The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Satej Shinde
The mobile age
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A visitor poses for a photo against a partially damaged ancient sculpture at Kanheri Caves in Borivali
In sync with Baul music
Baul artiste Uttara Chousalkar’s (in pic) performance at the National Centre for Performing Arts on July 29 will serve a heavy dose of soulful music. Moner Manush, which means ‘the beloved’ in Bangla, will sketch out Bengal’s rich Baul tradition. “The songs are in Bengali, so radio jockey Annie Arakkal Marwaha will narrate and translate them. Through this show, we will deliver a spiritual message, which, in my opinion, is the need of the hour as everyone has been through challenges during the pandemic,” Chousalkar shared. Baul music has influences of Vaishnavism, Buddhism and Sufism. The Thane-based singer will also sing songs of Lalon Fakir, a celebrated Baul poet from Bangladesh.
Snaking around
A chromolithograph of Bungarus fasciatus. PIC COURTESY/BDL MUSEUM
Dr Bhau Daji Lad City Museum marked World Snake Day (July 16) by highlighting prints of snake studies that are part of their collection. Their rare collection on natural history is already on display. One of the books, The Thanatophidia of India, was illustrated by artists under the supervision of Sir Joseph Fayrer, an English physician with a passion for ophiology. It’s interesting to note that during the 19th century, real snakes were actually on display in the museum. Students interested in learning more about serpentology, can attend an online science session titled Slithering Snakes, that will be conducted by Dr AP Jayaraman on July 21. “We’re attempting to examine snakes from a biological perspective and will discuss how they move so fluidly without legs. It is good to see that researchers are trying to understand snake venom, its neurotoxicity, and anti-venom preparations,” Dr Jayaraman said.
Clicking an Indian moment
Freedom to Gopal MS means basic human rights
While inhabiting a critical time in history, do you — like this diarist — often ponder what freedom means? Spurring the private in a shared sentiment, The Asiatic Society of Mumbai is celebrating India’s 75th year of Independence with two community-driven initiatives. While in one, people are encouraged to send photographs communicating their idea of freedom, in the other, they have to submit photo essays and Reels on unsung freedom fighters. Highlighting the focus on youth in both contests, Shehernaaz Nalwalla, the society’s vice-president, said, “Our social media posts were made keeping the young generation in mind.
A photograph by Aslam Saiyad where Warli kids enjoy the rains
With the photo contest, we want to stress on a more direct form of expression. So, we decided to move away from anything that’s verbose. We have received some 10 submissions, and are still accepting entries till August 10. Participants can focus on the element of choice.” A Unique Chronicling Competition, she added, intends to look into names that were part of the freedom struggle but never made it to our history books: “We felt it would be a great chance for people to peruse their family histories, too.” To know more, interested folks can check @asiaticsocietymumbai.
From an artist to an artist
A picture from the winning book
After putting out their shortlist for the first Mehlli Gobhai Children’s Book Illustrator Award recently, Maharashtra Mitra Mandal Library announced its winner — with virtual drum rolls — over the weekend. Illustrator Rajiv Eipe (inset), who bagged the honour for the book, Chitty – A Dog and Her Forest Farm, shared with this diarist, “It feels wonderful to have your work recognised in a time when more honours are being curated for contributions to Indian kids’ literature. I learnt more about Gobhai, the abstractionist, after reading an article by author Jerry Pinto.”
Eipe added that apart from his love for animals, the setting for the story drew him in. “It unfolds in a forest farm in the Western Ghats. I had the chance to spend a few days there and that helped shape my imagination.” We say kudos.
Literature wins in due time
A title that was once the centre of several debates has now gained global limelight through a new feat. City-born author Salman Rushdie’s (inset) Midnight’s Children went under the hammer over the weekend for a whopping £12 lakh at the second edition of First Editions, Second Thoughts — an auction in support of English PEN. The novel that concentrates on the Partition of India and guides its storyline through magic realism and the nation-as-family allegory, received international interest in the United Kingdom with registrant and bidders from 18 countries. Alongside this title, first editions of Leopoldstadt by Tom Stoppard, Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally and The BFG by Roald Dahl were also sold at the auction.
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