Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Foot-see
Are Belgium Consul General Peter Huyghebaert and Miss World 2018 Manushi Chhillar laughing at someone else or because their feet met accidentally? Pics/Satej Shinde

No feast for feminists
This Sunday, a content and merchandising company was about to organise the First Annual Feminist Feast featuring Chef Devika Manjrekar, a Le Cordon Bleu alumnus and daughter of cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar. And we were excited to hear of a venture like this in the city. The 5-course meal featured dishes that were inspired by six feminist icons, Hermione Granger, Serena Williams, Kasha Nabagasera, Jane Goodall, Savitribai Phule and Frida Kahlo. However on Thursday, the event was suddenly called off and postponed with the organisers citing the backlash they received for not including any Dalit feminist icons. They have now taken a break and will be working on making the feast more inclusive. Although this promised to be a good start, we wish the organisers had kept intersectionality in mind, and we will be waiting for the next one.

Winning story
It was a proud moment when V Sanjay Kumar won the UK Bridport Prize 2018 in the short story category, making him the first Indian to do so. "I wrote the story while I was on break," he said. Kumar will read The Fore Caddy, the story he won for, at a city venue in the coming week.

The children meet the actors after their rehearsal

A day well spent
A little infusion of art into the rigours of life can go a long way, and when it's made possible for those who may otherwise have no access to art, it means even more. On Children's Day, the Light of Life Trust organised a special celebration for 15 underprivileged kids, who got an opportunity to witness the tech rehearsals of the musical play, Devdas, directed by National Award-winning art and cinematic director Omung Kumar. The children, who interacted with actors Gaurav Chopra, Sunil Kumar Palwal, Sukhada Khandkekar, Aanchal Chauhan and Bhavna Pani, are part of the trust's Anant programme that mentors them in Indian vocal, tabla and folk dance. The premiere show of the play, which was staged yesterday, was a fundraiser, and proceeds will give 1,000 children a chance to continue their education in the coming academic year instead of dropping out.

A gig in Hard Rock Cafe, Worli

When the music stops
Long before Kamala Mills became the glistening hub for fancy restaurants, there was Hard Rock Cafe in the Bombay Dyeing compound. With its industrial interiors, Elvis and Michael Jackson memorabilia, a promise of international artistes, and with Shiro next door, it was one of the coolest places to be seen at. Together with blueFROG in Mathuradas Mills, the two spaces served as the perfect venue for music lovers, something that the city lacked desperately.

The interiors of Shiro

After 12 years of making Mumbaikars rock (11 for Shiro), the two properties quietly downed their shutters last week in a bid to relocate. "We at Shiro have always given precedence to consumer experience and endeavoured to keep up with evolving preferences. Keeping in line with this vision, JSM Corp is relocating operations from the Bombay Dyeing compound and will come back with a fresh look. This facelift will cater to the ever-evolving trends and preferences of our patrons, and to take the experience a notch higher. Hard Rock Cafe Worli will relocate and reopen in mid-2019. We thank our guests for their patronage throughout the years and invite them to visit our Andheri location during this time," said Sanjay Mahtani, co-founder and director, JSM Corporation India, who brought the international property to India with Jay Singh. We wonder where the Worli landmark will move to next.

R20 runs dry
Many birdies told us about Rivers To Oceans, aka R2O, the ambitious project of a caviar and champagne bar by Massive Restaurants, shutting shop since it is not doing as well as expected. The eatery had launched only in June and aimed to offer a premium seafood restaurant to the city. But owner Zorawar Kalra is already planning a casual Thai and American restaurant called TYGR in its placed at Palladium Mall in Lower Parel, slated to open in early December. The group claims it has plans to relocate R20 to BKC or Kala Ghoda. We'll to wait and see if that happens.

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