Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

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

Hanging out to dry

A fisherwoman seems in a contemplative mood while drying fish next to Versova jetty over the weekend. Pic/Satej Shinde

Being a sport

Photojournalists boycott an event featuring Indira Gandhi. Pic/Mukesh Parpiani

It was Indira Gandhi's 36th death anniversary over the weekend, and former mid-day photo editor Mukesh Parpiani recounted an incident that shows the grace with which she carried herself. Gandhi had come to Mumbai (then Bombay) for an event and the organisers were acting all high and mighty with the assembled photographers. So, they decided to boycott the event, holding their cameras down as Gandhi passed by them upon arriving. "But she was not upset at all, even though she must not have been aware of why we had boycotted the event," Parpiani told this diarist. This diarist wonders how present-day netas would have reacted if a similar incident were to occur now.

Whodunit time

The pandemic and subsequent shutdown of venues meant that the theatre community had to think out of the box to engage with audiences. Plays are being staged online instead of on a physical stage, and playwrights and directors are coming up with innovative ways to ensure that the viewers don't feel shortchanged about the digital medium. One example of this is Gargikand, a murder mystery that functions as an interactive experience where audience members become part of the crime-solving team. Kaustav Sinha, one of the actors, explained that there are two platforms that the people watching are logged on to — the Zoom app and WhatsApp. "They become part of the investigative team, thanks to clues and pieces of evidence that they receive as messages. The premise is that there is a dead body found in a young girl's room, but the girl herself is missing," Sinha told this diarist, adding that they had a show over the weekend and have more lined up. Catch them to channel the inner Sherlock Holmes in you.

These artistes are taking cover

This diarist has always been amazed at the ability that world-class musicians have to recreate their songs live on stage, making it sound just like the original version that you have heard recorded on your system. It's often a bad idea for other musicians covering these classics to try and sound just like the original did. They might instead be better off giving their own twist to the songs, so that they can add a new flavour to the music. That's the basis behind an ongoing series called Originals, where a diverse set of Indian musicians are recreating classic Western hits. Playback singer Shalmali Kholgade (in pic) will sing her own versions of Michael Jackson tracks, for instance, while veteran Indi-pop act Colonial Cousins will perform renditions of their take on The Eagles. The other artistes in the line-up include Benny Dayal, Shaan and Thaikuddam Bridge, meaning it's a diverse list. "We hope to create a platform for some of the best names in Indian music to bring their own distinctive perspective to popular hits," said Varun Khare, one of the organisers.

Rebuild and heal

The project has helped migrant labourers get cart rickshaws

The Delhi riots that broke out in February affected hundreds in the north-eastern part of the city. That's when Project Rebuilding Livelihoods emerged to provide assistance to victims, with medicines and cash immediately. Soon, Amphan and the pandemic surfaced, and they also directed their efforts there. Now, they're trying to raise funds to help them complete rebuilding. "We need '1.5 lakh per month as rebuilding shops and houses cost a lot," Sana Khan, who's part of the team, shared. Call 9910317397 to help out.

Simsion is the write choice

Writers often wear many hats, penning scripts for the big screen and television apart from their own novels and short stories. Australian author Graeme Simsion is an excellent example of this, having turned his screenplay for The Rosie Project into a successful series of books. Over the weekend, Simsion spoke about his experiences as an author as part of a new series called The Universe Writes, which aims to bring international literary figures before an Indian audience. Mita Kapur, of Siyahi, who organised the event, told this diarist, "Everyone in attendance was genuinely interested to know how The Rosie Project came to be. Most of them had read the books, which was great because if the audience is not engaged with the content, a virtual session can be bland."

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