Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Sachin Tendulkar and Marco Pierre White

Tendulkar's culinary century
From Maria Goretti's masterclass to Sarah Todd's pictures, the fourth season of World On A Plate, a culinary convention of sorts, has taken over all our feeds over the past few days. But it was primarily because of the seminary chef who was roped in as its chief guest, Marco Pierre White.

Now, we hear, at an exclusive dinner that was sure to be star-studded, India's most-loved cricketer and Mumbai's very own Master Blaster, Sachin Tendulkar broke bread with Pierre, too. Speaking of his experience, the British chef said, "I wish I had more time to spend in India - it's beauty and culinary history is mesmerising. I have met some of the warmest and kindest people and only in a few days."

Fixing global fashion problems
Designer Anita Dongre was among a group of global influencers, including naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough, German chancellor Angela Merkel and Prince William, to speak at The World Economic Forum. While Attenborough and William took the world leaders to task on climate change, Dongre spoke about setting good environmental standards in fashion.

On January 22, she participated in a discussion that was part of 3 Trillion Reasons to Help the World Spend Better, and meant to encourage consumers to shop with a purpose. "All of us can define our journey by the purchasing and investment decisions we make, the charities or goals we support, and the actions we take. Each decision has the power to change someone's world," she said. On the following day, at The Fashion CEO agenda roundtable sponsored by the Crown Princess of Denmark, Dongre was joined by Eva Kruse, CEO of Global Fashion Agenda - the world's most important forum on sustainable fashion.

Dosa for the fit and fine
We are all befuddled by the sudden interest in condiments like ghee and jaggery. Desi ingredients are now being touted as some of the healthiest globally. In the city, too, the past few years have seen a conscientious shift towards regional food, with the focus on responsible eating. It all kind of comes together in the findings of a recent study conducted by Hayes & Jarvis, a travel company, that dipped into 102 dishes across 34 countries.

And India ranked first in that survey overall, as a nation that consumes some of the healthiest fare for dinner, with Australia coming close in line as the fourth healthiest. Turns out, masala dosa, which is high in fibre and low in saturated fats, is all you need to stay in shape. Heading to Matunga, anyone?

Cricket for all
Next Friday, the Brabourne Stadium will be filled with fans, cheering for underprivileged adolescents, for whom the sport has proved to be an agent of change.

The finals of Salaam Bombay Foundation's Little Masters Challenge will see three final matches between a corporate team and Salaam Bombay Sports Academy's alumni, and under-17 girls' and boys' teams from government-aided schools versus the academy's kids. Cricketer Paul Valthary and the late Ramakant Achrekar's daughter Kalpana Murkar will be present.

The Bharat busride
It's always a pleasure to hear of how two creative minds come together to make something unique. And a few evenings ago, when at the NGMA for a panel discussion hosted by Avid Learning, titled Multipolis Mumbai: Heritage and the City - Reviving Traditional Interior Design and Textiles, that's exactly what this diarist witnessed. Among those speaking was Firdaus Variava of Bharat Tiles and Floorings.

While sharing how ideas come together, he spoke of a collaboration between Bharat Tiles and Ayaz Basrai of The Busride Design Studio fame, whose work you have seen at the Social outlets and The Bombay Canteen.

But, says Variava, their collaboration predates the nostalgia-inducing restaurant in Lower Parel. "They were doing cutting-edge stuff and we reached out to them to create some tiles for us with 3D effects," he says, adding that the project took a year to complete. Basrai went into a "huddle" with his team and there was some amount of back and forth. Finally, after a concept presentation, a few designs were settled on and prototypes were made. Some can be seen at outlets Basrai created, but it's really up for grabs for anyone. Perhaps the idea for your next redecoration?

It's a wrap

Boman and Zenobia Irani honour Amitabh Bachchan with a gara shawl, that has the meaning of the latter's name woven in, at an event in Juhu yesterday. Pic/Satej Shinde

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