Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

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

Farewell, Shivshahir

Babasaheb Purandare. Pic/Ashish Rane

Noted historian-writer and Padma Vibhushan, Babasaheb Purandare, passed away in Pune on Monday at the age of 99. An authority on warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji, and hence called Shivshahir or Shivaji’s bard, his death has left a void in the fraternity of history-lovers. As tributes poured in, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray declared a state funeral for the historian. Dr Sonali Pednekar, principal, Mulund College of Commerce and former HOD (History), Vaze College, remarked that he was a person who was able to recreate the narrative of the past in a manner that was academic and appealing to the layperson. “This was achieved through extensive, in-depth study by the erudite scholar; he was always able to enthrall the audience, without distorting history. He never took creative liberties,” she told us.

Recollecting her experience of listening to his speeches, Dr Pednekar shared that Purandare was not just a storehouse of knowledge, but also an iconic speaker. “It’s very rare and difficult for a historian to have a scholarly approach and yet make his study equally interesting. Over the years, we’ve advised our students to read his works, as well as listen to his talks. For a good historian or history teacher, it is very important to be able to capture the attention of your audience — engage in voice modulation,  build up that storytelling and make them relive the events of the past, which Babasaheb did brilliantly.” 

Medical care, the Parsi way

Considering that several facilities at Byculla’s Masina Hospital had been developed decades ago, the administration is upgrading their operation theatres (OT), which will now be equipped with state-of-the-art modern provisions. Along with the modernised OT complex, the hospital will also inaugurate a Parsi ward. “A need was felt to provide high-end medical services and stay facilities to our dedicated Parsi patients [it being a Parsi Trust Hospital]. The idea is to provide this infrastructure in a Parsi-centric environment coupled with the famous community cuisine, within the parameters of hospital diet. This will be unique as there is no exclusive Parsi facility attached to a multi-specialty, tertiary care hospital with all services under one roof,” its joint CEO Behram Khodaiji told us.

Eat like a Maharashtrian

What lengths can one go to to accurately represent the cuisine of a community in a film? This diarist recently learned that for his upcoming film, Cobalt Blue, director-writer Sachin Kundalkar roped in Pune-based caterer Meena Paranjape as a food consultant. “Kundalkar is very particular about authenticity in his works, including the food that is being shown. The film portrays a Maharashtrian family living in Kochi. I cooked the food for the family, along with help from the hotel staff where I was staying in Fort Kochi,” she shared. From daily fare like varan-bhat, roti and sabzi to ukadiche modak, thalipeeth and sabudana wada, she cooked up a storm for the shoots. “Each community also has a specific way of plating. For instance, among us, the chutney is on the top left side of the plate, below which is koshimbir and then papad, with rice in the middle. Kundalkar wanted me to maintain that,” she added.

A still from Cobalt Blue

Jaipur Lit Fest takes the hybrid road

Arundhathi Subramaniam and Dr Shashi Tharoor are among the speakers

In a hat-tip to the social distancing norms mandated by the pandemic and an effort to make the festival more inclusive, the 15th edition of the annual Jaipur Literature Festival will adopt a hybrid format. While the on-ground events are scheduled for January 28 to February 1 at Hotel Clarks Amber, Jaipur, the virtual sessions will extend till February 6. The recently-released list of speakers includes poet and author Arundhathi Subramaniam; Delhi-based vascular and endovascular surgeon and writer Dr Ambarish Satwik; and member of parliament and author Dr Shashi Tharoor. Namita Gokhale, its co-director, said, “We look forward to welcoming book-lovers and friends from the literary community. The intense pleasures of shared energies and real-time conversations will be enhanced by the infinite possibilities of digital connectivity across continents and time zones.”

Rolling back

The Museum on Wheels bus in Alibaug over the weekend

The Museum on Wheels that the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) runs in association with Citibank is back in business after the pandemic. The bus that houses it travelled to Alibaug over the weekend, where children associated with the NGO SOS had a field day soaking in the exhibits for In Tune: The Journey from Sound to Music, which the travelling museum is hosting at present. Vaidehi Savnal, assistant curator of international relations at CSMVS, told this diarist that the bus will roll out only for short distances in the near future, since they want to proceed cautiously given that the pandemic restrictions still haven’t been lifted entirely. “There are lots of protocols that we have to follow, like visitors being sanitised and limited people entering the bus at one time,” she added.

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