Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Pic/Aishwarya Deodhar

Thanda ya garam?

Complemented by a poster of a youngster drinking a cold drink, a man sips on his hot cuppa at a streetside vendor in Juhu.

Play it again

Shabana Azmi in the play

Broken Images, written by Girish Karnad, directed by the late Alyque Padamsee and produced by Raëll Padamsee, has been running at theatre venues since 2009, always witnessing a full house. And naturally so, because who would miss Shabana Azmi - the play's lead who takes on two characters and their many images - storming the stage with her talent? We were curious to know from Azmi how it felt like to come back to a performance time and again as she has in this production. She shared her insight, "Each time I do a show of Broken Images after a gap, the butterflies in my stomach become as big as elephants! And that's what keeps the adrenaline going, and inspires me to work hard." The actor will take the stage this Sunday to perform at a Bandra venue.

Robotics and all that

Named RFActor 6024, the team of 11 students from various schools from across Mumbai is the first Indian team at the competition

This diarist has always been keen to learn about robotics, and so when the news of 11 Mumbai high-school students flying out to Turkey to participate in the annual FIRST Robotics Championship arrived, it made us doubly curious about these little geniuses. They will soon be competing at the regional rounds against several global teams for the highly competitive finals in April. Nilesh Shah, mentor of the programme, revealed that the students were selected based on their skills and interests in coding, mechanics and electronics. Ranging from Grades 8 to 12, these students are currently being trained on the basics of physics, electrical and mechanical engineering, JAVA, computer-aided design software such as SolidWorks, and OnShape, and presentation and communication skills, among others. "The competition is holistic and way more than just robots," Shah told us. "Robots are used as exciting tools to build the character and personality of the participants. Just as in real life, they learn to overcome challenges, roadblocks and difficulties. These kids are showing immense determination to learn and face challenges head-on," he shared.

Make way for sea urchins

Sea Urchins. Pic courtesy/Instagram (left) the dish served at the eatery

While sea urchins are not new finds for the city's Koli community, the lack of knowledge among the rest is possibly because they are rare. In an effort to shed light on it, restaurant, Ekaa Mumbai has re-introduced the sea species back on their menu after a year. Niyati Rao, head chef-partner, shared, "Sea urchins are so precious; we wanted to serve them during their best season, and that happened to be now. We also kept getting requests to re-introduce the urchins on the menu." The dish will be served with poured chilled cape gooseberry juice and some Manipuri sticky rice and a spicy peanut paste that does not overpower the actual taste of the urchins.

A peaceful halt in the city

The Bungalow on Perry Road (right) Betty Clifford

Peace Haven, the famous powder blue building that catches anybody's eye at Bandra's Perry Road is almost a century old. It was built in 1930, as a groom's present to his bride. "My father, Valentine, gifted it to my mother, Isabel, for their wedding," owner Betty Clifford shared. During the pandemic, the building was opened to local residents who couldn't market their wares during the lockdowns to find patrons. It hosted free distribution of donated essentials as well as a two-day vaccination drive. "From there we started hosting pop-ups. It all started with wanting to help people," Clifford explains. This weekend, The Bazaar Project sets up shop within its premises. "Discovering a gem like this to match our objective of discovering new labels came in like ‘sone pe suhaaga," event curator Meera Ambasana Shah added.

Have you ‘met' him?

Pic courtesy/Instagram

Three years ago in March, when the world came to a halt, an innovative idea dawned upon Malad-resident, Kaustubh Kumar. Titled as Me-thali-ca, he posted a unique rendition of Metallica's rock song, Enter Sandman on social media; the jam included his household utensils as well. "I am a Metallica fan, so I first cracked the pun as a joke to a friend. Soon, I realised that I could take it further. It was a strange time during the lockdown, and making music like this which other people could also enjoy was a welcome respite," he recalled. Kumar continues to create more such music whenever he finds the time.