The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Satej Shinde
Aiming for bullseye
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A woman tries her hand at archery during the Sunday Streets programme initiated by the Thane Police and KDMC at Phadke Road in Dombivli
Nature in verse
Whether it’s the Romantics or the spoken word millennial poets, nature is a subject close to the heart of those who love their verse. And the Green Literature Festival is playing on this love for poetry and the environment by inviting people to pen a haiku with nature at its heart. Author Meghaa Gupta, who is part of the core team, told this diarist that the only condition is that the haiku should be original and unpublished. “Poetry has always held a special place for nature. We plan to have an eco-poetry session where shortlisted poets can recite their haikus. Three winners will also be awarded.” To send in your haiku, head to @greenlitfest on Instagram for details.
Dynamite reactions
Pic Courtesy/Instagram
K-pop band BTS recently revealed in an interview with Spotify South Korea that they had plans for a Mumbai leg of their Map Of The Soul: 7 World Tour in 2020, which got cancelled when the pandemic hit. The band’s fanbase, popularly called Army, and fan accounts have been blowing up Twitter ever since with memes on ticket prices and the virus, clearly upset about the missed opportunity, thanks to COVID-19. Mumbai fans are now saving up for tickets in anticipation of a future show. Will hearts be broken again or will the Army finally get to see their favourite band live in action?
Royal achievement
There was a desi link to Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee celebrations. LXME, a start-up established in 2020, found a mention in the pageant commem-orative album celebrating individual achievements during the monarch’s reign. The platform seeks to simplify finance for Indian women to help them take charge of their opportunities. Its founder, Priti Rathi Gupta, said, “We are humbled and immensely honoured to have received this global recognition of our efforts in empowering Indian women.” At a time when Indian women are fighting their way through systemic patriarchy and violence, these little victories deserve a celebration. “This will enable us to demonstrate the advantages of greater equality, diversity and inclusion,” she added.
Fill your bottle, say a prayer
Ours is a country where master magician PC Sorcar Junior has for decades magically poured an endless stream of water from a seemingly empty tumbler. It’s also a country where Dr BR Ambedkar led a satyagraha to ensure Dalits could use water from a public tank in Mahad. That was 1927. In 2021, ours was the country where a 14-year-old Muslim boy was thrashed for drinking water from inside a temple. So, imagine our happiness when we spotted a water post outside Bandra railway station, towards the eastern exit, with three earthen pots open for just about anyone to access. Yes, birds and animals, too, who have a large vessel on the ground to sip from. Behind this stand are the framed portraits of saints and gods of different religions, looking down on this act of kindness. In these times of increased polarisation, water becomes the great healer.
When art leads to great ideas
Regressed by Nisha Amol Rode, 16, from Navi Mumbai, which is part of the exhibition. Pic Courtesy/The artist and Living Waters Museum
How does water light up a rainbow in a farmer’s life and land? And how are we wiping away that rainbow by polluting and wasting water? The Water We Want is a global competition where children give voice to the water crisis through paintings, photographs and music. Organised by the Global Network of Water Museums, the contest was hosted this year by the Living Waters Museum from India, which received over 80 submissions from young minds in the age groups of six to 12, and 13 to 18. Some of these entries are now part of the Art for Climate Advocacy online exhibition. Of these, five artworks and a song have been shortlisted for the global contest. Sukrit Sen, art and outreach coordinator, shared, “We want to advocate the fact that kids should develop an awareness about the present scenario of the environment, and how we can cater to that. Many of them addressed climate action.” Check out these artworks on livingwatersmuseum.org/art-for-climate-advocacy.
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