The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
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A girl sips from a water pot on Sion-Chunabhatti Road.
Saluting the true guardians of tribal heritage
Alok Avinash’s photo of the Karma Puja ritual of the Santhals
The winners of the Tribal Heritage of India Photography Contest, which was launched on the World Photography Day (August 19), have been announced. The organisers shared that they had received entries featuring various facets of tribal culture from over 51 different tribes of India, submitted by contestants from over 16 states. These entries were evaluated by an international jury panel of photographers and experts who have worked with indigenous communities in various parts of the world.
Sudipto Das’s photo of a young girl and a cow during the Sohrai festival
They included Akintunde Akinleye from Nigeria, Alex King from Cook Islands and Aman Chotani from India, among others. Alok Avinash from Purulia, West Bengal, won the first prize for his picture of the Karma Puja ritual of the Santhals, while Somenath Mukhopadhyay from Suri, West Bengal, was placed second for his picture of Santhal ladies taking shelter under sal leaves. “The contest is an endeavour of the Tribal Design Forum to create a collaborative platform where rich tribal heritage can be unearthed, documented and shared with audiences in India and around the world. Through meaningful and effective use of photography, we aim to provide more visibility to tribal culture and knowledge systems that often go unseen,” Sudhir John Horo, the forum’s convener, told this diarist.
Red-carpet debut for Haldwani student
Vir Das wears Pradeep Bhatt’s creation, ahead of the award ceremony (right) Pradeep Bhatt
At the recently concluded 49th International Emmy Awards, comedian Vir Das made news not just for his nomination but also his choice of outfit for the red carpet. Eschewing major fashion houses, Das chose to sport an original design by 22-year-old Pradeep Bhatt, a third-year fashion student from Haldwani in Uttarakhand. Speaking about how his creation came to grace the red carpet, Bhatt said, “After Vir Das’s Emmy nomination was announced in September, he had posted on social media asking up-and-coming designers to reach out to him. I never expected a response when I sent him that email. To my surprise, on October 19, his team reached out to me, expressing their appreciation for my design sensibilities and interest in hiring me to design Vir’s look for the awards ceremony. At the time, I decided to sleep on it before going back to the email to make sure I wasn’t dreaming! Of course, there was some to and fro between the team and me, as they wanted to be sure I could construct and deliver the clothes as per the standards of the ceremony and platform.” The final design was an Indo-Western creation, as per Das’s specifications, to reflect the nature of the show for which he was nominated. The clothes were constructed by Bhatt at his friend’s menswear design studio in Delhi. Bhatt, who has openly spoken about his rare eye condition called keratoconus (symptoms of which include blurred vision and an increased sensitivity to light), hopes that his achievement will inspire others to take risks and go out and pursue their dreams, while also raising awareness about the condition. The outfit will now be auctioned by Das to raise funds for charity.
The BEST designs on city streets
BEST is synonymous with the ethos of Mumbai. In an attempt to promote the cultural heritage and the aesthetic of the city, BEST has started their Hop On-Hop Off ‘Ho-Ho’ air-conditioned bus service. And now, they are inviting citizens of Mumbai to design the new external look for the bus service. This service will ply from CSMT to Juhu Chowpatty every 30 minutes, targeting all the city’s major cultural hotspots. The aim behind the contest, the organisers shared, was to create a deeper local connect. The rides will be priced at R250 each. The campaign ends on November 30. To participate, send your designs to probesundertaking@gmail.com. The selected design for the bus will grace Mumbai’s roads.
Hygiene on the go
Woloo, an Andheri-based organisation that works to secure hygiene dignity for women, first came into the spotlight for their innovative powder rooms, which combine clean and safe toilet facilities with a cafe and store for women-centric products. Now, they’ve launched an app to help women across the city locate washrooms on the go. “The idea behind the app was to create a model that is somewhat like an Airbnb for toilets. Most public toilets in the city are either unhygienic or feel unsafe for women to use. Restaurants, on the other hand, have accessible toilets but many are reluctant to let non-customers use them. We partner with willing restaurants on a profit-sharing model. These restaurants upload their washroom facilities on the app, which we certify. This is so that women can use the washrooms on our app without hesitation,” Manish Kelshikar (inset), its co-founder and chief strategy officer, told this diarist. The app is available for both Android and Apple phones and they are currently offering a free trial for a month. Beyond this, the service can be availed for only Rs 1 a day.
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