The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce.
Pic/Atul Kamble
Have a peasant day
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A man walks past a mural of Indian rural life in Kurla, fitting perfectly against the backdrop. Pic/Atul Kamble
In memoriam
July 20 marked the 82nd birth anniversary of legendary writer and poet, Dom Moraes. We reached out to Sahitya Akademi award-winning author Jerry Pinto to recall his memories of the legend, and he said, "The first time I met Dom was when he broke his poetic silence after 17 years with Serendip. In an interview, I said, 'Mr Moraes, the poems seem to be about sex and death.' He paused for a moment before saying, 'Is there anything else to write about?'
It was a rocky start. Dom was one of the journalists I knew who earned a living by freelance writing, famously typing with one finger. He had a difficult relationship with the city. Yet he made the best of his life here. Dom, Aubrey Menen and Adil Jussawalla are some of our greatest prose stylists ever." Pinto shared another, more recent recollection when Ravi Singh of Speaking Tiger Books had invited him to write an introduction to Moraes's Gone Away. "Usually, an odd combination of a travelogue and memoir tends to drag. Yet, you never get that feeling in Gone Away. The book is elegant and crunchy."
Award declined
The Shakti Bhatt Prize is an independent award that is given to exemplary writers from the Subcontinent for their contribution to the region's literature. It was to be shared this year between Dr Anand Teltumbde, Gautam Navlakha and Varavara Rao.
But in a surprise move, Rao, the imprisoned activist in the Bhima Koregaon case, who's now battling the Coronavirus in a city hospital, has declined to accept an award, citing that he didn't want any from 'the establishment'. The move left writer-organiser Jeet Thayil 'incredulous' since his team had never been called that before. Yet, he added that he admired Rao's decision. Thayil told this diarist, "We wished to honour Varavara Rao because he gave up everything — family, career, his health — for the sake of his conscience. He was right all along."
No room for contact
Customers dine at Ishaara in High Street Phoenix, before the lockdown began
The restaurant industry is taking its initial steps towards recovery, and contactless delivery seems to be the way forward in the immediate future. Five-stars and premium restaurants have already started doing it, and now Phoenix Mills will also take the same route when malls reopen.
Customers interested in dining at the restaurants there can reserve a table, pre-order their meal and place a second round of orders via a digital menu to reduce their waiting period. This applies to both High Street Phoenix in Lower Parel and Phoenix Marketcity in Kurla, where there are over 100 dining options. "Contactless dining is not only convenient in general, but also necessary in the present situation. It augments the other precautionary measures we are taking at our malls, to guard against COVID-19," said Rajendra Kalkar, president (west) of the company.
Rebel with a song
Hip-hop continues to rule the roost in the Indian independent music circuit, and a new competition is aimed at uncovering further talent in the sphere. It's called Rebelution, and interested folk can choose from a sample of loops provided, and then add layers of beats and counter-melodies to it.
Veteran producer Sez on the Beat, one of the judges, told this diarist, "[The participants will be judged on] how well they use the sample in the first place; the vibe of the beat; the quality of the beat in terms of sound selection and processing; and lastly, though this is optional, how easy that beat is for a rapper to ride." Log on to @Rebelution-2020 on Instagram to start spinning your tunes.
Ciao, Mario: Goa loses some sunshine
This diarist remembers paying a visit to Goa's iconic eatery, Ciao Bella, at the behest of his better half during a holiday there last year. The place exuded classy warmth even from the outside, upon arrival. But it was the sort of welcome that partner-manager Mario Notari gave us upon entering that truly spoke of the sense of hospitality that the restaurant imbibes.
Over the years, the Italian had become a familiar fixture there, with tourists from across the world carrying back the tales he told them, including this diarist. But he passed away earlier this week, losing a short battle with cancer. Goa-based chef Nikhita Patel reminisces, "The thing about Mario was that he made all the customers feel as if they had come to his home. He would also personally walk over to every table and narrate stories about the dishes, which I haven't seen in any restaurant elsewhere in the state." The man will be missed.
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