The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Ashish Raje
His Window to the world
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A boy peeks out of the window of an AC compartment of a train at Mumbai Central station
Strike at the root cause
Participants at a march last year. Pic Courtesy/Facebook
While the rest of us complain about the worsening air quality in the city, a few amongst us are stepping out on the streets. To commemorate the Global Climate Strike called by Greta Thunberg, the city chapter of Fridays for Future Mumbai will take out a march in Powai this weekend. Co-ordinator Yash Agrawal shared, “Mumbai has become the second most air polluted city in the world, and we are also facing a heat wave. This is a result of unscientific approaches towards development.” He hoped that the march will draw the attention of decision makers and common people. “We also plan to write to the authorities about our concerns,” he shared.
A new sonic city
Vidushi Ashwini Bhide Deshpande
Next weekend, Navi Mumbai will have the rare opportunity of witnessing classicists such as Pandit Rahul Sharma, Pandit Rakesh Chaurasia take the stage. The sixth edition of the Indian Musical Conference, said performer Vidushi Ashwini Bhide Deshpande aims to help the culture develop in new spaces. “Places like Jaipur, Gwalior and Agra have a long tradition of classical music, or have had gurus spend a lifetime living there and making an impact on the local people. New urban spaces in India need more such meets to help the residents gain and understand their musical heritage,” the vocalist shared.
Let’s script a broader idea
Rajgarhia (centre) in a moment from the video of her song
Despite its rich history in the performing arts, India lacks a modern equivalent to Broadway in musical theatre. Tanvi Rajgarhia’s latest video, We break up because of family reasons, which released today is an attempt to change that. As the only Indian to be invited to the BMI Lehman Engel Musical theatre workshop in New York, the singer-theatre-maker found a unique way to reach out to her audience. She shared that the video was an attempt to push the idea of musical theatre, while expressing her own experiences of life. “Every Indian I know, including me, has been through break-ups, mainly because of family reasons. I wanted to talk about this as it has been so normalised,” she said. Shot in Mumbai, the video is the first of many sardonic takes on Indian zeitgeist to come, the singer-songwriter said. “This song became the melting pot for both concepts.” Rajgarhia added that she aims to bring the western musical to India, through our realities, stories and more songs like this.
Tech your doodle to the world
Santanu Hazarika
The global Doodle Art competition is back again, and in tune with the times; they have weaved in Web3 and NFTs (non-fungible tokens). Global ambassador and former winner Santanu Hazarika shared that this is a progressive combination of art and technology, which offers endless possibilities. “Artists can mint their doodles as NFTs, which opens up a wider audience and makes it more accessible. Combining this with AI will enable multiple creative iterations,” he said. The contest is accepting registrations until March 17 on redbulldoodleart.com. His tip: “Your doodle is your personal creation. The more original you are, the better your chances to win are.”
When the vada pav wins it
Despite all their work behind the bar, this diarist finds it amazing that the city’s bartenders find time for fun. Many of them were part of the first round of the bartender face-off organised by Maya Pistola. Rakshay Dhariwal, founder, shared that the mixologists were invited to send in their best mixes using the agave. “We were surprised to find people opting for ingredients like vetiver (khus), bhut jholokia, rose honey, bimbli juice and jackfruit ice cream,” Dhariwal said. A hundred recipes were picked for the next round to be held on March 6. Among those participating will be Vishal Tawde (in pic), bar supervisor at SAZ American Brasserie in BKC. Tawde’s inspiration, in fact, came from the Mumbai treat — vada pav — with a recipe that included coriander, tamarind and dry spicy chutney. “Since we had to use a local ingredient, I thought there is nothing more local than vada pav. It’s also one of my personal favourite things to eat,” he shared.
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