07 November,2024 07:18 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Kirti Surve Parade
Two commuters cut a lonely picture as they walk past the Lawrence & Mayo building on Dr Dadabhai Naoroji Road in Fort.
Mumbaikars are in for a timely warm-up before they exercise their right to vote in the upcoming Maharashtra State Assembly Elections. In collaboration with the BMC and the Election Commission of India, cyclists from various city-based groups will ride from Dubhashi Maidan in Vile Parle to Juhu Chowpatty this Sunday to urge Mumbaikars to vote. Deputy commissioner Vishwas Mote, who recently finished the full Ironman triathlon in Italy in September 2024, shared, "We need to realise the importance of every single vote for the city and the state. The rally is a two-pronged initiative to get Mumbai fitter and wiser." To join the cause, contact 7666266879.
The shortlist for the Godrej Literature Live awards has a few familiar names in contention, particularly in the Fiction Book of the Year shortlist. This newspaper's columnist Lindsay Pereira (The Memoirs of Valmiki Rao) joins debutante novelist Atharva Pandit (Hurda) and Anjum Hasan (History's Angel) to make a city trifecta this year. Pandit is also in the running for Best First Book, alongside the Booker Prize-nominee Chetna Maroo. Other categories include Non-Fiction Book of the Year, Non-Fiction Best First Book, and Business Book of the Year. The winners will be announced on the last day of the festival, on November 17. Check litlive.in for the full list of shortlisted titles.
How many of us have attended a graffiti battle? Mumbai's Road Runners Crew is set to host one of the biggest graffiti battles, Famjam, at Bharat Van in Marol on
December 1. The event will celebrate graffiti and hip-hop culture, featuring thrilling battles in graffiti, rap, beatboxing, and breakdancing. "The event will feature a battle between 16 of the top graffiti artistes. The finalists will be selected by the talented trio of Zake, NME, and Mooz, who will also choose the winners. Registration details and rules will be announced on Instagram soon," said Sameer Tawde, founder of the crew. The online category also allows writers from across India to participate. "The event will promote graffiti culture and showcase the diverse talent of artistes in the country," Tawde concluded.
The year might be drawing to a close, but the city's LGBTQiA+ community is gearing up for their annual celebrations in 2025. The inaugural meetings for the Mumbai Queer Pride March in the coming year have begun, with the fourth meeting to be held tomorrow in Dadar. "The Mumbai Queer Pride is led by a collective of different groups. These meetings are the initial step to map out the plan, set up tasks, and divide the responsibility amongst ourselves," shared Ashish Pandya (below), one of the five moderators leading these meetings. Pandya shared that they hope to finalise facets such as the theme for the march, dividing volunteers according to tasks and scheduling permissions. "Getting permissions for the march is often a challenge, and once we have the go ahead, it will be possible for us to announce the dates for the 2025 Mumbai Queer Pride March," he told this diarist.
For Nidhi Choudhari, director, National Gallery of Modern Art, the week marks the beginning of yet another artistic journey. Choudhari is exhibiting a series of 20 artworks at the Art Entrance Gallery in Kala Ghoda, alongside Dr Veeri Gupte and Nikita Tade. Having opened earlier this week, the exhibition will conclude on November 18. "This is my 11th exhibition as an artist," Choudhari shared, adding that she has previously exhibited alongside Gupte and Tade in Ahmedabad. This time though, the art is accompanied by a cause close to the former IAS officer's heart. "The proceeds from the exhibition will be donated to a higher secondary school in Hirawati, Rajasthan. They are working towards helping the girls of the region progress through sports. Many of them [the girls] have already participated in the national levels, and this will be my contribution to the cause," she shared with us.
