The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
No horsing around in this city
What do Mumbaikars know about horse sales? Very little, really, unless you are one of those deep-pocketed inhabitants of the city who attend the horse auction that happens at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse every year. Yet, several hours away from Mumbai, in Nandurbar to be precise, the curtain was falling on something called the Sarangkheda Chetak Festival, which concluded with 1,053 horses being sold at a total value of '3.57 crore.
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Several Mumbaikars, too, visited Sarangkheda, a village with 10,000 people that came alive during the fest. The influx of people was such that we hear that the rural locality set in northern Maharashtra was buzzing with the arrival of 16 lakh visitors, domestic as well as foreign. (We also hear that the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation is planning a horse museum in the state).
While Mumbaikars, too, visited the fest, none of them bought any horses. As someone quipped, where is the place to keep a horse in Mumbai? Be that as it may, there's no one stopping people from the city from window shopping for equines, though. After all, if wishes were horses, Mumbaikars too may take a ride.
Bond over tea
A few years ago, when this diarist had interviewed octogenarian author Ruskin Bond in his home in Landour that overlooked the lower Himalayas of Uttarakhand, it was easy to join the dots as far as inspiration for the celebrated author's written works go.
Forests, hills, small-town characters and quirky slice-of-life anecdotes make his reading a delight for all ages. Now, we hear that all of this has been packaged into a limited edition tea blend to pay tribute to Bond!
A leading artisanal tea company had participated in a literature festival that was honouring the Sahitya Akademi award winner, and decided to create a unique blend that has been inspired by Bond's stories, and the hills that are his constant companion. The pattern created by a Goa-based design firm uses elements from his books - including foxes, doves, umbrellas and, of course, the hills.
Pic/Bipin Kokate
Grappling with a tiger
Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray strikes a pose with wrestlers Ritu (left) and Geeta Phogat at an event for the Pro Wrestling League, at a SoBo five-star last evening.
Fitness comes first this year
After the year-end indiscretions that some of us might have been guilty of, it's probably a good idea to up our fitness game. And it's something we can all do together with The Fitness Project 2018, started by author and health expert Rujuta Diwekar (in pic), which involves logging on to a Facebook page that will have one fitness guideline posted on it every Tuesday.
Rujuta Diwekar
You have to follow it through the week, and then add it to the guideline posted the next Tuesday, with the guidelines multiplying every successive week for three months. Anyone can take part in it and for more details, log on to Diwekar's Facebook page, which is also where you can register for the programme.
Where will the crab be spotted?
Earlier this week, Mumbai hailed the news that the Ministry of Crab will open in the city. The Dharshan Munidasa-led restaurant is a must-visit for Indians when they visit Colombo. However, we were a tad disappointed that the venue was not revealed at the presser held yesterday.
The chain, brought down by Gourmet Investments, who own PizzaExpress, will also open in Delhi after its Mumbai launch that is scheduled in four months' time.
Interestingly, both of Munidasa's Sri Lankan partners are cricketers, Kumara Sangakarra and Mahela Jayawardene (who was at the event). While they are foodies and fans of the chef's chilli crabs, Munidasa sheepishly confessed that he hardly follows cricket. "When I once told them I'd watched them play, they didn't believe me!" Read the full interview in tomorrow's mid-day.
In celebration of Byculla
The city is all set to get a new art gallery. This time, however, in the words of Ashvin Rajagopalan, "it isn't just a space with white walls" but a venue that weaves in the essence of the locality in which it is situated. After the launch of its art galleries in Kurla and Thane, apart from the one in Lower Parel, the Piramal Art Foundation is opening a new gallery in Byculla.
"As part of our art programme, we have taken advantage of our spaces in Mumbai, with the aim to democratise them and bring people closer to art," says Rajagopalan, director of the foundation. The gallery launches this evening with a specially commissioned work by the Gurgaon-based artist duo Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra.
The 26-canvas work is inspired by the flora and fauna of the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo in Byculla, and is a stunner. The gallery, Rajagopalan informs us, will have two sections - contemporary and modern - and will fittingly house works by the likes of Jitish Kallat and Subodh Gupta, with timeless Husains and Padamsees.
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