The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Anurag Ahire
Working IT UP for 2025
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On the eve of a new year, young girls warm up before Mumbai School Sports Association’s athletics event at University Sports Pavillion in Marine Lines.
Turn a new chapter in 2025
A moment from a previous event at the bookstore; (right) Anup Nair
While the entire city is filling up restaurants and pubs for its New Year plans, Bandra-based bookstore, Fictionary is calling bookworms of the city for their own little party on December 31. “Typically around this time, people go to bars and clubs to celebrate New Year’s Eve and everything gets very loud. The idea is to basically host a party for people who want to celebrate the New Year but kind of in a quiet way. It will be an opportunity for readers to meet and interact with likeminded people, share ideas and have insightful conversations,” Anup Nair (inset), founder, told this diarist. The organisers have planned a host of activities for the day. “We will be having a book swap session in the party along with games like literary bingo, book charades followed by lunch. We are also inviting an illusionist to perform tricks for people as a special surprise element,” Nair revealed. Interested folk can log on to @fictionarybooks on Instagram to register for the event.
Let’s celebrate Hindustani talent
The NCPA is ending the year with a hopeful bit of news for young Hindustani classical musicians and its patrons. The recently announced CITI-NCPA 2025-2027 Scholarship for vocalists (khayal and dhrupad) and percussionists (tabla and pakhawaj) will provide deserving talent with the resources to advance their skills and deepen their understanding of the art. “We want to ensure that classical music continues to thrive through the voices of tomorrow,” shared Dr Suvarnalata Rao (inset), head of Indian music, NCPA. Those keen on applying, can log on to ncpamumbai.com to read about the conditions and the registration process in detail.
Stories from Manipur
Children operate a professional camera as part of the filmmaking bootcamp; (right) Nandini Kochar
Mumbai-based Nazaria collective is travelling the country with its Kahani Lab and their latest trip took them to Bwanruangh Taudaizaeng, a village in Manipur, where they organised a documentary filmmaking boot camp in collaboration with Khaangchu, for the Rongmei community of the area. “We had 17 children between the ages of nine to 19 who made their own documentaries on issues pertaining to the region. This was the first time they were dealing with professional filmmaking tools considering their limited exposure to mainstream media. We had a screening at the end for the family members of all the children as well” Nandini Kochar, co-founder, told this diarist.
Save a date with the East Indians
Some of the sub-inspectors were posted in the city. Pic Courtesy/Rushikesh Chougule
Listening to an East Indian tune or savouring one of the community’s many delicacies are experiences that might be hard to forget. But the Santacruz-based Mobai Gaothan Panchayat is leaving no stone unturned in preserving these memories with the 2025 edition of The East Indian Calendar, dedicated to spotlighting these unique aspects of the culture. The theme for the new calendar is the origins of East Indian music and the way forward, marked by artist Chrysologus Dmello’s illustrations of instruments including the ghumat (an age-old EI percussion instrument) on the cover. “Beyond the theme, one can also find lesser-known recipes from East Indian homes, and important dates such as Joseph ‘Kaka’ Baptista’s [an activist and contemporary of Lokmanya Tilak] birth anniversary. This year we aim to take the calendar to 15 countries around the world,” said chief co-ordinator Jamaica D’Lima. Those interested in getting their hands on the calendar can log on to @mobaigaothanpanchayat.
Salute to the protectors of the city
A digital preview of the East Indian Calendar
The one thing that the Maximum City prides itself in is its ability to host people and make them feel at home in a new place, and proving this adage right is New Vasantashram, a 76-year-old heritage hostel in Crawford Market that recently hosted a team of 13 newly joined sub-inspectors of the Mumbai Police in the city. “We were honoured to host the officers in the city. All of them were newly trained officers who belonged to different areas from the Vidarbha region. It usually is difficult to find reasonably priced accommodation options in the city, especially if you are a woman and since the Police Commissioner’s Office faces our hostel, it was a convenient option for them as well. It is a matter of great pride for the institution to host these officers and welcome them to the city.” Sujata Pilinja Rao (left), managing director of the hostel, revealed to this diarist.
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