01 September,2023 06:53 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Satej Shinde
A labourer is dwarfed by the geometric scaffolding of iron rods at an under-construction site near Kalyan West.
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Amid calls by concerned environmentalists to protect the vultures from extinction in India, little is discussed when it comes to their presence in cities. In Mumbai, for instance, "Ninety-five per cent of the bird population was decimated between 1996 and 2006," said England's Lee Putman in his recent video. The sketcher uses current affairs and general knowledge in his videos where he sketches alongside narrating out facts. He collaborated with Mumbai's Reading Room for a five-reel collaboration in July this year. "Putman and Reading Room are passionate about wildlife, and the fight against climate change," shared Aishwarya Pattabiraman, founder of the city-based initiative. In the video, Putman sketches a vulture and narrates how the drug diclofenac that was used to treat arthritis is toxic to vultures. He added that the vultures suffered a reaction when they came into contact with these drugs through the corpses at Mumbai's Tower of Silence, and were nearly brought to extinction. Log on to @factsandfineliners to watch the video.
The end of August is marked by the slow, but steady, announcements of music festivals across the country. With Lollapalooza announcing their dates earlier this month, it almost seemed inevitable that Mumbai's own rock festival would soon follow suit. The organisers of the Mahindra Independence Rock Festival have now announced that the festival's 2023 edition will take place on November 4 and 5. Founder Farhad Wadia shared, "Since the 1980s, the festival has provided a platform to launch careers of some huge names in the rock fraternity, and it has sparked an everlasting spirit among rockers across India. Mahindra I-Rock is not just a festival; it has become a meaningful movement. And movements never die." While the line-ups are yet to be announced, the organisers shared that the edition will see a confluence of genres from old school thrash metal to '80s glam metal and a nuanced blend of Indian classical and folk sounds. With tickets going live today, fans might be in for a treat.
Red noses are incoming. The International Clown Festival that will begin on September 29 is travelling across four major cities, and will arrive in Mumbai on October 11 and 12. "We have a whole team of clowns from Japan, Germany, Singapore and the United States travelling to India for the first time," shared Martin âFlubber' D'Souza, founder of Lighthouse Entertainment that manages the festival. The shows will also be performed at theatres, instead of malls, said D'Souza. As for this diarist's offer to join the troupe, the 30-year veteran said, "Firstly, you need to have a clown's heart. The rest will follow."
If anyone has doubts about how a space mission can inspire the man on the street, they have to touch down in Mumbai. A day after this page covered the RWITC's decision to launch a new race in honour of India's Chandrayaan-3 success, this diarist spotted another lunar connection on the streets of Fort. Walk past the Yazdani Bakery & Restaurant this week, and you might catch sight of the new chalked up board about their delicious bun maska - as soft as the moon landing. "It was just something we came up with," said Zyros Zend, third generation baker and partner. "I don't know about everyone, but for us it was a pretty big deal. The moon landing is one of the great achievements of our times," he remarked. Naturally, Zend turned to his childhood love for doodling by creating a chalk picture of the space rover landing on the moon's surface. "I remember hearing the term soft landing, and all I could think about was the sweet buns at our bakery. They are just as dimpled as the moon," he laughed.
In the age of a woke-generation, professor Usha Thakkar and professor Pam Rajput's work, Women in state politics in India missing in the corridors of power, had some fascinating insights. Thakkar and Rajput presented the book at The Asiatic Society of Mumbai's Literary Club talk on August 30. "It was a crazy idea which Pam Rajput and I took on," shared Thakkar. The book collates research of women representatives in state politics from across political parties and legislative bodies of 16 states in India. Thakkar said, "The book explores how women navigate the dynamic spaces and hierarchy of the Indian political system." Reflecting on an aspect of the research, she said, "In Kerala, the women's economic development index stands at 51 per cent, but their representation is at eight per cent. These are very interesting paradoxes." Despite this, Thakkar noted, "There is a long way to go, but we are optimistic."
