The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Anurag Ahire
Birds of a feather feast together
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Sparrows tuck into corn in the absence of the shop owner at Juhu Chowpatty
Old Woman’s Shoe 2.0
Omkar Patil’s digital illustration featuring the Old Woman’s Shoe in Kamala Nehru Park
Artist Omkar Patil’s trips around the city had us hooked to how he is reimagining Mumbai with his art. His latest creation is a tribute to a quaint old structure. “I have started this series where I travel across Mumbai and look at spots that I think are interesting for my work. Last Sunday, I was cycling at Kamala Nehru Park when I spotted the Old Woman’s Shoe. Mumbaikars have been familiar with this structure for a long time. It was a part of our childhood memories, and there is a certain fascination to it as well. So I thought it would be a good idea to do something around it,” Patil told this diarist.
The digital illustration imagines an old lady slipping her feet into the iconic boot house. But with a fun twist. “I have tried to give a certain sort of ‘Mumbai’ character to the old woman in my art. She is wearing a nauvari saree and traditional jewellery, and has those tattoos that our Maharashtrian grandmothers usually have. She is also sporting antique spectacles,” he revealed. The structure is an old landmark at the famous park in Malabar Hill, and has long been a part of public imagination. “There is an emotional connection that people have to Old Woman’s Shoe. I have tried to lend a certain mystery as well to who people think she is. This is the way I visualised her, but my work is open for interpretation,” Patil added.
A labour of two decades
Jim Sarbh in a still from the film. Pic courtesy/Rahul Da Cunha
For theatremaker, filmmaker, and a columnist with this newspaper’s Sunday edition, Rahul daCunha, the upcoming International Film Festival of Goa (IFFI) will mark the world premiere of his film, Pune Highway, co-directed with Bugs Bhargava Krishna.
Adapted from his eponymous play, the project, featuring Amit Sadh, Jim Sarbh and Anuvab Pal, has been 20 years in the making. “I am old-school, in that there is nothing more prestigious than opening your film at a film festival. Bugs has been talking me into it [making the film] for 20 years. But it just so happened that the penny finally dropped now,” daCunha told this diarist.
For the Pathare Prabhus
The festival will have a special focus on Pathare Prabhu cuisine
After a long hiatus of 86 years, the Pathare Prabhu festival, last held in 1938, has returned with a four-day celebration in Lonavla, which continues till Sunday. From pictorial exhibitions to traditional cuisine, the festival has a host of activities planned to celebrate the culture of the community. When this diarist broached the subject of its return, Suman Vijaykar (inset), a member of the core organising committee said, “This revival stems from a renewed sense of pride and responsibility to preserve and share our legacy. The festival is a vibrant celebration of our community’s rich heritage. With growing interest in cultural heritage, we felt this was the right time to reconnect with our roots and present them to the wider audience. While this festival is currently a standalone event, our goal is to make this an annual tradition, fostering ongoing cultural engagement.”
Salute the legacy of the Bird Man of India
Asif Khan explains bird migration and its types to the audience
November 12 marked the 128th birth anniversary of Dr Salim Ali, fondly known as The Birdman of India. The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) celebrated with a lecture at Sanjay Gandhi National Park Borivli conducted by Asif Khan, associate officer, programmes department. The lecture focused on bird migration patterns and the pioneering roles of both BNHS and Dr Ali in migration studies.
“I explained the topic of bird banding done to study migration, as well as the types of techniques of bird banding and passive and active types of migration studies,” recalled Khan, Hornbill House paid a heartfelt tribute to the Father of Indian Ornithology “The session discussed BNHS’s journey, Dr Ali’s legacy, and stories from his life, including his pioneering study on the baya weaver’s nesting behaviour, and concluded with a display of fascinating natural history specimens,” said Rahul Khot, deputy director.
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