated with South Asian artists such as Dannielle Tegeder and Sharmistha Ray, Viraj Mithani, Sakib Afridi, and Priyantha Udagedara to create works that express the artists' ambitions. Mithani, whose works were brought to life using a zardozi thread work, added, "My paintings explore many different dichotomies. They challenge the traditional notions of storytelling and representation by both embracing and transgressive narrative forms."

Turn up the volume in Bandra


Singer Yanchan and SVDP (right) at a previous gig. Pic Courtesy/Instagram

It seems like music venue Bonobo is aiming to amp up its vibe to match the city's year-ending festive vibe. Starting this week, the Bandra-based venue will launch its new IP, Big Gig, Small Room, with a performance by Tamil-Canadian musician SVDP and Mumbai-based rapper ShiaxZero Chill on Thursday. "The idea was to get bigger artistes to play in smaller rooms. It is a more intimate gig than usual," shared co-owner Nevil Timbadia (right).

He revealed that the idea has been on the backburner since the Australian prog-metal band Karnivool performed an acoustic set at the venue back in 2012. "It was the first time a heavy metal band did an intimate acoustic gig," he pointed out. For now, the plans are to keep the gigs a quarterly event. "Though the space remains the same, we will try to add a viewing gallery for our patrons, while keeping a minimal entry charge," Timbadia told this diarist.

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