The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Satej Shinde
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A flock of parrots perch on a light tower near the railway yard in Kalyan
It’s layered
Integration_228 by Ayesha Taleyarkhan
City-based photo-artist Ayesha Taleyarkhan recently released her series, Integration — a deep-dive into the spirit of festivities during this time of the year. The artist’s curious exploration of gods and goddesses such as Lakshmi, Saraswati and Ganesha or celebratory episodes like Dussehra and Ramlila bear the characteristic impression of an optical illusion. She noted, “The effect that’s evident in my art is achieved by blending multiple images. The series is called Integration, as opposed to division, as it embodies the unifying nature of divinity — something that’s different for different individuals.”
It’s time to be scared stiff
An illustration from Playthings by artist Rishabh Goswami. PIC COURTESY/PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE INDIA
Halloween is just round the corner and lovers of horror fiction might — like this diarist — want to read scary tales for the seasonal taste of grisly feels. Tapping into the sentiment, author Neil D’Silva is ready with his new children’s title, Playthings — toys of terror. About the evergreen charm of shock and fear, the writer shared with this diarist, “Reading spooky stories is like an adventure into the unknown. We are all trying to get something that sends a chill up our spine because it’s unexplained and bizarre.” His book follows the protagonist, Karun, who is being chased by a toy clown that was thrown away by him several times. Karun seeks the help of The Fearless Four — a paranormal investigative agency. “As a child, I binged on teen detective series such as The Famous Five, Three Investigators and Hardy Boys. The idea of a group of youngsters joining hands and solving mysteries by finding one clue after the other was such fun. I wrote a book where kids solve mysteries that can’t be rationally explained,” he shared. The title will be released in Mumbai today.
Mumbai’s melting pot of stories
Do narratives that reflect the sights and sounds of a city you deeply love, excite you differently? For city bookworms, a brand new acquisition by Westland Books — tentatively called Mumbai Stories — will be published in 2023. Written by celebrated Kannada author, poet and playwright Jayant Kaikini, who has also won the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award, the book will have a connection with the metropolis in some way or the other. “This book has won many prestigious prizes. Kaikini is an acclaimed writer. The stories that have been chosen and brought together in this volume are about people’s lives in Mumbai. Every story doesn’t unfold in the city but it’s linked to it, nonetheless. Currently, the collection is being translated into English by Tejaswini Niranjana,” shared Karthika VK (left), publisher of the book. The title includes tales about a trapeze artist of Diamond Circus, a village boy working as a domestic help in a city family and a chawl resident who sets up a kite business, among other fascinating stories.
Caravan culture
Turkish dips inspired by Bhat’s trip
Historically, trade and conquest facilitated the spread of flavours. Take for instance, the Silk Route. Imagine travel-weary traders from different corners exchanging ingredients, their meals for the journey, or food memories at caravanserais or roadside inns. Cultural facilitator Aparna Bhat (below) is keen to recreate a caravan serai in Khar, at A Journey Along The Silk Route, on November 6. “Participants will learn to make biang biang noodles, which are from Xi’an, China, where the route originates. They’ll eat a meal with dishes from regions along the route — Italy, Iran, Turkey, and parts of Central Asia,” she said. Participants will be encouraged to bring along something that represents stories from their culture, for instance, a photograph or an ingredient. “This will recreate an exchange of ideas that would happen in a caravanserai,” she added.
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