Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Pic/Satej Shinde

Welcome to the jungle

Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor share a laugh during the shoot of a dance reality show at a studio in Goregaon on Friday. Pic/Satej Shinde

Soha Khan becomes storyteller

Now, your child could be listening to his/her bedtime story read aloud by Soha Ali Khan. Podcast creation and hosting platform Hubhopper has come together with publishing house Juggernaut to launch a podcast, Story Time with Soha Ali Khan.

It will feature one story each in its episodes from a list of children's stories that has been curated from titles by various publishers in the country. Co-founder of Juggernaut, Chiki Sarkar (inset) told this diarist, "The idea was to create a kids' show where she would read great contemporary Indian stories - and we created this for parents who may not have the time and bandwidth to read to their kids, and for those looking for a fresh way to hook their kids to storytelling. We are especially excited that every major Indian kids publisher has collaborated on this project - contributing stories. So, this is truly a partnership across all publishers."

Winning tunes by Mumbai's kids

Six children from a city-based music school have won medals at the Brilliant Talent Discovery Awards, Singapore. Uneysah Agboatwala, Shivin Shirodkar, Alaina Verma, Marcelo Fernandes, Kiara Phillip and Aditya Jha are the ones who made the list.

Marcelo Fernandes

Shirodkar's mother, Sheetal, said, "Learning a musical instrument sharpens the brain, improves focus and develops creativity. I am happy with my child's journey."

TM Krishna gets a YouTube show

Close on the heels of the launch of his book Sebastion and Sons: A Brief History Of Mrdangam Makers, musician TM Krishna has launched his YouTube show The Artiste. The first episode features a conversation with parai (drums native to Tamil Nadu) artistes N Deepan and N Rajan, the trailer reveals. Talking about the show, TM Krishna told this diarist, "The series will focus on artistes and art forms that are usually not part of culture and art conversations.

There is a lot to learn from them." Krishna, who has already shot three episodes, with the second one being a continuation of the first, added, "Whether it makes a single episode or two entirely depends on the conversations. We are also looking at songs and music that don't fall into the traditional category of art forms, like lullabies."

Everyone loves pani puri

Whether you call it pani puri, gol gappa or puchka, this quintessential street food is loved by one and all, including several celebrities such as chefs Sanjeev Kapoor and Kunal Kapur, and actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra. They have now put out TikTok videos talking about their love for the spicy treat and the versions they love. "I came across a recent survey that stated that pani puri is one dish that people would like to be served in flights," remarked Kapoor. And it's a treat his family indulges in, on every Tuesday.

"The best version I had was in Meerut (UP), where it's called batasha. But I've been experimenting with it forever. Shortly after my wedding, I used black grape juice as the paani. And in 1989, when I was in New Zealand, I was serving pani puri stuffed with prawn balchão, along with sol kadi. You can make the paani at home, using flavours that you like," Kapoor said, adding that it is hing, jeera and lasoon mirch that make for an interesting concoction.

Aussie chef's Mumbai diaries

Australian chef and MasterChef guest judge Stephanie Alexander is in Mumbai with a delegation from the University of Melbourne for two events hosted by the university's Faculty of Arts. In
the session at Churchgate yesterday, she spoke about food culture in both countries and nutritional choices, besides its importance in media and communications to prospective graduates. "While I am in India, I am particularly interested in exploring as much as I can with the diversity of Indian cuisine. The regional differences, the subtlety of the use of spices and new flavours, and the excitement of another way of eating are enticing.

This trip gives me the chance to speak to a number of young Indians who are interested in travelling to Australia for higher education. I hope to be able to share my experiences of learning about food and cultures while travelling and hope they will have similar experiences," she told this diarist. Alexander is also looking forward to a relaxing high tea at SoBo's Taj Mahal Palace and a night walk along Marine Drive. She might sneak in a trip to Global Vipassana Pagoda, though her heart seems set on visiting the Elephanta Caves.

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