The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Mind it
Kangana Ranaut seems to be reprimanding someone on her way out of producer Kamal Jain's office on Friday. Pic/Sameer Markande
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Blue on your screen
Even though Netflix's chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, was in Mumbai last month to attend the Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI), it was in Singapore that the streaming website disclosed their plans for India. This included one series and eight films in the pipeline, among which one, Cobalt Blue, is the adaptation of the eponymous book by celebrated writer Sachin Kundalkar. This is not all, Kundalkar will be writing and directing the film, too. The story navigates the lives of a quintessential Maharashtrian family that is faced with a unique problem. In it, a woman and her brother are in love with the same man.
Ruttonsee Muljee Jetha Fountain
Three cheers for India's heritage
There was much to India's heritage movement as three of the 16 awards emerged from the country at this year's UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
LAMO centre
The LAMO Center in Ladakh, Leh won the prestigious Award of Distinction while city landmarks - Rajabai Clock Tower and University of Mumbai Library Building and the Ruttonsee Muljee Jetha Fountain - won in the Honourable Mention category. The jury met in August in Penang to finalise the winners from 41 entries submitted by eight countries.
Vikas Dilawari whose project, the Mulji Jetha Fountain won, felt that the site impressed the jury as it was a success story not just for its architectural restoration but also for its water engineering.
Rajabai Clock Tower
Mumbai-based researcher Dr Monisha Ahmed who is one of the founders of LAMO, and its current executive director felt that the award that recognised the restoration of the Center, was a godsend, "Hopefully, it will draw attention to the Old Town of Leh, one of the last surviving historic towns in the Himalayas, where the listing of heritage buildings and structures is urgently needed. Heritage laws need to be drawn up with legislations involving both policy planners and stakeholders," she said.
Vikas Dilawari whose project, the Mulji Jetha Fountain won, felt that the site impressed the jury as it was a success story not just for its architectural restoration but also for its water engineering.
Dr Monisha Ahmed
"The fountain will go a long way in transforming and gentrifying the area," Dilawari felt. The third city connect was Brinda Somaya (Somaya & Kalappa Consultants) whose work for the Bombay Gothic spectacle, was ecstatic. Speaking from New York, she told this diarist that close on the heels of the UNESCO WHS tag, this recognition tells the story of how a city is aware and concerned about preservation. "It is a collective effort and everyone should take credit for it, from heritage champions to the government," Somaya summed up.
In tune with mental health
It's that time of the year when open air music fests become a common feature on the city's cultural calendar. While the big-ticket gigs almost always are commercial in nature, an upcoming concert, scheduled for this weekend at a BKC venue is looking at opening up conversations around mental health, the stigma attached to it and the need for seeking help. This is step two of the #SunoDekhoKaho campign launched on World Mental Health Day last month. It will feature artistes Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani, Shalmali Kholgade, Amaal Mallik and Armaan Malik. "Today, mental health is a serious concern in our society. It is important to spread the word and be more sensitive to the issue. We need to pledge to be more mindful - and to suno, dekho, and kaho to alleviate this stigma," Ravjiani told this diarist. We sure like the sound of this movement.
Diwali for all
Perhaps the most touching thing about Indian festivals is how it brings all communities together. Be it Christmas, Durga Puja, or Ganpati, Mumbai readies like a queen for all.
Pic/Bipin Kokate
And this Diwali, our faith in the ability of a festival, steeped more in culture than religion, stood reinstated as we saw a hoarding outside St Micheal's Church in Mahim with a festive message. "Let your light shine silently. Happy Diwali," it read.
The Doongerwadi dilemma
While the final verdict on Wadiaji and Anjuman Atash Behram Vs MMRCL is still awaited, messages have been floating on Whatsapp, raising concerns about another tunnel, this time part of the Coastal Road project. Drawing a parallel with the ongoing case, the message states that the Coastal Road tunnel is set to go under Doongerwadi or the Tower of Silence (in pic). The message appeals to the Bombay Parsi Punchayet trustees to raise an objection before construction work begins. While civic chief Ajoy Mehta was unavailable for comment, a senior civic official told this diarist that while the tunnel will go beneath a portion of Hanging Gardens at Malabar Hill, it is nowhere near the Tower of Silence, the resting place of the Parsis. BPP Chairman Yezdi Desai said that he believes that the tunnel won't be constructed under the Doongerwadi while co-trustee Kersi Randeria said he wasn't aware of the news circulating on Whatsapp groups.
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