Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Pic/Anurag Ahire

Catch it if you can

A woman throws a frisbee for her pet dog to retrieve while passers-by watch at Carter Road in Bandra.

Books amidst traffic buzz

Page-turning traffic stoppers at the island

The covers are off. You usually hear this phrase by excited commentators indicating that rain has stopped at a cricket match venue, and the teams are readying to resume play. Here though, we are referring to the recently unveiled public art installation near the iconic Light of Bharat restaurant in Dadar West. It was covered for many days, evoking curiosity. On a rainy evening, the covers had been pulled off and one witnessed these two figures immersed in books, atop what one presumes is a globe in the midst of a traffic island. While there is no plaque citing who is responsible, the installation is certainly captivating as traffic moves busily around this roundabout near Shivaji Park. Maybe the subtle message is: readers at this traffic island do find stimulation of the mind. Something one simply cannot feel when struggling with a steering wheel. Full on philosophy we say, Dadar, Mumbai 28- ishtyle.

Getting interactive with it

The mural of bread makers on the wall of the Chembur cafe

If you walk into The Bread Bar in Chembur, you might have more than just the food at your table that will charm your senses. "We wanted something interactive and visual for our patrons to engage with. So, Rajat Gupta, my brother, is a creative experiential designer who came up with the idea to design a mural that pops on the walls," shared the cafe founder Rachi Gupta.

Rachi Gupta and Divika Mehta

The design was further worked on by the team at The Honest Illustrators led by co-founder Divika Mehta. Mehta remarked, "We wanted to create the mural as a point of interaction for people when they come in. It is available as a filter, where you can scan a small barcode, and the mural gets animated on your phone."

Tales from the East

Joshi shows off his home-made luggage carrier to Prakash Amte during his trip

The concept of flâneurs might have been done away with the jet age, but Ashutosh Joshi hopes to revive it in a talk at Bandra today. After his experiences with walking over 1,800 kms from Narwan near Guhagar, to the India's east coast while facing storms, Naxalite threats and imprisonment, Joshi finally published them in his book, The Journey to The East, earlier this year. "The book was an attempt to understand India and its people on a tactile, personal level. I hope to speak about the stories of rural India, the difference between the East and the West, and of why a young generation finds it challenging to go out and live their own lives," he said. For more details on his book, log on to ashutoshjoshi.in.

A paw-fect day out

A moment from a previous pet healthcare session by the initiative

Paws in the Park 2024 is a non-profit initiative which reflects Goodman Vetcare's commitment to the community. Vishal Patil, CEO remarked that their annual event on August 15 at Victoria South in Byculla, will offer free rabies vaccinations and deworming treatments to ensure pet health, as well as ball pits, mazes, and grooming sessions. The immediate goal is to vaccinate at least 2,000 pets. "The event combines healthcare with fun activities, fostering a community-focused approach to pet care," he added.

Back to our roots

How long can you keep a theatre maker distracted? Surely not long enough if it's Raveesh Jaiswal (below), director of the Bombay Theatre Company. Nearly five months after shifting focus onto working on his first ever feature film, Jaiswal's love for theatre has already lured him back to the stage. The Accidental Screenwriters, his newest one-act play is all set to premiere in the city this September. "We have been busy with short films and the new feature film that is ready to come out next year. It was during this hectic phase that I sat down and wrote the script for this short one-act play. It's a satirical piece that stems from the way people react to celebrities online today. We hope to stage it in Colaba by the end of September," he revealed.