Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

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

The big alliance

Sumo wrestlers from Japan demonstrate their skill at the Gateway of India on Friday. The event was held by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation to celebrate a decade of relations between Maharashtra and Wakayama Prefecture of Japan. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde signed the MoU with the Governor of Wakayama, Kishimoto Shuhei, who said he hopes that the two states strengthen their ties in sports too.

Hey spectators, would you like this at cricket grounds?

The opening page of the souvenir programme made available to fans at Brabourne Stadium during the India v Australia Test in October 1964

Across the forthcoming four-match India v Australia Test series  played for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, there will be only talk of red-ball cricket and aren’t the purists delighted. Meanwhile, our in-house cricket nut informs us that in another era, spectators would be at the cricket armed with transistors and a reasonably-priced scorecard, sold to them before they reached their seats. The opening day would have a blank scorecard obviously, but come next day and the spectator could avail of an updated one with the previous day’s details. Our man pulled out one such scorecard originally belonging to a fan who was at the Brabourne Stadium to watch Day Two (October 11) of the 1964-65 India v Australia Test. To say this four-page 58-year-old publication is a treasure would be an understatement. And there’s some reason to believe that cricket fans would be delighted to add similar embellishments for their cricket following.

Also Read: Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Different version, but the same feeling

Mumbai-bred, LA-based musician Natania Lalwani is the woman behind the lyrics of the English version of Sun Maahi by singer-songwriter Arman Malik and his composer-brother Amaan Mallik. The original song in Hindi was released in November last year and it was only on Christmas day when Armaan and Lalwani got together to write the English version of the song within an hour. “I wanted to give the song a same feeling in English that it had in Hindi,” says Lalwani. Even though the song is not a literal translation, Lalwani ensured she got the emotions right because she loved the Hindi song when she heard it. “We wanted to capture the feeling of being in love, the feeling that the person is there for you and the feeling of being so shocked by how great somebody is,” she says. Apart from the English version, Sun Maahi, The EP, also has an instrumental and a lo-fi mix.

When dessert pro turns to mixology

Pastry chef and founder of Le 15 Pooja Dhingra, who is widely known for her macarons and other delicious desserts, is playing cocktail guru to mark Valentine’s week. From February 8 to 14, one can witness Dhingra sharing her love stories through a series of special cocktails, aptly named The Situationship, The Galentine, The Mistake, The Eternal Crush, The Comfort Zone, etc. Is this a talent she always possessed? “I don’t often make the drinks, I am normally used to experimenting in the kitchen, but I am excited to explore the other side of things,” she told mid-day. The names, said Dhingra, were a collaborative effort between her and the team at Woodside Inn where these drinks would be made available. “The idea was to do something fun and personal, but still relatable,” she says, promising that these experimental cocktails have an element of her famed brand and will hit the right spot. “From fruity notes to chocolatey ones, we’ve got something for every mood,” she adds. Whether this mixology debut hits the high notes, we’ll have to see.

From Gujarati verse to art

Hiral Bhagat

Gujarati artist Hiral Bhagat, who honed her calligraphy skills while she was in Mumbai, is returning to the city for her debut show at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. Her artworks, titled Callikavya, will be displayed outside Goethe Institute. Her work draws inspiration from Gujarati poets Ramesh Parekh, Snehrashmi and Niranjan Bhagat among others, whose verse find its way into her calligraphy. The attempt, she says, is to redefine calligraphy from a static decorative form of art into a versatile and abstract visual imbibed with cultural and existential reference. “This extensive repertoire illustrates how typographically composed texts from poetry are transformed through design,” Bhagat shares, adding, “I believe there is no movement of civilisation without writing, no culture without art. 
Script and writing will continue to enjoy a future—in fact, they are the future.”

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