The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Shadab Khan
Once in a blue moon
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The Moon juxtaposes with the Statue of Progress atop the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.
Meattle for new music talents
Priyanka Nath; Neyhal; Raghav Meattle
It is one thing to enjoy the art, and quite another to understand its business. This is where many musicians falter, said singer-songwriter Raghav Meattle. “This is what led me to set up First.wav, a platform as creative partners to music artistes. Traditional labels often are revenue makers, but nobody is working with musicians to help them build the song,” Meattle shared. While their initial launch in August only marked the beginning of a platform focussed on workshops, industry insight offering access to resources and tools for artistes, they are set to host their first live gig tomorrow featuring musicians Priyanka Nath, Soham and Neyhal. “In a Tier-1 city like Mumbai, there is hardly any space for a new singer to perform original work. I remember my first year in the city when I would go from bar to bar to perform cover gigs,” he recalled. The live gig section is an effort to change this scenario, the singer added, saying they hope to host three new musicians every month. “For instance, Soham is a 20-year-old medical student who has produced his own materials. Neyhal is a singer-songwriter from Jalgaon, who is set to release his debut single. It is exciting to find such talent,” Meattle admitted, adding that he will continue to source new talent through workshops and social media.
New green warriors to the fore
A moment from a previous camp
How do you keep the good fight going? You simply train a new generation, said Dr V Shubhalaxmi, founder of iNatureWatch Foundation. The eco-venture is set to train students interested in pursuing a career in naturalism in a four-week programme module. “This training is entirely free. However, it is a course meant for those who are seriously interested in a career in natural sciences,” she remarked, adding that the programme will take place across four weekends in their nature park at Ambivali. Students will have a chance to learn to identify species, trees, document findings and eventually lead their own trail, she pointed out. “The struggle though is to find young participants. We are focusing on students of science. I was supposed to host this in September, but had to postpone it,” she admitted, hoping for entries to pick up.
Pedal push in Thane
Cyclists ride to the meeting spot. Pic Courtesy/Wheels and Barrels
If you were in Thane last week, you could have easily mistaken the streets of the eastern suburb for a frame straight out of Le Tour de France. While the tour isn’t moving to Mumbai any time soon, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region cyclists meet-up 2023 organised by Team Wheels and Barrels and BYCS Thane saw more than 200 cyclists from Mumbai, Thane, Mira-Bhayandar and Panvel hit the road with their bicycles. “We discussed new developments from our respective communities and some updated safety protocols to be followed during this phase of heavy construction in the city,” shared Vijay Malhotra, cyclist and blogger. He informed this diarist that the event also saw veteran cyclists and cyclists who work towards the promotion of the sport in the city being felicitated.
Bringing Bali to the bay
Wisnu Adiyatma
Indonesian culinary maestro Wisnu Adiyatma has landed in Mumbai and he brings with him an array of lip-smacking signature Indonesian cuisine. The chef who is credited for creations such as babi guling and bebek betutu will showcase the best of Indonesian cuisine at a five-star restaurant in Juhu. While the curated menu includes traditional dishes such as babi panggang sambal matah and rendang ayam, in a short chat with this diarist, he revealed a belief that every Indian mother would wholly agree with — the importance of intuition while cooking. “For me, Indonesian cuisine is tied with my earliest childhood memories in Bali. The cuisine is extremely simple. The dishes are easy to prepare, and the ingredients are freely available. It’s all about how you use them to create new flavours,” he told us. The chef shared that while he’s here for serious business, his personal bucket list includes trying as many authentic Indian dishes as he can during his short visit. “I have heard a lot about the murgh makhani. I want to try it in its authentic form in India. I will be tucking into some while I’m here for sure,” he assured this diarist.
Why gender roles matter
If you believe that the evolving discourse around ‘smashing the patriarchy’ is confined to urban and intellectual circles, you might be wrong. Aajeevika Bureau, a workers’ rights collective recently wrapped up a workshop about breaking gender stereotypes and demystifying gender roles for factory workers in Sakinaka. “During our routine meetings with workers, we noticed that irrespective of their age, religion, or caste, they showed inherently orthodox and problematic attitudes in their idea of gender,” shared Swati Jadhav, an executive. This diarist was delighted to learn that the workers showed active participation and pledged to unlearn and relearn concepts to work towards an equal society.
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