Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

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As crowds gather to shop for the festive season, vehicles cause a traffic jam at the Sena Bhavan signal in Dadar. Pic/Ashish Raje

Clawed in to marine life

A still from the video

Political satirist and independent journalist Vinu Joseph has quite the following on Instagram, thanks mainly to the quirky socio-political stick-figure animations that he creates. One of his recent pieces that caught this diarist's eye is a video he created for the digital festival Biodiversity by the Bay by the Ministry of Mumbai's Magic that celebrates the city's unique flora and fauna through art, music and comedy. It showcases a fun conversation between a hermit crab and a boy.

Vinu Joseph

"Having interacted with several enthusiasts and activists, the cause of marine diversity protection and conservation is close to my heart. Bandstand and Carter Road, frequented spots in the city, have a treasure of 300-plus unique marine species that most city residents are unaware of. The hermit crab is a fascinating invertebrate that has adapted to occupy vacant shells as they grow to protect their fragile exoskeletons. And so I wanted to spread some awareness but also appeal to the youth. The reaction of the audience has been encouraging," he told this diarist. Head to @vinu.one on Instagram.

Because acting is tough business

Shaun Williams at work

Thespo, the city-based youth theatre platform, has an interesting workshop lined up with acting coach Shaun Williams. The session, On the Job, will acquaint actors with difficult situations at work, and also share tips on navigating them. "Even if you attend the best MBA college, it won't prepare you for the challenges that you face on the job. As an actor, I will share my own experiences to speak about realistic situations that actors face at shoots that often our drama training doesn't prepare us for," Williams told this diarist.

He added how acting isn't merely about the script, emotions or body language. "Whether it is doing takes in quick succession at a shoot, crunching three reactions in microseconds, dealing with angry directors, preparing an invoice or even presenting yourself at auditions, we will cover the lesser-discussed aspects of the acting business at this session."

There's no place like home

Last year in March, inspired by Rakesh Tiwari's Sau Hazaar Likhne Wale (A Hundred Thousand Writers Can), Kommune launched an initiative to create an anthem to bring 100 poets together to create one poem on the theme, My Right To Write. Needless to say, it turned out to be a raging success. This year, in a bid to rekindle the festive spirit during these pandemic-hit times, the platform has decided to celebrate Diwali with its 'Kommuneity' by amplifying their voices and stories. They called for entries from wordsmiths to share a line on their idea of home. The entries closed yesterday and will now be assessed by the jury and then be crafted masterfully by Osho Jain to compose Kommune's first-ever song, to drop on November 11.

"When we were hashing entries out, we expected about 150 entries in two weeks. But we received 200-plus entries in less than a day. When you draw this kind of love from the Kommuneity, the efforts we put in a short time seem to be worth it. With the voices of our Kommuneity coming together in this song, we want to make people truly feel the spirit of Diwali, even from their homes," founder Roshan Abbas shared with this diarist.

Scaling heights

Mountaineer Nimsdai Purja

Beyond Possible: One Soldier, Fourteen Peaks — My Life In The Death Zone (Hachette India), Nimsdai Purja's debut book, traces his record-breaking conquest of scaling 14 of the world's 8,000 m peaks in seven months. "I became a badass in the mountains. I wanted to do what nobody thought was possible. I knew that to quit on the mountain was to die. Fear became irrelevant because I had belief. In the death zone, I came alive. This is what happens when ambition meets limitless imagination," the author shared.

For the love of musicals

A still from the Aladdin musical

Helen O'Grady International, the globally renowned after-school developmental drama programme, is bringing the joy of classic musicals to children this Diwali. An eight-day speech and drama camp to commence today will help little ones unleash their talents and perform classics like The Jungle Book, Aladdin and the Ramayana. "What can be a better way to learn than to enjoy, assimilate, create and imagine the entire process and bring a scintillating performance to life in a short time? Students will perform a Broadway-style musical and learn life skills through developmental drama techniques," Arpita Mittal, CEO of its India chapter shared.

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