The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Satej Shinde
Water colour
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A fisherman traverses Thane Creek on Tuesday.
Wedding cards hero no more
Even as we are taken in by the glitz and glamour of Mumbai, we forget that its social fabric is made up of many stories that are less recounted, but equally integral to the formation of the city. One such example is that of Felix Dias. He was a person who migrated to Mumbai from Goa and set up David and Company, a decades-old printing business in Dhobi Talao that served clients as diverse as the Catholic and Parsi communities — for whom he printed navjote, first holy communion and memorial cards — and students of St Xavier’s College, for whom he printed brochures for the Malhar festival. Dias passed away on June 6 after prolonged illness. “He was not a doctor, lawyer, or a great artist. But he formed a niche business that fulfilled a need for the times,” shared Dr Fleur D’Souza, former HOD (history) and vice-principal, St Xavier’s College. The city lost an integral weave in its social fabric with his passing.
An arty friend
(From left) Jehangir Nicholson, Laxman Shreshtha and VS Gaitonde in the 1980s
VS Gaitonde, SH Raza and MF Hussain are names that fetch crores at art auctions these days. But there was a time back in the day when even these masters needed a leg-up. Jehangir Nicholson, the inspiration behind Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation (JNAF), was one man who gave them that requisite encouragement, by not just buying their artworks, but also building a personal bond with them. JNAF’s Instagram handle shared some throwback photos of Nicholson and painters from the Progressive Artists’ Group yesterday, taking us on a trip down memory lane. JNAF director Puja Vaish shared, “It’s important to remember the beginnings [of modern Indian art].” Indeed it is.
Getting jabbed with music
We could all do with some music in our lives at this time, as is evident at Jamnabai Narsee School in Juhu. They have started a vaccination drive on campus, aided by Nanavati Super Specialty Hospital, with the latter organising a three-member live band playing souful Hindi songs, for people who have got their jab and are waiting in the observation area. “I think it’s a great initiative and thoughtful on the hospital’s part to provide this soothing experience. It just adds a smile on the face of the people who come for vaccination,” said Sujay Jairaj, a trustee of the school. More vaccination centres should take a leaf out of this book, we feel.
Be a doll, and help
Whether they work in an urban setting or a rural one, puppeteers are one category of performing artistes who have been hit hard by the pandemic. Garima Arya of Unimad Puppeteers Trust, a global network that supports these artistes, shared how their physical shows have come to a complete standstill. That’s why, she added, they have come up with a fundraiser to help artistes affected by the pandemic. “They don’t know where to go or what to do,” she told this diarist. Call 8587878962 to pitch in.
Showing what reel empathy is
Raahgir – The Wayfarers is a film that is centred on two impoverished people. But, it doesn’t glorify poverty. Instead, it highlights how empathy is a crucial aspect of the human condition. The film has Tillotoma Shome as the female lead, while Goutam Ghose has directed it. We learnt that the film has now picked up the Best Actor and Best Director awards at the UK Asian Film Festival. Ghose told us that Shome (in pic) plays the role of a tribal girl whose husband is paralysed. She thus goes to the city looking for work as a daily wage worker, but meets a man, played by Adil Hussain, on the way. He has an artistic bent of mind, but is as poverty-stricken as her. They form a bond during their journey to the city, in which they encounter a man with a cycle van who is ferrying two elderly people to the hospital. But his vehicle is stuck. So, what do the two protagonists do? Do they help him out and delay their job prospects? Or do they turn a blind eye and carry on? “That is the contradiction they face,” Ghose shared with this diarist. Watch the film to find out whether humanity prevails in the end.
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