The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce.
Pic/Sameer Markande
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A seller walks past a stunning mural for COVID-19 awareness in Vashi on Monday. Pic/Sameer Markande
Putting up a show for equality
Last Sunday was observed as the International Day of the Girl Child. Although the road to achieving gender equality may be a long one, recognising the event is one step to achieving that goal. And tomorrow, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and social impact organisation Population First (PF) will organise a webinar that will be live streamed on Facebook.
The agenda is both informative and entertaining; there's a talk by Yasmin Ali Haque, UNFPA representative, Nishtha Satyam, UN Women representative and theatre activist Manjul Bhardwaj, as well as performances by poet Ramya Pandyan, Kathak dancer Arpana Rao, and comedian Preeti Das (in pic). In addition, Bhardwaj and his team from the Theatre of Relevance(TOR), will present a play. "The more we normalise these conversations, the better would be our power to bring about change," Dr AL Sharada, director, PF, shared. Good move, we think.
Jewels with a story
With a catalogue of 117 lots comprising vintage and limited-edition collectibles, auction house AstaGuru will be returning with an online auction next week. On offer are pieces with coveted gemstones — necklaces with basra pearls, for instance, that are mainly found in Bahrain. Since the oil exploration of the 1920s, the natural formation of these pearls were hampered, and thus the sets on auction are very valuable. While some pieces were commissioned by Indian royals, some are considered to be national art treasures. "These auctions give us the opportunity to showcase the untapped potential in the vintage jewellery and silver segment in the Indian market," said Jay Sagar, specialist, AstaGuru.
Kid lit makes a splash
Samhita Arni and Venita Coelho
The Neev Book Awards 2020 were recently announced and we were happy to note that The Mountains of Mumbai — which brings to life the story of how Doma from Ladakh discovers hills in the coastal city — written by Labanya Ghosh and illustrated by Pallavi Jain, has won in the picture books category. Beating 126 nominations, All of Me, by Venita Coelho, scored in the junior readers category, while the award for the emerging readers segment went to Srinivasa Ramanujan: Friend of Numbers written by Priya Narayanan and illustrated by Satwik Gade, and for the young adults segment, went to Samhita Arni's The Prince.
Bond with the best
Pic/Facebook
At 80-plus, Ruskin Bond must arguably be one of India's busiest writers, especially if we are to go by the rate at which the octogenarian, whose writing career has spanned over 70 years, has been releasing one book after another from the hills. Hot off the press is How to be a Writer (HarperCollins India). The new book is filled with practical nuggets of information that the writer has shared from over seven decades of being in the profession. "I hope this little book will help aspiring young writers. I know there are hundreds of gifted kids eager to express themselves in good writing," he shared about his recent title. The book, written in his inimitable, understated style, laced with humour and Bond-esque wit, has illustrations by Shamika Chaves, a Mumbai-based illustrator and graphic designer.
Who's ready for lavani?
Theatre company Kali Billi Productions has introduced the city to lavani in a unique way through their production Sangeet Bari. And while we don't know when we'll catch a live performance next, the company is launching an online workshop series this Sunday where attendees get to learn mujra and khadi lavani from artiste Akanksha Kadam (in pic). About the move to the virtual world, Bhushan Korgaonkar told this diarist, "It has been a very challenging time for lavani dancers who are surviving solely on their savings. We are trying this for the first time with the hope that it clicks." Check their Facebook page for details.
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