Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Sleep. sell. repeat

A vegetable vendor takes a nap at his stall in the marketplace at Santacruz West on Tuesday. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Live and streaming now

Indie music lovers, it's time to raise a toast. UK-based live streaming platform DICE is now in India to bring you the best local and global art and culture live streams. Artiste Anushka Manchanda who goes by the stage name Nuka will also be performing live on the platform. She shared that this move will open the doors to opportunity for independent and multidisciplinary artistes, "You may have heard many say that live streams are a temporary replacement to live shows. But one fails to realise that the virtual world of performance is not an alternative, but an addition of infinite possibilities for the artiste and fan connection." Manchanda was happy that it will help artistes reach global audiences and create performances without generic format restrictions.

A new innings

A man who dedicated the largest part of his life to cricket has now decided to find a new calling — selling fish. Amol Rane, a former cricketer, who was a wicket-keeper for Mumbai's Ranji trophy team in 2000, laments about the change that a shoulder injury caused. "My life was no longer the same. Abandoned by cricket circles and unemployed, I gambled, drove an autorickshaw and did menial jobs to sustain my family," he revealed. But this is a new beginning. Rane's talented wife is also running a Konkani kitchen to bring the best coastal flavours to your doorstep. Show them some encouragement. To place an order, call 9821599625.

Scaling great heights

For decades, author Stephen Alter has been known for his in-depth, engaging written works on the mighty Himalayas, with his books bearing testimony to this fascination with the mountain range. Most recently, his book Wild Himalaya (Aleph Book Company) was conferred with the prestigious Mountain Environment and Natural History Award at the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival 2020. The extensively researched title that covers every aspect, from its origins to its flora and fauna, is a keeper for any nature or India buff, for that matter. "It's a huge honour to receive this award. It validates all of the hours of research, travel and writing that went into this book. But more than anything the award recognises the wonderful diversity of the Himalayan range, their awesome beauty, and the infinite range of stories these mountains contain," shared Alter. The mountaineer is incidentally late actor Tom Alter's cousin.

Hail the power of the podcast

To celebrate the difference that excellent audio content can make, global experts and popular content creators from India will gather virtually at the Spotify Podcasters Day, tomorrow. They will share their podcasting experiences through fireside chats and masterclasses. The speakers include experts like Cyrus Broacha, Mae Thomas, Mantra Mugdh and Roshan Abbas, among others. This diarist caught up with Abbas who shared, "I've always believed podcasting is the next stage of evolution in audio. I'll be talking about the power of voice, the perfect pitch, and how to use Anchor as a tool to self-produce content and also do a live demo to show how easy it is. The fear of technology keeps many away, and so creating a podcast on the spot will empower the attendees." It's as if you are preparing to navigate the seas, he shares. It's always good to have someone who can show you a map of the ocean before you set sail, no?

Roll with the times

Cirrus, an offbeat location in Goa, fosters alternative living for people from across the world. Eight years ago, a group of German visitors had built a skate park there, which owner Ignatius Camilo used as tool to wean local underprivileged children away from a world of crime. But the ravages of time meant that the park is no longer suitable for skating, and Camilo has started a crowdfunding exercise to rebuild it, for which popular foodies Rocky and Mayur of TV series Highway on My Plate lent their support. "We decided to make the park bigger and also build a roof since it gets flooded during the monsoons," Camilo shared. Log on to milaap.org/fundraisers/support-vinyl-ambulance to contribute.

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