The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Swara Bhasker
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That's what Swara Bhasker seems to telling this cute pachyderm that stands as the mascot of a Lower Parel cinema hall, where she attended a discussion on Friday. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
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The best ever Mumbai food
Ten years ago, a US resident set out on a hunt for the best food the world had to offer, and recorded his journey on YouTube. Today, Sonny Side, as he likes to call himself, has made Vietnam his home, and his Best Ever Food Review Show has over 1.6 million subscribers. India happens to be one of his favourite culinary destinations, and Sonny is in town to kick-off his first 11-day road trip in the country.
Sonny Side (right) shoots for his online show at a dabeli stall in Andheri on Friday. Pic/Datta Kumbhar
"We wanted to start somewhere with a vibrant food culture like Mumbai and then continue south. On my last two visits, I had mostly covered northern India, and I know that the food identity in the south is quite different," he told this diarist, speaking about the itinerary, which includes stops in Pune, Goa, Bengaluru and finally, Chennai. In Mumbai, he started the shoot last morning at a "Ninja dabeli" stall in Andheri, known for the lightning speed at which the owner puts together the Gujarati snack.
"We're actually shooting for our $100 street food challenge, where we see if we can spend that much on street food in a day. This might be impossible in India, and that's the point. We want to show how all these varieties can be so cheap," he said. Sonny counts pani puri among his favourite desi dishes. "It is one of the most unique dishes I have ever had. It is super fresh, meant to be had right there, and tastes just perfect!"
Freedom of expression
Ahead of his performance in the city today, this diarist caught up with Carnatic singer TM Krishna and the topic of his recent concert in Delhi, which was called off due to threats by right-wing groups and subsequently organised by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, came up. "Recently Ms Nayantara Sahgal also faced a similar situation. So, this is not just about me...
Some, like Gauri Lankesh and MM Kalburgi, have lost their lives because they expressed themselves. If we still do not recognise that there is a drastic shift in the nature of our being, that violence is being normalised, we will be allowing this country to drift into darkness," he said, adding, "At the same time, the support I received in Delhi and from all over India has reassured me that the majority of this country will not allow this to happen. This is the strength of our democracy, our constitutional spirit."
About to drop
This diarist happened to be at a sangeet ceremony earlier this week where he truly grasped the sort of impact that Ritviz has had on the country's music scene. The DJ was playing a bunch of Bollywood tunes when, all of a sudden, he switched to Udd Gaye, the Hindi dance music producer's breakthrough hit from 2017.
And the dance floor went wild. Mind you, this was in Kolkata. So, it's safe to assume that Ritviz now enjoys pan-India appeal. And the good news for his fans is that the DJ is about to release a new track called Ved, for which he has collaborated with DIVINE. We got to listen to it ahead of the launch and can confirm that it's a bazz-heavy tune, as is characteristic of the Pune-based artiste.
A royal date with the Gateway
The Gateway of India is arguably the city's most iconic landmark, and yet each time an interesting nugget falls into our lap about the monument, its place in the city's history books makes us relook at it with immense pride. So recently, while chatting up with a fellow history buff, this diarist learnt that the month of January has a special connect with the Gateway. It's common knowledge that a pavilion and hall of white Plaster of Paris was the temporary gateway constructed at Apollo Bunder to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to attend the Delhi Durbar in 1911.
However, few are aware that it was immediately after the royal couple had left Bombay's shores from the temporary structure on January 10, 1912 that city governor Lord Sydenham initiated a scheme to commence work on a permanent structure. The reclaimed frontage to the north of the Taj Mahal Hotel was identified to be the space for the stone-landing site. The inaugural stone was laid in 1913, and work began to level the promenade around the seafronting plaza. The impressive archway designed by George Wittet was finally complete in 1927. In fact, Wittet had proposed a grand avenue beside the landmark that was never implemented.
15 years young
In 2004, Arpita Das started Yoda Press out of her home with her friend Parul Nayar. Since then, the indie publishing house has brought out titles that have encouraged conversation on gender, sexuality and popular culture.
They even launched the first LGBTQ imprint in India. And Das posted on Twitter yesterday that Yoda Press turned 15. "It's not been an easy journey, but we have come a long way and loved every jousting minute of it," she wrote. And we can only say, may the force be with you.
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