Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Aishwarya Deodhar

Go with the flow

The loose end of a woman's saree flows in the foreground as a man takes a stroll on Juhu beach.

Twirl the EI umbrella

(From left) A BEIA umbrella for sale; an EI wedding umbrella

Get ready for the rains, East Indian style. The Bombay East Indian Association (BEIA) brings us a new stock of umbrellas that don their emblem, in traditional red and green colours.

Marcus Couto

Umbrellas are a unique choice of merchandise for an association. But the mystery was settled when Marcus Couto, prominent city umpire and BEIA member told this diarist, "East Indians use a traditional umbrella called sater for weddings, which is usually red or green. It's grand, big and heavy, so we made a smaller version inspired by the sater that people can carry for everyday use." To get your umbrella at the manufacturing cost of Rs 250, call 9821785453.

Mumbai's voice in Denmark

Krantinaari. Pic Courtesy/Aditya Ranga

A radical voice from Mumbai is heading to Hamlet's town. City-based rapper Ashwini Hiremath aka Krantinaari will be part of the line-up at the upcoming Roskilde festival in Denmark beginning on June 28. "It started when I was collaborating with Jackie Van Tran in Delhi, when he was here on a summer exchange," Hiremath recalled adding, "We were in touch when he went back to Denmark. He told me about Rapolitics, an NGO that works with rappers who make social impact through their work." The rapper will now be part of the Re:Act, a collaboration between Rapolitics and the Danish Institute of Human Rights and Roskilde Festival. The announcement came in March, and was quite the surprise for Hiremath. "We were hoping for collaborations on human rights causes, and there had been a struggle for funding. It was quite the surprise when it came through," she revealed. The collaboration will see Hiremath join a collage of social voices, including Casper from Zimbabwe and David from Cuba at the festival. "This is my first solo act, so I am excited to perform and explore something new. Casper and David will be speaking about reclaiming their voice and country, while I will be speaking about reclaiming spaces for genders."

Discuss it like an open book

K Vaishali and Vivek Tejuja

K Vaishali decided to turn a work of fiction into a memoir after she realised her own life was reflected in it. The Hyderabad-based author and podcaster will be in the city on June 9 to discuss her recently released book Homeless: Growing Up Lesbian and Dyslexic in India with author Vivek Tejuja at Andheri's The Trans Café. "We will talk about queer themes and Mumbai because that's where the book begins," she told this diarist.

Making a mark in Mumbai

A tattoo artist at work on Mumbai's streets

Tattoos have been a part of Indian culture well before they were considered hip. Tattoo artist Utsavi Jhaveri (inset) from Border-Line Tattoos explained that modern tattooing is an evolution of mark-making and how it was practised even before its popularity grew and machine tools were used. The modern Indian street tattoo artists fashion their own tools and use footpaths as studios, Jhaveri said. After speaking with and documenting the works of Mumbai street artists, she noted, "They make this art form affordable to others and profitable for themselves. We should recognise them as artists and encourage or help them grow." Check @indiastreettattoos for more.

That's the way, Mahi-Mahi ve

Mahi mahi. Representation pic (right) Hot fish pickle

With a new month come new flavours. Chef Semanti Sinha Ray from Goregaon's The Slow Fire Chef (@theslowfirechef) has introduced a South Indian-style hot fish pickle to her menu. Deviating from the recipe, she swapped prawns for mahi mahi or dolphinfish.

Semanti Sinha Ray

A smart choice, considering Know Your Fish, an initiative that encourages responsible seafood consumption, lists it as a preferred fish for June while also ensuring their population is not affected by overfishing. "This pickle is sour, tangy and spicy with undertones of methi, and an important ingredient is til oil," she shared. The pickle is freshly made for every order and available for delivery across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane.