The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Anurag Ahire
Face off With the Crustacean
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A boy closely observes a crab on his friend’s palm at Aksa beach, Malad
The karwaan comes to Mumbai
A Karwaan baithak in session
This diarist has followed the journey of the Delhi-based heritage exploration initiative, Karwaan Heritage, and was delighted to learn of their interest in moving to Mumbai. Founder Eshan Sharma (standing in pic) confirmed that they were looking at venue collaborators to bring their baithaks to Mumbai. “We want to create an inclusive space to talk about history and heritage, as Romila Thapar calls them — kotuhalashalas — a space for an exchange of ideas.” The move was prompted by the growing interest in their talks among Mumbai residents, Sharma shared, adding that they hope it will come to fruition in the second half of the year. “We are starting with Mumbai, but also hope to expand to other cities later,” he revealed.
Also Read: Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier
UK nod for Tilawa
The ship. Pic Courtesy/SStilawa1942
On November 20, 1942, the British ship SS Tilawa departed from Ballard Pier, with passengers (primarily Indian) and a crew. The ship was torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese Imperial Army on November 23. While 678 people were rescued, 280 perished. For the first time, the United Kingdom is set to commemorate the tragedy at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London on November 23, its 81st anniversary. Emile Solanki — great grandson of Nichhabhai Chibabhai Solanki, one of the deceased — who has been documenting the tragedy on tilawa1942.com, shared, “There are hundreds of Indian and British families affected by the tragedy. UK PM Rishi Sunak’s office wrote a letter to us. This is significant since it is a story of the Indian people and preservation of maritime history. I’ve also written to the Prime Ministers of India and Japan.”
Silence of the jazz
Braz Gonsalves, Karl Peters, Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pistorius and Gopal during the Prague Jazz festival
Jazz fans across the world mourned the passing of saxophonist Wayne Shorter earlier this week. The 12-time Grammy award winner was one of the greatest jazz composers of the century. His Mumbai connection extends deeper through the city’s resident maestro Louiz Banks. Having met Shorter during the Prague Jazz festival in the 1970s, Banks shared, “Wayne was one of the greatest saxophonists and composers. After John Coltrane, Shorter was undoubtedly the cutting-edge saxophonist in jazz. His searing solos with the Weather Report Band will go down in history.”
Shorter in conversation with Adil Manuel in 2007
While Banks was a peer, guitarist and composer Adil Manuel was a fan. It was during the latter’s India visit alongside another legend, Herbie Hancock, that Manuel met him. “They were conducting a workshop at the Ravi Shankar Institute in Delhi, and we just had to be there,” he recalled. Describing Shorter as a kind, ‘Yoda-esque’ figure, Manuel said, “I remember, we spoke of his approach to music and life. He was humble and careful in speech, and worldly wise in what he shared.”
All hail Jordan
Michael Jordan at a game. Pic Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons
The Sneakerheads of Mumbai and High On Kicks are hosting Michael Jordan Day to celebrate the American NBA champion today. Member Prashant Hublikar shared that the year coincides with his iconic jersey number 23 for Chicago Bulls. “Many Jordan followers consider it to be lucky. The evening will have sneakerheads dressed in jerseys at the event hosted by Mihir Joshi,” he said. There will also be a workshop by sneaker artist Chaitanya Dixit, and Air Jordans on display alongside other fashion brand pop-ups and live acts. Head to @sneakerheadsofmumbai to get your kicks.
Women leaders to the front
A session between mentors and mentees at Cohort 1 held in 2022
Girl boss power is all the rage, and Indian entrepreneurs know it. Anand Vemuri, CEO, 91 Springboard, has put out a call for women entrepreneurs in the country to participate in their Level Up programme with Google for Startups (GfS). “Twelve months ago, we started this conversation around a focused programme for women.” The second Cohort, he shared, will offer female entrepreneurs more opportunities to connect with their peers and to dig deep into fundraising and along with one-on-one mentorship sessions. Nicole Yap, partnership Manager, GfS, told us, “We are confident to be able to continue this programme to provide that support to another batch of women founders.” Interested applicants can check out @91springboard for details.
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