The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Shadab Khan
Living on a prayer
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A little devotee seeks blessings in the priest’s arms at Shree Markandeshwar Mahadev Mandir in Worli, on Mahashivratri
Dissecting the male gaze
For blogger and photographer MS Gopal, the city has been his long-time muse. Over the years, he’s amassed an incredible collection of photographs that chronicle the changing face of the city and the many stories that inhabit it. While many of these are available for viewing on his blog and his Instagram profile, he’s curated some of his most telling picks into photo essays that are available to purchase in the form of zines.
MS Gopal
“The first zine featured photographs of life in the city in the midst of the pandemic. Now, I’ve released a second zine, The Male Issue, which showcases men in public spaces in India, focusing on how they project and express themselves. Many of these photographs are of art on the street, including paintings and advertisements. For instance, there’s a strange drawing of men peeing on a wall in Navi Mumbai,” he shared with this diarist. He plans to publish subsequent issues every quarter, with each thematic zine comprising 50 to 100 photos. You can get your copy at @mumbaipaused.
Mumbai police pays a compliment
To mark World Compliment Day on March 1, Mumbai Police’s Twitter handle shared a heart-warming thread of the things our city’s custodians are grateful for.
From pillion riders wearing helmets, to students feeding strays, to honest citizens who bring lost valuables to the police, the thread showcased the various ways in which Mumbaikars can do their bit to be a model citizen. Their initiative was well-received by the Twitterati, many of whom pledged to be model citizens.
May the best Indian chef win the top honour
Vir Sanghvi and Sameer Sain
With the intent of recognising India’s most talented chefs, Culinary Culture, an independent rating organisation, has announced FoodSuperstars, an annual ranking of the top 30 Chefs from across the country. The first edition of this annual list will be launched on March 19 and the listed chefs will receive an award and a plaque that their restaurant can display. The founders — food critic Vir Sanghvi and Sameer Sain, co-founder, Everstone Group — shared that the selection process included a physical session to debate the nominations by the jury and that it had no form of outside influence or commercial consideration. “While many platforms recognise restaurants, this is the first of its kind to shine the spotlight on chefs’ endeavours, to remind us of the real heroes who work with their hands to create the food that brings us so much joy,” Sanghvi told us.
Celebrating women of substance
The dolls represent prominent women personalities including Phoolan Devi, Kalpana Chawla and Maya Angelou
Ideated by Smriti Lamech, a journalist and writer, the Smritsonian is an initiative to help self-help groups that were hit by the lockdown. Their latest offering is a range of dolls that use only locally available materials to reduce waste and environmental impact.
The dolls celebrate prominent female figures from contemporary history, including Maya Angelou, Frida Kahlo and Kalpana Chawla. Each doll comes with a letter that explains the story of the woman it was modelled on. “The dolls stand for life lessons we should encourage our children to imbibe,” Srila Chatterjee, founder of Baro Market, where they are available, told us.
A film for today and the times
Author and indie filmmaker Aditya Kripalani has reason to smile. His film, Not Today, has received an honourable mention at the recently concluded New Jersey Film Festival in the US. The film’s plot revolves around a young Muslim girl who works as a suicide prevention counsellor. Of the recognition, Kripalani said, “Today, we feel that this film is even more relevant. There is no way to assess the level of mental health impact this pandemic is going to have over the next few years, and I feel this film needs to reach as many people of all age groups, strata of society and ethnicities as possible.”
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