The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
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A washerman at Dhobi Ghat, in Mahalaxmi, caught in action as he hangs clothes on the line.
A new book fest for Mumbai
The Title Waves bookshop in Bandra West
Think of every reader on the planet as part of one big community. A big family that reads, suggests, shares and learns in the process. But reading falls into a long list of forgotten habits for many. For many more, it has turned into a private practice over the years unlike what it used to be — visiting reading rooms and libraries, reading in groups and browsing through our favourite segment in a real shop. Title Waves has joined hands with brand consulting firm The Sunflower Seeds to kick off the year on a literary note; they are hosting The Indie Bookstore Festival to rekindle our love for local bookstores. “We will conduct the event in a hybrid form; part physical, part virtual. We are planning to rope in retail bookshops in the city. Retail book business has been severely hit in recent years and that makes us sad. The fest will ensure we stay connected with one another, as it helps to gather and pass on information. That way, readers will know which book is available where and might not want to order online as easily,” shared Trushant Tamgaonkar, executive director at Title Waves. The event, scheduled to be held between February 18 and 20, will feature authors and celebrities like Radhakrishnan Pillai and Samir Soni.
Short in the arm
Makers of short films have an exciting development to look forward to. This time, the Dadasaheb International Film Festival (DPIFF) 2022 has introduced a special category award, Short Films. The platform aims to express its trust in short film writers and directors for thematic and conceptual variety. With their recent call for submissions, DPIFF 2022 will accept creative films, screen them and award a select few. When this diarist spoke to Vinay Punamiya (in pic), from marketing and communications at DPIFF, he told us, “As far as submissions go, we are not biased. Any film under 30 minutes will be considered, but yes, documentaries or films with messaging leave a mark.” All submissions must be made by January 31, 2022. Punamiya added that all films must have been released after January 1, 2019, and should be in their original language; if the language isn’t English, English subtitles should be provided. Winners will bag awards along with cash prizes.
Nothing goes waste this X’mas
While we are making plans to celebrate Christmas, here’s a way to give back to the community. ReCircle, a resource recovery venture, has organised a dry waste collection drive for Christmas. So, as you go about your Christmas cleaning, you can save recyclable articles and donate them. This diarist learnt that the venture has collaborated with Helping Hands Foundation to donate the proceeds to children diagnosed with cancer. The pick-ups are free, and will be carried out by safai saathis between Dahisar and Churchgate. Speaking on their goal, Rahul Nainani and Gurashish Singh Sahni, founders at ReCircle, said, “When we started our research in 2014, the ecosystem was in total disarray. Players in the ecosystem were working at their own pace and without much interaction.” The duo wanted to create value in the ecosystem. Those who want to schedule a pick-up for the drive, can call 9004240004.
Library in a museum open for all
There’s good news for city folks who fret over the phasing out of libraries. This diarist learnt, while on a recent visit to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), that their envious library collection is open to the public. “We have one of the largest collections of titles in the city, adding up to almost 10,000. Any reader is welcome to drop by. Students, researchers and PhD aspirants, or any keen reader will find it useful,” shared Joyoti Roy, head of strategy and marketing at CSMVS. Roy added that all one needs to do is send an email to csmvsmumbai@gmail.com about their interest. What’s encouraging is that this service is free to use. Just the kind of Christmas cheer our city’s readers needed.
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