Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Framing history

On Ambedkar Jayanti, a police officer clicks a picture of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar’s photograph at the gallery installed at Chaityabhoomi

Fountain sprouts near Century

Nightview of the colourful fountain at Century Bazaar

Those who have salt ‘n’ pepper hair, with the salt slowly overtaking that pepper, will remember Century Bazaar at Worli, which was visited with much excitement in the pre-mall era. The Bazaar has totally changed now, but there is still another reason to visit the spot. A light fountain was inaugurated with enthusiasm late Thursday evening. The fountain — a BMC initiative with its dazzling, changing lights — was opened at the Century Bazaar traffic island. It stands at the cusp of Worli and Prabhadevi, on an intensely busy crossroads leading from Prabhadevi to South Mumbai. This fountain is 15-feet high and has LED lights, BMC representatives at the launch informed this diarist. The lights will be switched on daily once darkness falls. There is a similar light fountain at Worli Sea Face, beside the colourful fisherman installation, which is shorter at eight feet. Selfie-seekers running towards those lights changing colours should keep a sharp eye out for traffic. That caution is warranted. We are not making a mountain (or should that read fountain?) out of a molehill.

So long, Uttara Baokar

Uttara Baokar. Pic courtesy/YouTube

The passing of cinema and stage icon Uttara Baokar has saddened many. She had the mastery of theatre art and expressed herself through memorable performances that remain as a benchmark till date. Right from her work as Desdemona in the adaptation of Othello to her impactful performance in Girish Karnad’s Tughlaq, Baokar’s acting was celebrated by the industry.

“I had heard a lot about her. Much of her theatre work was in Delhi; hence, I did not get the chance to watch her perform. But I did once critique her film, for which I went to the sets. I got a sense of her acting talent from just a glimpse of her scene,” author, journalist and theatre critic Shanta Gokhale (inset, below) shared with this diarist. Reminiscing about the legendary actor, theatre producer Bhushan Korgaonkar (inset, above) revealed, “She had a rare quality of looking like the character she played.”

Also read: Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Hailing the dance legend

To honour the legacy of Dr Kanak Rele, the upcoming fourth edition of NCPA’s Mudra dance festival will be celebrating her body of work with a panel discussion — Kanak Smriti. “There will be a book reading by Dr Rele’s granddaughter Vaidehi Rele, which Dr Rele had envisioned to do for her own session at the festival. She had a five-decade-long association with this festival,” shared Swapnokalpa Dasgupta, head of dance programming. Dasgupta revealed that Dr Rele wanted to talk about her struggles of being a Gujarati who practised Kathakali, an art form from Kerala.

Icing on the cake for Guneet Monga

Congratulating Guneet Monga (inset) on her historic Oscar win, Juhu-based dessertier, Manish Khanna recently presented her with a three-tier cake that depicted her journey from producing The Elephant Whisperers to winning the coveted prize. “It had been exactly one month since the Oscars. The uneven surface depicts their difficult journey. Delighted to see the details, Monga humbly brought out the trophy and placed it beside the cake,” Khanna recalled.

California dreamin’

Avishek Dey. Pic courtesy/Instagram

One of the largest music festivals in the world will carry an Indian mark this year. Opening yesterday, Coachella has a line-up that includes Raveena Aurora, Jai Paul and Diljit Dosanjh. While Dosanjh will take the plaudits on a proud moment for Indian music, it will also have a Mumbai connection. On stage with Dosanjh will be bassist Avishek Dey who hails from the city. While no stranger to California, Dey responded that it was a big moment for Indian musicians. “I am gearing up for Coachella alongside Dosanjh’s band, and looking forward to killing it at the concert. I also hope to catch up with the stellar line-up performing alongside at the fest,” he told this diarist. While the preparation is going great, Dey admitted the weather is a sharp contrast. “Even though I have been in California multiple times, this time I am experiencing gloomy LA with chilly weather. It feels great,” he said. Wish we could say the same for Mumbai.

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